← We Can Do Hard Things
We Can Do Hard Things
Finally Some Good News! Wisconsin Deals Big Blow to Elon & Trump | Jessica Yellin
00:55:40
Loading summary
Transcript128 lines
- [00:00]
Glennon Doyle
This podcast is brought to you by Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues. It's that time of year again. The flowers are blooming and birds are chirping. And also that time when allergies can test you and show up when you least expect. But with Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues, you can be ready to face them whether it's sneezes or watery eyes. You don't want to be caught without.
- [00:21]
Jessica Yellen
A tissue on hand to help.
- [00:23]
Glennon Doyle
Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues are gentle on eyes and noses. There for all the moments at home and on the go that allergies can disrupt this allergy season. Be better prepared with Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues, which are allergist approved so you can go on with your day. Life and allergies can both be unpredictable, but you can be prepared for that time of year by making sure you've always got Kleenex Ultra Soft Tissues ready for whatever happens next. Grab Kleenex. When spring has sprung and IKEA is at your fingertips, reclaim your space fast and find out how convenient shopping IKEA can be. When ordering Ikea, they have the best options for you. Want to turn your patio space into an outdoor oasis? They're on it. Choose from thousands of pickup locations and find a pickup point that is closest to you. No time to pick up before that family barbecue? No problem. Their affordable delivery options are so convenient. When you check out online, you'll actually enjoy the party. Prep shop now and enjoy convenience with a click. Order IKEA online and choose from thousands of pickup locations or affordable delivery with free shipping on small orders. Over $50 for IKEA family members. Whenever, wherever, however you shop IKEA, they're here to help.
- [01:53]
Jessica Yellen
Hello. We can do hard. This is a special day because Jessica Yellen and I have been coming to you with the news you need to know this week for the last many weeks because we're trying to save you from the tolmet of riding the roller coaster all week long while still staying engaged enough to know what you need to know to fight for what you need to fight for and giving us tips to do that. And today is a very delightful day because we have some good news and some hopeful news in addition to some that isn't. But this is a step in the right direction. So thank you for being here. We promise to deliver you some little shots of hope. Jessica Yellen, always a damn joy to be with you.
- [02:45]
Amanda Doyle
Such a pleasure. Amanda and I want to wish you a very happy Liberation Day.
- [02:50]
Jessica Yellen
Oh yes. Are you feeling liberated? I mean, I mean, I feel liberated a Little liberated by Musk's humiliation, but I don't think that's what you're referring to.
- [03:00]
Amanda Doyle
No, but it is a good moment to take a beat and say Democrats for the first time had a good day this week.
- [03:06]
Glennon Doyle
Yes.
- [03:06]
Amanda Doyle
And we are recording on a day that Donald Trump has declared Liberation Day and he will unveil why at an event he is calling Make America Wealthy Again. It's just, you can't make it up.
- [03:19]
Jessica Yellen
Yeah, it's like, how many words can we fit after Make America Blank again? It's, it's, they're gonna run out of words because that's the move. So this is the tariff day.
- [03:28]
Amanda Doyle
Right.
- [03:28]
Jessica Yellen
This is the day where he's going to tell us all of the reciprocal tariffs in the world, which are.
- [03:33]
Amanda Doyle
Yes, right.
- [03:34]
Jessica Yellen
And that's gone well so far for.
- [03:36]
Amanda Doyle
America, I would say. Yeah. You know, it's like, I can't remember. The stock market has lost some unprecedented amount of gains this year. There's like a lot of talk in the business community that what Trump is really doing is he's giving CEOs a chance to negotiate opportunities to have carve outs and tariffs, which is a form of, can we say it together? Corruption.
- [03:56]
Jessica Yellen
Oh, that's the theory behind it.
- [03:58]
Amanda Doyle
One piece of the theory that like.
- [03:59]
Jessica Yellen
He'S telling this so that CEOs will come to him and say, spare me.
- [04:05]
Amanda Doyle
Yes.
- [04:05]
Jessica Yellen
And here's dollars for that. So that's like what he's doing to the law firms. Like, I will extract $100 million in concessions from you to not.
- [04:13]
Amanda Doyle
He would say that's cutting deals and negotiating because he's an amazing deal maker. That's the art of the deal.
- [04:18]
Jessica Yellen
Okay.
- [04:19]
Amanda Doyle
If you're in the mafia. But anyway, we don't know what, because we're talking before the announcements are coming out, but that the announcement keeps getting rolled back and back and back. And one of the conversations I'm hearing behind closed doors is it's because they're working out the deals. Trump has said, I'm very open to deals. So we'll see.
- [04:37]
Jessica Yellen
All right, so Liberation Day is not our good news, but we did have, sorry, a good night yesterday. Tell us what happened yesterday in Wisconsin and our heroine there who got it done.
- [04:55]
Amanda Doyle
Isn't she lovely? So Wisconsin was maybe the most closely watched and certainly the most expensive race since Donald Trump was elected for state Supreme Court. And the liberal backed Judge Susan Crawford won and she won handily. And this is despite the fact that Elon Musk poured more than $20 million between himself and his allies into trying to get her opponent, the conservative, back. Judge elected Musk wanted the conservative on the court because this seat decides the direction of the court. Wisconsin is the swingiest of swing states. Trump won it. And let's just bottom line it. For Musk, the motivation seems to be foremost of all the possible reasons that Wisconsin has this rule that says car manufacturers can't sell their own cars in the state. And so Tesla is not allowed to sell Teslas through dealerships there and he wants that overturned. So there is a personal monetary reason for his interest there.
- [05:55]
Jessica Yellen
And that court case is before the court. Now, Tesla filed the case and I think it was three days later Musk started tweeting about this election and started pouring his money into it.
- [06:09]
Amanda Doyle
Which he, by the way, said is the most I'm going to. This is paraphrasing most important election for the future of humanity. An obscure state supreme court election in Wisconsin. Love to all Wisconsinites. Important election. Will it decide the future of humanity? I guess. Elon Musk said he felt it would, or at least the fate of his stock price. Maybe those two are the same for him.
- [06:31]
Jessica Yellen
I mean, it's so interesting about the Tesla court case was a clear conflict of interest, but it's also this kind of role of him as the central bank of Maga and the kind of king maker where he was pivotal in making Trump the president.
- [06:47]
Amanda Doyle
Well, let's get to that. So there's two things. One is shimmel. The candidate Musk backed lost by 10 points.
- [06:54]
Jessica Yellen
That's a lot. That's an huge defeat.
- [06:57]
Amanda Doyle
And Wisconsinites are really googly eyed about this because they always point out our elections are always razor thin, or as they would say, waffer thin. There's never a landslide win. So when there's a landslide, it's remarkable. It's a real repudiation by the voters just on the substance. It's also worth noting that the Wisconsin Supreme Court is deciding cases related to reproductive rights, union rights, important union organizing case, and they help decide the districts, how gerrymandered things are. And as a vital swing state, they'll have a say in election results and election procedures. So, you know, if the GOP were able and Musk were able to control that core, it could swing not just elections in Wisconsin, but nationally.
- [07:42]
Jessica Yellen
Yes.
- [07:42]
Amanda Doyle
So there are larger implications than just Tesla dealerships. Now, to your point that. So Musk went to town and he didn't just say this was important. He didn't just give money to the races. He also held that town hall where he showed up, wore a cheese head and gave out million dollar checks to two different people. A reprise of the role he played in Pennsylvania during Trump's election that seemingly helped Trump win in November just a few months later. Musk doing the same thing not only didn't help his candidate win, but politicos from the state say voters came out to defeat Musk. His involvement actually drove turnout for the opponent. And so what you're getting at is like, it seems that this magic touch that Musk was supposed to bring to Republicans is actually the opposite. And he could actually be toxic. They will still want his money, but they're not going to want his presence. And it's not clear that you can get one without the other.
- [08:46]
Jessica Yellen
That's so interesting. And what do you, I mean, the implications, especially on a judicial election, because this is, as you said, it was the most expensive judicial election in United States history. There was $90 million in this election, 20 million of which was Musk brought either individually with his groups. It seems especially offensive to have the purchasing of an election for a judgeship. And again, she had raised multi million dollars too. But do you think the idea, I mean, they were calling him, what did they call him, the knee pad Brad, that he was like on his knees in deference to Trump and Elon, this idea that like he had already said that he would vote in favor of the anti abortion law. You know, a judge is supposed to do the case before them. And so is this idea that like, okay, you can buy an election, but to buy a judge feels like real antithetical to our state's right to be represented by who we actually choose, not who your money picks.
- [09:55]
Amanda Doyle
Yes. I mean, the judge dressed as Trump for some, in a costume as Trump. The voters, you could hear them say it over and over in interviews. The campaign was very much about Musk and Trump. So all the ads had Musk and Trump in them. So it wasn't just you're electing this guy, Brad, or not electing him. It was a referendum on the administration so far. And Musk made it. Like, even if Democrats had tried that, Musk made sure that was the case. Right. He gave them that gift. And voters would say, I need balance. I don't like what Doge is doing. I'm a Social Security recipient. I'm scared about my Social Security. I don't want Musk in that business. And so this was a real repudiation of Doge and the Trump policy so far. And it has a couple of implications. Like there's the immediate implication for the court there. There's the reverberations in Capitol Hill telling members of Congress, hey, if you thought Trump can do all these unpopular things, and Musk has some magic wand where he can swoop in and ensure that you get reelected despite it all, here's evidence that's not true. And then, you know, he, in fact, pissed off Wisconsinites by talking down to them wearing the stupid cheese head. They said, he's playing us for dumb. We get it.
- [11:17]
Jessica Yellen
Right, right, right.
- [11:18]
Amanda Doyle
And then we should talk about the results of the election in Florida as well, where there were two House seats that were up for reelection in districts Republicans won by huge, huge, huge margins in November. You know.
- [11:32]
Glennon Doyle
Yes.
- [11:32]
Amanda Doyle
What did Trump win by?
- [11:33]
Jessica Yellen
I think it was 30 points in the seat that was vacated by. Was it Gates's seat? So it was. One of the seats that was up for election was Matt Gaetz, who whips a daisy, had to resign in disgrace. And the other one was our Mr. Walls, who you might know from the recent signal debacle. So it was those two seats, and they were, I think, on average, like 30 points up for Trump.
- [12:02]
Amanda Doyle
You know, John King on CNN was talking about the numbers as they were coming in, and somebody said, so where are the blue parts of this district? And he laughed. He said, there are no blue parts. This is just all Republicans in these districts. And Republicans did win the elections in each of those races, but they won it by 15 points less than Trump. Right. So they shedded 15% of the support that had been there is gone.
- [12:29]
Jessica Yellen
Yeah. So they cut their margin by 50%. So half. Right. That's not insignificant.
- [12:36]
Amanda Doyle
And I heard Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader of the House, you know, saying that there are 60 Republicans in the House, 6, 0. Who are in districts that Trump won by 15 points or less. And he said, now there's a target on all their backs.
- [12:53]
Glennon Doyle
Oh, right.
- [12:54]
Jessica Yellen
Because if it goes down 15%, they've lost that support.
- [12:58]
Amanda Doyle
And so now you wake up today, a member of Congress in the Republican Party, knowing that Donald Trump is executing on a suite of policies that's wildly unpopular with the American people, including your constituents, that your party has eroded 15 points off the support. So you are now at neck and neck, race or underwater, where today, all things being equal, a Democrat would be ahead. And you were counting on Elon Musk and his magic wand to come in and somehow make that go away. You've just seen that the voters are not having it and that that magic wand doesn't exist. Do you rethink your approach after today, and do you think about flexing a little muscle and resisting? And will we start to see more cracks in the Republican wall?
- [13:44]
Jessica Yellen
So if the defense of the Constitution and the defense of the federal government was not motivation enough for these people, which it clearly has not been, you're saying that the political reality that your king is not going to save you, in fact he's hurting you, might actually be motivation for some kind of pushback?
- [14:05]
Amanda Doyle
It's political survival, if nothing else. And everybody was banding together in silence because of their own political survival. The evidence is mounting that saving your own professional skin requires rethinking your strategy. A breaking with Trump or breaking with the party or standing up to the most unpopular policies and not counting on Elon Musk to save you.
- [14:38]
Jessica Yellen
Even when it's been hard.
- [14:40]
Abby Wambach
I have always loved my work.
- [14:43]
Jessica Yellen
The journey that you're on with us.
- [14:44]
Abby Wambach
Now, including on this podcast, started out with Glennon, Allison, Liz and me 15 years ago. We were an author who was not yet an author, a couple of lawyers, and a development person. We didn't know a thing about how to present what were our audacious, creative, innovative ideas to the world in a way that partners and the public would pay attention to. From the start. We used Canva. We used Canva to show our stories.
- [15:22]
Jessica Yellen
We had so many dreams.
- [15:23]
Abby Wambach
We wanted to build the community on Glennon's blog, publish Glennon's first book, Carry On Warrior, raise money from folks for people in crisis. Through what became Together Rising. We realized very quickly the power and importance of presentation and images to tell a story.
- [15:45]
Jessica Yellen
And we had to figure out how.
- [15:47]
Abby Wambach
To do it because our dreams and help for folks who needed it depended on our power to show a story with images and presentation. Even with zero technical or design experience or expertise, Canva was so intuitive and easy to use that we could create compelling assets and beautiful presentations to be able to tell the stories we needed to tell in a way that connected with the people we needed to connect to and to tell our story clearly. And now, 15 years later, even when we actually do now have technical and design capabilities on our team, we're still using Canva to create images and Canva presentations with ease.
- [16:33]
Glennon Doyle
Never begin with a blank page. Choose from thousands of professionally designed templates.
- [16:39]
Jessica Yellen
That help add magic to your presentation.
- [16:41]
Abby Wambach
With their intuitive charts, animation and team collaboration tools that allow you to all edit all at the same time, all within one app. I think that's why Canva is used by 95% of the Fortune 500. Whether you work in a team of four like us or a team of 4,000, whether you're just starting out or whether you are 15 years in, Canva empowers workplaces everywhere to create captivating presentations, to save time, to be more productive, and to be clear in your messages together. Stories and messages matter, and so does the need to tell them effectively. You'll love the presentations you can easily design with Canva. Your audience will too. Love your work with Canva presentations@canva.com.
- [17:40]
Unknown
If there's anything I've learned so far this year, it's that small little habits make a huge difference. That's where Symbiotica comes in. They make choosing healthy habits easy, enjoyable, and something to actually look forward to. One of my favorite products is their magnesium L Threonate. I love adding it to my routine because it helps with focus and clarity, especially since I've been dealing with Brain Frog lately. With thousands of five star reviews, this product speaks for itself. This stuff does work. I use it. And here's the best part. Symbiotica supplements never contain seed oils, preservatives, toxins, artificial additives or natural flavors. It's all clean, effective goodness. Feel your best going into spring with Symbiotica Wellness made simple claim 20% off plus free shipping today@symbiotica.com that's C-Y M B I O T I K A.com Glennon for 20% off your order plus free shipping. If you've listened to we can do hard things for a While. You know how important acceptance is when it comes to personal growth. And you know who else is big on acceptance? Discover. You see, Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. That's a whole lot of places and a whole lot of acceptance. Which is great for Discover, but even better for you. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn more at discover.com credit card.
- [19:20]
Jessica Yellen
You know what felt like a wave of relief to me last night? Not only because Judge Crawford, God bless her, she fought so hard and I'm so thankful that she's gonna represent those folks. It was also like we've just been watching decisions be made by people who are unaccountable. I mean, Musk has been unaccountable. There's been no oversight of him, just making whatever decisions they wanna make with really, besides the court. No pushback, no consequences from Congress, no way for the people to have a voice in it. And then to have Elon come in and be like, I'm buying This election, this is me. I will make it so because this is the new reality. I do whatever I want. And then to see that actually the people have the power, the people have more power than him and can determine an outcome that is different than the one he dictates is a really. Was like, oh, wait, yes, that's still the case in America.
- [20:22]
Amanda Doyle
That's America.
- [20:23]
Jessica Yellen
Yeah. It was really, really a nice reminder.
- [20:28]
Amanda Doyle
And I thought that Justice Crawford, I'm calling her that. Her acceptance speech was so beautiful. And she said to Wisconsin voters, you've shown America how it's done. You fended off an attack on democracy. She said, justice cannot be bought. And it was such a lovely message. And then just a visual contrast to what else is happening in Washington. She was on stage surrounded by women exclusively.
- [20:55]
Jessica Yellen
Not just surrounded, only women standing behind her.
- [20:58]
Amanda Doyle
And frankly, let's just women in their 50s, adult women in some cases a lot. And she went around and said, I want to thank them by name of each of them, justices who were elected. And it just is such a stark contrast and reminder that there is this other version of America.
- [21:14]
Glennon Doyle
Yes.
- [21:15]
Amanda Doyle
That is alive and, you know, rising.
- [21:19]
Jessica Yellen
Amazing. And so when you're like, maybe the Republicans will rethink whether this is in fact the politically best approach for them to just never say boo to Trump's policies. Tell us what happened in the House on Tuesday where there were a few Republicans breaking with Dems.
- [21:44]
Amanda Doyle
So this was fascinating and didn't get enough coverage in my estimation. There's a woman in Congress, Representative Anna Paulina luna. She is 35 years old. She had a baby two years ago. She is a very conservative Republican. She was a member of the Freedom Caucus until she quit abruptly over the situation I'm going to tell you about. So Luna decided that she felt that as a mother of a young child, Congress should be more accommodating of young parents. They want a generational change. You want young voices in there. And she teamed up with some Democrats to push for a measure that will allow members, elected members of Congress who are new parents, men and women, whoever is having a baby, to take time away from being in Washington and to vote by proxy around the time their kids are born. So what that means is for the 12 weeks around your child's birth, you can be in your home district. Because if you live in Arizona or California, flying back and forth for votes is a huge burden. And you don't want to expose your brand new infant to, like all the germs of a plane at week one so that you could stay home and vote by proxy. Meaning if you're in Washington and I'm home, I'd call you and say, cast my vote no on this and you do it for me.
- [23:02]
Glennon Doyle
Right.
- [23:03]
Amanda Doyle
So that was allowed during the pandemic. During COVID voting by proxy was standard. So it can be done. They figured it out and they said, we want this implemented, and they have the votes. And Republican leadership, led by Speaker Johnson, said, no way. Bright line. This is so offensive and so wrong. We will go to the mat on this. No. And she's like, let's just give it to a vote of the Congress.
- [23:32]
Jessica Yellen
If this is all about protecting the sanctity of the vote, shall we put this to a vote?
- [23:36]
Amanda Doyle
To a vote? And Representative Luna wanted this to come to a vote, as you're saying, and he said, absolutely not. So what happened? Speaker Johnson used these elaborate procedural moves to try to prevent Congress from voting on allowing parents to vote by proxy. And this was a shenanigan that happens in Congress all the time. Usually when the speaker flexes their muscle in this way, they just get away with it and railroad the other side. And the vote never happens. But instead, nine Republicans broke with Speaker Johnson and broke with leadership, voted with all Democrats to say, we demand a vote on this issue. We want a vote on having parents have the right to vote by proxy. And because of the weird procedures of Congress, because the Republicans broke in, this issue failed. There's no vote on the House all week. The House action is frozen. So there's no votes on any of the bills that Speaker Johnson wanted to pass this week, which includes a measure that would have blocked federal judges from putting injunctions on Trump's policies. And even the SAVE act, which is that separate bill that will make it harder for everyone to vote, but especially married women, that's not getting a vote this week. Everything's frozen on the House floor until Monday because Speaker Johnson was so opposed to allowing parents to have this proxy vote. One more thing. I'll tell you why. Speaker Johnson said it's unconstitutional to allow them a proxy vote, even though it happened during the pandemic. And other members of the Republican leadership said, if we allow parents to vote by proxy, who's to stop cancer patients from voting by proxy from their hospital bed. Real thing, he said. He also said, and what's to stop other members from voting from their boat? The measure clearly says it's only for parents of newborns for the 12 weeks around birth.
- [25:39]
Jessica Yellen
What do you take from this? Clearly, those nine Republicans who broke that is a Thing. Yeah, that's a very big thing.
- [25:47]
Amanda Doyle
We're seeing for the first time a little bit of Republican resistance to their own leadership. So you saw these members saying, this is so unreasonable. We're willing to flex our muscles and say, no, it's a gender issue again. Right. This impacts women more than men. It applies to male members as well. But let's be real y. And if you're a young woman in Congress of childbearing age, you got to wonder, why does my leadership so hostile to me being able to be a mom and do my job?
- [26:20]
Jessica Yellen
It's almost as if this is the point.
- [26:23]
Amanda Doyle
It's literal patriarchy, like, exercised on the floor of the House. It's just there's no way to read it except overt hostility to women of childbearing age holding a job in Congress. Right. And it's also a generational thing. House has more young members than the Senate. So it's no surprise that you're seeing this fight take place in the House rather than the Senate. But these are just old dudes who don't get it. Enforcing their will in a way that reflects some stuff we're going to talk about later. Just an absolute lack of understanding of what people need in their lives to.
- [26:57]
Jessica Yellen
Function or a very, very clear and accurate understanding of what people in their lives need to function and therefore removing what you need to function so that you cannot function in that role.
- [27:10]
Amanda Doyle
Right. So you're seeing the unified Republican front start to fracture, I'd add. You know, last week we saw it with Signal Gate where a number of members were like, this is unreasonable. We're going to hold a line on this. Not much has come of that, but they did push for this investigation in the Pentagon. So we're starting to see these fracture lines. More and more of them start to show up and grow. We'll see how much the Elon Musk failures will actually accelerate that.
- [27:41]
Jessica Yellen
Can you talk a little bit? Because when you're saying the fracture lines, I thought it was interesting this week that you even saw in connection with some of the horrors of the forced removals that the administration is doing, that you had some folks who had enthusiastically endorsed Trump in the influencer space really come down in a anti the tactics that are being done here. So Joe Rogan came and said, this is horrific what's happening, and they are making mistakes and it's horrible. And even Ann Coulter was like, wait, I'm all for deportations, but how is this not a very clear violation of the First Amendment? You know, it was Interesting. So tell us what we learned about the deportations this week. And obviously, they're not deportations because that's a legal process that was not followed. So they're forced removals. They are not deportations.
- [28:41]
Amanda Doyle
Yeah. So Donald Trump's immigration policy is turning out to be a big political loser for him. In addition to being morally offensive, horrific violation of American basic rule of law and civil rights, human rights, it's a loser. So much so that Donald Trump himself is backing away from it a little bit. So what happened? So this week, the administration went to court and said in court, these are the judges, these are lawyers for Trump who are defending Trump's deportation policies. Admitted in court that because of a, quote, administrative error, their words, a man with no criminal record was forcibly removed off the streets of America and put into that torture prison in El Salvador. And they told the judge that they either have no ability or no desire to help get him out. We can talk about all of that and who this man is and the horror of this. It's one of the most chilling stories I've ever read about or had to report in America. But what's interesting is since this news has come out, not only, you see, Ann Coulter has spoken out, Joe Rogan has spoken out, and he was taken under the assumption that the Alien Enemies act is in play. Donald Trump said, oh, I didn't sign that. That was, that was Marco Rubio who signed that, which is ridiculous. There was an executive order that Trump used his big Sharpie pen and signed and held up. He's like, he signed the Alien Enemies act and now he's a little bit distancing himself from it. The numbers on this actual thing are really negative because Americans understand that what happened here and it's happening to students in a different way. But in this case, the Atlantic reported that this man came here in 2011 fleeing gang violence in El Salvador. He has no criminal record. He has a disabled child who's non verbal. He was picking up his disabled child from childcare when he was surrounded by ICE agents. He had to call his wife to.
- [30:51]
Jessica Yellen
Come take his child, who is an American citizen. The wife and child are American citizens?
- [30:56]
Amanda Doyle
Yes, child and wife are Americans. And this man had a protected status in America. He had previously, years prior, gone before a immigration judge who said, you are protected from deportation because of the risk of gang violence if you are sent.
- [31:12]
Jessica Yellen
Home, specifically also to El Salvador. Even if you are deported, you may not be deported to El Salvador.
- [31:18]
Amanda Doyle
Despite all that, these ICE agents surround him and he has now been taken to that torture prison in El Salvador. And I call it that because it's well documented that prisoners routinely die there from excessive violence, outright torture, and what's been called, quote, unhealthy conditions. And so he is in this hellhole with no access to lawyers, no hope for escape, and no criminal record. And he's one of five men that I know of whose lawyers have presented very documented evidence that their clients have no criminal record and are in a similar situation. And in his case, uniquely, the Trump administration acknowledges that he was wrongly taken because of a, quote, administrative error, and they have no desire or interest in getting him out.
- [32:05]
Jessica Yellen
So what's really significant here is many things, one of which is that we know of at least five, because those are the people who retained lawyers who are able to speak on their behalf. Like God knows how many of these people, if their people had the resources, would be able to document this kind of situation. Also, the only reason that they're admitting it in this case is, is because of this wild fluke of a situation where they actually had a judicial order that said this man specifically may not be deported to El Salvador. So since that is on record and they removed him to El Salvador, they have to admit it. But that doesn't mean that the other cases there were not egregious errors. It just means this rare one has that. And the other thing that is so shocking is that I feel like when everyone has been talking about the Elon stuff and the government just kind of going in with a sledgehammer instead of a scalpel and making these very, very costly, consequential decisions, that there will be a way to remediate any injustices. There will be a way. Surely the courts will come back and say you couldn't do that. Surely there will be consequences that restore people their rights. And in the court document, the Trump administration said, we don't have jurisdiction. We actually, even if we wanted to, can't get this guy back because they gave him to El Salvador. So they are washing their hands of it and saying, oops, our bad, it was an error. But people's lives and families are not errors, right?
- [33:54]
Amanda Doyle
I mean, in essence, they're condemning this man to death. He was taken off the streets of America, disappeared into a hole, and they're essentially condemning him to either a life that's unthinkable or actual death. And his lawyer has argued that the US should be required to withhold payment to El Salvador because the US is paying the prison about $6 million a year to hold These people, that they should withhold payment to get him back. Obviously, the government can get him back if they choose to.
- [34:24]
Jessica Yellen
They're claiming that they don't have jurisdiction. Right.
- [34:26]
Amanda Doyle
And I just want to underscore that he and these other men, in fact all the men who are there, were deprived the most basic foundation of our legal system, which is due process, that nobody is sent to their death or to prison or to torture or out of the country without being able to be told what the charges are against them. Mount a defense in court with legal representation. Our whole legal system is based on that. If we don't have that, we're living in an authoritarian state where anybody can be thrown into jail for any reason. And they have just shown that they're willing to do that. This is happening at the same time that they're saying this judge has no right to even weigh in on this, that our judicial system doesn't matter. And this is about as chilling a sign that they want to lean into authoritarian control as there could be and that people without any charges, basically, if they can do it to him, what else are they willing to do? Yes, it's a test.
- [35:28]
Jessica Yellen
And the other thing about this is that now that they're admitting that when they say that they have identified these people as part of a gang, that one of their main indicia to do that, to identify these people as gang related, is their tattoos. So the people, if they have crown tattoos, they are assuming that they are affiliated with this gang and deporting them. And there are also lawyers coming forth that are like, my client's favorite soccer team is Real Madrid, and that crown is for Real Madrid. It's just the flimsiest of support for these claims that would never would be laughed out of court if you said, well, he. He's part of a gang because did you see his tattoo? His crown tattoo? It's wild. It's wild and really scary.
- [36:15]
Amanda Doyle
Yes.
- [36:25]
Unknown
Easter is right around the corner, and it is one of my favorite holidays. We always have a big family brunch with my parents and some of the kids at our house. And with such a big. There's a lot of prep that goes into it, mostly by Abby. But Macy's helps Abby prepare for Easter because they've got everything we need for hosting, decorating, and, of course, shopping for the perfect Easter outfit. Abby, tell the pod squad what you're most excited to buy for this Easter.
- [36:54]
The Le Creuset mini coquette. It's a dish like a Dutch oven.
- [36:57]
Oh, it's those fancy dishes.
- [36:59]
Jessica Yellen
That's the best.
- [37:00]
Unknown
Let's talk about those Easter outfits. Loving the tweeds and florals for spring. Macy's has so many adorable options. I did see this flowy one state dress and maybe some kitten heels from Kate Spade. And don't forget accessories. Macy's has the best selection of sandals, handbags, fashion jewelry and watches. Plus they've got everything you need for your Easter table like dining, decor, food prep essentials and cute toys for the kids. Shop in store or online@macy's.com now cause Easter prep starts here.
- [37:30]
Finding a great mentor who can really help me level up isn't easy, but my dream mentor Amy Poehler. So when I heard she had a class on Masterclass, I got so excited. Even though I don't really think I'm ever gonna become an actor. Masterclass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200 world renowned experts. For just $10 a month build annually, membership gives you unlimited access to every instructor whether you're watching on your phone, computer, smartphone, or even listening in audio mode. One class that has totally changed the game for me was James Clear's session on Building New Habits. I've always struggled with consistency, but his practical, easy to apply strategies helped me finally establish a daily routine that actually sticks. I've been using it every day and it's been a game changer. Right now our listeners get an additional 15% off any annual membership@masterclass.com hardthings that's 15% off at masterclass.com/hard things masterclass.com hard things hello everyone.
- [38:33]
Glennon Doyle
I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Whole Foods Market. If you know me, you know I'm all about fresh, high quality ingredients and Whole Foods is my go to. Whether it's organic produce, top notch meals, or healthy snacks to keep me energized throughout the day, they've got it all. Honestly, every time I walk in, I feel like I'm treating myself to the best. Right now, I'm especially loving their Spring Forward options. The fresh halibut is a must try and the seasonal veggies like asparagus and artichokes are so vibrant and delicious. For anyone who's looking for a quick, healthy meal, their salad kits are a total lifesaver. Throw them together in minutes and you're good to go. Everything just feels so light and fresh, perfect for this time of year. Plus, if you've got a gathering coming up, their catering is an absolute game changer. Imagine cheese and veggie platters shrimp platters, and even bagel and lox plates. Everything you need to impress your guests with zero stress. Make Whole Foods Market your destination for all spring gatherings.
- [39:38]
Jessica Yellen
Speaking of wild and really scary things, that we should just make sure that folks know this week that as of Tuesday, the administration has halted all of Title 10 funds. And this is important. And I would refer you all to Jessica Valenti's Abortion Every day coverage of this. Follow her first. She follows everything abortion. It's very, very important. But her whole idea is that you do not even need a law that says abortion is illegal if you make abortion inaccessible. And this is part of the Project 2025 plan to eliminate Title 10 funding. So Title 10 is the only federal family planning program. So it's not just reproductive care. It is birth control. It is sexually transmitted infection testing, it's cancer screenings. It is for 6 out of 10 women who go to a publicly funded clinic that is their source of medical care. And overnight, starting on Tuesday, California, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee and Utah will now receive zero funding of title $10. And Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia are also impacted by these cuts. I think we should talk more about that another day when we focus more on these things. But this is the way towards the ultimate goal of like, keep your eyes on the prize, follow the money. Because if you make accessing a right impossible, you don't even have to make it illegal. And this is part of what is happening there.
- [41:32]
Amanda Doyle
It's just one of the ways they're going at our basic health care. I mean, that's, I'd say that's of a piece with what we're seeing more broadly with the tax on women and women's health care. But not just, you know, it's also this motion we saw on the floor of the house where they don't want moms to be able to be moms and work. There is this undeniable hostility to women's freedom right now.
- [41:57]
Jessica Yellen
And by the way, this isn't to save money. These Title 10 funds are going towards fertility awareness and holistic family planning, healthy marriage education, and to fight what they're calling religious discrimination, which means that they are going to now be giving the money to those so called crisis pregnancy centers, which are the ones who have the big billboards to lure women in and say crisis pregnancy centers. And then they tell them that abortion is a sin and they do not give them the information or the access for it. And these are run by churches, these organizations Chilling. What else on the health front are you seeing?
- [42:46]
Amanda Doyle
So you know, I go back and forth with, you know, this is the biggest story that I've seen since Trump's in office. But. And then every, every day a new one is. But what just happened to HHS this week I think is one of the most momentous and devastating things that's happened since he's taken office. And it's so hard to fully wrap your mind around it. It's not getting the attention it deserves. RFK, the Secretary of Health and Human Services announced 10,000 jobs are eliminated at HHS. And the people he's removed from office, the jobs he's axed have eliminated entire divisions, projects, areas of health coverage that are essential to our well being are gone. And the former head of the cdc, the former head of the FDA has spoken out in ways saying they can't personally convey how momentous and far reaching this is. I asked my audience because I was struggling for like how do I help people understand what's gone on here? And I asked for specific examples of things that are going away. They've cut out entire sections of the Centers for Disease Control and the FDA and some people have written in to say so. The division on asthma, on lead poisoning, on radiation damage that measured the health effects of extreme heat on are gone. HIV and injury prevention, infectious disease surveillance have been gutted. Infectious disease surveillance surveillance cuts to programs affecting protecting workers health like the Firefighter National Cancer Registry that monitors whether firefighters are getting cancer at higher rates from the toxins they're exposed to. The FDA had major cuts. FDA studies not just are new medicines but they also are the ones who decide if this medical device like the thing the dentist is putting in your mouth, the tube the surgeon is using to scope you out. Right. All these things, are they designed to keep you safe? Will they puncture you? The entire staff of parts of these divisions are just gone. It's hard to understand a large percentage of egg inspectors right now. Egg inspectors, the team that monitors outbreaks after natural disasters is gone. I could just keep reading to you. Loss of liheap. It's the division that has, I think it's $6 billion that is spent to subsidize payments for low income people to have heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.
- [45:29]
Jessica Yellen
The clinical trial division, the, the folks who are in charge of if you're under a clinical trial that it's actually safe for you to be part of that.
- [45:38]
Amanda Doyle
Yes, that entire thing that's measures whether if you're a Human volunteering to be in a clinical trial. Will this trial kill you or permanently damage you or is it safe for you that monitoring is gone. National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health. Like, is your workplace going to kill you? Massive cuts there. There's also entire sections that impact infant safety.
- [46:03]
Jessica Yellen
Oh yeah, all the sids, the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, that's gone. So let us be clear to connect the dots here is that we are cutting the funding for any kind of reproductive care because it's so important that you have your babies. And also we are cutting all of the infant SID care.
- [46:25]
Amanda Doyle
Yep.
- [46:26]
Jessica Yellen
Because that's not important after you have your baby.
- [46:29]
Amanda Doyle
So the entire Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV AIDS Policy was laid off. I just want to help people understand. Yes, there's already medicine for some things, but diseases evolve and change. Right. They morph, viruses change. We have to have people who are monitoring how the virus has changed so we can adjust some medications. We want to see if there's new interactions with medications that are just coming on the market. These things are live agile, moving parts pieces. And our health establishment from the government is monitoring all that to make sure we are aware of what's changing and that we have best current practices and then gets that out to all doctors and health officials. That background activity, like it's your background refresh. You know how your app on your phone is constantly needing a download. These are the people who are finding out where the downloads are needed and getting it out. And it's sort of not there anymore. Yeah, I'm struggling. You can see I'm struggling for the language because it's so hard to conceive of. Somebody put it to me like, imagine you walked into a hospital and just Willy Nilly said, 24 of you are fired. And then one of you goes in for tests and those people are still working, but another of you comes in with a wound that's gushing and those people aren't working. So, oh, well, it's really scary and.
- [47:51]
Jessica Yellen
I think it's an important thing for people to be aware of because I think that we have started to see these cuts as, wow, that's really, really sad and awful for those 10,000 workers who have devoted their lives to a very important work. And I feel bad for those 10,000 people. And that is true. And also we need to connect what those 10,000 people do to our lives every day and how we are less safe. And our parents, I mean, they eliminated the Parkinson's things. It's like there will not be improvements to ourselves and People that we love, because those people aren't working. It isn't just the loss of jobs. It's the loss of services, the loss of research, the loss of protection from corporate overreach that we're losing.
- [48:43]
Amanda Doyle
Right. So what's the effect of all this? Part is the impact on you, the human at home that needs health coverage and health care. Right. The other is just the total elimination of regulations or regulatory apparatus that could slow down business. Right. So it means that some of these businesses can run wild in what they try to sell us if they're irresponsible. Now, a lot of these companies don't want that because if you're a big pharma, you have to sell your meds globally. Other countries do have standards, so you can't go messing around. You want an apparatus that's predictable and actually does the adequate testing. RFK is a person who just hates the medical establishment, and they're basically saying it's a failed system. And so we are just acting on the failure that's already there. There's not a visible or demonstrated plan to replace any of this. And so Congress has now called for RFK to testify. People in Congress are trying to figure out how to, you know, flex their muscles to force some of this to go on pause. There'll be court action, but as of today, the courts have said that these reductions in force are legal. So I'm not quite sure, you know, who's going to stop this if there's not a public outcry and public demand on members of Congress that they do something.
- [50:08]
Jessica Yellen
So that's something that we should do if we care about this. I mean, to your point about the corporate stuff, I don't think it is a coincidence that the division that's in charge of making sure that people aren't marketing cigarettes to kids is also removed. I mean, there are connections here that's like, I wonder why we wouldn't care about that. What do we do?
- [50:32]
Amanda Doyle
I mean, this is a good one where you call your member of Congress and say, this is, you know, unreasonable. You need to do something. And I also think this is a Democrat, Republican issue. You know, if you have Republican friends who are sort of feeling nervous, this is a good issue to say, hey, y'all, we need to pay attention to this. This affects all of us. And frankly, if you're a person who is sympathetic to RFK's message and concerned about the safety of our food supply and what's in our medications, all that you're worried about toxins These actions will without doubt, make us less safe, more exposed to toxins we're not aware of, and give, you know, irresponsible marketers and companies the opportunity to pollute our foods and air and water and medication with substances that we don't want in our bodies.
- [51:28]
Jessica Yellen
So we call our members of Congress this week and tell them that this is not okay and keep your paws off of our health and bodies and restore these vital services. And then Also this Saturday, April 5, a progressive coalition organizing under the name Hands Off. So that's funny that I just said paws off our health and bodies. Hands off is having rallies in more than a thousand events across the country. It's a national day of action, a place you might want to consider looking into if you want to get involved in this. Day of action is handsoff2025.com and there are ways that you can find out about local actions near you. And this is the kind of, I feel like, moment where, you know, circle back to the top, where we're talking about remembering that the people are the ones with the power, notwithstanding all evidence to the contrary for the past couple months that what the people do really, really matters. And so if you want to get involved on Saturday, HandsOff2025.com has all those details. And speaking of what matters, should we end with Senator Cory Booker?
- [52:49]
Amanda Doyle
Cory Booker, yes.
- [52:51]
Jessica Yellen
God love him and keep him.
- [52:53]
Amanda Doyle
He's made history. And he defeated a record set by segregationist Senator Strom thurmond in the 1950s by giving the longest speech on the floor of the Senate. He spoke for 25 hours without leaving the Senate floor. You're not allowed to eat. You're not allowed to go to the bathroom. And he spoke out against Trump and Musk's attack on the government, their attacks on our allies. There are violations of the rule of law. And he spoke so beautifully and compassionately, reading the stories of regular Americans who are writing in with their concerns about what's happening to their lives. And he did it to demonstrate what protest and resistance looks like. And, you know, some people have said to me, well, what's the point? What can it do? It's not going to change a lot. It's not going to roll back a policy. But it's important to remember that the voters did not give Democrats the power to change laws or the majority to set an agenda. But what Democrats do have is the bully pulpit, and they have the ability to use their position to stop action on the floor of the Senate, which he did, and to use their platform to raise awareness and speak. And one of the things I've been wondering for weeks is, why the fuck aren't they doing it? Forgive me. And Cory Booker showed how to do it. And one note on that is there's a remarkable turn in history here because the record that was set for the longest speech until now, as I said, was set by Senator Strom Thurman to block passage of the Civil Rights act because he stood against everything that Cory Booker now is a black man elected to office who can use his full voice and spirit and life experience to represent Americans who want justice and equality in America. And he spoke for that, and he changed history in a moment.
- [54:51]
Jessica Yellen
He ended his speech with a tribute to John Lewis when he was talking about how he was standing there in the spirit of making good trouble. And I think it's a good reminder to all of us to be using our voices as well, and that it matters, that it really matters. And what a beautiful, poetic turn of the record. Thank you, Senator Booker.
- [55:22]
Amanda Doyle
It was lovely. And you can find some of those clips if you want to look for them on social media. It's worth taking a minute to find them.
- [55:28]
Jessica Yellen
Okay, y'all, this is what I do during the week in between these conversations when I am having a panic attack and need to understand the context and what is actually happening versus what I fear is happening, which thankfully, sometimes is different. You go to substack and you look up Jessica Yellen or look up news, not noise. Either one will get you to her. Y E L L I N. Subscribe to her substack and you will get into your inbox newsletters that synthesize the news. You will get posts, you will get live conversations that she's having with all of the people who know all of the things. And you get so up to speed on what is actually happening. And this I recommend to you.
- [56:14]
Abby Wambach
Thank you strongly.
- [56:16]
Amanda Doyle
Thank you. This week, I'm interviewing an amazing professor who works in agriculture who's going to explain the impact of tariffs on our food supply and food prices and sort of what you can do.
- [56:28]
Jessica Yellen
Fantastic people. Thank you. Thank you.
- [56:31]
Glennon Doyle
Thank you.
- [56:31]
Jessica Yellen
You have done your duty. You know what you need to do. Thank you, Wisconsin. Thank you, Wisconsin. We love you. Thanks for the good fight. And we will meet back here next week.
- [56:44]
Glennon Doyle
We can do hard things.
- [56:47]
Jessica Yellen
Bye.
- [56:53]
Unknown
If this podcast means something to you, it would mean so much to us if you'd be willing to take 30 seconds to do these three things. First, can you please follow or subscribe to We Can Do Hard Things Following The POD helps you because you'll never miss an episode, and it helps us because you'll never miss an episode. To do this, just go to the We Can Do Hard Things show page on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Odyssey, or wherever you listen to podcasts and then just tap the plus sign in the upper right hand corner or click on Follow. This is the most important thing for the pod. While you're there, if you'd be willing to give us a five star rating and review and share an episode you loved with a friend, we would be so grateful. We appreciate you very much. We Can Do Hard Things is created and hosted by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle in partnership with Odyssey. Our Executive producer is Jenna Wise Berman and the show is produced by Lauren Legrasso, Allison Schott, and Bill Schultz.