The Sooknanan Monologue (feat. Randi Weingarten)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Beans

Episode: The Sooknanan Monologue (feat. Randi Weingarten)
Date: September 1, 2025
Hosts: Allison Gill (AG), Dana Goldberg (DG)
Guest: Randi Weingarten (President, American Federation of Teachers)

Overview

This Labor Day episode of The Daily Beans covers a rapid-fire sequence of major political and judicial developments, from Trump administration immigration moves to AI scrutiny in Medicare, state-level fights for democracy, and a centerpiece interview with Randi Weingarten about her new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers. The show continues its uniquely progressive, snark-tinged tone, providing news, context, and calls to action for listeners.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Major News Stories & Quick Takes

A. Trump Administration Immigration Attempt Blocked by Judge

• The episode opens with Allison Gill breaking the news that nearly 600 unaccompanied minors were being moved to Guatemala "in the middle of the night" before a federal judge stopped the operation.
  • Notable: The tone is urgent and critical, highlighting the clandestine nature of the move. ([00:00])

B. Speculation About Trump’s Whereabouts

• Discussion of the weekend’s online speculation about the President’s visibility.
  • Dana notes the double standard from media regarding Trump's public absences versus Biden’s.
    • “The double standard is infuriating, and mainstream media is failing us in this aspect.” (DG, [06:23])

C. Voter ID and Redistricting

• Trump’s plan for voter ID via executive order rebuked as unconstitutional.
• AG rips into The NY Times:
  • “There is no explicit or implicit authority that the president has to sign a voter ID law. Now, regardless of what the lawless Supreme Court might rule, presidents still have no authority to oversee elections.” (AG, [05:12])
• Governor Abbott’s new maps in Texas are panned for disenfranchising Black and Hispanic voters.

D. Court Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs

• Appeals court ruled Trump can’t impose sweeping tariffs, though an appeal is pending until mid-October.

E. GOP & Political Landscape

• Joni Ernst will not seek Senate reelection in 2026.
• Riley Gaines’ father enters the congressional race in Tennessee.

F. Epstein Estate & Congressional Probe

• AG reports that the Epstein estate will turn over documents and Trump’s explicit birthday message to Epstein to Congress.
  • “[Survivors] have been left out of this process every step of the way, going all the way back to that sweetheart deal in 2006.” (AG, [17:32])

G. Chicago Resists Federal Crackdown

• Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signs an order to actively resist Trump’s planned immigration enforcement, requiring federal officers to identify themselves and wear body cams.
  • Quote: “We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans.” (Mayor Johnson, cited by DG, [18:06])

H. AI in Medicare Claims

• The government’s plan to deploy AI to deny Medicare claims is scrutinized; companies will profit from these denials, echoing controversial practices in the private sector.
  • “Your Medicare dollars are going to pay to private corporate AI companies to reject Medicare claims? Yeah, that's what's happening here.” (AG, [15:55])

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2. The Sooknanan Monologue—Judicial Resistance to Executive Overreach ([11:25])

• AG recounts a dramatic sequence where a judge (Sparkle Sooknanan) blocks the government from deporting nearly 600 minors, highlighting the judge's late-night emergency response, skepticism toward the government’s claims, and the importance of written judicial orders.

• Notable direct quote read by AG from Judge Sooknanan:

  • “These children are going to be deplaned. They're going to be returned to ORR custody...no attempts will be made to remove them...while these preliminary emergency proceedings are pending.” (Judge Sooknanan, [13:28])

• The story underscores judicial checks on executive power and the risk to vulnerable children.

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3. Special Interview: Randi Weingarten on "Why Fascists Fear Teachers" ([22:50])

Book’s Core Message:

• Weingarten argues teachers are on the front lines resisting authoritarianism; public education is a key battleground.
• Book focuses on the power of storytelling as a tool against fascism—contrasting Democrats' reliance on statistics with the right’s use of narrative.

Insights from Weingarten:

• “Democrats do policy making through statistics and Republicans do policymaking through storytelling. And...that's what people need and want.” (RW, [24:15])
• Outlines attacks on teachers as part of a concerted campaign to undermine democracy and pluralism, going back to Brown v. Board of Education.
• Discusses international examples (e.g., Norwegian teachers under Nazi occupation) and personal US stories of teacher courage.
• “We have a rebel streak and we have a streak about wanting to actually do better and not wanting to adhere to this kind of authoritarian push. And I'm counting on the people in America to say no, not on our watch.” (RW, [30:19])
• Explains why an educated, critically-thinking public is an existential threat to authoritarianism:
  • “They [authoritarians] fear knowledge. They fear critical thinking. And the other thing they fear is pluralism.” (RW, [35:34])
• On teachers’ obligation:
  • “We're not going to give a kid over to somebody with a mask because they say that the government, we have an obligation to the kid in the family.” (RW, [31:10])

AG’s Endorsement:

• “The way the message is delivered, through storytelling, through lived experiences of people on the front lines doing the work and why it's so important.” (AG, [38:45])

Notable External Endorsement:

• Ruth Ben-Ghiat (author, Strongman):
  • “If you want the truth about the fascist plan to destroy education in America, look no further than this book by Randi Weingarten.” (quoted by AG, [38:45])

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4. Good Trouble & Calls to Action ([19:07], [41:09])

• Urges listeners to phone bank for California’s Proposition 50, fighting against gerrymandering and supporting fair elections. ([19:07])
• Encouragement to support Anna Bauer’s legal reporting and Lawfare.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I'm more shocked that Rudy has a spine that was able to get fractured, but I do hope that he, you know, heals as he should.” (DG on Rudy Giuliani's injury, [03:28])
• “You are a fantastic audience, and I'm glad you're part of my days.” (DG on listener support, [02:56])
• “Social justice and political news with just the right amount of snark.” (Recurring theme and tone; especially apparent in banter about national news and political figures.)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00: Headlines overview
• 02:05: Out 100 mention and listener engagement
• 04:48: News quick hits begin
• 11:25: At-length coverage of the Sooknanan judicial order
• 22:50: Interview with Randi Weingarten begins
• 24:15: Weingarten on storytelling and resisting fascism
• 31:10: On teachers’ responsibility vs government overreach
• 35:34: Analysis of why authoritarianism attacks education
• 38:45: Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s endorsement, AG wraps interview
• 41:09: Listener good news, closing reflections

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Overall Tone & Style

• The episode strikes a balance between urgent/progressive political analysis and the show’s characteristic humor and “snark”—even in moments of bleak or breaking news, the hosts offer camaraderie and optimism.
• Community engagement is constantly foregrounded: listeners are encouraged to act, vote, celebrate labor achievements, and support one another.

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For Listeners New or Returning

• This episode will catch you up on pivotal political/legal events: aggressive immigration tactics and their pushback, AI in public benefits, state-level voting rights fights, and the broad assault on public education.
• The Randi Weingarten interview is a must-listen for understanding how education policy, storytelling, and democracy intersect in today’s America.
• Participatory action is ongoing: listeners are invited to fight for fair elections, support strong teachers, and build community—across both news and good-news sections.

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Final Reflection

Allison Gill (toward the end):
“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. And I do hope Rudy heals. We'll see you tomorrow.” ([54:59])

The episode closes with genuine warmth and a reminder that in dark times, both political action and caring for one another are essential.

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The Daily Beans’ September 1, 2025 episode is a snapshot of democracy under pressure—and how collective action, critical education, and community storytelling remain vital bulwarks against authoritarianism.

Transcript

[Allison Gill]

MSW Media. Hello, and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, September 1, 2025. Today, the Trump administration attempted to remove 600 terrified unaccompanied minors to Guatemala in the middle of the night until a federal judge entered an order to stop it. Speculation about Trump's whereabouts exploded on social media this weekend as he continued to hide from the public. The government is going to deploy artificial intelligence software to deny Medicare claims. Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law redistricting maps that reduce black voters in Texas to one fifth of a person and Hispanic voters to one third of a person. A federal appeals court has struck down Trump's tariffs as unlawful. Joni Ernst, who infamously claimed we're all going to die anyway when asked about Medicaid cuts, says she will not seek her Senate seat again in 2026. Riley Gaines dad is entering the race in Tennessee's 6th congressional district. The Epstein estate has agreed to hand over the birthday book and other documents to Congress. The mayor of Chicago has signed an order to resist Trump's planned occupation of the city. The and Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order mandating voter id. I'm Allison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Allison Gill]

Hey, everybody. Happy Monday. Happy September 1st. Happy Labor Day. Rabbit. Rabbit. Thank a Democrat. How are you, Dana?

[Dana Goldberg]

I am doing well. You know, actually a little bit of good news, which I realize I'm jumping the gun. I'll get to that after we talk about our weekend. I'm doing well. It is a lot of news. There's a lot of shitty things going on still, but some good stuff that we always try and cover here on the pod. What about you?

[Allison Gill]

I'm all right, considering everything that's going on. I had a great discussion with Randi Weingarten.

[Dana Goldberg]

Amazing.

[Allison Gill]

She has a new book coming out called why Fascists Fear Teachers. We're gonna talk to her later in the show. And the laguminati delivered. Right. They contacted out 100 and you're in the top 10 for consideration of being.

[Dana Goldberg]

In out 100, which is awesome. Laguna Minati, everyone who wrote in. I know there was other people who wrote in submissions, but you all specifically sent submissions that you wrote in. That really brought tears to my eyes. They put me in the top 10 and there's nine other incredible people. So please don't feel like you need to vote for me. However, comma, if you would like to. The voting is literally just. It ends September 1st. So as you're listening to this, this is it. You have one day. There's gonna be A link in the show notes. Literally, you just go on, you vote for me, and then you have to put in your email address. You don't have to fill out a reason why or anything else. Social Security number, just an email address. And for me, and we'll see what happens. And if it works, great. And if not, I just appreciate your support always. You are a fantastic audience, and I'm glad you're part of my days.

[Allison Gill]

Congratulations. Hopefully we can get you over the top there and get you in the out 100 where you deserve to be.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thank you, darlin. Thank you.

[Allison Gill]

You're welcome. And before we get to some quick hits, just want to let everybody know Rudy Giuliani broke his back in a car accident Saturday night. Okay. So he's, I guess, in the hospital. There, there, there is that news?

[Dana Goldberg]

Okay. I'm more. I'm more shocked that Rudy has a spine that was able to get fractured, but I do hope that he, you know, heals as he should.

[Allison Gill]

That's the number one comment, by the way, on social media.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, is it really.

[Allison Gill]

That he. I should. Should I laugh? I don't know. Whatever.

[Dana Goldberg]

You know, we're human, everyone. Rudy Giuliani has not really been an upstanding guy. We obviously don't want anything bad to happen to these people, and we hope that he heals.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. So that he can face consequences.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. I'm trying to do the right thing here. How do we walk this line without someone writing in and saying, we're supposed to be better than this? I know.

[Allison Gill]

Well, I was trying to just move right on to the Quickets, but it didn't work out the way that I.

[Dana Goldberg]

It happens when your co host is another comedian.

[Allison Gill]

I can't do it the way that I had planned. Harry Dunn and I are gonna cover this in more detail as more of the story emerges. There's no information on whether he was driving the car. There's no information on whether he had been drinking. There's, you know, many of the questions that I think a lot of people have about what happened have not been answered. So hopefully we'll get those answers and cover it on the cleanup on all 45 podcast.

[Dana Goldberg]

And let me just say, I am also someone who has broken my back, and so this happens to good people, too. It's not a fun thing to go through. So for those of you that have also been through this pain, I am sorry we're not making light of that. We just don't like Rudy Giuliani. All right, let's move on.

[Allison Gill]

All Right, let's move on. It's time for some quick hits to.

[Dana Goldberg]

Make a long story short.

[Allison Gill]

All right, first up, the New York Times says Trump says he will sign executive orders mandating voter id. He also wants to restrict mail in voting and allow only paper ballots. The Constitution doesn't give the president explicit authority over election law. And I have some news for the New York Times. Let me give you some news. Old gray lady saying that the Constitution doesn't give him explicit authority over election law implies that he might have implicit authority to do so. He does not. Get your shit together. There is no explicit or implicit authority that the president has to sign a voter ID law. Now, regardless of what the lawless Supreme Court might rule, presidents still have no authority to oversee elections.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep. Thank you for that. And speaking of that guy, the Internet was flooded this weekend with rumors that maybe he had died because he had not been seen or heard from by the public since last Tuesday. Well, then on Friday morning, photos of a disheveled and sickly sir Trump. I mean, he looked.

[Randi Weingarten]

He looked awful.

[Dana Goldberg]

But they surfaced. But he hid from cameras and the press as he attended a golf outing. Of course, he's got time and energy for that. There are, however, no photos or videos of him actually getting out of the golf cart to hit a ball. So it seems like he was just on a joyride. There's an easy way to prove he's okay, and that's to have him speak, let him speak to the general public. I mean, I seem to remember the media making insane demands of Biden to get in front of cameras when people were thinking something had happened to him. But, of course, those demands are conspicuously missing when it comes to this guy. It is frustrating. The double standard is infuriating, and mainstream media is failing us in this aspect.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And since the corporate media refuses to call for him to resign, we are here at MSW Media officially calling for Trump to resign. You can read [e-mail] and next up, this weekend, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law the gerrymandering redistricting maps that reduced black voters in Texas to one fifth of a person and Hispanic voters to one third of a person. Meanwhile, In California, Proposition 50 will be on the ballot. And you can help us get the word out and volunteer to phone bank for the yes on Prop 50 campaign. We're gonna have a link in the show notes, and I'll mention it again during the Good Trouble segment.

[Dana Goldberg]

Wonderful. And a federal appeals court ruled Friday that Trump has no legal right to impose Sweeping tariffs on almost every country on earth. But they did not strike down the tariffs immediately, allowing his administration until mid October to appeal the Supreme Court. What is happening now? And I will tell everyone this. I've had conversations, actually. Heather Cox Richardson talked about this when we had our incredible panel. They are moving as fast as they can to break this government and get it in control of people like Miller and Peter Thiel. Because when he goes down, they want to make sure that they have control over this. So while this is happening and they can do this until October, when the appeals court jumps in, they're going to do as much damage as they possibly can. Watch us. Watch me.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Yep. Agreed. And, you know, usually the court leaves a week or two before they issue their mandate that's totally normal so that you have time to appeal it. Otherwise, you make an appeal moot. And no court really ever does that. But to give till October 15 seems odd. So we'll see what ends up happening there. And Brad Gaines, former Vanderbilt University football player and the father of conservative political bigot Riley Gaines, is entering the race for Tennessee's 6th congressional district. I cannot wait for him. Tie for fifth place.

[Dana Goldberg]

Wouldn't it be ironic if someone who was trans was running against him and beat him but just came in fourth? They only came in fourth. They didn't win, right? Or no, they tied him for fifth place. Actually, that's what happened to his daughter. They tied him for fifth place. That would be just very funny. All right. And last, quick hit. I love that they're calling it this because she has taken a big one. Republican Senator Journey. Journey. Well, let's call her Joanie because that's her name. Joni Ernst of Iowa has told confidants she plans to reveal next week that she won't seek reelection in 2026. The fact that this is leaked out all over the news. Maybe they're not your confidants.

[Allison Gill]

Joni Ernst.

[Dana Goldberg]

Now, it shows you who your friends are. Anyway, that came from multiple sources. So I think that's wonderful. I think that someone could take that seat. But this does lead us to a place where we could actually take that seat if we do this right.

[Allison Gill]

Right. Yeah. Agreed. And given what's happened in Iowa in these special offer elections, the one in January and the one just last week, last Tuesday, where we flipped solid red districts, two of them, one in January and one now to solid blue. I imagine that's why she's bowing out.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

She knows she can't win. Can't win on policy and She's a senator, so even if they gerrymander in Iowa, it doesn't help her.

[Randi Weingarten]

True.

[Allison Gill]

So stay well. All right, everybody, we have more news to get to. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up from me, atillershirote.com we've seen it before. The Trump regime attempting to clandestinely and illegally remove people from the United States under the COVID of darkness, only to be ordered to stop operations mid flight. You'll remember in March, plaintiffs informed the courts that over 200 men were being unlawfully rendered to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act. Judge Boasberg held an emergency hearing and ordered the planes turned around. The government insisted that because he ordered the planes returned verbally and not in writing that they didn't have to comply. A whistleblower named Arez Raveni supplied evidence that the Department of Justice's Emil Bovey told DOJ lawyers to tell the court to fuck off. Plaintiffs in that case recently filed with the en banc D.C. circuit Court of Appeals to continue contempt proceedings against the government for blatantly defying Judge Boasberg's orders. And the court has given the government until September 8th to respond. Also, six days ago, Judge Paula Sinis, during a hearing about whether the government could remove Kilmar Abrego to Uganda, asked the government, quote, do I need to put that in writing or will my oral order suffice? And today, Judge Sparkle Souk Nanan made the same clarification with the government over its attempt to disappear like almost 600 unaccompanied minors to Guatemala in the middle of the night during a holiday weekend. Her salvo came in what I'm calling the Souk Nannan monologue. She says, as I said at the start of this hearing, I got a call at 2:36am last night because the government chose the wee hours of the morning on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend to execute a plan to move these children. That's why we're here. And I tried to reach the government. I've been up since then and didn't reach anyone from the government until later this morning. And the imminence that the plaintiff claimed proved true because in fact, those planes were loaded. One actually took off and had to be returned. And so absent action and intervention by the court, all of those children would have been returned to Guatemala, potentially to extremely dangerous situations. And even now that the government has appeared, you're telling me that even though you think you have the authority to do this and that what you're trying to do here is unify families, not violate the law. You're saying you still need five days to respond. And again, I'm not going to force you to respond sooner. But if you need five days, my order is going to stay in place. I've done all I can to try to make a decision based on what's in front of me. The government hasn't put anything in front of me to counter the plaintiff's narrative. I'm trying to do the best I can to fulfill my obligation as an Article 3 judge. I appreciate you all showing up today and I particularly appreciate the government's representation. But I'm going to put it on the record again, just so there's absolutely no ambiguity. These children are going to be deplaned. They're going to be returned to ORR custody, that's the Office of Refugee and Resettlement. And no attempts will be made to remove them from ORR custody and remove them to Guatemala in light of my order while these preliminary emergency proceedings are pending. So thanks to Anna Bauer for her reporting on this hearing. You should support her work by donating to lawfare if you're able to. We'll have a link in the show notes. Also, it's of note that in a memo dated Sunday and obtained by Politico, Dana, the acting director of HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement, threatens civil lawsuits and possible criminal prosecution against any ORR contracted foster homes, foster care facilities or detention centers who failed to comply with lawful requests from her agency to hand these children over. Salazar didn't elaborate on the nature of the requests that were not being complied with.

[Dana Goldberg]

Unbelievable. Thank you so much, Allison. Now this is from the Times. Like millions of older adults, Frances Ares, Face to Choice when picking health insurance, you're going to pay more for traditional Medicare or you're going to opt for a plan offered by a private insurer and you're going to risk drawn out fights over coverage. Private insurers often require a cumbersome review process that frequently results in denial or delay of essential treatments that are readily covered by traditional Medicare. This practice, it's known as prior authorization. It's drawn public scrutiny which intensified after the murder of a UnitedHealthcare executive last December. That, as you know, was really a big national story. Now Ms. Aries, a 74 year old retired accounting professor, said she wanted to avoid the hassle that has been associated with such practices under Medicare Advantage, which are private plants financed by the US Government. Now she's concerned. She's going to face those denials anyway. The center for Medicare and Medicaid services. It plans to begin a pilot program that would involve a similar review process for traditional Medicare, the federal insurance program, by the way, for people 65 and over, as we know, as well as for many younger people with disabilities. The pilot would start in six states next year, including Oklahoma, where Ms. Aries lives. The federal government plans to hire private companies to use artificial intelligence to determine whether patients would be covered for some procedures like certain spine surgeries or steroid injections. Similar algorithms used by insurers have been the subject of several high profile lawsuits which have asserted that the technology allowed the companies to swiftly deny just large batches of claims and cut patients off from care and rehabilitation facilities. The AI companies selected to oversee the program would have a strong financial incentive to deny claims. Medicare plans to pay them a share of the savings generated from the rejections. This whole thing is up.

[Allison Gill]

So your Medicare dollars are going to pay to private corporate AI companies to reject Medicare claims? Yeah, that's what's happening here. This is the same software UnitedHealthcare used, by the way, that maybe led to the shooting of the CEO that they plan to deploy this at the Department of Veterans affairs to deny claims in large batches. So now they're doing it to Medicare. All right, we need some better news. This is from NBC. The top Democrat on the House committee investigating the Epstein case said Friday that the estate of the convicted sex offender that's much better than disgraced financier will turn over a book that reportedly contains an explicit 2003 birthday message from Donald Trump to Epstein. The estate is set to include the contents of the book following a subpoena from the Republican led House Oversight Committee that was issued this week as part of its probe. That's according to Representative Robert Garcia, Democrat from California. The estate, he said, is actually going to now get us that book and a bunch of other documents that they have that's actually not been reported yet. He said we're going to get those documents as we understand it now on September 8th, and so that will continue our investigation. Rep. Garcia also says many of the survivors of Epstein are going to come to Capitol Hill this week to meet with lawmakers, which he said was to highlight their stories and center the victims, unquote. God, yeah, they have been left out of this.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's supposed to be summer third, right?

[Allison Gill]

Wednesday, September 3rd, I think.

[Dana Goldberg]

I think so, yeah.

[Allison Gill]

But they've been left out of this process every step of the way, going all the way back to that sweetheart deal in 2006.

[Dana Goldberg]

I sure have. Thanks so much, Alison. This next story is from ABC 7 Eyewitness News. In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Okay. Is taking new steps to fight President Trump's expected immigration crackdown and potential National Guard deployment in the Chicago area. Johnson signed the Protecting Chicago executive order on Saturday as the Trump administration prepares to conduct a major immigration enforcement operation which could start next week. And I quote, we do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans. This is from Johnson. With a stroke of the pen, Johnson signed an executive order establishing the Protecting Chicago initiative. What that does is it directs city agencies to regularly submit Freedom of Information act requests regarding actions taken by the U.S. department of Homeland Security. And it reaffirms that Chicago Police Department will remain a locally controlled law enforcement agency. And I quote, so this is about making a clear distinction between what our law enforcement engages in versus what federal agents engage in. The executive order also calls on federal law enforcement to follow municipal policies, including, and I love this, those prohibiting officers from wearing masks to conceal their identities and requiring body cameras to be worn and activated while they are interacting with a member of the public. And it mandates that officers display the name of of their federal agency, their last name and their badge number. Good.

[Allison Gill]

Good for Mayor Johnson.

[Dana Goldberg]

Indeed.

[Allison Gill]

I want. I hope we see more of this.

[Dana Goldberg]

Me, too.

[Allison Gill]

All right, everybody, time for some good trouble. What are you guys doing? All right. As I said earlier during the quick hits, you can phone bank for Prop 50 in California. California needs your help on Proposition 50. Vote yes. As partisan gerrymandering in states like Texas threaten to undermine democracy, California is stepping up with Proposition 50, the election rigging Response Act. It is vital that voters are informed and turn out to vote by November 4th. It's right around the corner so you can join the Bay Area Coalition, California Democratic Party virtual phone bank and help stop the Trump MAGA authoritarian takeover. They say on their page on Mobilize us, we need your help. Virtual phone banks using the Scale to win dialer have become an essential part of campaigns. Whether you're new to phone banking or an expert, you have a place with our people powered campaign. The good news is phone banking is easy to learn and can be done from the comfort of your own home. We'll provide training on both the script and how to use scale to win. And if you have accessibility questions, you can reply to your registration email to confirm your requirements or request more information. Everybody will have a link to register in the show Notes, everybody. Stick around. We'll be right back with the amazing Randi Weingarten. And we'll follow that up with some good news on this Labor Day. We'll be right back after these messages.

[Dana Goldberg]

We'll be right back.

[Allison Gill]

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[Randi Weingarten]

Hi Ellison, how are you? Happy Labor Day weekend.

[Allison Gill]

Yes, thank a Democrat for Labor Day weekend. While you're out there having your barbecues, thank a labor union. And we really appreciate you joining us. And we just had you on a few weeks ago and we talked about, we teased this book and now it is upon us. And I encourage everyone to purchase their copies. I like to go and order them through my local independent bookstores. But you can buy multiple copies of this book, put them around in the little libraries in your neighborhood, put them in your closet for holiday gifts because it's such an important book. Talk a little bit about what I always think is the most powerful way to resist authoritarianism is through storytelling. And that there's a lot of that in this book and it's so powerful.

[Randi Weingarten]

Well, I, you know, so I'm, I start as a history teacher and as a lawyer and the what, what I have watched in Washington and frankly in policymaking in the last 20, 30 years is that Democrats do policy making through statistics and Republicans do policymaking through storytelling. And you know, whether you agree or disagree with the stories, that's what they do. And frankly, that's what people need and want. I think we have to talk about stories in terms of the possibility when you see people who are similarly situated to you, how they go through struggle, how they actually get through a day, I think that's really, really powerful. That's really different than storytelling. That's demonizing. That's us versus them, which has a fascistic root to it. So I do a lot of storytelling about who teachers have been over the course of history and who they are right now and how they are actually Trying to ensure that. That kids have the vital skills that they need to be empowered for their lives. And what has happened in the last few years is that we are seeing a fascistic tendency, a fascistic behavior, and an autocratic behavior, not just in America, but throughout the world, that basically smears teachers, tries to abandon public education. And so I just call that out, because at the end of the day, what kids really need, what families really need, is a school close to them that can actually help them thrive, can actually bring the best out of a community. It's kind of like Friday Night Lights in rural America. How do you make sure that kids feel safe and welcome, that they have the kind of curriculum they need that's engaging and relevant, and that's what teachers do all the time. And frankly, this is what the founders wanted us to do. Yes, they weren't great about expanding rights to people of color or to women, but for the people, they believed that they who should have rights. They believed in critical thinking. They believed in problem solving. They believed in actually understanding history. These are folks that were rebels against the King. They formed a country that was based upon a First Amendment, that was based upon problem solving and critical thinking and education. That's the roots of this country. And that's part of why I wrote this book. It's why we have to call out these authoritarian tendencies and why we have to let teachers do their jobs to help kids thrive.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And that's the underpinning of the entire core of the message. To push back against authoritarianism is critical thinking. And to deliver that message through storytelling, as opposed to delivering it through wonky statistics, like we tend to do in the Democratic Party is so important, because the fascists are really good at this. Like you said, when they talk, when they bring the person out to who had somebody they know harmed by an immigrant, and they bring him to the State of the Union to sort of trick everyone into thinking that this is a bigger problem than it is, or to. Right now, there are plaintiffs in court trying to stop the deportation of minor children unaccompanied to Guatemala. And the government is saying, we've contacted. According to Guatemala, their parents are in Guatemala and they want them back, and they want to be reunited. And what the judge has done has picked up the stories, the declarations from these children that tell a different story. And so now in your book, we're talking about delivering the message of the. Again, the core message of critical thinking. And so I think that the storytelling makes it that much more powerful.

[Randi Weingarten]

I know we're doing this on audio, not video. But I start this book talking about a story that I have known about for a long time. When I was growing up, I was a child who would find every book I could find on the Holocaust and read it or read stories about the Holocaust. And so the beginning of the book has a couple of stories about that, including the Norwegian teachers who, after the Nazis invaded and took over Norway, the teachers in the country started using a paperclip. They couldn't use other kinds of symbols, political symbols, because they were ruled illegal. They started using a paperclip to class people together. That people were classed together. And they started. And they continued teaching and they continued using this paperclip. And teachers all across the country. There were 14,000 teachers. 12,000 of the 14,000 teachers did this, and the kids started doing this and families started doing this. And it was the paperclip symbol that kept the society together, that kept. And it was kids and it was teachers using a paperclip to connote how you bring people and tighten the bond together. And that's who teachers are. It is important that we see teachers as trying to create both the safe and welcoming environment for kids and. But also to really push kids to think about context and critical thinking and problem solving. And that's what teachers do. And so you saw even in Norway, and not taken over by the Nazis, how many teachers basically said, no, you're not doing this to us. And kids and families said, no, you're not doing this to us. And I think in America right now, we have a rebel streak and we have a streak about wanting to actually do better and not wanting to adhere to this kind of authoritarian push. And I'm counting on the people in America to say no, not on our watch.

[Allison Gill]

We'll throw tea in the harbor. We'll rebel against the Fugitive Slave act because we won't stand for you coming into our neighborhoods and taking our neighbors away from us.

[Randi Weingarten]

Exactly right.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah.

[Randi Weingarten]

And I think that what you see, I mean, what you see in terms of where teachers are across the country, they're protecting our communities, they're protecting our kids. I often say. I think I said this to you the last time we spoke. Teachers are in locos parentis in school. That's our job. So we're not going to give a kid over to somebody with a mask because they say that the government, we have an obligation to the kid in the family. And so when we say, you need to have a warrant, this is not us being recalcitrant. This is us being Responsible for the kids in our lives and the kids we teach. And so these are the kind of stories that I tell in the book. I tell a story about Ryan Richmond, who's a teacher in New Hampshire, who, when they started doing the banning of books and erasing of history and called it. Well, we don't teach divisive concepts. Has anybody took a history class? Everything in history is divisive. Everything is conflictual in history. That's part of what history is in terms of the struggle and the struggle to have a better life. And so he said, no, not only am I going to keep on teaching, but he was one of the plaintiffs of a lawsuit, a lawsuit we won, where the federal court said, no, this is too vague. You can't do this to teachers and to kids. I talk about Abby Clemens, another teacher who, you know, this week we are mourning another shooting, this time in a Catholic school, this time during Mass. Abby was in a classroom during the shooting in Connecticut. And I talk about what she's done since then to try to fight against gun violence. These are the teachers in America right now.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And how can we talk about the fighting spirit of America if we ignore the things or try to erase or whitewash the things that we fought against?

[Randi Weingarten]

Exactly right.

[Allison Gill]

It doesn't make any sense to do it that way. We have a fighting spirit, but everything's been hunky dory this whole time. That doesn't make any sense that we have. That we haven't, you know, gotten our chops somehow.

[Randi Weingarten]

And why not be proud of that fight?

[Allison Gill]

Yes.

[Randi Weingarten]

So this is what it's patriotic. If it was patriotic for the Patriots in 1776 to try to have a better country, it's patriotic in 2008 and 2025 to actually have a better country.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And I think teachers, we talk so much about when you were on here, and pretty much everybody I speak to talks about the importance of. In the fight against fascism. And I think teachers are the hub of that community, at least one of them. And I want to ask you, because there's a lot in here about why a public with critical thinking skills is imperative to push back against fascism and how that impacts people who don't have direct skin in the game. I don't have children, for example, but I understand the importance of. Of critical thinking and teaching critical thinking to the public, to the electorate. Talk about that and how it combats fascism.

[Randi Weingarten]

So, you know, right now, probably less than 30% of the adults in America have kids that are going through public school or going through Any schooling. And that may also be part of the, you know, the clarion call I'm making right now. Because you're exactly right. This, this is an issue for everyone. Not just an issue for those parents, hard working parents who have kids right now. Let me take a step back and say why I actually decided to do this. This is my first book. I never expected to be an author. It's a pretty unbelievable process to go through. I'm not sure I'll ever do it again, but it was quite, it's quite something. I wanted to answer the question as to why teachers are being smeared when they are the profession that helps every other profession. I wanted to answer the question about why are public schools being smeared instead of being reveled and instead of being supported. And what is clear is that the people who are doing this and the same kind of ilk started, frankly, right after Brown vs Board of Education when the Supreme Court said that every single child, every one of God's children in America were and had the right to an equal education in America. That was what equal opportunity meant. And from that point on, you started seeing the fight back against public school. Why? Because what is happening is the people who are doing it, they actually fear knowledge. They fear critical thinking. And the other thing they fear is pluralism. People getting together as a community in a school, as a community of parents, as a community of others in the community, and understanding each other. You can have differences of opinion, but understanding each other, tolerating each other, seeing us as a broader community with lots of different opinions. That sense of pluralism is the key to a society going forward. Diversity, inclusion, pluralism, that is what is absolutely necessary if your best days are in front of you, not behind you. And so that's what you're seeing. Fascist tendencies, us versus them, dehumanizing. The them is the people who are afraid of the future.

[Allison Gill]

Right. That's why abusers isolate their victims.

[Randi Weingarten]

Correct.

[Allison Gill]

Because once you have community, you can remove the wool that's been pulled over your eyes.

[Randi Weingarten]

Correct.

[Allison Gill]

You can't be gaslit. Right. And so that critical thinking, I mean, it sort of snowballs, it's exponential what teachers do and what critical thinking skills do.

[Randi Weingarten]

And the other thing that teachers do, particularly right now, given that our biggest competitor these days is social media and our devices, is that what teachers do is help create agency for kids and engagement for kids and a sense of what is possible in the future with and amongst each other. So this notion of critical thinking, of problem solving, of relationship creation, of resilience, Being resilient of having a community, all of these things. Great societies have these things. Societies that believe that their past is more important than their future do not. And for us to be the 250th year of our democracy, we need to be a great society. And that means schools should be reveled, not reviled. Public schooling and community needs to be the center of our existence. And that's what I've tried to talk about in this book, in terms of what the future, what should the future look like? And it should be schools as centers of community, and it should be kids questioning authority, and it should be kids being able to have a set of tools. And that's what teachers do to actually help them learn so that they seize the future and run with it.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, I couldn't have put it better myself. And that's why I think it's so important everybody get this book. The way the message is delivered, through storytelling, through lived experiences of people on the front lines doing the work and why it's so important. And I personally can't say it any better than Ruth Ben Guyot, author of Strongman, who is an expert in authoritarianism. She says, if you want the truth about the fascist plan to destroy education in America, look no further than this book by Randi Weingarten. Blending poignant historical examples with her decades of frontline experience, Weingarten advocates for critical thinking and education and lays out with great clarity the stakes for future generations of the fight to save American democracy. So this book is available now for pre order. I really encourage everybody to get your copy. I think it might be hard to get a copy once these come out, because I think this is going to fly off the shelves, so to speak, whether they're actual shelves in your local bookstore or digitally speaking. But this is an incredible book, and I really encourage everyone to get it wherever you get your books. And it will be coming out two weeks from tomorrow. But like I said, you can pre order it now. It's called why Fascists Fear Teachers. And it's just everything is so well said. And I'm glad you've turned the message on its head by making sure that you're telling it through the lived experiences of others. So I appreciate you spending time with us today.

[Randi Weingarten]

Thank you, Allison. And let me just say one more thing, because we're in the kind of the back to school, rolling back to school from August to the first day, the day after Labor Day. I just want to say to teachers and parents right now, life is tough and you are doing God's work. You are doing the work of trying to help a next generation not only survive but thrive. And so to the teachers who are starting school right now, just thank you so much. And to the parents who are getting their kids ready for school, every single teacher I know is trying to make a difference in your kids lives.

[Allison Gill]

Thank you so much for saying that. And second, hear, hear. Our teachers are our heroes. I can name so many of mine that had an influence on my life and I know everybody within the earshot of our voices can as well. So thank you so much. I appreciate your time. It's really great to see you again. I know we'll have you on again soon to see where we are.

[Randi Weingarten]

Thank you so much.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, we appreciate your time. Randy Weingarten, everybody. Once again, the book is called why Fascist Fear Teachers. You can get it now wherever you get your books. And everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Good news. Who do we need the good news this Monday I have to tell you. So if you have any, any little bit of good news that's ever happened to you, send it into us. You can also give a shout out to a loved one or a small business in your area, maybe a nonprofit that you want to shine a light on that's doing great work. Maybe you're having a phone banking party for Prop 50 in California. You can send us information on that or pictures of everything that you're doing. You can also give a self shout out. We love self shout outs, of course, shout outs to government programs that have helped you or a loved one. We'd love to hear about those as well. And all you got to do to get your submission read on the air is pay your POD pet tariff, which for us really means just attach a photo of anything you can attach your pet. We can try to guess the breeds if you want. You can attach an adoptable pet in your area if you don't have a pet. And you can also just grab a random photo of an animal. On the Internet we do bird watching, which means actual birds or you and friends and family flipping the bird to trump and musk properties or photos of them or whatever. And if you don't have that really just any photo, maybe you're happy place. Maybe you saw a nice sunset. Maybe you saw some great signs at a protest recently. The overpass movement right now is really great. We're getting a lot of great photos from overpasses that are happening. So you can send it all to us dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. Look at these two dogs in this first picture.

[Dana Goldberg]

They're so sweet.

[Allison Gill]

This is from Alice Pronoun. She and her hey Beans Queens been listening for almost a year and was introduced to you by my partner. I want to give a little shout out to her. Her name is Bunny and September 1st marks our one year anniversary. Happy anniversary Alison. Bunny. She has made me feel so seen, validated and truly safe. And to think it all started over my leg tattoo and Sailor Moon. Well, you know, like it does. I'm so grateful for my girl and I look forward to so many more wonderful experiences and memories with her. Thank you for sharing if you do. And for Pet Tax, here are my two sweet girls. Ray on the left and Bella on the right. Ray is a yellow lab. Bella is a mix that we aren't too sure about except that she has Pitti in in there. So if you have any ideas what else may be in there, we'd love to hear it. Keep being amazing AG and dg. I think you're right. I think it's just a pity. Choco lab maybe with a little bit of Ridgeback or.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. They're so sweet though.

[Allison Gill]

I know. These dogs are so adorable. Thank you so much for sending that in. Alison. Happy anniversary to you and Bunny.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yes. All right. This is from Art. Pronouns. They, them. Hi Beans Queens. I wanted to offer a shout out to you. With the news that the recent shooter may have been trans, there's a lot of really scary talk on the right. One commentator suggested that law enforcement violated HIPAA and detained everyone who's ever received gender affirming care. I know that's just one far right influencer, but like far right influencers have a lot of influence right now. I'm genuinely terrified of what they use this as justification for. I've left letters to my family in case the worst happens, Art. And at a time when even Democrats are talking about needing to turn their backs on us, you have never once thrown us under the bus. Thank you so much for your unequivocal support of me and the rest of the trans and gender non conforming community, it's good to know that someone consistently has our backs. Art. We do. I promise you and you will never hear that sort of bullshit rhetoric from either of us.

[Allison Gill]

Nope. Nope. Oh Art, that's heart heart rending. Thank you for sending that in and we see you. Yeah. Next up from Reggie Pronoun. She and her. This is a Shout out to Rogue Food Unites. This is a local grassroots southern Oregon nonprofit that assists communities in rapid disaster response. Since the catastrophic Alameda fire in 2020 that destroyed parts of Ashland Talent and Phoenix in Oregon. They've worked with restaurants and chefs in affected communities and pay farms for produce that Rogue Food Unites then provides for free through mobile farmers markets. Additionally, and an exciting feature of their work is that Rogue Food Unites talented creative chefs are producing freeze dried meals amazing to pack in provision boxes. Check out their video at their website titled Food is the First Step Rogue Food Unites. We'll have a link in the show notes thanks Reggie for the shout out for this amazing non profit. My popette tax is Mr. Puffers. He's 15 years old and loves to play mousey with me.

[Dana Goldberg]

Cute.

[Allison Gill]

Hi 15 year old boy. Reggie. Thank you so much for that.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep. All right. This is Jennifer Pronoun. She and her good news. It's a personal victory shout out 7.5 years ago I was in a car wreck. I busted my patella and other stuff. It turned life upside down and many years of struggle with work. I couldn't do what I had been doing, fighting insurance companies to get the care I needed. Another rear ended wreck set me back and a slip and fall and I'm finally able to one Pay out of pocket for physical therapy from a gift from my former bosses. I worked at Bova and they retired slash closed and two Drumroll please. I can now make a full full revolution on the stationary bike. For most of those years I only had about 55% range of motion. The last two years 74% was my best. Now after starting PT in May, shout out to Mobility Fit in Westchester, Ohio. I am 108% riding. Bike riding has always been my joy and my outlet. I'm now 49 years old. I can't even express the feeling after seven and a half years to be able to see a day when I can ride again. They are the first place including Orthos that told me that they believed I would and that they believe I'll be able to touch my heel to my butt again. I absolutely love this place and they've certainly delivered. Also they've been so great about helping me get through my own fears and hangups. Seven and a half years of being super vigilant of literally every step I take. It takes a toll. I will ride again and kayak and hike real trails and be able to squat and sit without having to rearrange furniture. I feel more confident about getting out of the house. I even do yard work more quickly and even get on that ladder to fix a gutter soon. It's still kind of scary, but needs to be done again. Mobility Fit in Westchester, Ohio, shares a building with Cornerstone Fitness on Cox Road across from VOA Park. From my pod pet tax, there's a little backstory here. A year, maybe four months ago, you asked listeners to put tape on the floor in a square, rectangular shape because most cats will sit inside of it. Not my ginger boy, Tubs. Tubba Bubs. Little asshole. Bubba Wubba Tuber Boob is one of the most defiant of all cats. Tell him no. And no matter how long it takes, he will do whatever he sets out to do, usually knocking something down. He owns all horizontal surfaces in the house or running across the computer, subsequently locking out an important function that take an hour to figure out and undo. He also has learned that if he gets into spray stance, he gets lots of attention, especially when he seemingly aims at your head, Hence his little asshole nickname. He's my little mischievous menace and also my shadow. I love my little furry fella. He's got the sweet moments, too. Mainly when he's asleep on my lap. Just kidding. We play a lot. Fred the gray fretters. Fredo. Mr. Handsome is a feral that I've taken in, still getting used to humans and has to stay separated pending further VE visits. But after months of avoiding human contacts at all, he's now a snuggly bug bread kneader when I'm sitting down. Oh, these are beautiful.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, There he is, defying the square.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

He's like, go fuck yourself and beautiful kitty. That last photo was, like, professionally done, Right?

[Dana Goldberg]

I know.

[Allison Gill]

I love it. And congratulations, Jennifer. I'm so glad you brought that up, because so many people are like, yeah, you get the physical stuff back, but to get the mental blocks, you know, from just movement.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Is incredible. So thank you for sharing that, sharing that with us. All right, next up, from Don, Pronouns, he and him. I misheard when they reported Trump has chronic venous having to do with veins insufficiency. I heard chronic Venus, goddess of love insufficiency. I thought to myself, of course, he has no love for anyone, but how does that cause swollen ankles?

[Dana Goldberg]

Here's a baby picture.

[Allison Gill]

I have a centipede family in my house. I hired them to eat ants, and in return, I provide them housing.

[Dana Goldberg]

My God, dawn, good on you. I'm glad you're providing that service so I don't have to. All right, thank you so much. This One's from Tricia Pronoun. She and her hello beans. Queens listen to you every day and you give me hope. I just wanted to share the good news of our recent camping trip in the redwoods in Northern California. It was wonderfully peaceful and we both recharged our batteries. We hiked among the towering redwoods. We went on a jet boat tour on the Yurich National American Reservation up the mighty Klamath River. The wildlife have grown accustomed to the presence of these brightly painted jet boats. Attaches a photo through the windshield of a black bear peering at us through the windshield of the boat. Our guide floated us right over to him. He looks at us with an expression that says trying to forage here. Like, do you mind.

[Allison Gill]

Trisha? Hey, I'm. I'm foraging here.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's right, that's right.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, Trisha, wonderful. I. I still need to make it back up to the redwoods. It's just so awe inspiring. And thanks for that look at the black bear.

[Dana Goldberg]

What's up?

[Allison Gill]

All right, this is our final submission. This comes from Nancy, longtime listener from upstate New York.

[Randi Weingarten]

Work.

[Allison Gill]

I'm not going to lie, I've been a bit burned out this summer. I stretched myself too thin. A whole lot of non political volunteer work arranged before our politics took a dive. I've been trying to layer on a bunch of the easier activist actions, but it's become too much and I needed to get away and reset. And I found just the thing. I want to give a shout out to the Newbury School of Weaving in Newbury, Vermont. I'm a hand weaver, but not a very productive one. And the act of re engaging with my favorite hobby was just what I needed. Justin and Emma created an atmosphere of calm and humor in a quiet, out of the way historic chapel on the Common in Newbury. Sitting there weaving on a large Barn loom using 19th century techniques, completely unplugged with a breeze blowing through the open doors and windows was so restorative I had a smile on my face the whole time. Because this is a shout out, I want to reassure listeners that a foundation's weaving class at Newbery does not require any previous experience. There were three absolute newbies in my class of eight and they achieved results every bit as impressive as the ones made by the more experienced weavers. I kept my hand woven wool blanket fairly simple because I didn't feel like I needed a challenge that week. I just played with the colors and I'm thrilled by the results. We'll have a link to newburyschoolofweaving.org in the show notes for my Podpet tacks, I'm including a photo of a fisher cat. I don't know that we had one on our property in upstate New York until I was staring at one just 15ft away from me while I was doing some woodland restoration. I didn't know at the time that this is the biggest and most aggressive member of the weasel family. I instinctively used my mother nature voice to greet him. It nodded from its perch on the side of a tree as if to say hey, and then ran away. I now make more noise when I'm out doing work so that the local wildlife knows I'm there. Lol. Thanks for all you do. I listen every morning. That blanket is beautiful.

[Dana Goldberg]

Goodness. And this sweet animal.

[Allison Gill]

Look at this. What is it called? It's called a fisher cat.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Which is not a cat. No.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's an aggressive member of a weasel family.

[Allison Gill]

He's an aggressive weasel, but he's very adorable. He is very adorable. I want to pet him, but I probably shouldn't if he's aggressive.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, probably not.

[Allison Gill]

Anyway, that whole scene is gorgeous. All the leaves turning and the birch there. Oh, just wonderful. Thank you so much for that, Nancy. And thanks to everybody for your good news. We needed it so badly on this Monday. We really appreciate you. And don't forget that we'll have a link in the show notes to vote for Dana for out 100. You can also check out melisserote.com for my article on the Souk Nanan monologue. That amazing judge. And we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Do you have any. Any final thoughts, my friend?

[Dana Goldberg]

Just one. I am wishing my father on August 31st a happy heavenly birthday. He would have been 81 today, so. I miss you, Pop my chicken leg, Daddy.

[Allison Gill]

Happy birthday, pops. Yeah, mine is in October, so coming soon. 81, huh?

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. He would have been 81. He and my mom were just 10 days apart.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, my goodness.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Well, thank you for sharing that.

[Dana Goldberg]

Get to fly back. We get to fly to Albuquerque and give my mom an actual hug for her birthday this year.

[Allison Gill]

Yay. I love your mom. I've never met her and I've absolutely.

[Dana Goldberg]

She's a mensch. She is. You would love her.

[Allison Gill]

Excellent.

[Dana Goldberg]

She knows you because she listens to the podcast.

[Allison Gill]

My mom doesn't, but I just realized.

[Dana Goldberg]

I said how old my mom was going to be on air. That's okay. She should be proud of it. She's is amazing.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Yeah. My mom doesn't. She has to have her friends tell her that I say she's almost 80 and then call me and yell at me about it. Yeah. All right. We'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Thank you so much for listening. 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. And I do hope Rudy heals. We'll see you tomorrow. I've been ag. I've been DG and them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written in 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.