
Monday, August 4th, 2025 Today, party preference in the US has shifted back to the Democrats for the first time since 2023; Virginia Giuffre's family responds to Trump’s admission that she was trafficked from Mar a Lago; trump always chickens out - he pauses Mexico tariffs for another 90 days; the DC Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility has recommended Jeffrey Clark be disbarred; the Navy reverses its decision to stop sharing weather data at the last minute; the Florida attorney general issued a subpoena to a bar to get the names of people who participated in a drag show; we have more details on California’s plan to redraw voting maps in response to Texas; and Allison and Dana deliver the good news.
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Alison Gill
MSW Media. Hello, and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, August 4, 2025. Okay, deep breath. Today, someone high up in the Trump administration waived Ghislaine Maxwell's status as a sex offender in order to move her to a minimum security facility in Texas. I am suing the Department of Justice to get the training videos instructing FBI personnel to flag Trump mentions in the Epstein files. Job growth tanked in July, and May and June were revised downward, leading Trump to fire the Labor Statistics commissioner. The Smithsonian removed mention of Trump's impeachment and then quickly said they'd reinstate it. I should say impeachments and reinstate them. Trump allies once again rely on Russian disinformation as evidence against political enemies. California Governor Gavin Newsom says he may call a special election in November to redraw maps after a Texas House committee approved a redraw that eliminates five Democratic House seats. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it is winding down operations following federal funding cuts. Florida concentration camp detainees have gone on a hunger strike over inhumane conditions. The Supreme Court signals it will gut what's left of the Voting Rights Act. A federal judge has blocked Trump from ending temporary protected status for nearly 60,000 people. A leaked memo from Kegseth's brother calls for the military to assist with mass deportation for years to come. The Senate has confirmed Jeanine Box of Wine Pirro as the U.S. attorney for D.C. and. And Tesla has been hit with $243 million in damages after being found partially liable for its autopilot in a fatal crash. I'm Alison Gill.
Dana Goldberg
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Alison Gill
Okay. The news needs to chill.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, that was a lot. I mean, it came in hot.
Alison Gill
That's a record.
Dana Goldberg
You're a little much news. You're being a little much go home news.
Alison Gill
You're drunk. That's a record for us for headlines over the weekend.
Dana Goldberg
How was your weekend, by the way?
Alison Gill
It was great. I'm gonna talk a little bit about something good that happened to me over the weekend in the good news that I want to share, but.
Dana Goldberg
Great.
Alison Gill
Yeah, it was nice, considering everything else that went down in the news, but. Yeah. How was yours? Did you have an okay weekend?
Dana Goldberg
Oh, I did. I did a fundraiser for an animal rescue here in Los Angeles with some of the. You're gonna love this. Chelsea Peretti, Nikki Glaser, Andy Richter. Like, it was just a great fucking lineup of all women, all female comedians except Andy and I raised over $36,000 so that this organization can save some more puppies. And kittens in the Los Angeles area. Get them out. And adopted and saved a friend of mine that I've known since she was 15, which is 34 years ago. Wait, is that right? That can't be right. No, that's not right. Okay, thank you. I was doing the math for her being that age since it's only like 24 years ago. Oh, my go. Holy hell. Anyway, it was nice to be able to donate my time for that and raise some money, have some good laughs. Oh, and Mo Welch was there. Do you know Mo?
Alison Gill
Yeah.
Dana Goldberg
Fantastic comedian. Anyway, so that was my highlight. I got to hold a puppy on the red carpet, and that was all I needed.
Alison Gill
Oh, my goodness. Amazing. That's a really great lineup to be a part of. And congrats on raising all that money.
Dana Goldberg
Thank you.
Alison Gill
Wow, that's so good. All right, we have so much to get to today. We're gonna have to cut the news in two, so let's start with some quick hits.
Andy McCabe
And to make a long story short.
Dana Goldberg
Too late.
Alison Gill
All right, first up, the TR Trump administration, in yet another desperate attempt to distract from the Epstein files, has declassified a 29 page annex to John Durham's report on his investigation into the Russia investigation. Ratcliffe, a complete idiot who is also in charge of the CIA, released these documents and claimed that they prove Hillary conspired with Russia to frame Donald Trump.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, for sake.
Alison Gill
Yeah, Just a couple problems, though. The big one being that both Durham and Ratcliffe concluded with a long time ago that the email in question was manufactured by Russian spies. Now, the annex Ratcliffe released says in black and white that Durham concluded the email was likely manufactured. And Ratcliffe himself said of the email back in 2020, quote, officials don't know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence service may reflect exaggeration or fabrication. Every single fucking time a Republican digs up evidence against Clinton or Obama or Biden or Hunter, it's always from a Russian source.
Dana Goldberg
Always.
Alison Gill
Nunes, midnight run to the White House, Rudy's manila envelope that he handed off to Ron Johnson in Congress, Biden's laptop, Comer's star witness about Biden bribes, pled guilty to making it all up and is in prison for being a Russian spy that made it up. I mean, just. It's ridiculous. Andy McCabe and I, by the way, talk about this in depth on our latest episode of Unjustified, which is out now.
Dana Goldberg
All right, thanks, Alison. This one's from NBC. A hunger strike at the South Florida immigration Detention Center State officials have named Alligator. Alcatraz has entered its 10th day as detainees protest what they call inhumane and dangerous living conditions. There were multiple reports of ambulances driving to and from the facility this weekend. Two weeks ago, dozens of 911 calls had been placed. And even though Ron DeSantis is defending the facility, including its readiness for hurricane season, the report he released outlining evacuation procedures. It's basically entirely redacted. Why would you redact an evacuation procedure for hurricane.
Alison Gill
Yeah, just trust us, bro. It's really good.
Dana Goldberg
I bet you anything this thing is set up to flood if there's a hurricane.
Alison Gill
Oh, my gosh. Right?
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
Alison Gill
My God. All right, next up, and in some better news from the Associated Press, a federal judge ruled on Thursday against the Trump administration's plans, and they extended temporary protected status for about 60,000 people from Central America and Asia, including Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. U.S. district Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco did not set an expiration date, but rather ruled to keep the protections in place while the case proceeds. The next hearing is November 18th. Now, of course, the Circuit Court or the Supreme Court could lift that stay for the pendency.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
Of the case. But in a sharply written order, Judge Thompson said the administration ended the migrant status protections without an objective review of the country conditions, such as political violence in Honduras and the impact of recent hurricanes and storms in Nicaragua. So it's a little bit better news. We'll see. I'm not very confident that the Supreme Court won't just lift this stay.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, I think you're probably right. And this one's from the Independent. A leaked memo from the Department of Homeland Security suggests that the Trump administration is considering using the US Military to boost its ongoing mass deportation agenda. While acknowledging the deployment of troops in Los Angeles earlier this year was. Wasn't perfect. Wasn't perfect. I don't want to typo on that. Was not perfect. That's. According to the new report, the memo was allegedly written by DHS senior advisor Phil Hegseth, the brother of Pete, apparently. The new Republican published the text on Saturday. Now, President Trump has already used US Military personnel in his aggressive deportation campaign. In June, Trump nationalized approximately 5,000 National Guard members and sent them to Los Angeles, as we know, to push back against protesters demonstrating against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids in their neighborhood.
Alison Gill
Yeah. Fortunately, as we talked about last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the lower court's judge ruling, saying, you can't make these sweeping things based on where they were gathering places, the language they speak. The color of their skin, etc. So we'll keep an eye on that next up from the Post. And we've been covering this here on the beans for a while now. The Supreme Court looks poised to gut what's left of the Voting Rights act in the Louisiana redistricting case. The justices on Friday evening asked opposing parties in a battle over Louisiana voting maps to submit briefs addressing whether the state's creation of a second black majority district violates constitutional provisions that require all people be treated equally. They want to use the 14th and 15th amendment against Black voters.
Dana Goldberg
Wow.
Alison Gill
They really, they really want to do this. Now. The district covers areas stretching from Shreveport to Baton Rouge. Seriously, they're about to conclude, I'm pretty sure that creating a second black district is racist against whites.
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
Alison Gill
So we'll keep an eye on this.
Dana Goldberg
All right. And from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. The Corporation of Public Broadcasting, which is the cpb, announced Tuesday that it's going to begin an orderly wind down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescissions package and the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee's FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies. That's the labor age. That appropriations bill, it includes funding for CPB for the first time in more than five decades. For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates and serves communities across the country. Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CBP has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming and essential services for Americans in every community. CPB's board of directors and management while they're working to closely to address the legal, financial and operational requirements of the closure, CPB will provide regular updates and guidance to stations and producers navigating this profound the profound challenges ahead.
Alison Gill
This is so sad to me.
Dana Goldberg
It really is. I just, I hope we can reverse some of this in the future when it's not too late.
Alison Gill
You know, when I was little we grew up in kind of rural ish Ohio. And you know, we lived in like a 1500 square foot salt box colonial and my dad just got out of the military and my mom was a executive assistant secretary for Stowe County Council, City Council and you know, we never could afford cable or anything. But PBS was always free. Absolutely, it was always free. And I used to stand in front of the TV and dance when Sesame street would start. It was my favorite show. Yeah, we named our dog Mumford after the Amazing Mumford. I had plants named Burt And, Ernie.
Dana Goldberg
You and I are still quoting Sesame street and Electric Company on the show. It's embedded into our cells.
Alison Gill
Yeah. So this is just a very sad day and another unfortunate giant leap toward fascism.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
All right. Yeah. I look forward to restoring that. That's what drives me. I look forward to unpaving the Rose Garden and rededicating it.
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely. Let's break up that concrete. Literally. Let's relay the foundation.
Alison Gill
Right. Bring us all in. Give us all a jackhammer. We'll get it done in 10 seconds.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, I'll do it. Are you kidding? Get 17 lesbians in there. We'll have the Rose Garden done in a week and a half.
Alison Gill
Heck, yeah. Free. I'll do free.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, I'll donate my time, too.
Alison Gill
You don't even have to pay.
Dana Goldberg
Habitat for Humanity, let's go.
Alison Gill
And like, like, I look forward to that. I look forward to tearing down the 90,000 square foot ballroom.
Dana Goldberg
This is what I want to say to that, Alison. This isn't their fucking house. This is the people's house. This would literally be like a renter or a tenant deciding they're going to put an addition on a house they do not own. I don't understand why people are not pushing back against this. You can change the colors. The colors of the room are sort of historic. You don't want to change the red room, the green room, all those things. Put up new curtains, make it as gold and tacky as you fucking want to. But you are not the owner of that house. You should not be able to build an addition on it without a vote to the American public. That is our house. It's the people's house.
Alison Gill
Yeah, I concur. And it kind of sends a signal that. I mean, would you put in a $200 million, 90,000 square foot ballroom if you were planning on leaving in a couple years?
Dana Goldberg
No.
Alison Gill
Same with the plane. They're going to spend a trillion dollars on the cutter. Air Force One. It won't be done until he's supposed to leave office.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, it's just.
Alison Gill
Anyway, we could go on, but we have so much news that we have to get to. We do have to take a quick break here, so everybody stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.
Dana Goldberg
We'll be right back.
Alison Gill
Hey, everybody. Deleteme makes it easy, quick and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. So if you're anything like me, privacy is probably a big concern. Especially now. It's Alarming how much personal information winds up in the hands of data brokers. These brokers compile your name, home address, phone number, email sensitive information like your Social Security number, details about your family members, and they sell it online to virtually anyone willing to pay. Your personal information is their inventory. You're the product. And this practice can quickly lead to identity theft, phishing scams, and harassment. Now, let's be honest. Data breaches seem to occur almost every other day. Hackers obtain names, addresses, partial bank account information, even the last four digits of socials, and data brokers then rush to purchase and resell that information. It's very unsettling, and that's why Delete Me has become an essential part of protecting both my personal privacy and the integrity of my business. Deleteme removes your information from these dangerous databases and continuously monitors them for new threats so you no longer have to worry about who might be purchasing your details online. With DeleteMe, you take back control of your online footpr. Protect your privacy and your peace of mind with Delete Me. So take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me now at a special discount for listeners. Get 20% off your delete me plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com DailyBeans and use promo code DailyBeans at checkout. Again. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.comDailyBeans and enter code DailyBeans at checkout. Again. JoinDeleteMe.com DailyBeANS code DailyBeans everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up from me at Mueller, she wrote. Com. This past Friday in the morning, CNN and NBC reported breaking news that Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a minimum security camp in Texas. So I activated the phone tree. You know, I have tons of amazing sources inside the federal government. And according to sources who have spoken on the condition of anonymity, she was moved to FPC Brian, about 100 miles northwest of Houston. This a luxury club fed for women. The reason for the move is listed as a lesser security transfer, which is code 308. And that's according to a transfer document I personally reviewed, which is completely inappropriate for inmates who are in the early stages of serving their sentences. And that's according to another source. This is such an obvious corruption. I have never seen this before, said another person at BOP familiar with the situation. BOP is Bureau of Prisons, the unit that approves waivers for sex offenders to be Moved to minimum security camps, which, by the way, has never really happened, is the Designation and Sentence Computation center near Dallas. Currently, the senior deputy assistant director is a guy named Rick stover, a career BoP employee who speaks frequently with White House officials. So I can't help but wonder whether this is part of a deal struck between Maxwell and Blanche in exchange for her testimony. If you have any additional information on the waiver or the transfer, you can reach out to me on Signal Mueller, she wrote, 23. I'll keep you anonymous. Now, four hours later, Kendallanean at NBC confirmed my reporting, but of course gave neither me nor our sources credit for breaking the story about the waiver. I also reported Friday that none of the survivors, Dana, were notified that Maxwell was being downgraded from sex offender status or moved to a minimum security facility. And in a related story, on Saturday, I filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice. As you may know, on July 20, I reported through anonymous sources again that there were training videos on the FBI SharePoint instructing people on how to flag and track mentions of Donald Trump in the 300,000 or so pages of the Epstein files. The New York Times confirmed my reporting five days later. Again, no credit, but whatever.
Dana Goldberg
Fine.
Alison Gill
But on the day I learned about the training videos, National Security Councilors filed a FOIA request for the videos on my behalf. Since it was my scoop, I was the first media outlet to file the request. And after 10 days with no response, I was able to file a lawsuit in federal court. Now, do I think DOJ will release the videos?
Dana Goldberg
No.
Alison Gill
I think they'll claim deliberative process privilege. So why file the request? Because by invoking privilege, they'd be admitting that the training videos exist and that they're trying to hide them from us. So even if I don't win, we win. By the way, my lawyer, Kel McClanahan at National Security Counselors, he's been on the show before. He's doing all of this legal resistance stuff for me pro bono.
Dana Goldberg
Amazing.
Alison Gill
So if you'd like to support our efforts, you can donate directly to National Security Counselors. That's his firm. And the money goes directly to their 501C3, so. And it's tax deductible. And we'll have a link to that in the show notes if you want to help out.
Dana Goldberg
Godspeed, my friend. All right, this is from NBC. Trump on Friday ordered the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This was hours after a stunning government report showed that hiring had slowed down significantly over the past three months taking Too True Social. He attacked Erica McKentarfer.
Alison Gill
Yeah, I don't know. McKentarfer, maybe McEnterfer. That's a tough name.
Dana Goldberg
Erica is the commissioner of BLS. He claimed that the country's job reports, and I quote, this is Trump, are being produced by Biden appointee and ordered his administration to terminate her. He said, we need accurate jobs numbers. This is what Trump wrote, By the way, she will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate. They can't be manipulated for political purposes. Purposes. Let's see who he puts in now. He intensified his attacks in a later post, writing, in my opinion, today's job numbers are rigged in order to make the Republicans and me look bad. He didn't cite any evidence at all for that claim. The BLS on Friday morning reported that the US economy added just 73,000 jobs in July, well below estimates. It also said that it had revised the May and June numbers and they turned out to be lower than previously announced by more than 250,000 jobs. I think the most pertinent comment on this comes from the former Trump appointee, Labor Statistics Commissioner Bill Beach. This is what Bill said. These numbers are constructed by hundreds of people. They're finalized by about 40 people. These 40 people are very professional people who have served under Republicans, Democrats. And the Commissioner does not see these numbers until the Wednesday prior to the release on Friday. By that time, the numbers are completely set into the IT system. They've been programmed. They're simply reported to the Commissioner so the Commissioner can on Thursday brief the President's economic team. The Commissioner doesn't have any hand or any influence on any of Wynn knowing the data until they're completely done. That's true of the employment rate. That's true of the jobs numbers. Erica had no idea until she had to report on this fucking thing. And he shoots the messenger.
Alison Gill
Yeah. She doesn't have any input actually on the numbers whatsoever. No, it's like a group of 40 people. And you know, by the way, this same commissioner reported at the end of 2024 a downward departure from the jobs numbers for all of 2024 for Joe Biden by about 800,000 jobs. What a political dick. Fuck. Next up from the Guardian, California's Governor Gavin Newsom may call a special election in November to begin the process of redrawing the state's congressional MA Maps in response to Texas's plans to change its own maps to help Republicans keep their majority in the House of Representatives. Speaking at a Thursday press conference, Newsom said, quote, a special election would be called, likely to be the first week of November. To approve the changes, we will go to the people of this state in a transparent way and ask them to consider the new circumstances, to consider these new realities. That's what the governor said. Well, he better get started instead of just talking about it because. A Republican led committee of the Texas House voted Saturday to advance a new congressional map drawn to flip five Democratic House districts in favor of Republican candidates. This vote came after a marathon 15 hour hearing on Friday in which the committee heard public testimony, almost all of it firmly against the changes that affect districts in Houston, Dallas and Austin and along the US Mexico border. And let's listen to one of those constituents who spoke during this hearing. His name is Samuel Garcia.
Dana Goldberg
Chair call Samuel Garcia.
Alison Gill
Shall you register to testify on behalf of yourself on the revised congressional redistricting plan, Is that correct?
Andy McCabe
Yes, sir.
Alison Gill
Please give us your testimony.
Andy McCabe
I drove here three hours to get here. I came from Abilene, Texas, and I'm gonna, if I'm willing to drive three hours to come here and talk, I'm gonna ask you to get off your phone and listen to what I have to say. Whenever I, I found out when you address somebody from the state legislature, you're supposed to call them the honorable this or the honorable that. Well, the word honorable means that you bring honor. And when you're elected, you're given that title. You should earn that title. Being honorable means that you do the right thing. Being honorable means that you will look at yourself in the mirror every day and say, why am I doing this? You got a call from Donald Trump. He told you to go find five seats. No, he got asked how many seats. He said five. He was asked on the news. You say, we don't have any maps. Well, the. How in the hell does Donald Trump know he's going to get five seats? I bet you anything there's maps that are there. Those maps are there and they're sitting on his desk and he's waiting for you to do it. This is ridiculous. A man a few days ago was arrested because he spoke too long at this, at the lecture. He spoke too long and y' all said, oh, he had to be arrested because he broke the rules. How many of you are going to get arrested for breaking the rules of mistreating the citizens of this state? You're breaking the rules. We, we are the citizens of this. Thank you. We're the ones. It's supposed to be bottom up not top down.
Alison Gill
And I have to tell you, Dana, Sunday morning I had it in my notes here that I was going to predict that we would see Texas congressional Democrats fleeing the state and the Republicans sending marshals out after them again, because remember, they did this in 2021 when Republicans pushed through voter suppression laws. They all ran because you need a quorum, right? And then right before we hit the record button today, the Post reported Democrats in the Texas legislature are fleeing the state Sunday to block a redistricting plan backed by Trump aimed at preserving the GOP slim House majority. They plan to stay away, by the way, for two weeks so they can run out the clock on the special session. The Texas House can conduct business only when two thirds of its 150 members are present. So at least 51 of the 62 Democrats would need to boycott the session to prevent Republicans from acting on the new map. The lawmakers could return a couple days before the special session ends on August 19th and use other stall tactics. But any success would probably be short lived because Abbott can immediately call another 30 day session, which is what he did in the other instances.
Dana Goldberg
All right. Thank you so much, Alison and everyone. Pressure works. Okay. This is from cbs the Smithsonian Saturday that it would update an exhibit at the National Museum of American History to reflect all impeachment proceedings in U.S. history after a placard was removed last month. And I quote, as the keeper of memory for this nation's, it's our privilege and responsibility to tell accurate and complete histories. This is from the Smithsonian in a statement that came after, by the way, that statement came after the Washington Post reported last week that the museum had removed references to President Trump's two impeachments earlier in the month as part of a content review. In the statement, the Smithsonian acknowledged the recent reporting around the matter saying a placard was removed in July from the exhibit, quote, the American Presidency, a glorious burden. That's apparently what the exhibit was, which the museum said is intended to and I would, quote, reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation's history. The Smithsonian outlined that the impeachment section of the exhibit will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation's history. Two of them belong to the current president.
Alison Gill
Two weeks. Yeah. We'll see if they actually restore it. But the pressure was enough to get them to make a statement and say they would. So that's the part of the pressure works, right?
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
Alison Gill
All right. From cbs. This is also from cbs. The Senate on Saturday approved the nomination of Jeanine Box and wine. Period.
Dana Goldberg
I just, I can't.
Alison Gill
An ardent loyalist to President Trump and Fox News fixture confirming the cable news personality as the top Prosecutor in Washington D.C. and this is why I don't understand all the weird with trying to get Alina Haba in at New Jersey. You nominated her. Let her. Let, let him vote. They'll probably vote for her. Why would they vote for Pirro and not her? I don't know.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
Pirro, a former county prosecutor and an elected judge, was confirmed in a 50 to 45 vote. She has been in the job as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia on an acting basis since May. Before then, she co hosted the Five on Fox News on weekday evenings. The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia is a very powerful position with a huge staff, huge budget, huge portfolio. Her confirmation came days after the Senate approved Emil Bovey, Trump's former defense lawyer and fucking liar, to I added that to serve on the U.S. appeals Court in the Third Circuit. John Thune, Majority Leader, said the Senate will adjourn until September 2nd once they finish with the round of votes scheduled for Saturday evening.
Dana Goldberg
All right, thanks for that one, Allison. And I have a little bit of better news from NBC. A federal jury on Friday found Tesla partly liable in a 2019 car crash that killed a pedestrian and left another person badly injured when the car was in autopilot mode. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $43 million in compensatory damages for pain and suffering, plus 200 million in punitive damages which are intended to deter future harmful behavior by Tesla. The verdict is a blow to Tesla and their CEO Musk, as they try to convince the public, government, regulators and investors that their self driving software is safe. The eight person jury said that Tesla was partly to blame for the crash in the Florida Keys six years ago when neither the driver of the Tesla sedan nor the autopilot software braked in time for an intersection. The jury assigned Tesla one third of the blame and assigned 2/3 to the driver who was reaching for his cell phone at the time of the crash. He was sued. Separately, the jury found that the plaintiffs experienced pain and suffering totaling $129 million. But Tesla will be required to pay only a third of that. That's 43 million in compensatory damages given its partial liability. This is all from a spokesperson for the plaintiff's lawyers.
Alison Gill
I think Tesla should have to pay more based on how much money it has than the driver.
Dana Goldberg
I would agree with that.
Alison Gill
Like if Tesla has to pay a third of the damages, then that should be weighted against how much money they have. Yeah, I think just my two cents. All right, thanks for that, everybody. It's time for some good trouble. What are you guys doing? Getting into trouble? Finding me for trouble. Okay, so the White House would like to know what topics you'd like to hear more about. So they've sent out a survey using mailchimp. Just thought I'd throw that out there. The topics you can select include things like economic updates, tariffs, border and deportation, the faith offices and initiatives, artificial intelligence and scientific initiatives. And they spelled initiatives wrong. Crypto. The national debt. By the way, nothing. No Epstein files option. Really?
Dana Goldberg
That's shocking.
Alison Gill
Yeah. But there is an other box that you can check that opens a comment window in which you can type the Epstein files.
Dana Goldberg
Do it.
Alison Gill
There's a link in the show notes for you. Click other. Type the Epstein files or something to that effect and send it in. So that's your good trouble today, should you choose to accept that.
Dana Goldberg
Seems like an easy one.
Alison Gill
I like it. I like it. They are doing everything they can to not talk about the. What do you want to talk about? The way that water swirls down the toilet? Do you want to talk about, like, anything but the Epstein files? So let's. Let's write it in there. Since they gave you the option again, link in the Show Notes. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. All right, everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone.
Andy McCabe
Then, good news, everyone.
Alison Gill
And if you have any good news, any little great thing that happened to you over the weekend or in the past decade. Doesn't matter. We just need to hear some good news stories. You can send them to us@dailybeanspod.com. it can be a shout out to a loved one. It can be a shout out to a small business in your area, some great community activism. Maybe you've got a postcard writing group or a book club or a gardening club, a quilting club. I know we've got a lot of fiberspace people who are into knitting and crocheting. Anything that you're making or creating a great book you finished recently or a great book you've started. I have a lot of books I've started but haven't finished. Maybe a shout out to a government program that's helped you or a loved one. And all you got to do to get your submission read on the air is pay your POD pet tariff, which means attach a photo of your pet. We can try to guess the breeds in your shelter pups. We're not very good, but we can try. It's fun. If you don't have a pet, you can send an adoptable pet in your area. If you don't have that, you can send. Just grab really any photo off the Internet that you like and share it with us. It's totally fine. Animals, your family, photos, baby pictures, anything at all. Especially bird watching, which can be birds or you and your family and friends flipping the bird to Trump or Musk or their buildings or properties. Again, send it to us by going to DailyBeansPod.com and clicking on Contact. So my first little bit of good news and the reason my voice is kind of low and breathy today is Saturday night. I went to a place in San Diego called the Blarney Stone Pub. Now I had a residency there playing music from about 2003 to 2009 and that's a long time to have a residency anywhere doing, doing anything.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
And you know, I would play songs from the 90s, violent femmes, you know, Added Up, Blister in the Sun, Jawbreaker, the. The B song by Third. Third. Third. No. What, what are they called? The Blind Melon.
Dana Goldberg
Blind Melon. Oh, I love Blind Melon.
Alison Gill
I knew it was blind in there somewhere. And we would just play all these great sing along songs. Living on a Prayer. We would write some funny songs as well and just had a blast. And Saturday night, Sean o', Donnell, who I used to play and sing with on Monday nights at the Blarney Stone, came back after, I think his last show was in 2009, I think was our last show. And so he came back, what, 16 years later.
Dana Goldberg
Wow.
Alison Gill
And played a set and everybody who used to be at the Blarney Stone was there.
Dana Goldberg
That's amazing.
Alison Gill
And we were singing at the top of our lungs and just having a wonderful time. It was like we hit pause in 2009 and went back and the whole rest of the world and the news and all the bullshit just melted away for like three hours.
Dana Goldberg
That sounds heavenly.
Alison Gill
It was fantastic. So thanks to the Blarney Stone Pub. Thanks to Sean O', Donnell, Dallas McLaughlin was there, Nick McCann and just old times, BJ Lawrence, who like, they're all from SeaWorld. They always do the dolphin show at SeaWorld. So we also sat. Sang the dolphin show songs from SeaWorld.
Dana Goldberg
It was great.
Alison Gill
We just had a good time. So I just want to put that out there for my.
Dana Goldberg
I love that you had that. We all need that. It's. It's healing.
Alison Gill
Yeah. All right, our first submission is from anonymous pronoun she and her. Friday night, I joined in the weekly protest of the kidnapping of Reverend Daniel Fuentes Espinal on July 21st. It felt so empowering to be part of this protest. I will join my people again and again on Friday nights to protest this injustice. With this current administration, we had so many drivers who honked and supported our protest. And here's some pictures I took of the protest and my son and his beloved cat that passed over the Rainbow bridge at age 19 for pod pet tarot. Oh, wow, look at this. Look at these signs. Ice needs to get out. No one is illegal on stolen land. I love it. Honk if all people are important. Oh, that's wonderful. And look at this beautiful orange kitty.
Dana Goldberg
Sweet man, too.
Alison Gill
Yeah, look at that ink. That's beautiful. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that.
Dana Goldberg
Thanks for kicking us off. This is from Tucker. No pronouns given. I have the misfortune of having Marsha Blackburn as my senator. Tucker, my condolences. I've decided that every time I get an email from her office, I'm going to respond by sending her office an email asking if she's doing anything to get the Epstein files released. Worst case scenario, she stopped sending me emails. Tucker, that's hysterical.
Alison Gill
Good job, Tucker.
Dana Goldberg
One of my favorite jokes about Marsha Blackburn is that, you know, she says she's got, you know, gay friends down in Nashville. And I'm like, if you had gay friends, your hair would not look like that. And then I said, and I don't know why she makes it so tall. It must be so much harder to fit that white hood over it.
Alison Gill
Oh, my God, it holds the hood up.
Dana Goldberg
Racist through and through.
Alison Gill
She is a total bigot. And, you know, I used to crimp my hair in the 80s in high school as one did, and my dad would say, it looks like. Looks like last night you set your hair and this morning it went off.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, my God.
Alison Gill
And every time I see her, I hear my dad saying that. All right, next up from Leah. Pronoun she and they. None of my colleagues listen to this podcast, so I would like to shout out veterinarians, vet nurses, techs, receptionists, and animal care assistants everywhere. You had at least one hard day this week, but you made it through next week. My first lymphoma case to have chemo will have his last dose. I won't be there to see this pupper through because I'm on vacation, but I deserve this break, and my colleagues will take good care of him. I don't think we have a bell, though. He has been a really good dog, but he's starting to get frustrated with all the visits. I can't share a photo of my patient, but I can tell you that he's a beautiful brindled lurcher with white socks and a white chest. A photo I can share is of a bumblebee on a thistle. We don't weed, we hardly mow. And our neighbors are serious bee, butterfly, and bird lovers, too. And we have similarly rewilded gardens, so our lane is like a little wildlife corridor.
Dana Goldberg
Beautiful.
Alison Gill
Yeah. That's fantastic. You should tell your colleagues to listen to the podcast, but absolutely great. Shout out to vets, vet nurses, techs, receptionists, and animal care assistants. Thank you so much for all the work that you do. I know it's really hard these days.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. All right. This is from Jeff. Pronouns, he and him. Hello, Beanie boosters. Longtime listener answering the call for stories of advocating in medical situations. Mine is a sad one, but it has its upside. A few years ago, an oncologist diagnosed my amazing mother with stage four pancreatic cancer. Her prognosis was so grim that I bit my tongue and supported her decision to pursue alternative treatment. The doctor she chose had an MD and a license, but was a straight up quack. My mom spent her final months enduring treatments that ranged from useless to harmful and torturing herself for allowing negative thoughts into her mind. My advocacy started after her death. I filed a complaint with the state medical board. It took two years, but that motherfucker surrendered his license after the board found he had failed to uphold the standard of care. There's now one less charlatan with a medical license duping desperate patients. And I feel really good about that. Also, RFK Jr. For my pod pet tariff. Here's our lab puppy, Charlie, looking forlorn next to the sign I made for the no Kings rally in June. It reads, and I quote, I'd rather be at home with my dog. Amen to that.
Alison Gill
Beautiful dog. Great sign. Thanks for going to that rally. And thanks for advocating for your mother. And I'm so sorry for your loss. Yeah. All right, next up from Anonymous, no pronouns given. Greetings, queens of the beans from the Pacific Northwest. I just wanted to share a tiny bit of good trouble. I recently got a Doge report from Turning Point usa. How I got on their mailing list, I have no idea. Well, I have some ideas. We really don't know what Doge was doing in all of our personal data anyway. They also were so considerate to include a postage paid envelope to send my gift to win America's culture war. I'm using that envelope to send back all of their report along with a note explaining my feelings about the fraud in the White House, the waste that we taxpayers are paying for, and the abuse that got them my address in the first place. And I sprinkled in lots of blue glitter to make it festive. It's my way of microdosing hope. And I'm including a bird watching picture. I believe it's a northern flicker that was hanging out in my front yard recently. Thanks for all you do. Anonymous this is great. If Republicans send you a prepaid return address envelope, fill that with glitter. Oh beautiful bird. Thank you for the bird watching photo.
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely. Oh so sweet.
Alison Gill
Yeah.
Dana Goldberg
Okay, we are moving on to Rachel. No pronouns given. Hey Beans Queens. Hey. I got into some good trouble twice today. First, I went to the Colorado Springs Rage against the Regime rally downtown. Not near the crowd as the no Kings Day, but still energizing. And this time there were only two pathetic maggot, douchebag, smooth brained assholes in big trucks with big ratty compensatory flags. I love that. Second, turns out my post rally beers and margaritas turned my level of petty up to stage nine. Fuck all y'. All. I'll back up and explain. I'm going to explain. A few weeks ago we got an invitation from the Census Bureau to fill out an online American Community survey. My spidey senses tingled, assuming it was just a ploy to find brown people, knowing that we won't do census crap again until 2030. So I threw it away. A week later we got another I threw it away. Then we got a full size big fat packet that looks slightly more serious. I asked a few friends if that they had gotten this stuff and none of them had. Now I was really suspicious, thinking, Christ, did I get too tan and post too many FDJT type posts while I was laid off and now I'm a Gestapo target. My husband finally opened it and the accompanying letter explained that it was random blah blah whatever and completing it was required by law according to the statute. Blah blah whatever. I chewed on this for several days, thinking I don't want to answer every very invasive question and if I fill it out online, I probably can't leave anything blank. Fortunately, the big packet came with a prepaid envelope so I didn't have to waste a stamp. So now we're back to this afternoon when I got home half hogged from drinking all afternoon and of course, decided now is the perfect time for me to fill this out. I don't know who you are, Rachel, but I already love you.
Alison Gill
I know.
Dana Goldberg
I love this. I know I love lots of commentary, a lot of which was N, O, Y, B and W, T, F. And this is public info. Look at Zillow. And on the back page that was intentionally left blank, I wrote, have fun reading this Deep state. Stop being Nazis. I put it in the envelope. I started to seal it, but the margarita in me said, nah, bitch, you can do better. So I turned the pettiness dial up and paper clipped every two pages together, then chunks of pages together. Then I thought, what else can I put in here? So I cut up the accompanying letter into petty confetti and stuff that into the paperclip nonsense like a Hasselback potato. I hope whoever is unfortunate enough to process my submission enjoys themselves and silently appreciates the dissent. No POD pet today. Just sharing photos from the rally and my editorial additions to my POD tags instead. Love you all.
Alison Gill
I love this Rachel. Petty confetti. Fantastic.
Dana Goldberg
First question, in the past 12 months, has any person given birth to any children? And she said, no, I've got rights. I'm not livestock. I love that.
Alison Gill
Oh, my goodness. Sorry. Not a brown person for you to kidnap off the street. Oh, my God. What is person two's race? I'm a mutt, like most people.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, my God. There's a sign on a pole that literally, it's a picture of Trump looking frumpy. And it says, is having a good time. And right below it, it just says, depends.
Alison Gill
Depends. Oh, my goodness. That is. What is that from? Oh, it was a rally. From the rally. Oh, my God. Great, Rachel. Thank you for that. And thanks to all of y' all for all your good trouble ideas and all your good news and rally photos. We really love them. And all your pet pet photos, too. Keep sending them to us. Dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. If you get a chance to do something you haven't done in a while, go out and do it and tell us about it. I had such a good time on Saturday. I really did. It reminded me of why we fight. Remember the old, you know, Dan Savage quote about we protest and then we danced and we were protesting so to save the dance, right?
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
Alison Gill
Yeah, it was just wonderful. So do that and then report back. Dailybeanspod.com, click on Contact. Do you have any final thoughts today, my friend?
Dana Goldberg
I do not. It's just nice to see you it's.
Alison Gill
Good to see you too. I. I always miss you over the long weekends and when you travel but the reuniting is always such reunited and it feels so good. Oh my God.
Dana Goldberg
We're old.
Alison Gill
Well, I am. You're not. All right everybody, we'll be back at your ears tomorrow. Please, 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. I've been ag. I've been DG and MZA 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 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 mswmedia.com msw media.
Podcast Summary: "Texas’ Dishonorable Legislature"
Podcast Information:
In this episode titled "Texas’ Dishonorable Legislature," Alison Gill and Dana Goldberg delve into a tumultuous week in American politics, covering a spectrum of pressing issues from high-profile legal cases to significant legislative maneuvers. The conversation seamlessly transitions between hard-hitting news and personal anecdotes, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of current events.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: Alison highlights the corruption and lack of transparency surrounding Maxwell's transfer, suggesting potential deals between Maxwell and the administration. The hosts express frustration over the repeated use of Russian disinformation by Trump allies to undermine political opponents.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: Alison criticizes Trump's undermining of the BLS's credibility, emphasizing that the data is compiled by a large, professional team and that the Commissioner has no influence over the final numbers. The hosts argue that the firing is a political maneuver to deflect from poor economic performance, highlighting the integrity of the BLS despite political pressures.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: Following public outcry, the Smithsonian acknowledged the oversight and pledged to update the exhibit. Alison reflects nostalgically on the importance of public media, underscoring the cultural and educational loss represented by the potential closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: The hosts dissect the strategic maneuvers behind Texas's redistricting efforts, comparing them to previous instances of voter suppression and legislative obstruction. They highlight the grassroots pushback against the plan, including the mass departure of Democratic legislators as a stalling tactic. The conversation underscores the broader implications for electoral fairness and representation.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: Alison and Dana lament the closure of CPB, emphasizing its role in providing free, educational content and supporting local journalism. They reminisce about the cultural significance of public broadcasting, highlighting the personal and societal loss that comes with its dissolution.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: The hosts critique the lack of transparency and accountability in Florida's detention facilities, questioning the government's ability to maintain humane conditions. They express skepticism over the official narratives regarding safety protocols, highlighting the dire situation faced by detainees.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: Alison elaborates on the implications of the Supreme Court's potential decision, framing it as a direct attack on the Voting Rights Act. The hosts express concern over the erosion of protections for minority voters, emphasizing the historical and legal significance of these provisions.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: The hosts dissect the disturbing notion of military involvement in immigration enforcement, drawing parallels to past actions under the Trump administration. They highlight legal challenges and public opposition to such measures, emphasizing the ongoing struggle against militarized immigration policies.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: Alison criticizes Pirro's qualifications and suitability for the role, citing her background in media and perceived lack of impartiality. The hosts discuss the potential impact of her appointment on legal proceedings and the broader political landscape, questioning the motivations behind such confirmations.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: The hosts analyze the legal ramifications for Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, emphasizing the jury's decision as a significant setback for the company's self-driving aspirations. They debate the fairness of the damage awards and the broader accountability of tech companies in ensuring user safety.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Discussion: This segment serves as a respite from the intense political discussions, highlighting the resilience and positivity within the community. The hosts celebrate acts of good trouble—constructive challenges to the status quo—and encourage listeners to engage in meaningful activism while also cherishing personal joys and achievements.
Alison Gill and Dana Goldberg wrap up the episode by reiterating the importance of maintaining mental health, supporting one another, and staying informed. They express gratitude for their listeners' contributions and enthusiasm for future episodes, promising continued coverage of vital social justice and political issues.
Final Remarks:
Closing: The hosts sign off with heartfelt encouragement for their audience to take care of themselves and their communities, underscoring the podcast's commitment to progressive values and informed activism.
Additional Information:
For More Information: Visit mswmedia.com for additional resources and to connect with the hosts.