Monday, August 24, 2026 Today, minority leader Hakeem Jeffries met in secret with Jared Kushner to discuss how a Democratic House could work with the Trump administration; the Postal Service has published its rule on refusing to send mail ballots to people not on a federal list; Trump’s claims about immigrants voting in Nevada turned out to be completely false; the Navy is weighing removing a Black Navy veteran’s name from a new ship and replacing it with Donald Trump; the DNC is suing the Justice Department for communications about ballot seizures during the midterms; the President will travel to South Carolina to campaign for Darline Nordone; trade talks with Canada have cratered and Mark Carney is fighting back; the Pentagon has fired the editor of Stars and Stripes; Republicans are criticizing the administration’s plan to import foreign beef; protected wild horses are heading to slaughter; a court has slashed Alex Jones’ $50M payout to two Sandy Hook families; plus Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
Monday, August 24, 2026
Today, minority leader Hakeem Jeffries met in secret with Jared Kushner to discuss how a Democratic House could work with the Trump administration; the Postal Service has published its rule on refusing to send mail ballots to people not on a federal list; Trump’s claims about immigrants voting in Nevada turned out to be completely false; the Navy is weighing removing a Black Navy veteran’s name from a new ship and replacing it with Donald Trump; the DNC is suing the Justice Department for communications about ballot seizures during the midterms; the President will travel to South Carolina to campaign for Darline Nordone; trade talks with Canada have cratered and Mark Carney is fighting back; the Pentagon has fired the editor of Stars and Stripes; Republicans are criticizing the administration’s plan to import foreign beef; protected wild horses are heading to slaughter; a court has slashed Alex Jones’ $50M payout to two Sandy Hook families; plus Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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Msw media. Hello, and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, August 24, 2026. Today, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met in secret with Jared Kushner discuss how Democratic House leaders could work with the Trump administration. The Postal Service has published its rule on refusing to send mail in ballots to people not on a federal list. Trump's claims about immigrants voting in Nevada turned out to be completely false. The Navy is weighing removing a black Navy veteran's name from a new ship and replacing it with Donald Trump. The DNC is suing the Justice Department for communications about ballot seizures during the upcoming midterm elections. The President will travel to South Carolina to campaign for Darlene Nordone, AKA Darlene Graham. Trade talks with Canada have cratered, and Mark Carney is fighting back. The Pentagon has fired the editor of Stars and Stripes. Republicans are criticizing the Trump administration's plan to import foreign beef. Protected wild horses are heading to slaughter. And a court has slashed Alex Jones's $50 million payout to two Sandy Hook families. I'm Alison Gill.
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Hey, my friend. Happy Monday to you.
Happy Monday. That was a lot. We have a lot to talk about. We are hitting the ground running this week.
Yeah, that's a record breaking amount of stories since Thursday night after we recorded our last week's, Daily Beans podcast. Tuesdays are generally a heavier news day. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Yeah, no kidding.
But, yeah, things are heating up in the midterm elections. We've got Trump announcing he's going to go to South Carolina and campaign for Darlene Nordone. To which I say, awesome, spend all your time there. Let's do it.
I agree.
The fact that they are having to send the president to campaign for the Republican in South Carolina, that tells you something. Tells you quite a bit. They're spending money on South Carolina. Wow, that's, a little bit mind blowing. Later in the show, I'm excited to talk to my friend, author Jim Ruland, about his piece on sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. He's a Navy veteran, prolific writer about the punk scene. Over the past couple of decades, I've done performances of our writing about assimilating back into civilian society after having been in the Navy. And, he's got a lot of really important things to talk about and discuss with regard to what's going on on the Lincoln and other ships at sea, and the fact that the Stars and Stripes editor has been fired, and centcom's being quiet about the fact that our Oman resupply base had been destroyed. And it's going to be a good conversation, so I'm looking forward to it, all your interviews. Thank you so much, my friend. All right, as you heard at the top, we have a ton of news to get to, so let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up from the Times, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat in New York and the Minority Leader in the House, met privately in recent weeks with Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law and top outside advisor, and discussed potential areas of common ground, according to five people with knowledge of the meeting. And don't forget, Trump has recently had his Office of Legal Counsel write up a memo saying that all communications with advisors, you know, related to Trump are now covered by executive privilege. But I don't know that that's necessarily going to be an issue with this meeting. But the rare engagement was held in private in New York City, and it was offered up by a mutual friend of the two men, according to two people familiar with knowledge of the meeting and a third who was briefed on it. They don't name who this third party is or whether or not the whole meeting was this third party's mutual friend's idea or if it was Kushner or Jeffries. We don't know too much about it because Jeffries hasn't talked about it. Now, they and others were granted anonymity to discuss this with the Times through aids. Neither man would comment on the meeting, which was described by one person with knowledge of it as a broad conversation on a range of topics. Still, its timing underscores that those around Trump are well aware of the likelihood of a Democratic led House, and they're maybe trying to foster as much of a working relationship as possible before any change. Mr. Jeffries is in line to be the speaker where Democrats to win the majority. Now, I personally don't think Hakeem Jeffries should have met with Jared Kushner.
I agree.
I don't understand why you would break bread with these folks. He doesn't even work for the administration. Can't get a security clearance.
No.
so I don't, I don't quite understand the point of this. Some folks have brought up the idea, Dana, that perhaps this was a right wing maneuver to get Jeffries in trouble ahead of the midterms. But his seat is safe. And, why would you fall for that if you were Jeffries? So we're waiting for more information about this meeting to come out, but I don't think he should have met with him. Unless he was handing him a subpoena.
No, I agree with you. So we'll keep you posted when we find out. You'll find out, I promise you all. This one's also from the Times. A month after the Trump administration declared without evidence that thousands of non citizens had illegally registered to vote in Nevada, officials with Department of Homeland Security were unable to substantiate those claims. The administration claimed to have identified 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in four states, including an exact number, an exact number of 15,903 in Nevada. But during a meeting last week with the state election administrators, Homeland Security officials said that they had identified about 185 potential noncitizens in the entire state so far. That's according to emails as well as recordings of the meeting obtained by the New York Times. And let me reiterate, just because you have someone on a voting roll does not mean they vote.
Right?
Okay, let's just be clear there. The federal officials said, and that unfortunately includes U.S. citizens because we need to be fucking better at it. The federal officials said that they were still considering 14,000 names for further review. According to one of the emails in the virtual meeting, federal officials told Nevada that the nearly 16,000 that they had originally identified represented the ceiling of potential non citizens. It could be as high as that. We've only found 185 of them. It could be as high as 16,000.
Oh, 185 potential correct. Non citizens, yeah.
That list, by the way, the Homeland Security Department shared with Nevada is incomplete. It doesn't even include names and is nearly impossible to verify. Again, it doesn't even include names. According to files released by the Secretary of State's office, Nevada officials have requested more information, but the department has not yet offered it. Nevada's like, we'd love to have more specifics and receipts. And they're like, maybe, my God.
Yeah. And you bring up such a good point. Just because there's 185 possible non citizens that registered to vote doesn't mean that they actually voted. All right, Next up from CNN, the U.S. navy is working to rename an aircraft carrier under construction that was set to honor a black sailor hailed for his heroic actions during attack on Pearl Harbor. According to three sources familiar that spoke to CNN during Trump's first term, the Navy announced that the Ford class carrier would be called the USS Doris Miller, recognizing an enlisted SA who helped defend US Forces from Japan's attack. Now, it's unclear why the Navy is seeking to change the name of the carrier to though two of the sources have said there have been internal conversations about renaming it to honor Donald Trump. It would be an unprecedented move to name an aircraft carrier after a sitting living president. The Navy is also looking instead to rename another warship after Miller, according to one of the sources, and is recommending him for the Medal of Honor, the highest decoration for military valor. The final authorization for the award is up to Congress, although Trump likes to skip that step.
And up to approval from Donald Trump.
All right, we'll keep you posted. This one's from NBC. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday morning called steep new US Tariffs on a wide swath of his country's goods a miscalculation after trade talks with Canada collapsed late Friday night. The 50% duties went into effect at the stroke of midnight. Carney blamed the breakdown of talks on what he said were the Trump administration's uneconomic and unfair demands. Really? That's surprising. And I quote, in recent days, the United States proposed new terms that were uneconomic, unfair and undermined the net benefits for Canada and called into question the reliability of any deal. In short, they asked too much and they offer too little. That's what Carney told reporters at a press conference. After weeks of talks, Carney on Friday announced that while important progress had been made, quote, that progress has not been enough to meet our objectives for Canadians. As a result, this evening, I have decided to suspend trade negotiations with the US and have directed Canada's negotiators to return to Ottawa. That's what Carney said in an emailed statement minutes before the deadline. The tariffs affect about $20 billion worth of U.S. imports from Canada, according to U.S. trade Representative's office. The import tax, it's going to hit everything from hockey sticks to some building materials, liquors and certain kinds of clothing. Carney said in Friday's statement that Canada will immediately retaliate against US Matching and I quote, those tariffs dollar for dollar to protect our workers and business.
Yeah, some of the demands was that Trump was saying Canada couldn't make deals with anyone else. Like just absolutely ridiculous poison pills. Yeah, it's totally insane. So hats off to Mark Carney and we apologize. Next up from the Times, the Defense Department on Friday fired the publisher and editor in chief of Stars and Stripes. That's a government funded news outlet that reports on the US Military. And that's according to a senior Pentagon official and the dismissed journalists themselves. The firings raise questions about the Pentagon's willingness to ensure the editorial integrity of the publication that has reported extensively on difficulties faced by military communities as the war in Iran has dragged on. The terminations came about 10 days after stars and Stripes journalists reported on hardships that Navy sailors were facing on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Nazi aircraft carrier whose deployment was extended to nine months amid the war. On Friday, the Pentagon sent termination notices to Eric Slavin, that's the editor in chief, and Max Lederer, the publisher, who had announced his retirement earlier this week, citing conflict with the Pentagon's leadership on the paper's direction. Lara Court, a Middle east correspondent at the news outlet, was also fired on Friday, according to the official, and a post she made on social media. The Defense Department declined to comment. Captain William Urban, the military deputy to the publisher, who was brought to the role earlier this month, said in a letter published Friday that his priority was to ensure, quote, the highest quality of editorially independent reporting at Stars and Stripes. Captain Urban had previously served as a senior spokesman for the Defense Department in various roles, quote, according to the notice, I'm being fired for stating in a CBS interview that censorship of news for service members would constitute a red line. That's what Mr. Slavin said in a statement and went on to say, I stand by the principle that Stars and Stripes must remain editorially independent as required by law and by the department's own policies.
Good for him. I really do hate so many people right now. I hate that.
That.
That. That I'm feeling that emotion toward other human beings, like, more so than ever in my life. I'm not a hateful person. I really do despise these people.
Yeah. And to do this at a time when we need more transparency in military reporting, especially given the war and what's going on on some of these ships.
Absolutely. All right, everyone. House and Senate Republicans on Friday criticized President Donald Trump's decision to suspend tariffs on ground beef imports, with lawmakers from agricultural states decrying the impact Trump's decision will have on farmers. Nebraska's GOP senators. That's Deb Fisher, and Pete Ricketts said in separate posts on Twitter that Trump's decision was unwise. And this is a quote, I'm extremely disappointed by this decision from the White House. That's what Fisher wrote and went on to say. We all want lower grocery prices, but as I've said for months, we can't do it at the expense of American producers. Flooding the market with foreign beef hurts our livestock industry. Ricketts wrote something very similar. I appreciate the administration's Work to lower grocery prices. Short term policy shifts do not equal long term solutions. Flooding the market with lower quality beef compromises Nebraska farmers and ranchers. The president announced Friday on true social that the United States is going to allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff. We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25% below current market prices. Who made that commitment, by the way? I would love to know who made that commitment.
Mm. Yeah. And where's it coming from?
Mm hm.
I know where it might be coming from. This is from the times.
Ugh. Yep.
They once had run free through the desert mountains of the west, a multicolored band of 68 wild mustangs that had never been saddled or corralled. Then the federal government rounded them up with helicopters, as it has with tens of thousands of other mustangs in an attempt to control wild populations on public lands. The horses were held for years in a feedlot in Idaho while the government tried to find them what it called loving homes. But abruptly this March, the government found a home. Whether it was loving didn't seem to matter. The horses were packed into echoing metal trailers and trucked 1800 miles east to the pens of a hard luck livestock trader in Ohio named Brandon Jones, who bought them for $25 each. A day later, two double decker cattle trucks pulled up at midnight, loaded the mustangs and quickly drove off into the night. From there, the mustangs disappeared. They never appeared at a public auction. The trader won't say who he sold them to or where they went. Wild horse advocates suspect the horses were shipped to slaughter, but that's not the government's concern. It got what it wanted. Two more trucks of wild horses off its books. And it wasn't the first time or the last. In the past year, the government shipped the trader on one truckload of mustangs after another. And not just this one guy. An examination of government records by the Times found that all over the country, the bureau of land management, which is the agency in charge of protecting wild horses, is quietly selling thousands of them to buyers like the one in Ohio. Slaughtering wild horses is illegal, but the bureau's actions create a loophole that enables people to get mustangs on the cheap and then quickly resell them to be exported alive, processed into cuts of meat and sold abroad. Livestock inspection records show mustangs sold by the government soon ended up on trucks bound for slaughter plants in Canada. This is illegal. I know. It doesn't matter. The law doesn't matter. But no.
All right. This next story is from the Associated Press. A Texas court on Friday has slashed a $50 million judgment that conspiracy theorist and bonafide asshole Alex Jones was ordered to pay families of the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school massacre over his false claims that it was one of the deadliest mass shootings in US History was a hoax. The Infowars founder and again, piece of shit can only be forced to pay about $6 million. This is what the Texas Third Court of Appeals ruled in a unanimous opinion, citing state laws that limit lawsuit damages. The ruling, by the way, it does not affect a separate $1.25 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, where he was also found liable of defaming and causing emotional distress to relatives of the 20 first graders and six educators that were killed in the Newtown shooting.
Man, that sucks. All right, next up from Ms. Now the Postal Service has issued a final order to restrict mail in voting, carrying out Trump's executive order about two months ahead of the midterm elections in in its rule, the agency said it would deliver mail ballots only in states that provide voter information to the Trump administration. But the USPS order issued late Friday night acknowledged that there are injunctions issued by courts in California and Massachusetts and they have to be lifted in order for the new rules to be implemented. The Supreme Court could rule on the matter at any moment, quote, if the government obtains timely relief from the injunctions. Implementation immediately thereafter will provide election officials as much time as possible before the next election to comply with the rule's preparation standards for federal ballot mail envelopes. That's what the rule says. The Postal Service order says states must prepare to submit data to a federal portal before they can receive mail in and absentee ballots. Now, Trump has long sought to restrict mail in voting despite frequently casting his own ballot by mail. In March, he signed an executive order requiring states to provide the federal government with lists of voters receiving ballots by mail. The Postal Service would only send mail ballots and absentee ballots to voters on that list, essentially giving the agency sweeping power to screen ballots for eligibility. While Trump's executive order was blocked by two federal courts, his administration has asked the Supreme Court to move quickly to clear the way for the new restriction in time for the midterm elections. But on Sunday, Judge Indira Talwani ordered the government to respond by Tuesday at 8am to an emergency motion challenging the mail in ballot regulations. She contends that the USPS created an emergency by posting the final rule after the courts closed. On Friday, the judge said she would Extend the deadline to Thursday if the government consents to a restraining order in the meantime. So at least one of the judges is pretty upset about what happened. Yeah, about publishing this rule.
Good. all right, thank you so much, Alison. And this one is from Democracy Docket, the Democratic National Committee. The DNC had sued the Department of Justice Thursday, seeking records about any plans to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election materials before the 2026 midterms are certified. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. district Court of the District of Columbia accuses the Department of Justice of violating the Freedom of Information act by failing to turn over records the DNC requested in February. Those requests, they sought information about any planned, anticipated, or potential inspection or seizure of election materials beginning 30 days before a federal election and continuing through certification. Nearly five months later, the DNC says that it has received no responsive records. The FBI initially closed one request as too vague. The DNC appealed, but says the agency never issued a substantive response. A parallel request sent to DOJ's criminal division was routed to other components, including the Civil Rights Division. But the DNC says those offices also have not produced records, and I quote, seizure of cast ballots or other voting system components before certification would threaten the security, the transparency, and ultimate validity of an election. This is what the DNC wrote. Seizure of lawfully cast ballots prior to certification would violate voters First Amendment rights.
Ah, yeah, we'll keep an eye on this. I know if you follow Democracy Docket or Mark Elias, you can keep an eye on this lawsuit as well. I mean, he's got, like, a thousand lawsuits up in the air right now.
I know.
but this Postal Service thing, you know, 23 judges have ruled that states don't have to hand over their voter rolls to the federal government. And the number of cases the DOJ has won in the. In those particular lawsuits, zero. It is 23 to zero in favor of the Democrats. And so for them to try to put this rule out for the USPS and then to ignore FOIA requests for communications about potentially seizing ballots once the ballots start coming in, I think it speaks volumes to what Trump is trying to do. And as we know, he's not ruled out, you know, using emergency powers of some kind of. To interfere in the elections as well. All right, everybody, we're going to talk to Jim Ruland, author. He's got a book that, will be coming out in October that's really, really just incredible. I know you're going to love the writing that you get to read from Jim Ruland. And in the meantime, while we're waiting for his new book to come out, he's got a bunch of other books and you can also check them out on Substack. But that new book is called Mightier than the Sword. And, I think you'll really enjoy it. So we're going to talk to him after this break. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. We want to thank Delete Me for sponsoring today's episode because this is one of those services that solves a problem I take very seriously. I have an active online presence, I run a business, and I want as little private information as possible sitting out there for strangers to buy, search or use against me. So if you've ever Googled yourself, you'll find your home address, phone number, the name of family members, their email addresses. You know how unsettling that is. And in the age of AI, that information becomes even more useful to scammers who can build more targeted and convincing attacks. 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You'll get 20% off your order@laundry sauce.com with the promo code dailybeans. Now the one thing I did not expect from Laundry Sauce was how much the fragrance would become part of getting dressed. When your clothes smell genuinely good, you notice it. It gives me that fresh, pulled together feeling before I've done anything else. And that feeling follows me through the entire day. It's like a little confidence boost. The pods are pre measured so I don't have to stand over the washer pouring detergent and pretending that little line inside the cap is easy to read. One pod is all you need. And once I started using their laundry pods, I also looked into their fabric conditioners, scent boosters, dryer sheets and fabric fresher spray. I use all the products now, which means it's easy to use the scents that I love the most and I don't have it mixed with anything else. The laundry sauce also comes with a full money back guarantee, so there's no risk here. If you don't love your better smelling and cleaner laundry, you get a full refund with no questions asked. So for a limited time, our listeners get 20% off your entire order when you use code dailybeans@laundry sauce.com that is 20% off your order@laundry sauce.com with the promo code dailybeans. Now after your purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please, please support our show and tell them we sent you. It is time to make Laundry day the best day of the week. Hey everybody. Welcome back. Today I'm super excited we're going to be talking to Navy veteran and author of the forthcoming book Mightier than the Sword. It's coming out this October. He's also LA Times bestselling author of Corporate Rock Sucks the Rise and Fall of SST Records and an old friend. Please welcome Jim Ruland. Hi, Jim.
Hey, Alison. It's great to be here.
It's great to see you again. I think we met. Gosh, it's been like 16 years. We did some writing workshops and performances together. We worked on some veterans writing workshops and performed some of our pieces, for audiences here in San Diego. And so I'm really excited to talk to you because our friend Dallas McLaughlin, who's been on this show as well, alerted me to a piece that you wrote on your substack about what's going on with the USS Abraham Lincoln. And one of the things I remember about you is your incredible ability to paint a picture of situations that other people generally shouldn't be able to relate to. And you bring everybody into the fold. And so what I really wanted to ask you today is if you could talk a little bit about the piece that you wrote on Sebstack about the sailors on the Lincoln, and then talk about your experience when you were in the Navy, just like a couple years ago, Right?
Yeah, yeah. I'm kind of horrified to, realize that. I think it's the 40th anniversary of, when I went to boot camp. But, you can edit that part out. No, I was really. Thank you for that kind introduction. But I was really struck by the callousness of Trump and a lot of the, talking heads who just kind of bought on to the idea that the 200 days at sea, what was going to end up being closer to 250, was no big deal. And that in Trump's words, those sailors could have gone on longer. And it was just really appalling to me, like, the lack of concern and consideration for. What's that like for the sailors on the Abraham Lincoln?
Yeah, and it's compounded by additional issues like supply issues, because apparently the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, kind of kept it to himself that our main supply base in Oman had been destroyed by Iranian missile strikes. And so you have this extra long deployment. And I don't mean like just, you know, because deployments generally you stop in ports of call, but they've been no foot on land in, in over, almost nine months now. But then you compound that with the additional issues of, you know, rotting beef and no food and, you know, problems with plumbing. And I mean, it's just, they have videos of floods, ankle deep floods on some of these decks. And, and, it was really striking to me what these sailors must be going through.
Yeah, it's horrible when you consider that. I think the theater was about 600 miles away from NSA Bahrain. Diego Garcia is 2,200 miles away and they have operations there because it's far from everything.
Yeah. So what I would like for you to do is back when you were in the Navy, there was a period where you were out to sea and you explain it really, really well in your substack post. Can you kind of give folks an idea of what it's like to be at sea on those watch rotations that only give you a few hours of sleep and what that looks like as it keeps moving and then you have your regular work during the day as well? Can you talk about that?
Sure. I was a deck seaman on a fast frigate and we were doing a, you know, a six month cruise and we were very understaffed because the deck semen tend to get in a lot of trouble and get bounced out of the Navy. So you need a lot of turnover. So we were normally in like a, we call it a three section watch bill where you'd be on for five hours and then off for 10 and each section doing their five hours in a rotation. But when we were really understaffed, we went into a port and starboard rotation, which is five hours on, five hours off. And what was difficult about that is that if your off time was during working hours, you also had to work and you also had to figure out a time to eat and shave, take care of your bodily functions all on your off time, and sleep. And so you were getting very little sleep. And this went on just for a couple of weeks. Like I think the longest that we were at sea during the six month cruise was three weeks and we were in a two section watch bill and, and people started to lose it. when you start losing that kind of sleep and you're under that kind of stress, you just don't function the way you're supposed to. And you wake up in the morning knowing that you're not gonna, you go stand watch, you're supposed to be hyper alert and you're not gonna hit your rack for another 10, 12 hours or more, right?
And you start to wonder, well, should I give up food today so I can get a little more sleep, or should I give up a little more sleep today so I could eat? because like you said, if you start your watch shift at 10pm like one night, then you, you're standing watch for five hours, then you've got to go to work, right? And then you're back on watch and then you've got to finish work and then you start five hours earlier and it keeps, you know, going back and back and then your work day is smack dab in the middle of it. You Know the way you described it, you're like, I'm like, should I. I know I have to shave so that I don't get in trouble for that, but if I don't get eat right now, I might be able to get another 30 minutes of sleep, which I really need. And you're kind of weighing these things, like, against your own mental health. What did it start to look like after a couple of weeks of that?
well, you're standing on the fan tail and watching the ship's wake and being, starting to wonder, like, oh, what would be like if I just fell in? Would that be easier? would anyone miss me? You just have, like, weird thoughts out on the fantail doing, that watch. And I don't think they even have that watch anymore because too many sleepy sailors were, falling overboard. And, but, you know, one illustration, like, if someone plays a prank on you and you're sleep deprived, it doesn't feel like a prank, it feels like cruelty. And historically, the Navy has been really good about creature comforts, about having a well stocked ship store. So, like, we understand you may not be able to make it to the Mestex for chow, but here's a bunch of food and things that you can, you can buy and eat really quickly, on your way to watch or on, you know, on a break. Well, that's not a case, that's not happening on Abraham Lincoln when there's, there's no supplies. I mean, it sounds kind of shallow, but I'm also wondering, like, do they, do they have, you know, like, what about things like tobacco products that so many people use and are addicted to? What about coffee and things like that? Like, how are we. Think of them as like, these two things are essential to your daily life when you have no other contact with the outside world.
Yeah. And so then you take a step back, or I at least took a step back reading your description of those three weeks and thought, now multiply that by 12.
Right. And the thing that I didn't write about in my piece or we haven't discussed or I haven't really seen much talked about is, you know, what about the families back home? And, you know, they're, you tell, you know, moms and dads on the Abraham Lincoln are telling their spouses that they'll be home on a certain date and then that keeps getting moved back. Well, how do you plan around that for kids going to school or whether you have a certain procedure or having work done on a car, or just like even the most Basic things that, you know, two people collaborate on a household, you know, all gets tossed up in the air. And the answer is, you don't know. And that could put incredible strain on a household, which, of course, the sailors on the Abraham Lincoln are also feeling. So it's just an awful situation. and now, obviously, the Pentagon doesn't want people talking about it. They don't want these stories to get out, or else they wouldn't have fired the publisher and editor of Stars and Stripes and the Mideast reporter like they did a couple days ago.
Right. And Hegseth also fired the head guy at centcom. So I don't think we're getting accurate information about injured troops. And of course, like, you know, like I said earlier, nobody knew that the supply base in Oman was completely obliterated. And having to move to Diego Garcia, which, as you said, is 2,200 miles away from where they are, making it even more logistically difficult to get those even, you know, dare I say, creature comforts now, just basic needs to these sailors. And this isn't the only ship. We just, learned recently that a destroyer had no power for four days. And you live in San Diego. I live in San Diego. Do you remember when we had that blackout that lasted like, nine hours, and it completely disrupted all of our lives? I mean, we all sort of left our houses and went out to local pubs and stuff to help them drink their beer before it got warm. But that was about the worst of it. But to, not have power for that long was pretty significant. But to not have it for four days is something completely like. I can't even imagine it.
Yeah. And to be at, sea without power is also very disruptive. I don't know what size the vessel was, but it's really not fun when you're not making way, you, you know, your. The ship bounces around a lot more.
Yeah. And. And then also that whole feeling sets in where you're just trapped on this thing in the ocean and it's not going anywhere and you don't have any power. I mean, there's a, There's a psychological rub to that as well.
Yeah. And we're really painting a really gloomy picture, which, which brings up another point. It's like, how are they going to get people to volunteer to join the armed forces when sailors basic needs aren't being covered for, when they're essentially being lied to about how long they're going to be away from their families? the morale is really bad. One Thing I learned when I was researching my piece is, one of the sailors who had jumped overboard from the Abraham Lincoln. There were some who tried, but one who succeeded, that wasn't just some new, kid who was freaking out because they were away from home and having a hard time adapting to Navy life. That Sailor was a 13 year veteran. So that kind of paints a picture of just how extreme things are.
Yeah. And something else that, you know, unless you were actually in the, in the military, that probably gets lost in communication is the fact that you, are loath to tell anyone that you're having mental health issues. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Yeah. Or to talk about anything that might make the Navy look bad. In fact, I was last week I was talking to a retired naval officer and I kind of floated the idea, because I live in San Diego, of maybe talking to some sailors, when the ship from the Abraham Lincoln winner returns. And he was like, yeah, I don't know, like. Because not only could that expose them to repercussions, but also their superior officers who didn't say anything. and I hadn't even broached the idea of even publishing this or what would happen to these stories, but just the importance of recording them. Because as you know, Alison, when you tell a story, when the memory is fresh, it'll change a year later or 10 years.
Yeah.
And I think it would be, you know, I know a lot of these families are speaking out though, maintaining anonymity because they're worried about repercussions for their sailor. But I think it would be hugely priceless to write up their stories, perhaps in an anonymous way so that they can at least be told. Because you just don't talk about these kinds of things when you're in. Because, like, I'm really concerned for this 13 year sailor who could now whose career could be over because of the position that they were put in by this administration.
Right. Part of the pun. But nobody wants to rock the boat. that's one of the first things you learn. The more, you know, the more eyeballs that are on you and your duty station, your command, no matter how big or small it is, the better. And the more superior officer look officers are looking at a situation, the harder it is going to be for everyone. And, that's not really a great culture for making things better for the rank and file. I mean, we saw that from just the dismissal of what the mental health situation was on to Abraham Lincoln and the availability of specialists and therapists or even Navy, chaplains to talk to people. I mean, those vessels are enormous, like 5,000 sailors. So I, I don't really know. You'd have to have a, a pretty big staff of mental health professionals just to deal with everything that's going on.
Yeah. And, I would also be interested to know what the aftercare mental health is for a lot of these sailors that are, supposedly headed home. We don't do. I don't know that we know what day they're going to arrive back here in port. but I think they're being relieved and brought back home. I think they're on their way home as we speak. But that again, is coming from the Pentagon, so we will see. But I appreciate you giving voice to this and I really encourage everybody to read your, your piece on this. Can you tell everyone how to find you on substack and social media?
Yeah, the, the substack is called A Message from the Underworld, which comes from a song by the Weirdos, a great LA punk band. And that's a lot of what I write about is music, particularly punk rock and, books and things like that. But I also write about my experiences, especially, as they pertain to the news or current events or travel, things like that.
Well, I hope everybody checks it out and subscribes. And then also you've got a book coming out in October. Tell us about that.
Yeah, it's a crime novel that's about four English teachers that go on a crime spree in Northern Arizona in 1993. they decide to rob a bookstore, which is maybe not the most ambitious caper, but as they say, hijinks ensue. And, it's a fun, harrowing, story that I, think readers will enjoy.
Yeah, I love the description. Steeped in the lore of the West, Mightier than the Sword is a twisty pulp take on the dirtiest job of them all. Working as a part time professor in a college town. It's fantastic. I look forward to reading it, my friend.
Thank you, Allison.
Thank you again for coming and kind of painting that picture for us. Everybody, please subscribe to the substack. And I appreciate your time. Jim Ruland.
Very welcome, Allison.
Everybody, stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Hey, everybody. I first tried Honey Love because I was tired of bras that technically fit but somehow annoyed me all day long. I couldn't wait to get out of them, but I should want to stay in it either. The support on the old bras wasn't there, the shape was wrong or I had to keep adjusting them. But Honey Love doesn't do that to me. The fit stays secure, the support is stronger, the silhouette's beautiful, and I can wear it through work or an entire day and evening without thinking about it until I'm home and ready to take it off. So now you'll understand why we want to thank Honeylove for sponsoring our show. You can use our exclusive link to save 20% off honeylove@honeylove.com DailyBeans Now, HoneyLove's Shapewear deserves just as much attention as their bras because it lets you move the ways you want without being a problem. Their pieces use targeted compression to smooth and support your body instead of squeezing it into submission. They stay in place, they enhance your curves, they move with you, and they work under everything from business outfits to a nice dress for a big night out. And they're practical, too. Honeylove uses breathable, high quality fabrics. And the shapewear includes thoughtful touches like easy bathroom access because nobody wants to do full outfit change in the stall. Their philosophy behind the brand is part of what makes it so amazing. Honey Love is not about forcing your body into a different shape. It's about giving you the support that works with your body, the body that you have. Comfort is a requirement, not a luxury. And you should not have to trade it away just to get smoother lines, better structure, or a little extra confidence in an outfit. Honeylove does all of that. No problem. So treat yourself to the most advanced bras and shapewear on the market. Use our exclusive link to save 20% off honeylove@honeylove.com DailyBeans that's honeylove.com DailyBeans now, after you check out, they're going to ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. Experience the new standard in comfort and support. Support with Honey Love, everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone.
Then good news, everyone.
Good news.
All right. Flood us with good news. Flood the zone with sunshine. send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. It can be big good news, little good news. It can be recent or in the distant past. It can be a fun story you want to share with us. maybe a shout out to a loved one or a government program that's helped you. Or a self shout out. We love those as well. You can also send your good trouble suggestions. tell us your favorite street joke. Tell us about some misheard song lyrics it can be anything at all, as long as it brings a smile to our face. Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact and don't forget to attach your photo. Pay your POD pet tariff, which can be your pet. It can be an adoptable pet in your area. It can be a random animal on the Internet. It can be a picture of literally anything, just as long as it makes us laugh. Your favorite meme, whatever it is, send it to us dailybeanspot.com click on Contact. First up is your Good Trouble. Good Trouble today comes from Tempe Pronoun she and her love you guys so much. You guys are a lifeline for those of us struggling with this alternate reality shit show. God, I wish one reporter or influencer or any news show would just once say to the Scott Jennings is of the world, stop auditioning. Anywho, I thought it would make you feel good to know that there are some of us making good trouble out here. I'm an innkeeper for the last 20 years and because we're a small bed and breakfast operation, I feel it's within my power to keep positivity flowing and negativity out. Therefore, I've taken it upon myself to block all of the BS media channels that might be coming through like Fox Newsmax and Oan Hee Hee. Also a little known fact. You guys might not know if you're ever out in the dating scene. You and you're not sure about the person that you're interested in. It's simple. Just put on the Daily Beans or the Stephanie Miller show or any of the progressive Fortresses. People that are misogynistic narcissists will immediately become uncomfortable and you'll know exactly who you're dealing with. So when someone is, quote, auditioning to be in your life, this is definitely a surefire way to know who makes the cut. My podpet tax is a picture of what guilt looks like. She swears she had nothing to do with the recent garbage incident. M also pictured as the back of my Jeep. Simple statements make simple minded people think advice. Try not to use too many syllables as some of the knuckle draggers will have trouble reading it. Keep doing what you do. Know that we the people love you for it. All right, the back of the Jeep is great. I love the frog with the peace sign. Yep, racism is ignorance. Look at that fluffy dog.
Oh my God. Cute fluffy dog.
And then look at the tiny dog. Oh no, that's a tiny dog. That's a scruffy dog. Oh, my gosh.
That's a tiny dog. He's a fluffy dog.
Adorable. Thank you so much for that good trouble, Tempe.
All right, next up from Anonymous, no pronouns given. Hi, AG and dg.
I wanted to shout out you two
form your LGBTQ advocacy. I have two trans children, and listening to you over the last six years has educated me a second shout out to my wife. When my kids came out, she found the local PFLAG group to educate us. She is now a member of the steering committee. Someone once said that this is not the trip we expected to be on, but I sure love the tour guides. I love that. For bodpet tax, I give you Henry. The mid Atlantic domesticated jaguar. Panthers are jaguars with all black skin. His habitat includes a former golf course, many backyards, and my indoor jungle. While he prefers to catch his own food, he still loves his kibble. After 12 years, I can finally pet his belly. My other pick is a gift for my son. I already had the cactus. Can you name it? And my son had The Death Star 3D printed for this. Thank you both for all you do.
Look at that little cactus in the
Death Star that looks like a spider cactus or an octopus cactus. Did I make that up? I absolutely did.
Well, I'm going to go with octopus cactus. But Anonymous, you can tell us if we were right.
There you go.
Look at the kitty. Hello, house panther. All right, next up, Jane and Bob. No pronouns. Greetings, beanie babes from Des Moines, Iowa. I love it when my preconceived notions are shattered. It is humbling. And it's educational. Having never visited Iowa before. It's our 49th state. I thought it was flat and boring. Well, shame on me, because we arrived in the middle of the Iowa State Fair. Oh, did you get to see the warm running water in the goat pens or whatever? This amazing event included the 100 things to do before you die list, and I can see why. The venue is enormous. Fully one third of its livestock exhibits, and the food selections are. Mwah. chef's kiss. I'm supposed to make the noise. Two favorites are the pork chop on a stick and a bucket of cookies. The pork chop was delicious, tender, and juicy, and it helped me understand why I was famous for its pork. The bucket of cookies was ridiculous. You buy a big bucket of chocolate chip cookies for 20 bucks, but before they give it to you, they pile more fresh out of the oven cookies right on top. What were we thinking? We had to freeze most of them, but they were yummy now here's an interesting observation. Iowa's a ruby red state, but at the fair we only saw one trump T shirt and we've seen zero trump flags while driving around. Is that a sign? I sure hope so. We did stop briefly at what turned out to be a turning point booth. But I controlled myself, just said, okay, I'm moving on and walked away. You don't know how hard that was. anyway, Iowa's beautiful, with endless green rolling hills and farms and fields. A rural photographer's dream. For pod tacks, I've included two baby animals, A, duckling and the cutest friggin baby goat you've ever seen. Keep up the good work. It's what keeps us sane and entertained on the road. Look at the goat. Look at the ducky.
So happy.
Now, Jane and Bob, we're going to be playing a video clip from the Iowa State Fair over on Beans Talk today, so check it out.
All right, next up from Donna Pronoun. She and her Just a shout out to my friend Stillwater Oklahoma's own Lynn Fiesel, who was honored as volunteer of the year for her work as coordinator of Hope in Motion raising money for our domestic violence crisis center. It's called Wings of hope. Since, 2011, these four foot by four foot butterflies have been painted by local artists and sold to area businesses and organizations for $4,000 each. There are more than 400 currently placed since I've sent pics of my dog Midge twice to pay my pod pet tax. Here's a three and a half inch month old Audrey. A mini. Wait, guys. A three and a half inch month inch old. Inch month old. What did I say? Either way, I made this dog three and a half inches. I think a min pin Chihuahua mix available from Stillwater Oklahoma Humane Society. We're going to have a link in the show notes for this adorable tiny little thing. Audrey, by the way, has been adopted. Oh, note Audrey has been adopted. But there are other great dogs who still need a home.
three and a half month old Audrey. I see. Now look how cute. Sweet baby everybody. Check out Stillwater Oklahoma Humane Society. These butterflies are gorgeous. That's incredible. What great work raising money for Wings of Hope. Donna, thank you so much for that. Next up, Dusty, the lesbian pronouns. She and her hello. Allison and Dana. Here's an old story I hope gives you a laugh. My daughters were in first and second grade and the younger was scared of the bees on the playground 50 years ago. Still lots of bees. She asked her sister to help. So her sister got out a piece of the Learn to write paper. Remember that? The paper with two hard lines and a dotted one in between. I do. The letter read, Dear Ms. Teacher, please don't make my girl Cheryl go out on the playground. She's sick. It was signed, her mother. The teacher called me and told me she had to go to the hall because she was laughing so hard. She got to the bottom of the case and calmed Cheryl about the bees and had to try to explain to her sister that it was wrong to write the letter. And she kept the note for her scrapbook. Enclosed is a photo of my girls long before they went to school and my granddaughter wearing live birds.
Look at that. yes, indeed.
Look at that.
That's fun.
Oh, my God. Look at these two kids sitting out on the stoop.
I know.
Incredible. Dusty, that's so hilarious.
Thank you.
Permission slip to not go on the playground. Written by her sister. signed her mother on cursive paper. That's fantastic. Anyway, thank you all so much for your good news. Thanks to my friend Jim Rulin for coming on today. We're gonna have him back on around in October when his book is about to come out, so I look forward to that. Do you have any final thoughts before we get out of here?
Not today, but welcome to the week. Everyone strap in because it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
I'm already longing for Friday.
I know, Me too.
All right, everybody, we'll see you tomorrow. Until then, I'm pleased.
What?
What to ha.
Take care of all kinds of things. Allison's about to tell you which ones. Do NOT edit. Happy Monday, everybody.
Please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. I've been ag. I've been dg and them's the beans.
I told you she would.
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 Joel Reeder 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 Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com msw media.