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Friday, March 14th, 2025 Today, Judge Alsup has reinstated all probationary employees fired across the government on February 13th and 14th and demands testimony from an Office of Personnel Management official; Trump has ordered the Pentagon to draw up options for troop deployment to Panama; Texas pastor Robert Morris has finally been indicted for sex crimes; a new CNN poll shows Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy; Tim Walz is launching a tour of town hall rallies in Republican districts; new voter ID requirements send voters home to get their birth certificates only to turn them down for not having their married name on them; Trump is expected to invoke wartime emergency powers to speed up mass deportation; Judge Chutkin demands DOGE and Musk hand over documents and answer written questions about exactly who is in charge; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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- [00:00]
Alison Gill
MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Friday, March 14, 2025. Today, Judge Alsupp has reinstated all probationary employees fired across the government on February 13th and 14th and demands testimony from an Office of Personnel Management official. Trump has ordered the Pentagon to draw up options for troop deployment to Panama. Texas pastor Robert Morris has finally been indicted for sex crimes. A new CNN poll shows Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy. Tim Walz is launching a tour of town hall rallies in Republican districts. New voter ID requirements send voters home to get their BIR certificates, only to turn them down for not having their married name on them. Trump is expected to invoke wartime emergency powers to speed up mass deportation. And Judge Chutkan demands Doge and Musk hand over documents and answer written questions about exactly who is in charge. I'm Alison Gill.
- [01:18]
Dana Goldberg
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
- [01:22]
Alison Gill
Hey, Dana. Happy Friday.
- [01:23]
Dana Goldberg
Happy Friday to you, my friend. We made it through another week. It feels like it's been 858 years since the election. It's been like 42 days or some shit. I don't even know.
- [01:34]
Alison Gill
I'm still standing. Yeah, it's been a tough week. It's been a tough couple of months. And we've got some good news and bad news. It's a mixed bag like it always is. And it's Fugalsang Friday, so we'll have John Fugal saying, join us later. We're going to talk about Mahmoud Khalil and what's going on with that case. And also, just a quick mention, deepest sympathies to the friends and family and constituents of Congressman Raul Grijalva, who died today from complications during cancer treatments. So, please, may his memory be a blessing. Incredible Democrat in the House of Representatives. So just wanted to put that out there, that we're thinking about him and his constituents and his family and friends today.
- [02:16]
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely. Always, ma'am. There's. You know, I think you said it. I think you said it perfectly.
- [02:21]
Alison Gill
Thank you. I'm just. It's just so sad.
- [02:24]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
- [02:25]
Alison Gill
When we lose a lion like that. All right, we have a lot of news to get to today, including good news. We got good trouble. We got John Fugle saying. But first, we have some quick hits. And to make a long story short. All right, everybody, first up from NBC News, the White House has directed the US Military to draw up options for increasing the American troop presence in Panama to achieve President Trump's goal of, quote, unquote, reclaiming the Panama Canal. That's According to two U.S. officials familiar with the planning, U.S. southern Command is developing potential plans that vary from partnering more closely with Panamanian security forces to the option of US Troops seizing the Panama Canal by force. That's what the officials said. Whether military forces used, the officials added, depends on how much Panamanian security forces agree to partner with the US What a bunch of weird ask ass like risk. Trump didn't play risk when he was a kid. This is Putin esque. This is. This is awful. Horrible.
- [03:21]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, yeah. This next one's from Gerstein and Cheney at Politico. A federal judge has ordered that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency Bros Turn over a wide array of records and answer questions about plans it crafted to downsize federal agencies, fire employees and suspend federal contracts. U.S. district Judge Tanya Chutkan. Her order Wednesday is a win for a group of 14 Democratic state attorneys general who are suing Donald Trump, Musk and Doge, arguing that Musk has unconstitutionally wielded immense power in ways that are damaging their states. Any information the states glean as a result of Chutkan's decision will help her determine whether to block Musk and Doge's government activities altogether. And it really is true. Like if he's not in charge and he's not elected, he's not officially appointed. It would be like me walking into the Veterans Department and being like, you're all fired. And they're like, okay, I guess we have to listen to you.
- [04:18]
Alison Gill
Oh well, the department of Dana Goldberg said we're all fine.
- [04:20]
Dana Goldberg
There's no difference.
- [04:22]
Alison Gill
We have to do that. There's not. And this is the this is one of the two suits that are challenging the appointments clause violations by Trump, Musk and Doge. So I'm interested to see what she gets out of this. Next up from the Texas Tribune and Content Warning Robert Morris, the Dallas area megachurch pastor who resigned last year amid sexual abuse allegations, has been indicted in Oklahoma for child sex crimes that date back to the 1980s. Morris is a former spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump, and Gateway, one of the nation's largest megachurches, has been particularly active in politics. In 2020, Trump held a roundtable on transition to greatness there at that church that was attended by then U.S. attorney General Bill Barr and other prominent Republicans. Morris faces five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. That's according to the Oklahoma attorney general's office, who's not really the bastion of liberal Marxist leftist deep state shit. Okay, this is the Oklahoma attorney general's office said that in a Wednesday evening press release. The indictment comes less than a year after Morris resigned from Gateway. Remember, we talked about him in South Lake after an adult woman, Cindy Clemershire, said Morris repeatedly sexually assaulted her while she was a child in Oklahoma in the 1980s.
- [05:37]
Dana Goldberg
Didn't this guy actually admit to it and then be like, but I've been forgiven by Christ or something like that?
- [05:43]
Alison Gill
This is the guy who was like, oh, it's all but so water under the bridge, lady. Come on. Yeah, Morris was at the time, he was working as a traveling preacher. Whatever that.
- [05:53]
Dana Goldberg
All right, thanks so much, Allison. And last one in the quick hits. This is from cnn. Americans are not impressed with the Donald Trump's stewardship of the economy if that means stewing it right into the ground, according to a new CNN poll conducted by ssrs, putting him underwater on the nation's top issue, even as he sees ratings among the best of his presidential career on other key priorities, which is just bananas as well. As markets slide and investors worry in response to Trump's trade policies, a 56% majority of the public disapprove of his handling of the economy, worse than at any point during his first term. In 56%, he was handed the best stark market in history and one of the best economies. And this happened last time he became president. He tanked, took it didn't take him.
- [06:46]
Alison Gill
As long to tank it. He just kind of rode the wave of Obama's wonderful economy for a while there in the first term. But this term, he decided to take matters into his own hands and crash it in 40 days. It's like, we can do better. We can fuck shit up. We can way faster this time, guys. Come on. And the polls, man.
- [07:04]
Dana Goldberg
So many Americans hurting.
- [07:06]
Alison Gill
Yeah, the polls are meeting this out. And I think we just got a 200% tariff from Trump on EU booze or something like champagne no more, which is fine. We don't have a lot to celebrate.
- [07:17]
Dana Goldberg
Did Hegseth retire because of that? Because I. How is he know how much he's going to have to pay for his.
- [07:22]
Alison Gill
Now he'll just drink Kentucky bourbon. I think that's fair. Probably send it to him at no charge.
- [07:27]
Dana Goldberg
And Kentucky bourbon's pretty good. You just don't need to have as much of it as champagne. Hexseth likes to enjoy.
- [07:32]
Alison Gill
Dude, that. It reminds me of what was the movie I love you, man where Peter Sagal was like. Or Seagal. Is that how you say it? I'm not sure I can never remember how to pronounce his name, where he was just talking to Paul Rudd and he's like, it took Andre the Giant a barrel of beer, sometimes two, to get drunk. That's what Kegseth reminds me of. Anybody want a peanut? All right, thank you. Those are the quick hits. We still have some hot notes, we still have some good trouble, we still have some good news, and we still have Fugal Sang Fridays. But we're going to take a really quick break. Stick around. We'll be right back.
- [08:04]
John Fugelsang
Messages.
- [08:06]
Alison Gill
We'll be right back. Hey everybody, it's ag. Some meal kits really over complicate stuff with lengthy recipes and excessive prep. Like why do you even bother with a meal kit if it's so complicated? But Home Chef takes a different approach. They deliver fresh, flavorful ingredients, easy to follow recipes. They fit seamlessly into your busy schedule. And users of leading meal kits have rated Home Chef number one in quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. And for a limited time, Home Chef is offering you 18 free meals plus free dessert for life and of course free shipping on your first box when you go to homechef.com dailybeans now. I didn't have much time for lunch the other day. Luckily Home Chef has express meals like their Asian style turkey crunch salad with sesame dressing and almonds. It's delicious. 20 minutes it took me I was able to enjoy a restaurant quality meal full of tasty flavor, fast and delicious. 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So if you're tired of last minute dinner decisions, let Home Chef simplify your evenings with meals that are easy, delicious and budget friendly. And again, for a limited time, Home Chef is offering you 18 free meals, plus free dessert for life. And of course, free shipping on your first box. Just go to homechef.com dailybeans that's homechef.com daily beans for 18 free meals. Free dessert for life. You heard that right. You must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the Hot Notes. Hot notes. All right. First up from abc, A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of probationary employees fired last month from half a dozen federal agencies. U.S. district Judge William Alsup ordered the Trump administration to reinstate employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury. He also prohibited the Office of Personnel Management from issuing any guidance about whether employees can be terminated. Also, a Clinton appointee also ordered the immediate discovery and deposition of the Office of Personnel Management senior advisor Noah Peters, who is aligned with Elon Musk's Doge. The judge slammed the attorney representing the Justice Department for refusing to make OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell available for cross examination and for withdrawing his sworn declaration, which the judge called a sham. Quote, the government, I believe, has tried to frustrate the judge's ability to get at the truth of what happened here and then set forth sham declarations. That's what he said. Quote, that's not the way it works in the US District Court. White House press secretary, whatever a face. Caroline Levitt slammed the judge in a statement Thursday afternoon, vowing to immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order. Okay, good luck. Quote, if a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for president themselves. The Trump administration will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order. As she said in a statement, no, your firings are against the law. And that's what the judiciary does. They have a check on the executive. It's a check. It's a. You know what? Let me send Carolyn Levitt some Schoolhouse Rock. Maybe that'll help. Lawyers representing a group of unions and interest groups asked Alsup to immediately reinstate thousands of probationary government employees who had been terminated, allegedly at the direction of Charles Ezell at the opm. Quote, there's a mountain of evidence before the court that OPM directed it. OPM's actions were unlawful. The plaintiffs have standing and there's an irreparable harm that's occurring every minute and it's snowballing. That's what Danielle Leonard, the plaintiff's attorney, said, quote, you will not bring the people in here to be Cross examined. You're afraid to do so because you know that cross examination will reveal the truth. This is the US District Court. The judge said, I tend to doubt that you're telling me the truth. If the Trump administration wants to reduce the size of the federal government, it would need to follow the process established in federal law. That's what the judge said. Quote, the words that I give you today should not be taken as some kind of wild and crazy judge in San Francisco that has said the administration can't engage in a reduction in force. He said, the reason that OPM wanted to put this based on performance was, at least in my judgment, a gimmick to avoid their Reduction in Force act because the law always allows you to fire somebody for performance. That's what he said, adding that the employee is terminated for performance. Can't even get unemployment insurance. The judge also criticized the government for submitting a declaration from a Zelle that he believed to be false and then withdrew it and made Azelle unavailable for testimony. Quote, you withdrew his declaration rather than do that. Come on. That's a sham. It upsets me. I want you to know that I've been practicing or serving in this court for over 50 years, and I know how we get at the truth. And if you're not helping me get to add to the truth, you're giving me press releases and sham documents, he said. Everett Kelly, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, praised the decision, saying, we're grateful for these employees and the critical work they do, and AFGE will keep fighting until all federal employees who were unjustly and illegally fired are given their jobs back. While the judge originally suggested the avenue to contest the firings could be administrative, he noted that the Trump administration is attempting to decimate and cannibalize the Merit Systems Protection Board by firing its head and by firing special counsel Hampton Dellinger. He said, quote, I got misled on something, that there was no jurisdiction. The judge also ordered discovery. He said, to get at the truth because the government is saying one thing and you're saying another. I just want to say that it's a sad day when our government would fire some good employees and say it was based on performance, when they know good and well that's a lie that should have not been done in our country. It was a sham in order to try to avoid statutory requirements.
- [14:26]
Dana Goldberg
My goodness. And thousands of people were effective. Tens of thousands. This one's from New Hampshire Public Radio. It took three trips, but Brooke Young was finally able to cast her ballot. Now on her first trip to the dairy polls Tuesday morning, Young didn't bring proof of her U.S. citizenship. That's a requirement under New Hampshire's new voter identification law. So she drove home to grab her birth certificate and then tried to vote a second time. But there was another problem. Quote, it doesn't have my married name on it. She said town voting officials then sent her away a second time to get her marriage certificate. Isn't that what they're trying to pass right now? Is that. I mean just. And I quote it is what it is. That's what Young said walking back to her car. Yet again, Tuesday's town elections they saw the first widespread application of New Hampshire's new Republican backed voting law. The new rules are considered some of the strictest in the country. No longer can would be voters sign an affidavit if they don't bring certain identification documents with them to the polls. Now all new voters in the state must have paperwork in hand proving that they are U.S. citizens, including a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers, as well as showing that they meet residency requirements. A range of voting rights and progressive groups previously sued in federal court to block that law, but it remains in effect. As the cases play out. This town meeting season is the first test of the law's impact. But it isn't clear how many qualified voters may be turned away for failure to comply with the documentation requirements. Voting officials from the state to the local level don't appear to maintain any records of such instances. Uh huh. In Derry, where local officials described the turnout as low, there were at least two other would be voters who were denied a ballot because they initially lacked proof of their citizenship. In one instance, an 18 year old was able to contact her mother who texted her a picture of her birth certificate. Uh huh. Michael Appleton, a 23 year old military veteran from Derry, he was also initially turned away but would return with his birth certificate. A military veteran and I quote in this personal incident right now it is a little inconvenient, he said of the law's requirements. But I think it's a perfectly reasonable thing to ask of people.
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Alison Gill
No, it's not.
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Dana Goldberg
Well in London, Barry, at least one person who attempted to register was turned away for failing to bring proof of citizenship. That's according to a poll observer, though it wasn't clear if the person returned with any documentation. In Hopkinton, a 70 year old Betsy Spencer did end up casting a ballot, but it took plenty of doing. Spencer has lived and voted in Hopkinton for decades, but briefly relocated to Maine, where she cast a ballot in November's election. She moved back to that city last month, and when she arrived at the polls to register Tuesday, she thought she was prepared. And I quote, I had my birth certificate, a change of address from the US Postal Service, everything but my blood type and the kitchen sink, and I was told I could not register to vote. The issue, Spencer said, was that her surname on her birth certificate is different from how she was registering to vote. Quote, when I divorced, I kept my last name for consistency with my family, and I'm sure a lot of people do that with their kids. And she went on to say the idea that women have to prove their name change is profoundly sexist and limiting, which is exactly why Republicans are doing this. Spencer said after local election officials consulted with the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office, her expired passport was deemed sufficient proof of ID for her to register to vote. But she said casting her ballot ended up taking several hours. Quote, I should be back working, but the truth was I could not let this go. That's what Spencer said. This was not okay. Under the previous state law, any person seeking to register to vote who failed to bring certain documents to the polls could sign a sworn affidavit attesting to their citizenship and residency. While the New Hampshire Attorney General's office could launch an investigation following the election into a person's qualifications, some Republican officials argued that the system was too permissive. Then Governor Chris Sununu signed House Bill 1569 last summer, ending the use of affidavits over the objection of Democrats who argue the new policy will disenfranchise qualified voters. And that's exactly what they will do.
- [18:56]
Alison Gill
Yeah, they're trying to chill the voters. That 70 year old who's like, this is sexist. This is like, good for her. High five. But she shouldn't have to jump through these hoops to vote. She's been a resident forever.
- [19:08]
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely.
- [19:09]
Alison Gill
Next up on cnn, the Trump administration is expected to invoke a sweeping wartime authority to speed up Trump's mass deportation pledge in the coming days. The little known 18th century law, the Alien Enemies act of 1798, gives presidents tremendous authority to target and remove undocumented immigrants, though legal experts have argued it would face an uphill battle in court. CNN previously reported that the authority was being widely discussed at several agencies as administration officials prepared to implement the law. The primary target remains Trenda Aragua tda, a Venezuelan organized crime group that is now operating in the United States and other countries. Trump has organized his administration to designate TDA as a foreign terrorist organization and use the measure to remove those identified. The announcement, which could come as soon as Friday, has been a moving target as officials finalize the details. The move would likely pave the way for quicker removals of certain migrants. CNN reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. The law is designed to be invoked if the US Is at war with another country or a foreign nation has invaded the US or is threatening to do so. Legal experts say it'd be difficult for Trump to use this act when the US Isn't being attacked by a foreign government, even if the administration cites threats from gangs or cartels. The Alien Enemies act has been invoked 3 times in U S History, all during war, according to the Brennan Center. During World Wars I and 2, it was used to justify detentions and expulsions of German, Austro, Hungarian, Italian and Japanese immigrants. The law played a role in the infamous U.S. policy of Japanese internment during World War II, and that's according to the nonpartisan and Policy Institute.
- [20:48]
Dana Goldberg
Thank you so much, Allison. This one's from cnn. Tim Walls is headed back out on the road, this time for a tour of House districts represented by Republicans who have stopped holding in person town halls amid the ruckus receptions some of their colleagues have gotten across the country. The Minnesota governor and 2024 vice presidential candidate will start on Friday in Iowa in the district represented by Rep. Zach Nunn, then head across to the border in Nebraska for the district represented by Rep. Don Bacon, both of whom won tight races for reelection last year. Walls's team is already planning stops in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio for the coming weeks, and more stops expected to be added. Given his national profile after his time on the Democratic ticket last year, Wallace said he felt obligated to step up and I quote, there was just a primal scream of folks recognizing what's going on with the Trump administration, their authoritarian tendencies and what they viewed was a lack proper response from their representatives. That's what he told CNN on Wednesday. It was about those Republican representatives recognizing this stuff's really unpopular so they're going to quit the town halls. These folks need to be heard. They need to be heard and to be candid with you, Democratic leadership needs to hear them. Walls's plan started with a post last week on Twitter responding to House Republican leaders who advise their colleagues to stop holding town halls. Republicans have accused those town halls of being packed with paid activists. Bullshit, though those making such accusations haven't provided any evidence or explanation in why Democratic members town halls have also been packed. Wall said he's been overwhelmed by the response to that tweet, and his staff has been sifting through what an aide told CNN was hundreds of invitations from local party leaders and candidates asking him to come. He said he found that response reassuring after he and Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump and J.D. vance. Not so sure they did. Quote, I always fear that they would. I'm not. Not. We're not spreading conspiracy theories on the daily beans. I just have questions.
- [22:51]
Alison Gill
I just have questions. You sound like Jesse the Body Venture. I have questions.
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Dana Goldberg
I have questions and I quote, I always fear that they would become apathetic after this last election and just check out, but they're not doing that. That's what Wall said.
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Alison Gill
Good to hear.
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Dana Goldberg
I know. Other than independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has taken two swings of his own through the Midwest in the past month, no major Democratic leaders have been stepping forward with similar kinds of public events. Walls chalked that up to, in part to his party, quote, trying to find their feet. But the situation clearly frustrates him and he said, I'm going to tell them that this doesn't have to be this way, he said, referencing the Trump administration's move to dismantle the Department of Education as a prime example. And I quote, I'm going to say ways that they can mobilize to fight back, ways that I think are the most effective ways, and I fully expect them to tell me ways that they're looking for. Many expect Walz to run for a third term as governor next year, and he downplayed the suggestion that this effort was laying the groundwork for future national run, quote, I will do anything possible to make sure that we win in 28. I do not need to be on that ticket. That's what he said to cnn. That's not my pursuit here. My pursuit is that I am still in a position where I have a platform and I have some power to make a difference. And if 20 people show up, that's good to me because those 20 people are making a difference. This isn't about drawing a crowd. I'll go to states where it wouldn't matter, but it matters to those people, and that's what I'm gonna do.
- [24:18]
Alison Gill
Yeah. Hell yeah. Tim Walls, people. I love people who listen to people.
- [24:24]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
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Alison Gill
You know, I mean, you know, though, Tim, like, why bother being awesome and doing town halls in Republican districts when you can a podcast and. And have Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on.
- [24:35]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, God, three Gavin News Nazis right up front. What are you doing?
- [24:41]
Alison Gill
Dude. G it's gross. All right, speaking of Republican town halls, it's time for some good trouble. What are you guys doing? All right, just want to let Everybody know, Sunday, March 23rd, I will be hosting an indivisible empty chair town hall for Republican Congressman Darrell Issa. You can RSVP to the link in the show notes now. I think it might be full, but you can still RSVP on the wait list and you can still show up and show out. And let's show them what we're made of again. That's March 23rd in Escondido, California at 4:00pm Pacific Time. I will see you there. Hey everybody. This show is sponsored by Peak. Peak's Radiant Skin Duo combines Sun Goddess Matcha and BT Fountain Electrolytes for the ultimate in beauty and wellness. This powerful duo supports glowing hydrated skin while boosting energy, gut health and overall vitality. You can get 20% off on the Radiant Skin Duo plus a free starter kit at peaklife.com dailybeans the Sun Goddess Matcha and BT Fountain combo is my go to for glowing skin and energy. The Radiant Skin Duo is a revolutionary pairing of two science backed products that enhance your skin and energy from within. Sun Goddess Matcha delivers sustained energy without jitters or crashes thanks to L Theanine for calm focus and EGCG antioxidants that firm and brighten my skin. It also supports gut health and it helps me feel less bloated. Now BT Fountain Electrolytes that hydrates on a cellular level with clinically proven ceramides to reduce fine lines and wrinkles is a bonus. My skin stays soft, supple, free from redness. I'm hydrated, it's all vegan with no added sugar, no artificial ingredients and together they are a powerhouse. They protect my skin, strengthen its barrier, keep it deeply hydrated for that lip from within glow. And it's made with pure premium ingredients, globally sourced and rigorously test for efficacy, purity and bioavailability. Very important. This duo is a game changer. The pre measured sachets make it so easy just dissolve it in hot or cold water. Sun Goddess Matcha is quadruple toxin screen shaded, 35% longer and ceremonial grade with a creamy Umami flavor and the BT Fountain pure clean hydration. So if you're looking for a simple way to elevate your skin and your energy, the Radiant Skin Duo is it. It's the ultimate glow up secret. So if you're ready to transform your routine right now, you can get 20% off the radiant Skin duo, plus a free starter kit which includes a rechargeable author and glass beaker. With my exclusive link, it's peaklife.comdailybeans that's P I Q U E life.com dailybeans don't miss out. Glow naturally into 2025 while supplies last. Hey everybody. Welcome back. It's Friday on the Daily Beans. That means it's Fugal saying Friday. So I'm joined by my friend and his fantastic hair and everything amazing that comes attached to that hair. He hosts Tell Me everything on Sirius XM progress channel 127 weeknights at 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific. And if you don't have Sirius, you can catch him on the John Fugal Show. John fugalsang Show Podcast I'm on the John Fugal Show. I've just shortened it. Just shortened it for you.
- [27:36]
John Fugelsang
My agents begged me to call it that.
- [27:39]
Alison Gill
Please welcome John Fugelsang.
- [27:41]
John Fugelsang
Oh, thank you. Hi, Alison.
- [27:43]
Alison Gill
Yes. And I'm very excited to talk to you today because you and I, we talk offline quite a bit. And you and I agree that one of the most important stories, if not the most important story in America right.
- [27:55]
John Fugelsang
Now is the unlawful airlines will no longer check bags for free. Let's talk about it. Yes. I never thought Southwest would do this. And I'm, as an American, I wasn't prepared for this. But go on, please.
- [28:06]
Alison Gill
Well, there's so many things that we're just unprepared for even if we expected them to happen. And this is one of those things. This is the unlawful detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student who is here legally for his views, for his protestations. And the White House has acknowledged he hasn't violated any laws, but he doesn't seem to be getting any due process. And this is Donald Trump's long awaited dream of taking away our right to due process. We talked months ago about being worried that he would invoke emergency powers in order to declare an invasion so that he can take away due process for legal migrants. And, you know, down the road looking at other things too, where he declares the Democrats, you know, a terrorist organization or something so that he can revoke our habeas corpus, you know, the suspend habeas corpus. But anyway, I know that this is a really important issue.
- [29:08]
John Fugelsang
Yeah.
- [29:09]
Alison Gill
And it is for you, too. And I wanted to get your thoughts.
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John Fugelsang
Well, it's an important issue because this is one of those stories, another example of the kind of story that's sort of like Trayvon Martin's murder, where it's going to fall to people in independent media and activists and Americans who just care to get mainstream media and Democrats to care about something. And this is really an incredibly significant story that affects all of our lives. No one really knows about it too much yet because they're beating up a Muslim to test drive a lot of their great Kampfs. I'm sorry, dreams. And you're right, it's phase one of a dream. It's phase one of a few dreams. And we have to remember this shows how messy they are. And this is a story that proves that our fascists are very evil and very stupid and very incompetent. This man is a green card holder, and they arrested him a few blocks away from where I live, near Columbia University, in front of his pregnant wife. And they said they were doing this on a State Department order to take away his student visa. And when they said, well, he's a permanent resident with a green card, they said, okay, well, we're taking that away. So they came there under false pretenses. They are messy and they are stupid and they despise our Constitution. So on Monday, Trump promised that he was going to deport more college students, and he called them paid agitators and terrorist sympathizers. No evidence of any of that. And his whereabouts were not known until a couple of days ago by his eight months pregnant wife or his lawyers. They were finally told he's somewhere in Louisiana. Marco Rubio said the visas of Hamas supporters in America will be revoked so we can deport them. So they're confirming legal residents are going to be deported for free speech and their political views. Hamas is evil. It is not illegal to support Hamas. It is not illegal to support Netanyahu. It is not illegal to support the American Nazi party. So Homeland Security came out and said that this was in support of Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti Semitism. It is not illegal to be anti Semitic. And Homeland Security said he was aligned with Hamas. They've shown no evidence of it. And this is just.
- [31:17]
Alison Gill
I was going to ask, does he actually support Hamas or is he just pro Palestinian protest?
- [31:21]
John Fugelsang
He's just pro Palestinian. And this is after Trump came out a couple days ago and said he's going to cut funding to colleges that allow illegal protests. Now, I don't know what an illegal protest is. I remember Donald Trump pardoning a whole lot of illegal protesters on day one. This is democracy sliding into authoritarianism. It's like Star Wars Episode 3 with a much worse soundtrack now, anybody who intimidates people or is acting violently in the protest, yeah, arrest them, hold them responsible. And the protests and the counter protests, there were all kinds of anti Semitic and Islamophobic and anti Arabic things said, none of which are illegal. And when Trump gave his state at the Kremlin address last week, Alison, you'll remember, he said, free speech is back. And irony hung itself in a Motel 6. Trump said it was illegal to boycott Teslas this week. So I believe you gotta call out anti Semitism, call out Islamophobia. It's legal to hate, and haters should be mocked. But peaceful protests are not illegal. Government can't ban peaceful protests. This is all performative. His executive order meant nothing. Everything that was illegal before is still illegal. I'm calling his executive order, Eric Trump because it does nothing and we should all continue to ignore it. But this guy's crime was being an outspoken Palestinian. He's not a terrorist. He's not an illegal alien. His attorneys demanded a warrant and got hung up on. There's no proof he's a paid agitator, no evidence he provided any support to terrorists. He has committed zero crimes. There is no evidence he's aligned with Hamas in any way. And even Fox News reported that last year, he said there is, of course, no place for antisemitism. So, I mean, like, can we deport Nick Fuentes and Charlie Kirk? You can't ban offensive thoughts and beliefs here. If you did, we could shut down Twitter right away. So I'm trying to keep my identity politics straight. Cause I'm trying to remember which side is allowed to say what they want, which side they can't. But this doesn't help Israel. It doesn't help Palestine. It doesn't increase justice, it doesn't decrease peace. And if you have a green card, you still have rights. The First Amendment still applies to you. The First Amendment doesn't say that only citizens have a right to free speech. Republicans are saying that it does. The First Amendment is a limit on government. You're smarter than me. You know this.
- [33:32]
Alison Gill
Well, there is a provision of obscure provision of an obscure law that gives Marco Rubio the power to revoke green card status for anyone he believes is a national security threat that gives the Secretary of State that power. Now, do I think that that obscure part of an obscure law is unconstitutional? Absolutely. Because the First Amendment is clear. Anyone who lives in the United States is guaranteed free speech. And so that is what should be challenged and probably will be challenged in this particular instance, especially since there's no evidence here, but this is. I mean, let's be clear. Regardless of what the speech is, regardless of whether it's a pro Israel or a pro Palestine or a pro abortion or an anti abortion person, if they aren't breaking the law, if they aren't a terrorist aligned with terrorist organizations, then this is just, this is nothing more than deporting people for their thoughts.
- [34:31]
John Fugelsang
Oh, it's more than that. It's more than that. I think this is a whole bunch of plans being laid out, Alison, here, because these are the guys who say our rights come from God, not from man. The same guys who say our rights come from God, but man takes them away when he feels like it. The great lie here is when they keep saying it's because of Donald Trump's new policies of being opposed to anti Semitism. Again, it's legal to be anti Semitic, but if Donald Trump cared about anti Semitism, he wouldn't have Thanksgiving dinner with Nick Fuentes and Kanye West. No, he wouldn't say they were very fine people and the Jews will not replace us side. He wouldn't say that, that Jews have dual loyalty and are bad. Yesterday, Donald Trump said that Chuck Schumer's not even really Jewish. He's more Palestinian. Find me a president saying something in public more anti Semitic than that in history. So this week in New York State.
- [35:21]
Alison Gill
Well, and this guy, as you said, isn't even anti Semitic. He has exactly gone on Fox News has said he is absolutely not. And now so we've got the Department of education sending 60, some school, maybe exactly 60 schools, a note, a letter saying they are under investigation for having pro Palestine protests on their campuses. So it's not just about defunding these schools. Now they're under investigation by the Department of Education.
- [35:52]
John Fugelsang
And how much did Columbia bend over backwards? How much did Columbia try to appease Donald Trump? How much did they try to condemn the protesters? I mean, they were looking for any ways they could to condemn anti Semitism. I don't know what more they could have done. He's just targeting an institution he sees as an opponent. This is preemptive intimidation. Because the one thing we know that's going to, I mean, and Columbia showed this is what happens when you give the bully everything he wants.
- [36:16]
Alison Gill
And it's a trial balloon.
- [36:17]
John Fugelsang
It's all going to start being nice to you. Yeah, it's all a trial balloon. It's pre. What's the one thing we can predict more than a measles outbreak under RFK Jr. It's on campus protests against Donald Trump in his first year in office. And this is Donald Trump intimidating the students, their parents who write the checks, and not so much the university presidents, but the trustees and everyone on the boards. This is Donald Trump trying to intimidate our free speech rights away. And a lot of the left is sucked on this. I love Jared Moskowitz, man. This guy's funny, he's smart. I don't know why he had to go and vote to censure Al Green. That was pathetic. But then he came out this week and said, if you're on a tourist visa and you go to a Hamas rally, then you shouldn't be here anymore, dude. You're a Democrat. Khalil was not here on a tourist visa, and he was not at a hamas rally. Only 14 Democrats have signed a letter to Homeland Security demanding his release. It's like Rashida Tlaib. Latifah Simon, who I love. You gotta book her on your show. She's my new hero. And Mark Pocan. But this is all about criminalizing nonviolent protest and finding ways to give the president power to expel students, which the president can't legally do.
- [37:27]
Alison Gill
Yeah, and this is his test case. He's gonna run this up to the Supreme Court and see if they'll agree that Marco Rubio can indeed revoke the citizenship, the green card of anyone who. They just feel that broad sort of feeling is a threat to national security.
- [37:43]
John Fugelsang
This is why we have to start reaching out to our libertarian cousins on this one. You know, start. Because the Democrats are still too scared about this Palestine. Treating them like humans is still a third rail. And I don't understand it. You know, like, Christianity commands you to love Palestinian people and Israeli people equally. Okay, this is going to affect conservatives, and if you're left, right or center, anyone who cares about constitutional rights and free speech needs to be on board. And we are going to have to get in bed with some conservatives on this, because if they can do it to a permanent resident without a warrant or a reason or a crime committed, they can disappear American citizens, too.
- [38:18]
Alison Gill
It was literally the first line in the first they came for poem. I mean, this is literally that. So whether you agree with the speech or not, I was talking to Dana about this on the beans yesterday. I remember when the Westboro Baptist Church free speech decision came down, and I was bummed and pissed that they were allowed to be, you know, homophobic and picket marine funerals from 25ft away or whatever. I was like, fuck. But it did Like, I was like, that hurts because I hate that speech. But that is protected speech.
- [38:47]
John Fugelsang
Exactly.
- [38:48]
Alison Gill
And so whatever it is, because it's not just going to be pro Palestinian protesters, this is a test case to see if they can get anti Trump protesters. You're saying that as a threat to national security. If Marco Rubio can say, well, the Supreme Court said, I'm allowed to revoke the green card of Mahmoud Khalil because he's a threat to national security, that means we are allowed to go after protesters who are against the President of the United States because I think that's a threat to national security.
- [39:19]
John Fugelsang
That's it.
- [39:20]
Alison Gill
And it's just going to be. They came for and I said nothing. Then they came for and I said nothing, and then they came for, and then they came for me. No one was left to speak for me. That's the beginning of this. And they always pick the test case to be something that, like, is a very divisive, politically divisive piece of speech. Right. They're not going to first go after, you know, the, the pro gun people or the, you know, they're not going.
- [39:45]
John Fugelsang
To go after Timmy for his commencement address at the school. Yeah, exactly. But, you know, even if he had done the things they have lied about him doing, even if he did hate Jews, even if he was pro Hamas, even if he did praise Hamas, none of that's a crime.
- [40:02]
Alison Gill
And it's not like he was an unregistered foreign agent for the leader of Hamas. Yeah, unlike. They're messy, unregistered foreign agent Republicans who were foreign agents for Turkey and Russia and Egypt. That. That's the point.
- [40:17]
John Fugelsang
Look at how incompetent our fascists are. They really thought they had a brilliant plan here, and it's going to backfire in their face. Homeland Security said that he was aligned with Hamas. That's a lie. But what does that mean, aligned with Hamas? We just found out last week, and Mag is furious that the Trump administration is directly negotiating with Hamas. So aren't they aligned as well? I mean, I mean, they're talking to Hamas more than this guy was. These are points I really believe we can reach our conservative friends on. And can I point out, slightly related, the former president of the Philippines, Duterte, he got arrested this week on a warrant from the International Criminal Court. Because accountability is possible if we want it.
- [40:59]
Alison Gill
Yeah, unfortunately, we're not a signatory on the icc, so we can't get Trump arrested by the Hague.
- [41:05]
John Fugelsang
Oh, a boy can dream. A boy can dream.
- [41:07]
Alison Gill
But a boy can dream. You can have all your comps.
- [41:09]
John Fugelsang
I have my lot of hate Hague fantasies. Okay. A lot of Hague fantasies. Yeah, I got Hague fantasies going back to the early part of the century with the previous administration.
- [41:17]
Alison Gill
So, yeah, yeah, they can certainly make a bunch of declarations, but they're sort of toothless. Again, the real power, the real power is with the people. It always has been.
- [41:31]
John Fugelsang
Yeah. No one economic power too.
- [41:33]
Alison Gill
Should have been expecting Robert Mueller to save democracy. Nobody should have been expecting Merrick Garland to save democracy. Maddow went on a rant a while ago. She said, there's no silver bullet. It is a combination of voters and journalists and free speech. But the ultimate executive power, as Judge Ludig said, is, yes, we're trying to get him off the ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Yes, he is a seditionist, yes, he should be charged. But the ultimate check on the executive power is the people. And it always has been. And we need to stop skirting that responsibility.
- [42:09]
John Fugelsang
Well, if you want an example of the power of the people, look at the commercial for a car on the White House lawn. Tesla shares have lost over 50% of their value in the last two months. 800 billion in market cap gone. And they are so scared. Both this, this, this evil stoned elf who paid a quarter billion dollars to make the game show host president again. They are both so scared that they had an illegal infomercial on the White House lawn for Tesla with all those models lined up and Trump literally reading off a script to say he to lie that he was buying. He didn't buy a car from the elf, but the whole thing was a Hatch act violation. And again, no one cares. When Democrats do it, Republicans get angry. It's just this thing everyone does. But an illegal car ad for the richest man in the world on the White House lawn as a distraction from everybody's 401ks going down. And this is after a whole year. And you know this, this Allison, because we were defending evs all last year of Donald Trump declaring how unmanly and weak evs were because he was lying to union workers in Michigan because he was an anti union scab and he was trying to get the auto worker vote and he thought he'll do it by attacking EVs. And now this old queen with too much makeup is whoring himself on our lawn for the same electric vehicles he was attacking a year ago. These guys are pathetic. And every day more magas see through it. I mean, magas, some of them do have a memory, some of them remember how much they were posting, how EVS were for weak men a year ago, and now they see this guy. They're scared, Allison.
- [43:40]
Alison Gill
EVS are weak, but ball tanning is the peak of masculinity.
- [43:45]
John Fugelsang
Boycotts of Tesla are illegal. They're scared. They're scared.
- [43:50]
Alison Gill
Yeah, they are. They are. And we just got to keep pushing because, you know, it's incremental and difficult and it's an uphill slog, but it works.
- [43:59]
John Fugelsang
Can I ask you, is Elon's incompetence and evil making it easier in the long run? I mean, when he sat down with Larry Kudlow and boy, that was a summit. And was said in his little Bond villain voice, most of the federal spending is entitlements. So that's like the big one to eliminate. He said, eliminate entitlements. Like, this is why they only send this guy onto Fox and Newsmax, because a real journalist would tear him to ribbons. Like, he said it. He said it.
- [44:25]
Alison Gill
Honestly, though, I think it's gotta be more than him just saying it. He has to do it, and the people have to be negatively impacted by it. Unfortunately, we're a reactionary society. We don't try to preemptively head things off at the pass. If we did, we wouldn't have voted or, you know, well, Donald Trump wouldn't have been elected in 2016. You're right, because then we would have the Supreme Court we always wanted, and we would have, you know, things would be. This landscape would be very different. But we are a reactionary. Unfortunately, when things get broken, they take decades to fix, minutes to break and decades to fix.
- [45:00]
John Fugelsang
I can't wait till next summer when Mag is blaming Joe Biden for all those stupid tariffs he forced on us. You know, I just can't wait.
- [45:07]
Alison Gill
Well, 200% tariff on champagne. So. Not that we have a lot to celebrate.
- [45:15]
John Fugelsang
You know, prom night's coming.
- [45:16]
Alison Gill
But I am very happy about the Judge Alsup decision to reinstate the probationary federal workers that were wrongfully terminated. Trying to sneak a RIF in, or, excuse me, trying to sneak a firing of probationary folks as a rif. But it is a rif, but not following the RIF rules. And I was very glad that the judge spelled that out today. And thanks to the folks like Hampton Dellinger who pointed this out and got the. The. Got the stays, the adjudications from the Merit Systems Protection Board. Folks like Lyman and Kathy Harris, both Biden appointees. One who was reinstated for being wrongfully terminated on a permanent Injunction for setting this up, for setting this lawsuit up and things like this up to say, yeah, no, it's illegal to fire a bunch of probationary people without going through the RIF process. And so that was a very heartening bit of news from yesterday. Okay.
- [46:10]
John Fugelsang
We're going to be seeing a lot more of that from the courts, I think. And I'm just enjoying how much MAGA is despising Amy Coney Barrett. It's getting more interesting every day.
- [46:18]
Alison Gill
Yeah. She's teaming up with Roberts and. And the libs to.
- [46:22]
John Fugelsang
They are the swing vote.
- [46:23]
Alison Gill
Now, those two interesting four. Four cases now where they've sided with the liberal justices and. And they all have to do with Trump.
- [46:31]
John Fugelsang
I think the only Republicans who care about how they look in the history books right now are Robert Barrett and Mitch McConnell. They're the only ones who seem to be aware. Oh, you see how Mitch is voting now?
- [46:41]
Alison Gill
Mitch knows he's not running again, but.
- [46:43]
John Fugelsang
He knows this is all his fault. He knows that he could have stopped this. He could have gotten three Republican senators who weren't running for reelection to go with the Democrats and made all this go away. He knows this is going to be his true. This and blocking the black guy from having an up or down vote. Mitch knows his reputation is cooked, so he's going to try to do anything he can to redeem himself and seem like he's somehow the brave resistance.
- [47:04]
Alison Gill
Yeah, well, he'll find no comfort with me or with anybody with half a brain.
- [47:07]
John Fugelsang
The accidental architect of all of this. Of. And if. Goddamn. If Merrick Garland could have been on the Supreme Court like the President nominated, who knows how different the last four years could have been?
- [47:18]
Alison Gill
Yeah, yeah. Because if we didn't have this particular Supreme Court, I mean, again, I'll say it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It wouldn't matter who the AG was or when Trump was indicted, this Supreme Court was going to let him off the hook. They were always going to let him off the hook.
- [47:31]
John Fugelsang
Yes, but if Merrick Garland had been appointed to the Supreme Court or at least had an up or down vote as the black president who was denied an up or down vote, dul nominated. If that had been the case, we probably wouldn't have Donald Trump having immunity from crimes. We wouldn't have crossed that Rubicon of Looney Tunes.
- [47:50]
Alison Gill
Perhaps. I think he still would have appointed the justices that he did. But.
- [47:54]
John Fugelsang
Yeah, well, but only 2.
- [47:56]
Alison Gill
Hindsight.
- [47:57]
John Fugelsang
Only 2.
- [47:58]
Alison Gill
Right. We would be 5, 4.
- [47:59]
John Fugelsang
Instead, we'd be 5 4. With Robertson, Barrett.
- [48:03]
Alison Gill
Anyway, thank you, my dear friend. I know we spoke a little bit longer than normal today, but. But I really thought we needed to hit the importance of what's going on.
- [48:13]
John Fugelsang
Well, we have to now. So get the snowball going. If we talk about it now, mainstream media and Democrats will be talking about it hopefully in a couple of weeks. This is another example of how independent media, like your show, has to get the ball rolling on matters of urgent justice. And it does Remind me of 13 years ago this week, I became a dad. I'm now a parent of a teenager, which is appalling. But the whole time I was in the hospital, I was reading independent media and it was all about this kid in Florida who'd been murdered. And nobody was talking about it in mainstream media. And it's because of the independent media back then that Trayvon Martin's case became such a major cause. And I think this is another time when it's gonna be shows like yours that wake people up and we use social media and we get our conservative brothers and sisters to join as well on this one, because the ones who are still conservative will.
- [48:56]
Alison Gill
Yeah, yours too. We can roll this all the way back to the 30s in the United States when it was a small group of independent journalists that pushed back. Back, yeah, against the. Against the fascism that was now. Yeah, we are.
- [49:09]
John Fugelsang
I'm tattoo after this conversation.
- [49:13]
Alison Gill
Thanks. So everybody please tune in to tell me everything. You can do it. Find it on SiriusXM progress channel 127, weeknights, 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific. And if you don't have that, you can always check out the John Fugal Sang Show. We'll talk again next week. My friend, you're the best.
- [49:27]
John Fugelsang
Thank you.
- [49:28]
Dana Goldberg
You.
- [49:28]
Alison Gill
Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news? Everyone. Then good news, everyone. And oh, my gosh, the first pictures are already amazing. If you have any good news confessions corrections, you want to give a shout out to yourself or a loved one or a small business in your area or your small business or a government program that's helped you or a loved one, whether it's Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care act, great VA healthcare, and student debt relief. Any government program that's helped you, you can send us all your good news by going to DailyBeansPod.com and clicking on Contact. All you gotta do to get your good news read on the air is pay your pod pet tax, which means Just attach a photo of your pet and if you don't have a pet, tell us about an adoptable pet in your area. Don't have that. Grab a photo of a random animal on the Internet. That'll work as well. And if you don't that baby pictures. We absolutely love your baby pictures. And finally we're going to be doing bird watching for quite a while that all you got to do is send us a picture of an actual bird or you and your family and friends flipping off Trump properties and Musk properties. Send it all to us daily beanspod.com and click on contact. So first up from Jade S pronoun she and her hello Leguminati Brand new listener. Love the show. You're seriously out here doing the Lord's work. I just want to take a minute to shout out indivisible Penns District. We're a growing chapter of Indivis in Central PA that covers the Harrisburg area. If there's any leguminati out in PA's 10th that's fed up with Scott Perry and everything else going on, please email us. We need you pa10th pa 10th district network gmail.com we'll have a link in the show notes also shameless plug for my cleaning business Jersey jade's cleaning. That's jerseyjadescleaning.com I do great work. Check me out out for my pet tax I give you our one year old menace to society, Ronnie. She's a lovable menace we rescued from my in laws. You rescued from the clutches of your in laws James. I love that. Part cutie pie, part piranha.
- [51:47]
Dana Goldberg
I see it.
- [51:48]
Alison Gill
Oh my gosh. Oh adorable. Corporate needs to you to find the difference between these pictures. They're the same picture. It's a piranha. And the dog. Is that a shark? I think it's a shark.
- [52:00]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
- [52:01]
Alison Gill
Fantastic. I love the markings on the face.
- [52:04]
Dana Goldberg
I know. Beautiful.
- [52:05]
Alison Gill
So great. Thank you.
- [52:07]
Dana Goldberg
All right. This one's from Melissa Pronouns she and her calling all Aguminati. Just this Week in Minnesota 7th District Eric Osberg has announced his campaign to run against MAGA Michelle Fischbach. She has been inactive but relatively below the radar. Trump sycophant. I call him psychophants but sycophant. Since winning, probably also whining.
- [52:28]
Alison Gill
Probably also whining in 2020.
- [52:31]
Dana Goldberg
Winning in 2022 and again in 24. Eric looks to have a good start. He has already been meeting members of the very large 7th district in just the first two days since announcing his plans is to have the fish fries in all 37 counties of our district. I love that. We need momentum behind him and this is a large and deeply red district. Michelle unfortunately beat out Democratic representative Colin Peterson in who had been a great small farmer advocate. This is our chance to swing things blue again with a strong candidate. If you can go like and share his social media pages so he can do lives and get the word out if you have a buck or two, that would be great. Also let's get these midterms moving in the right direction. Pony pod, pet tax again Today it's still winter in the northland though temps are trending more spring currently in fall spring now with a snowstorm predicted for the weekend between the ears of my best fur friend Victor and fresh winter snow with the whole gang. Special attention to my senior dog Cisco in his 90s prom themed blanket. An accidental wine night purchase. Thanks for all you do and for being here for us daily. There's going to be a link in the show notes to Eric's campaign so you can, you can go support Eric Osberg.
- [53:51]
Alison Gill
Nice. Oh, senior guy. Cisco. I'm like looking for a dog. It's a horse. Horse. Cisco's a horse in his 90s prom theme blanket. That is a 90s theme. Look at that pink with the zebra on the bottom.
- [54:01]
Dana Goldberg
Yep, yep.
- [54:02]
Alison Gill
Hell yeah. And I love the between the ears picture. Thank you so much. And I love that, that blanket that used to. What was that a wine night purchase?
- [54:11]
Dana Goldberg
Yep. That's awesome.
- [54:12]
Alison Gill
I used to drink too much wine and I would get weird ideas and I would buy URLs. I've got like 40 like just like. And then like I'll get a call from godaddy. A year later I'll forgot that I had purchased something and they'll be like hey do you want gothic tuba.org and I'm like what the is that?
- [54:31]
Dana Goldberg
I think it was Patton Oswald. That was like why do I. Why about stamps? I bought 40 stamps. Why do I need stamps?
- [54:38]
Alison Gill
Yes, exactly. Thank you so much for that in the photos. Next up from anonymous pronouns he and him. Good morning queens of the beans. I wanted to mention a program I had never heard of until it was getting enrolled called Hud Vash. Yes. This is awesome. It's Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs. Supportive housing, housing. It's like Section 8 but for veterans because you know, I'm special. Wink wink. They help me with my rent. They're willing to go to bat for me if there's a conflict with the landlord. So far so good. Though I had never accessed anything from the VA because they told me to pound sand back in the late 80s when I showed up with HIV. But a DUI got me into the Veterans Justice Court and 35 years later, va things are available to me. Maybe Elroy's dodgy boys will overlook this program. Him. I found some toddler pics from 1960. It's me and my mom. Not a blonde anymore, but thanks for everything you do. Look at this.
- [55:34]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, very sweet.
- [55:36]
Alison Gill
Your mom is beautiful.
- [55:38]
Dana Goldberg
Very.
- [55:39]
Alison Gill
Already had a military haircut at 2 years old, so.
- [55:42]
Dana Goldberg
Love it. I know.
- [55:43]
Alison Gill
I think you joined the military because of your hair.
- [55:46]
Dana Goldberg
Good.
- [55:47]
Alison Gill
It's awesome.
- [55:47]
Dana Goldberg
So good. Thank you for that. This one's from Anonymous pronoun She and her hello ladies. I recently started listening to the Daily Beans after finding you on Blue sky in January. I felt a special connection. Being a federal employee with a disability working with a reasonable accommodation. I've really been appreciative of how you present the news that's relevant to me. Like I said, I'm a fed employee. I don't feel safe providing too much detail. I work with the compliance in preventing fraud, waste and abuse. You know what Doji's claiming to be doing? Well, today I decided to take the VSIP offered. Ah, the VSIP offered and informed my boss. My small regional office lost about 20% of the people to the DRP to the DERP, and we were already suffering from a lack of people from previous retirements. But our deadlines and required workload haven't been just adjusted for any of it. I figured out I can survive a few months on my limited savings, longer with the V is it visa? Despite having young kids and requiring insurance, I really wanted to hang on. It's too much. I took this job for security and that security is gone. I spent almost 20 years saving taxpayers money and making sure the essential programs worked. My salary was paid for by over a billion dollars that I helped identify and waste and just reports I worked on. I thought I would work until retirement. Maybe not with my agency, but for the feds at least. So now, well, I'll help some company or state government with compliance or something else if I'm lucky. Anyway, my good News, besides getting $25,000 to leave a toxic work environment, is I suggested a new program to my local library and just heard it's going to start next month. It's a neurodivergent monthly craft night.
- [57:33]
Alison Gill
Oh hell yeah.
- [57:34]
Dana Goldberg
Brilliant. I love going to craft groups, usually labeled knitting groups, but they are Often during the day and aimed at retired people. People. But lately I've found more night groups for people who work and now for those who are neurodivergent. People like me. I do cross stitch and embroidery, among other crafts. And I'll share a picture of a recent project I finished for my pod pet tax. I'm sharing a picture of my axolotl. Ajax.
- [57:58]
Alison Gill
Yes. We have an axolotl.
- [57:59]
Dana Goldberg
People have axolotls on here. It makes me giggle every time you say, what's the model? Model of your axolotl. Keep up the good work, ladies. This is really beautiful. Cross stitch. My gosh.
- [58:10]
Alison Gill
Okay, so it says, busy overthinking. It's fantastic. It's beautiful script, busy overthinking, with gorgeous flowers bursting out of each side. And I can totally relate to that, my friend. So welcome. I'm glad you're listening. And the axolotl is adorable.
- [58:29]
Dana Goldberg
It really is. They're very cute.
- [58:31]
Alison Gill
They're so cute. Oh, they're so cute. Somebody, one of the Leguminati on the behind the Beans website site shared this AI video of a, like, giant, like alligator sized Oxalotl having a bath from this lady. And I was like, oh, my God, no, that can't be real. I was right. I. I was like, oxal are small. You're scaring me. But it was pretty funny. I was like, holy crap. Okay, wait, no, that's not real. Because I went to her. I went to the website, like the page, the Facebook page of this where the video came from, and it has her like brushing 7ft tall rabbits and thing. I'm like, okay, all right. Okay, good. Because a. A ten foot long oxalatl scares the crap out of me.
- [59:15]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, my God. Seriously?
- [59:17]
Alison Gill
Yeah. All right, well, thank you so much to John Fugal Sang for joining us on Fugal Sang Fridays. Thanks to everybody for listening. Thanks to all of our new listeners. If you have any good news you want to send in, or if you've been listening since the kitchen table days and you want to send your good news, you can send it to us@dailybeanspod.com and click on Contact Contact. Any final thoughts before we get out of here for the weekend, my friend?
- [59:34]
Dana Goldberg
I do not.
- [59:35]
Alison Gill
All right, well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Do something for yourself. Relax a little bit, Breathe deeply, meditate, get some sleep, and we'll see you Monday. 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.
- [59:50]
Dana Goldberg
I've been AG and I've been DG.
- [59:52]
Alison Gill
And them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design 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.