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The Daily Beans
The Most Humblest
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Monday, October 20th, 2025 Today, over 7 million people came out to protest tyranny this weekend in the largest single protest in American history; more universities have rejected Trump’s compact; the head of the military’s Southern Command has stepped down amid concerns over the legality of the Venezuelan boat strikes; Marco Rubio sold out informants to El Salvador’s Bukele; the New York GOP has disbanded it’s Young Republicans group after the racists texts were leaked; the US is repatriating survivors of the latest Venezuelan boat strike; Trump has commuted the sentence of felony fraudster George Santos; Prince Andrew has renounced his titles ahead of the release of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir; more Epstein files have been released by House Oversight; a former ICE director says Trump is putting agents in a terrible position (boo fucking hoo); Putin is demanding Ukraine give up territory in a call with Trump; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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- [00:00]
A
MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. Today, more universities have rejected Trump's compact. The head of the military Southern Command has stepped down amid concerns over the legality of the Venezuelan boat strikes. Marco Rubio sold out informants to El Salvador's Bukele. The New York Republicans have disbanded its Young Republicans group after the racist text messages were leaked. The US Is repatriating survivors of the latest Venezuelan boat strike. Trump has commuted the sentence of felony fraudster Jorge Santos. Prince Andrew has renounced his titles ahead of the release of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir. More Epstein files have been released by the House Oversight Committee. A former ICE director says Trump is putting agents in a terrible position. Boo hoo. And Putin is demanding Ukraine give up territory in a call with Trump. I'm Alison Gill.
- [01:16]
B
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
- [01:22]
A
Hello, my friend. Happy Monday. How are you?
- [01:24]
B
Happy Monday to you. I'm good. I am. And every time something like the no kings happens and you see 7 million people, you get a little bit of refueling. You know, you get a literally feeling, you get hope. And seeing so much diversity out there in the streets. And I have a feeling there was probably more Republicans than there's ever been out there going, we didn't vote for this shit, so who knows?
- [01:46]
A
Yeah, it was, it was invigorating to be out there among everybody, whether you were there or watching virtually. I think everyone now has gotten a little bit of a shot in the arm, right?
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B
Yeah. And we'll take it. We'll take it. We need it. That's for sure.
- [02:02]
A
Yeah. San Diego was great. I got up, I spoke for just a couple minutes. It was just like, yeah, woo hoo, no kings, let's go, let's make history. Like, I didn't really say anything substantive because we had so many great speakers. And then I walked the route and had an amazing time. We had a couple of cruise ships in dock at the Embarcadero and they were home.
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B
That's awesome.
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A
So they were sounding their big old horns and we were cheering. And then people came out from restaurants and everything along the Embarcadero to wave to us. There were people like, there's a bunch of condos on the other side of the street. And people were out on their balconies with flags and banners cheering us on. It was really, truly just jam packed. And the energy was so cool. There were so many frog outfits.
- [02:48]
B
That's awesome. Yeah. I was in Minneapolis. There was a Cartman, which I love. There was a lot of south park blue. I think one of the things to mention is that for the most part, it was a really peaceful protest. Any violence came from agitators. I saw a couple videos just from. And it was usually after the rally, the protest had ended, and people were sort of dispersing. And then there was just, like, a troublemaker screaming at people in the streets. But karma kicked in on one of them. He tripped and fell. Listen, if you're gonna go running after someone calling him the F word, the. You know, a slur for a gay man, then sometimes karma just kicks in and. And you find your face to the floor.
- [03:31]
A
Yeah, that's a bummer for him or them, whoever it was.
- [03:35]
B
Yeah.
- [03:36]
A
Yeah. Zero arrests here in San Diego, none in Chicago, none in New York. Fully peaceful. And, you know, it makes me think, like, There were about 200,000 people that showed up in D.C. alone for no kids. They had zero arrests. And Metropolitan police, like, thanks for a great, wonderful, peaceful, joyful day. But the Trump rally on January 6th, 2,500 people.
- [04:02]
B
And how many arrests?
- [04:03]
A
He had about 40,000 at his Ellipse speech.
- [04:06]
B
Yeah.
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A
And about 2,500 entered the Capitol, and 1500 people were arrested.
- [04:12]
B
Yeah.
- [04:13]
A
So 1500 on January 6th, zero on October 18th. So just wonderful job, everybody. You got the assignment and you did it. And we set a new record. So we had what, 5 million the first one. 7 million. I think it's actually going upward toward 8 or 8 and a half million this time if we can get 10 million in the spring. And then right before the midterms, crank that up to 11.5 million or more.
- [04:40]
B
I'd love to see it.
- [04:42]
A
We will hit that 3.5% number. And no regime has ever withstood 3.5% of the people demonstrating against it.
- [04:52]
B
So let's hope that happens.
- [04:54]
A
Yes, that is the goal.
- [04:55]
B
Ag You. You've got some stuff to announce, huh? A couple things.
- [05:00]
A
Yeah, I do. First of all, latest episode of the Breakdown is available on Midas right now. Court documents show the government is destroying evidence. And I show you those court documents. There's a link in the show notes to that episode. Go give it a spin for me. And there's a new episode of Unjustified with me and Andy McCabe. And big announcement. We are launching our first ever video podcast.
- [05:23]
B
You get to see our face, people.
- [05:25]
A
Starting December 1st. It's a whole new podcast. It's a video companion to the Daily Beans. So this pod, the audio, Daily Beans stays the same. Nothing changes. But we're adding a video, like a big picture discussion of the headlines that day. So that starts December 1st on MSW Media YouTub channel. And that's for the public. And so, like I said, December 1st. But we're going to launch the beta version, the test version to our $5 a month patrons starting November 2nd, a whole month before it goes to the public. And for that whole month, we're going to ask you, our patrons, to give us feedback and maybe even help us name the show. So far, we're calling it the Beans Talk. But we're open to ideas. So if you want to be part of this new show, get in on the ground floor, help us create it from the ground up. You can become a patron@patreon.com MullerShiprote if you're already a $5 a month patron, you don't have to do anything. You're already in on it. You'll start getting the video pod on November 2nd. So I'm really excited about this. And then once, you know, December 1st rolls around, patrons will continue to get the video pod early and ad free as the public. Yeah. Gets it the next day.
- [06:37]
B
And AG9, just so everyone knows this isn't going to be the same thing. Like, we're going to be sort of speaking more off the cuff on podcast. We try really hard to give you the news. And of course we have our opinions, but our opinions usually align with the facts, I think most of the time. But this will be a chance to just sort of listen to us BS about this stuff, but bring you a little bit more in detail for some of the stories we didn't get to hit. And also things pop up constantly that we weren't able to fit in the episode or that come in late after Allison's already written the script for us. So there's gonna be some surprises. Just know that it's not gonna be repetitive and it's just a. It's a little bit extra for you and all the people that listen to the podcast while they're on their walk in the morning doesn't change. Take us with you on your beans walk and then join us for the Beans Talk.
- [07:27]
A
Yeah, because we thought about just flipping the cameras on and recording the daily beans podcast via video and then ripping the audio from that to put in the audio podcast feed. But it would be different. It would change the beans. Yeah. The audio podcast that you get here and there are just tens of thousands of people who like it just the way that it is. So we didn't want to mess with a thing. So it's still all the same. Everything is still the same here going forward. We're just making a whole separate new show. When do we sleep?
- [07:55]
B
I don't know, but I don't know when you sleep. I mean, seriously, I try and sleep on planes, but normally I'm sleep deprived.
- [08:02]
A
Yeah, we want to do this. We just want to do this and offer a little video component of the, of our big picture overview of the daily headlines. So we're going to start that December 1st for the public and November 2nd for patrons at the $5 a month level. All right, everybody, we have so much news to get to, but first, we have some quick hits. And to make a long story short. Too late. All right, first up, it's not just mit. Usc, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth and the University of Virginia UVA have all rejected Trump's compact that would give preferential funding in exchange for a list of changes to school policy, including no longer considering sex and ethnicity in admissions and capping international enrollment. Before UVA announced it was declining the offer, Trump officials on Friday convened representatives from the school and several other universities, including three additional schools that have now been asked to sign the compact. That's according to a White House official. So he called all the universities and said, but you guys, come on, you gotta sign my thing, you jerks. Now, the White House cast Friday's conversation as productive with all these schools and said it's now up to the schools to decide. And that was before UVA said no. So we've already got one school saying yeah, still no. CNN has reached out to the remaining schools for comment, but they haven't heard back.
- [09:17]
B
All right, sounds good. People are pushing back. This one's from the Times. Republican leaders in New York voted on Friday to disband the state's young Republican group after that horrible racist text among a group of members when it became public. The vote came days after Politico published the messages and reported on how leaders of the New York state Young Republicans and Young Republicans in other states had engaged in exchanges that included racist and anti Semitic comments. They were pretty abhorrent. Let's just be honest.
- [09:47]
A
Yeah.
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B
And just a trigger warning for this next detail. Some participants spoke of raping their political enemies and placing them in gas chambers.
- [09:55]
A
Oh, my God. Oh, yeah.
- [09:56]
B
And then J.D. vance comes up and defends these little. And they're not just little. One of them is two years younger than he is. Several members of the New York State Young Republicans, including a recent chair and vice chair, they were part of the chat and they made offensive comments sent over telegram. God, I believe a state senator in is it Virginia has stepped down because he was involved in it.
- [10:17]
A
Yeah. So I guess there is a line.
- [10:20]
B
Yeah.
- [10:20]
A
Anyway, thanks for that. Next up from the Associated Press, Trump said Friday he had commuted the sentence of former U.S. rep. George Santos, who was slated to serve more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft. He, he had only served three months of his 87 month sentence. Trump said on Truth Social it was because he was loyal and always voted Republican. So quiet part out loud. Santos actually said, I don't know how much more humbled I can get before people believe I'm humble or remorseful. Like I am the best, most perfect man in humility. Like, oh my God, dude.
- [10:57]
B
And he went on this one of the Fox, you know, Fox News panels and was talking about how it's absurd, the treatment he got and the, the sentenc. God. As a first time offenser, I'm like, you go look up first time offenses for what? Pot? Just like having a joint on you. Yeah, don't, don't start with these two systems of justice because you're going to lose that battle for sure.
- [11:19]
A
Yeah. And his max sentence was like 40 years and he only got 87 months.
- [11:24]
B
Right.
- [11:25]
A
That's because he was a first time offender. And that's how the sentencing guidelines work. And the sentencing guidelines are set by Congress, a panel elected by Congress or appointed by Congress. And he was in Congress. So if you don't like the sentencing guidelines, talk to your friends. I'm the most humble, perfect, humble, humility man ever.
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B
Oh, my God.
- [11:46]
A
So when do all the commercials come out that Trump pardoned a drag queen.
- [11:49]
B
There you go. We should actually have those. We should make them. Let's go, people. We need better messaging. All right. This is from BBC. Prince Andrew is giving up his titles, including Duke of York. This is what he announced in personal statement. I know that's a big deal there. It just seems like a very small price to pay.
- [12:06]
A
For what? He's still a prince. He didn't renounce his princedom.
- [12:11]
B
Right. Oh, what a disgrace. I wish he would turn on. Okay. By the way, this is all happening because he's been under increased pressure over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Then there's been calls for Buckingham palace to take action against him. He's going to remain a prince, as Alison said, but would cease to be the Duke of York, a title received from his mother, late Queen Elizabeth. Next week, a posthumous memoir by Mist you free, who took her own life earlier this year. It's coming out. It's finally going to be published. It's likely to cast further attention on Pris Andrew's involvement with her and Epstein. She alleged that the prince had sex with her at his friend Galene Maxwell's house in London in 2001, when Giuffre was 17 years old. Her memoir describes two other occasions on which she alleges she had sex with Prince Andrew in Epstein's townhouse in New York and Epstein's private island in the U.S. virgin Islands. That's called trafficking everybody. How do you think she's getting from one place to the other?
- [13:12]
A
Yeah, she didn't have sex with. He raped.
- [13:15]
B
Thank you. The prince made a financial payment to Mr. Free in an out of court settlement in 2022 after she had brought a civil case against him. He denies all accusations made against him. I am interesting to see what else is in this memoir. Obviously, I'm sure a lot of people are and we will find out. And there's gonna be more stories that come from this.
- [13:35]
A
Yeah. Indeed. Next up from cbs, the rules of engagement for federal agents amid Trump's immigration crackdown have come under scrutiny with one former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director telling CBS News, agents have been put in a terrible position and are being tasked with operations in a city where they don't belong. Quote, what strikes me immediately is how this administration has put these agents in a terrible position. That's John Sandweg, former acting director of ice. These are units that are designed to address high risk threats and bring overwhelming force to bear. And I think the big flaw here is not, well, I don't blame the agents. I blame the administration for putting agents who are trained in this manner in a city where. Where they don't belong. I don't know, man. When I hear that, I just hear the SS at Nuremberg saying, I was just following orders. Yeah, it's like, quit your job if you don't like being a Nazi. And if you can't, if you can't quit your job. You should be sabotaging ICE from the inside. Or quit and join your local police department to help protect us from ice. I don't know. I just. Oh, they're put in a terrible position. The founder of the Onion posted on Blue sky, well, then quit your job. Like, it just. I don't. Anyway, I know it is. I know it can be difficult for some people who maybe joined for good reasons to just up and quit, but there's other options.
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B
Yeah. I agree. All right. This past Thursday, on a phone call between Trump, Putin, Putin demanded that Ukraine surrender full control of parts of the Donbas region. The call ended in a shouting match when Putin refused Trump's call for a ceasefire. Then on Friday, Trump called Zelensky and urged him to accept Putin's deal or Putin would destroy Ukraine. Well, I think if Putin could destroy Ukraine, he probably would have done it by now.
- [15:24]
A
Right. He's been holding back for the last.
- [15:26]
B
2022, losing his people, losing money, losing weapons, then the. And losing, by the way, face. The Financial Times reports that the meeting between the US And Ukrainian presidents descended many times into a shouted match with Trump cursing all the time. People familiar with the matter said they end, I want that call to be released. They added that the US President tossed aside maps of the front line in Ukraine, insisting Zelensky surrender the entire Donbas region to Putin and repeatedly echo talking points the Russian leader had made in their call a day earlier. So he's doing Putin's bidding, but we are not surprised.
- [16:04]
A
Such a weak, weak. Kamala Harris was right. He will eat you for lunch.
- [16:08]
B
Absolutely.
- [16:09]
A
And he is. How. How embarrassing. Oh, my God. Oh. Anyway, all right, we have a lot more news to get to, and we have the listener submitted. Good news. If you have good news, you can send it to us@dailybeanspod.com just click on contact. We also accept good trouble submissions. And we'll be right back with the hot notes. Stick around after these messages.
- [16:30]
B
We'll be right back.
- [16:33]
A
Right now, the headlines are chock full of data breaches and regulatory rollbacks, making us all vulnerable. But you can do something about it. Delete Me is here to make it easy, quick, and safe to remove your personal data online. So we want to thank our sponsor for today's episode, Delete Me. With Delete Me, I protect both my personal privacy and the privacy of my business as someone with an active online presence, as you know, I. I know how easy it is for personal information to end up in the wrong hands. Between social media subscriptions and public records, our data is constantly being collected and mined and shared and sold. And every time I read another story about a data breach exposing names and addresses or Social Security digits, it reinforces how real that risk is. And that's why I Delete Me. They do all the hard work of removing my personal information from data broker sites, the companies, by the way, that profit from buying and selling your data. All I have to do is sign up, tell them what information I want gone, and their experts handle the rest. Delete Me doesn't just do a one time sweep either. They're always working in the background, monitoring and removing my personal information before it can be exploited. Every few weeks I get a detailed privacy report. It shows what they found, where they found it, what was deleted, and how much time they saved me by doing it. For me, it's clear, transparent and it gives me peace of mind. Data privacy shouldn't be a luxury, it's a necessity, and Deleteme makes it simple to take control of your personal information and keep your digital footprint under your control. 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 www.joindeleteme.com DailyBeans and enter the code DailyBeans at checkout. Again, that's www.join DeleteMe.com DailyBeans code DailyBeans. You'll be glad you did hey everybody, have you heard of Wild Grain yet? It's the first bake from frozen subscription box for artisanal breads, pastries and fresh pastas. Everything goes straight from freezer to oven. It's ready in 25 minutes or less. Unlike typical store bought bread, Wild Grain uses slow fermentation processes that are easier to digest and they're packed with nutrients and antioxidants and made with clean, simple ingredients that you can actually recognize. Every box is fully customizable with new seasonal and limited edition items added all the time. Along with their classic box, Wild Grain now offers the gluten free box and a plant based box so there's something for everyone. So thanks to Wild Grain for supporting the show and check this deal out. For a limited time, Wild Grain is offering you $30 off your first box plus free croissants in every box when you go to wildgrain.comdailybeans to start your subscription. Or you can use promo code DailyBeans at checkout. When my Wild Grain box arrived, I went straight for the seasoned apple cider donuts.
- [19:17]
B
Mmm.
- [19:18]
A
In less than 25 minutes they baked up perfectly warm, fragrant. It was like autumn in my house, soft enough to melt in your mouth. I also tried their classic sourdough loaf which had a crisp crust and an airy inside that tasted straight from a bakery. Everything arrived well insulated and organized, making the entire experience easy from freezer to table. And I loved not having to plan bakery runs just to get fresh bread. Now Dana got a gluten free box and she was thrilled with the texture and flavor and actually matched what I was eating. Wild Grain brings the joy of homemade baking without the hassle or the waiting. So this fall, treat yourself and your loved ones to warm sourdough breads and seasonal baked goods from Wild Grain. Rumor has it they have apple cider donuts and pumpkin cinnamon biscuits, so get them before the seasonal items sell out. For a limited time, Wild Grain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box, plus free croissants in every box when you head to wildgrain.com dailybeans to start your subscription. Get you heard me, free croissants in every box and $30 off your first box when you head to wildgrain.com dailybeans don't miss their seasonal products. You'll be glad you did. Welcome back. It's time for the Hot Notes. Hot Notes all right, first up from the Times, the Trump administration is repatriating two survivors of a deadly US Strike this week on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, and they're doing that rather than prosecute them or arrest them or hold them in military detention. That's according to Trump. The men who survived are being returned to their home countries, Colombia and Ecuador, for detention and prosecution. Of course, Trump spelled Colombia wrong in his Truth Social post.
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B
Of course he did.
- [20:54]
A
Mr. Trump also posted a 29 second video showing a semi submersible vessel that was traveling partially below the water being blown up. He said two other suspected drug smugglers whom he called terrorists, had been killed in the attack. It was not immediately possible to confirm that either Colombia or Ecuador had agreed to prosecute these two men. Mr. Trump previously described people aboard suspected drug smuggling boats, which the United States has targeted in several deadly airstrikes since September, as unlawful combatants. He has claimed the authority, widely disputed by legal experts and the Constitution, to summarily kill such suspects in military strikes as if they were enemy soldiers in a war. The decision to transfer the two survivors, however, was in line with the Coast Guard's practice of repatriating or handing off to friendly countries people who were intercepted outside of the United States as suspected traffickers. But it also avoids the dilemma of what to do with the first people captured in what Mr. Trump has declared a formal armed conflict against drug cartels. Holding them as indefinite wartime detainees at the military prison in Guantanamo could have opened the door to a court's reviewing of whether this really is a war as a part of a habeas corpus lawsuit. Prosecuting the men in US Civilian court would have raised other problems. For one, it was not known if any courtroom admissible evidence was available to demonstrate that the survivors of the attack engaged in criminal wrongdoing. Still, avoiding legal and logistical headaches by sending the men home seemed to contradict the administration's stance that suspected drug smugglers pose such a severe danger that Mr. Trump can have the military summarily kill them. So we're either letting enemy combatant cartel terrorists go free or we're killing innocent people. And Trump is avoiding serious legal questions by refusing to hold them as wartime detainees or try them in US Courts.
- [22:54]
B
And he knows he's not smart enough to make these decisions. This is probably Miller making all these decisions, figuring out the loopholes. It's just embarrassing. In a related story, by the way, this one's from the time is the military commander overseeing the Pentagon's escalating attacks against boats in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration says are smuggling drugs. They said on Thursday that it was stepping down. Okay, he was stepping down. The officer, Admiral Alvin Holsey, is leaving his job as head of the US Southern Command that oversees all the operations in Central and South America, even as the Pentagon has rapidly built up some 10,000 forces in the region in what it says is a major counter drug and counterterrorism mission. It's unclear why Admiral Hulsey is suddenly departing less than a year into what is typically a three year job and in the midst of the biggest operation in his 37 year career. But one current and one former US official, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss those matters, said that the Admiral Hulsey had raised concerns about the mission and the attacks on alleged drug boats. So it seems like he's not okay with what the fuck is going on, right? News of the admiral's departure comes a day after the New York Times reported that the Trump administration had secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela.
- [24:16]
A
While Admiral hey everybody, we're doing secret stuff. Let me tell you all about it.
- [24:21]
B
I know they keep doing that. I'm surprised it wasn't put in a signal chat. While Admiral Hulsey had been the highest ranking military officer overseeing the airstrikes, the decision to carry them out has been driven by the White House and the strikes themselves have been conducted by special operations forces. With Admiral Hulsey largely cut out of all of that decision making.
- [24:41]
A
Yeah, I got to imagine that Halsey was like, I'm not doing that. And Trump and Hegseth said, if you don't, we're firing you. And that's when. Why he resigned.
- [24:50]
B
I would think so. I mean, that sounds pretty viable.
- [24:52]
A
You know, I don't think he. Because otherwise, if, you know, if he could stop this from happening, he'd stay. If he could stay. So I think he was honestly removed and was, you know, resigned first instead.
- [25:04]
B
Yeah, that sounds plausible.
- [25:06]
A
Like they said, all right, but if you get out now, we'll let you keep all your retirement and your benefits and stuff. If you just resign.
- [25:12]
B
Yeah, we'll see if that actually happens. I could see Trump stripping him of all of it.
- [25:16]
A
Yeah, we'll see. I imagine there will be more to the story as details emerge. This next story is extremely fucked up. It's not in a content, warning way, just in a. I can't. Well, I can believe that they would do this. It just never occurred to me. Like, remember on January 5th when we recorded the show? And you're like, how many ways? January 5, 2021, you're like, how many ways can he do impeachable stuff? How many impeachable things can he do between now and January 20th? And we couldn't imagine what he would do the next day because we aren't evil. I couldn't imagine this. This comes from the Post, and you'll recall Andy McCabe and I have been questioning Trump's deal with El Salvador's President bukele to trade Ms. 13 gang members for the ability to use the Seacoat Prison for our deportees. Like Pam Bondi had this whole big press conference, Dana, where she said, oh, we've gotten one of the MS.13 leaders. We're going to bring him full to, you know, to the hold him accountable by the full force of the law. And we're taking them to court. And then the next day they dropped the charges.
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B
Yeah.
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A
And the guy disappeared because he sent them to El Salvador. We're sort of unraveling this, being like, were these guys traded? Why would you catch one of the most notorious leaders of a deadly murderous gang and then drop the charges?
- [26:43]
B
That's a really damn good question.
- [26:45]
A
It didn't make sense. So we're like, this has to be some sort of a trade. Right? I kept saying the deal was the reason that Trump didn't want to go through discovery in the Abrego Garcia case and why they cooked up those two ridiculous criminal charges. To end the discovery process in the contempt proceedings with Judge Sinis so that they wouldn't have to hand over the agreement they made with Bukele and discovery. But it's so much worse than I thought. Here's what they say. In the days before the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to the notorious prison in El Salvador, the president of that country demanded something for himself. The return of nine Ms. 13 gang leaders that were in U.S. custody. And we kind of guessed that. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a March 13 phone call with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, promised the request would be fulfilled, according to officials familiar with the conversation. But there was an obstacle. Some of those Ms. Thirteen members Bukele wanted were informants under protection of the US Government. And Rubio told him that to deport them to El Salvador, Attorney General Pam Bondi would need to terminate the DOJ's arrangements with those men. And Rubio told Bukele that he assured Bukele that Bondi would complete that process and Washington would hand over the Ms. 13 leaders. Rubio's extraordinary pledge illustrates the extent to which the Trump administration was willing to meet Bukele's demands as it negotiated what would become one of the signature agreements of Trump's early months in office. While the outlines of the quid pro quo have been public for months, the Trump administration's willingness to renege on secret arrangements made with the informants who had aided US Law enforcement and investigations had not been previously reported. That's the new part here.
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B
Wow.
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A
The deal would give Bukele possession of individuals who threatened to expose the alleged details his government made with MS.13 to help achieve El Salvador's historic drop in violence. For the Salvadoran president, a return of the informants was viewed as critical to preserving his tough on crime reputation. He didn't want these MS.13 gang members to come out and say, but we had a deal with Bukele. He would let us do our gang stuff if we helped him tamp out crime. So he wanted these guys so that he could silence them. That was a key step in hindering an ongoing U.S. investigation into his government's relationship with Ms. 13, a gang famous for displays of excessive violence in the United States and elsewhere. But in promising to terminate the informant arrangements, current and former Justice Department officials say Rubio threatened to undercut years of work by US Law enforcement to apprehend and secure the cooperation of high ranking members of one of the world's most deadly gangs. Quote, the deal is a deep betrayal of US Law enforcement whose agents risked their lives to apprehend the gang members. That's Douglas Farah, a US Contractor who worked with federal officials to investigate and help dismantle Ms. 13. Quote, who would ever trust the word of the United States, law enforcement or prosecutors again?
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B
Wow.
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A
And Annie McCabe and I are going to discuss this on the next Unjustified. He's dealt with a lot of these kinds of informants. Right. And in his long career at the FBI. But to tell an MS.13 gang member, help us find your buddies and we'll protect you. Yeah, help us and we'll have this arrangement with you. And then to say, nope, never mind, and send them to their death back to El Salvador. Who's going to cooperate with the government again? Yeah, I wouldn't.
- [30:26]
B
Absolutely not. Especially this one. Speaking of this one, I actually like when more of the stories come out, because I'm glad that these are not just fading away. This one's from the Post. The House Oversight Committee released a new tranche of documents Friday collected as part of its ongoing investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files feature call logs, schedules of meetings between Epstein and prominent figures in the arts, technology, and business, as well as a transcript of an interview the committee held with Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. labor secretary. Her served as the top federal prosecutor in South Florida. When Epstein was widely criticized, he was criticized for this deal. Acosta was criticized. That sweetheart deal he got in Florida. This is the guy.
- [31:13]
A
Yeah. And by the way, just thank you to the Washington Post for referring to Jeffrey Epstein as a convicted sex offender and not a disgraced financier.
- [31:21]
B
Yes.
- [31:22]
A
I don't know if we had anything to do with that, but we appreciate it. Yeah.
- [31:27]
B
One redacted call appears to show. One redacted call log appears to show two undated calls from someone listed as Donald Trump. Huh. Epstein and President Donald Trump were once friends, but Trump has said he ended that relationship.
- [31:41]
A
Okay, so Trump is in the Epstein files.
- [31:43]
B
I would. I had no idea. What. I know. The documents, redacted emails and calendar entries show scheduled breakfast lunches, dinners, meetings from 2012 to 2014 with a variety of powerful people, including Woody Allen, as well as billionaires, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Reid Hoffman.
- [32:04]
A
Yeah. And I just want to point out that 2012-2014 is way after everybody knew he was raping girls. Yeah, that's after the deal. That's after he pled guilty to two lower counts. That's after Trump dissed him. So that's gross.
- [32:21]
B
Acosta sat for an Interview, by the way, with the committee in September. According to transcripts released Friday, he defended his actions, the actions of his office that they took while prosecuting Epstein in the 2000s. Despite allegations that he molested dozens of girls, Epstein reached a plea agreement that allowed him to plead guilty in state court in 2008 to soliciting prostitution and face no federal charges. The wealthy, politically connected child rapist is what we're going to call him here.
- [32:50]
A
Oh, they did it. They did it. They called him a financier. I spoke too soon.
- [32:54]
B
Yep. Spent a little more than a year behind bars and was given generous work release privileges. Acosta told the House committee that a trial would have been, quote, a crapshoot. He cited a reluctance among some of Epstein's victims to testify. That's bullshit, by the way, because later he admitted he never read the fucking testimony. The written ones, inconsistencies in some of their stories and evidentiary issues. That's according to 172 page transcript released Friday. Victims would have faced, and I quote, withering impeachment by Epstein's defense attorneys. Oh, and you're protecting the victims now from impeachment? Is that what you're doing? Yeah.
- [33:29]
A
And by the way, Epstein's defense attorneys were paid for. By who, these guys?
- [33:35]
B
Yeah. And they quote, a billionaire going to jail sends a strong signal to the community that this is not acceptable, that this is not right, that this cannot happen. That's what Acosta said. Looking back in hindsight, there are a number of issues that I will say cause the community and the victims to feel. And this is what he says, to feel that this was not a good resolution. And I get that.
- [33:57]
A
Yeah. A billionaire going to jail where he can leave jail all day and go home, that sure does send a strong message that this is just can't happen.
- [34:06]
B
Yeah. And redacted flight logs, by the way, call text logs and the property maintenance records, they're also being released. The flight logs contain several references to Britain's Prince Andrew, as we talked about, who renounced his titles Friday due to his ties to Epstein. Alison, I know it's not in the stories, but every once in a while we get some breaking news and I just want to cover this because it's a little time sensitive. I just got a text from my dear friend, Commander Emily Hawking. Schilling, I'm sure that should sound familiar. Schilling versus Trump, our very patriotic trans pilot. Oral arguments are going to be tomorrow morning. And that's why I wanted to say this at 9 o' clock. Pacific Time. We're going to have a link to the show notes if you want to listen to the oral arguments in this case. This is Schilling versus Trump. So tomorrow, the ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in Schilling vs Trump, the case challenging the 2025 ban on transgender military service. And this is from Emily. Commander Schilling says when the ban was signed last year, I was still serving. I had spent two decades in uniform leading air crews and test teams, and was on track for promotion to 06. Like many others, I did not leave by choice. I was forced out by a policy that says identity matters more than ability, that courage and competence are not enough. In March of 2025, a federal court agreed with us and issued a nationwide injunction blocking the ban. In May, the Supreme Court stayed that injunction, putting it on hold while the case moves forward. Tomorrow's hearing is about that injunction, whether it's going to remain frozen or be restored while we wait for the full hearing on the merits in November of 2026. All these people on hold for another year and a half, depending on what happens now. This is a long mission, and tomorrow is one leg of that flight. I love Commander Schilling. The judges will decide whether those who are willing to serve can continue to do so while the courts determine the future of the policy itself. That decision could come the next few months. Service is built on trust, truth, and the belief that integrity makes us stronger. I still believe our country is at its best when every person who can serve is allowed to.
- [36:14]
A
Well said. And again, we'll have a link in the show notes if you want to listen in to those oral arguments before the ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. All right, everyone, we have to take a quick break before we get to listener submitted good news. And again, if you have good news you want to submit and share with us, you can do that@dailyveanspod.com and click on contact. We'll be right back. Everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?
- [36:40]
B
Everyone?
- [36:41]
A
Then, good news, everyone.
- [36:56]
B
Good news, good news.
- [36:58]
A
And if you have any good news at all, big little yesterday, 20 years ago, we want to hear from you. You can send it all to us, whether it's a good news story, a street joke. You want to give us a chuckle, your favorite. Send your favorite street joke in. Yep. Absolutely. You want to give a shout out to. My favorite street joke right now is what is red and smells like blue paint?
- [37:21]
B
What?
- [37:22]
A
Red paint.
- [37:24]
B
I was just gonna let you say it because I knew, but I didn't want to take your thunder.
- [37:27]
A
Oh, oh, that's very nice. Not smelling a bunch of. You're like, I already know that joke.
- [37:31]
B
Yeah, that's no fun when we're playing. I've heard that one.
- [37:36]
A
Yeah. Or we could even do guess the punchline where you send us a street joke and we try to guess the punchline anyway.
- [37:41]
B
There you go.
- [37:42]
A
That's always fun. You can also send a shout out to a loved one or a small business in your area or a nonprofit doing great work. Maybe a self shout out. We love those. Toot your own horn. We want to hear all the amazing stuff you're doing. Maybe you have a shout out to a government program that's helped you or a loved one. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. And all you got to do to get your stuff right on the air is pay your pod pet tariff, which used to mean attach a photo of your shelter pup and we'll guess the breeds. It was a game called what the mutt? And that expanded to find the cat and opine on the equine and no opine on the bovine and what the hecwine. Excuse me, we did count.
- [38:23]
B
And then you get a lot of them confused.
- [38:25]
A
What the hell's in that shell? Because I somehow knew a turtle breed one time, but that has expanded. It's no longer just a pet guessing game for breeds and types. You can attach an adoptable pet in your area. If you don't have a pet, you can attach a random photo of an animal on the Internet that you think is adorable. We love those, especially baby animals. You can attach family photos. You can attach baby pictures. You can attach a photo of your garden or anything you're making or creating, painting, knitting, crocheting, quilting. Anything. Anything at all. Send it to us dailybeanspot.com click on Contact. All right, first up is our good trouble. When this good trouble comes from swing left. You can sign up to phone bank in Virginia. The governor's lieutenant, governors and attorney general's offices are all on the ballot. In addition to the entire House of Delegates, Virginia will be an important bellwether for what happens in the midterms next year. And we need to do everything we can to make sure Democrats flip seats across the state. So there will be a link in the show notes for you to sign up to phone banks for Virginia.
- [39:26]
B
All right, thank you so much. This next one's from Paul. Pronouns he and him. Hey, Beans Queens. I just wanted to Let you know that I wanted to attend the no Kings rally on Saturday in Minneapolis with Dana. But I wound up needing to travel to visit my mom in Green Bay. Well, didn't feel quite right to ditch the protest, so I signed up in Green Bay, and then my mother did, too. It was a great event with a lot of participation, 100% peaceful. And I've included a photo of us with our signs. Thank you for all you do. Mom's sign says, truth matters. Science matters. Democracy matters. And I love this one. Paul. Paul says Trump sandwich. It's white bread full of bologna with Russian dressing and a small pickle. Would you like files with that?
- [40:06]
A
Instant fries.
- [40:09]
B
Nice.
- [40:10]
A
Paul. Amazing. This is a fantastic picture, and I'm glad you both wore yellow. Thank you. Next up, from the joyful foot care nurse pronoun. She and her dear Allison. Dana. Thanks so much for every action you two take to kindle a fire of democracy. This is how it feels for me. When I decided to host a no Kings protest in Cherry Grove Township, Kenyon, Minnesota, in Red Goodhue County. I approached some of the people that I knew were progressive. And each time I tried to talk about it, I couldn't speak. Strong emotions made communication more difficult. I broke into tears at one home and finally asked a young man who answered the door, do you like what's happening in our country? And he just shook his head no and gave me a hug.
- [40:51]
B
Oh, wow.
- [40:52]
A
I knew that I'd found a kindred soul. So I figured I might be standing on the corner by myself for this. I thought that might be okay. People will stop and ask me why I'm here. But the mobilized site filled up. When 1018 arrived. I had seven people signed up. That felt like a major victory. It seemed unachievable, but it happened. I wouldn't be alone. On the actual date, 17 people showed up. People came out of the woodwork. I found neighbors just three to four miles away who were blue. I'm sending a few pics of the Cherry Grove Township, Minnesota, protest. Look at this. Transgender rights are human rights. No kings, no crown.
- [41:28]
B
I love this.
- [41:30]
A
Stop using military on civilians. Congratulations. Oh, my gosh. That just must fill your heart.
- [41:36]
B
Yeah, that's what.
- [41:38]
A
That's what I love about this. We see all the big. This happened in June, too. Remember? We saw all the big ones. Eighty hundred thousand to two hundred thousand people. But these small little townships, that's.
- [41:48]
B
Yes.
- [41:50]
A
These events where half of this town shows up.
- [41:54]
B
Yeah, I love this stuff. There's deep red areas where people are like, fuck this. All right, this next one's from Christy and Sarah. Pronouns. She and her Good news. No Kings 2.0 Photos Ferndale, Michigan. My girlfriends and I are huge fans of the show. We went to rally together. It was such a great time. So much amazing energy. Your crew looks super fun. Christy and Sarah, if I'm ever performing near there, I need you all to come to the show.
- [42:22]
A
Look at this. Look at the. Oh, and they have a Trump baby balloon as well.
- [42:26]
B
Look at. Look at cleanup in aisle 47.
- [42:29]
A
Oh, my gosh.
- [42:30]
B
Ha ha. That's awesome.
- [42:32]
A
Fantastic. Oh, my gosh. That's so cool. Thank you, Christy. Next up, from Mark in Chicagoland. I'm a proud member of the Leguminati in regard to Daily Beans as akin to Radio Free America for the masses trapped behind the lines in World War II. Okay, all right, chill for a second there, Mark. But thank you for the kind words like the other millions across the nation in the world. I attended no Kings 2 in the Chicagoland area and I can report it was massive. I have seen the photos. Oh my God, Mark. And more importantly, as compared to no Kings one or other protests, the traffic among the major road arteries passing by were by estimation 98% in support of the protests with endless honking, screaming signs etc from their cars. It was that way in prior protests, but there was more opposing MAGA types letting us know what they thought. This time. That was in minuscule numbers, which I have to say was very, very encouraging. I also ran into Representative Bill Foster on forced break from the house at a Starbucks, who came up to me outside with his staff and expressed his love for my sign. They asked me to take a picture with the entire team and me, despite my less than kind expression that was used while I forgot to use my own phone to take the group picture. Here's my contribution to the many fantastic signs on displays of free speech that day. Godspeed, Daily Beans. May you continue to inspire all of us in our quest to retake democracy.
- [43:57]
B
Nice lice.
- [44:00]
A
Lie ice Speaker Johnson. We love America. Not your America with 3Ks and a Nazi flag. That's fantastic.
- [44:06]
B
Swastikas. There's something in my chest as a Jewish person, whenever I see it is tough.
- [44:16]
A
There's a picture of the congressman there. Yeah. Oh, thank you, Mark from Chicagoland. Thanks to all of you for sharing all of your no King stuff. Send in all your no Kings photos to us. We would love to see them. All your good news, how you're feeling and everything after these incredible rallies. Send it to us dailybeanspot.com click on Contact. Thank you so much for listening today. And again, if you want to become a patron, get on the ground floor and help us make this new video podcast. Please do so@patreon.com MullerShiprote and any final thoughts?
- [44:47]
B
No, not today.
- [44:49]
A
All right, we'll be back in your ears tomorrow. 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. I've been ag. I've been DG 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 Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com msw media.