Monday, September 7, 2026 Today, an armed individual attacked Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor Dr. Amy Acton at an event near Youngstown; the Maryland Supreme Court approves Democratic redistricting plan for 2028; the Pentagon is administering polygraphs to Joint Staff to find who leaked about depleted stockpiles; a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to divulge the names of people involved in setting up the $1.8bn slush fund; the Justice Department says states can handle the chaos in a bid to ask the First Circuit Court of Appeals to allow the USPS rule over mail ballots to move forward; Epstein co-conspirator Leon Black failed to show up for his Congressional testimony; Trump breaks ground on his triumphal arch before getting approval; the President has installed Adam Telle as acting Army Secretary after Driscoll’s resignation; plus Allison delivers your Good News.
Monday, September 7, 2026
Today, an armed individual attacked Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor Dr. Amy Acton at an event near Youngstown; the Maryland Supreme Court approves Democratic redistricting plan for 2028; the Pentagon is administering polygraphs to Joint Staff to find who leaked about depleted stockpiles; a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to divulge the names of people involved in setting up the $1.8bn slush fund; the Justice Department says states can handle the chaos in a bid to ask the First Circuit Court of Appeals to allow the USPS rule over mail ballots to move forward; Epstein co-conspirator Leon Black failed to show up for his Congressional testimony; Trump breaks ground on his triumphal arch before getting approval; the President has installed Adam Telle as acting Army Secretary after Driscoll’s resignation; plus Allison delivers your Good News.
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msw media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, September 7, 2026. Today. Today, an armed individual attacked Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor, Dr. Amy Acton, at an event near Youngstown. The Maryland Supreme Court has approved democratic redistricting for 2028. The Pentagon is administering polygraphs to joint staff to find out who leaked about depleted stockpiles. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to divulge the names of people involved in setting up the $1.8 billion slush fund. The Justice Department says states can handle the chaos. In a bid to ask the First Circuit Court of Appeals to allow the USPS rule over mail ballots to move forward. Epstein co conspirator Leon Black failed to show up for his congressional testimony. Trump breaks ground on his triumphal arch before getting approval. And the President has installed Adam Tell as acting Army Secretary after Dan Driscoll's resignation. I'm your host, Alison Gill. Hey, everyone. happy Monday. I hope you're having a wonderful Labor Day. Thank a liberal for Labor Day weekend. Our guest today is going to be the CEO of Vote.org, andrea Haley. So I'm looking forward to that discussion. There's also a new episode of the Breakdown out in this feed for audio and over on YouTube and muellershirote.com for video. Well, I reveal, during that particular episode in which I interview, by the way, the USPS whistleblower attorney David Kligerman. But I reveal that I filed a Freedom of Information act request for the document, the order telling the USPS to resume implementing the mail ballot portal rule while there was supposed to be a court order stopping it. So I'm going to go over all that on the Breakdown. There's also a new episode of Unjustified out wherever you get your podcasts, with Andy McCabe, a special guest, and Adam Klassfeld from All Rise News joins us for the Hit me in the head with a bat segment. Also from WLWT5 in Canfield, Ohio. This is terrifying. Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio, was reportedly attacked at a campaign event near Youngstown on Sunday. According to a statement put out by Acton's campaign, an armed individual lunged at her while she was at the Canfield Fair in Mahoning county, resulting in injuries of multiple people who were nearby. Chris Anderson, the chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, confirmed shortly afterward that that the suspect had been taken into police custody and was actually found to be armed with multiple weapons. According to Anderson, several campaign volunteers were knocked to the ground as the suspect lunged toward Acton. This is a developing story and I'll have more for you as we get more details. All right, everybody, we have a lot of news to get to today. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right. First up from Democracy docket, the Trump administration pushed back on a federal judge's finding that states cannot realistically comply with sweeping new U.S. postal Service mail voting restrictions before the midterms, telling an appeals court that election officials concerns are overstated. The DOJ says just it's totally everything's fine, calm down. In an emergency filing on Saturday, the DOJ asked the First Circuit Court of Appeals to stay District Judge Indira Talwani's preliminary injunction issued Friday, which blocked mandatory enforcement of the USPS rule through November. The DOJ argued that states facing the earliest deadlines for mailing ballots have not shown compliance as possible. It pointed to North Carolina's statement that absentee ballots would go out flawlessly and smoothly, and noted that Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma and South Dakota have not argued that they cannot comply. The government also characterized some states complaints about costs and administrative burdens as ordinary consequences of complying with a lawful regulation. It told the appeals court that the Postal Service has pledged implementation support and that the federal mail ballot portal, a key piece of the new system, will be functional by sometime next week. Talwani reached the opposite conclusion Friday, finding that election officials across much of the country faced severe logistical obstacles and that disenfranchisement was practically inevitable if the rule took effect immediately. DOJ also asked the First Circuit to narrow Talwani's injunction if it declines to lift it entirely. Citing the Supreme Court's 2026 ruling in Trump v. CASA, the administration claimed the challengers cannot properly obtain nationwide relief. The Department of Justice argued that the state plaintiffs cannot justify blocking the USPS rule nationwide because they're not harmed by its application in other states. If the First Circuit Court of Appeals accepts that argument, the restrictions could take effect in states that did not join the lawsuit while remaining blocked in the plaintiff states. Ah, also, it's important to note, as I pointed out in the breakdown, the judge, Judge Talwani who blocked this is only blocking it for mandatory implementation, not voluntary implementation. Next up from the Times, U.S. government investigators have taken the extraordinary step of subjecting roughly 50 members of the US military's Joint Staff to polygraph tests over leaks to journalists, including about how the Iran war has created a shortage of crucial munitions. That's according to officials briefed on the move. The investigators asked military officers and civilian employees on the Joint Staff if they disclosed classified information to members of the press and about whether they provided information about diminished U.S. munitions and stocks. The polygraph tests were conducted in August after a flurry of news reports detailed diminished stocks of crucial munitions, including long range missiles and Patriot interceptors. The show of force appeared aimed not at, just ferreting out anyone who might have shared information, but intimidating others who might do so in the future. And that's according to people with knowledge of the effort. Between 1500 and 2000 officers and officials work for the Joint Staff, which coordinates operations, policy and war plans with combatant commanders around the world. The scope of the investigation is without parallel. Mass polygraph tests have never been administered to the top ranks of the U.S. military in modern history. This move comes as multiple news organizations have revealed details about how the war with Iran has drained munition stockpiles and reported on concerns inside the administration about the strategic direction of the conflict. The leaks have intensified an atmosphere of deep distrust and paranoia inside the Pentagon. That's according to this New York Times story. It's one that current and former officials say has been fostered by Pete Hagseth. Surrounded by a tight inner circle of loyalists, Hegseth has pushed out or blocked the promotions of at least 80 Generals, Admirals and other officials during his tenure. Since last year, the Pentagon has been conducting a number of leak investigations in response to news coverage about his leadership, even as he faced criticism for sharing sensitive details about strikes in Yemen in a signal chat last year. Mr. Hegsev has not given a briefing to the Pentagon press corps about the war in Iran since May 5th. June, July, August, September, four months. And he sought to limit the access of journalists at the Pentagon, as we know, a policy that the New York Times has sued about in court. Now, in a related story from the Associated Press, Trump on Thursday named Adam Tell, a civilian leader in the U.S. army Corps of Engineers, as acting army secretary following the resignation of Dan Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with Low T. Pete. Now, Adam Tell is currently the assistant secretary of the army for Civil Works. But he spent more than 20 years working for Republican senators as well as in the White House during Trump's first term serving as the president's chief liaison to the Senate. Now, Tell has been at the Army Office of civil works since August 2025, according to Legistorm, a website that tracks lawmakers and Capitol Hill staffers. Before that, he worked as chief of staff for Republican Senator Bill Haggerty of Tennessee from 2021 to 2025. Four years there. Tell spent 18 months working in the White House during Trump's first term and 10 years working for the late Republican Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi. Next up from npr, Billionaire Leon Black was scheduled to testify about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, under subpoena from the House Oversight Committee Thursday morning. But instead of appearing, Black filed a lawsuit against the committee and its Republican chairman, accusing them of overstepping their authority. His civil lawsuit describes the House panel's inquiry, led by James Comer as a public fishing expedition, accusing its members of attempting to score political points. In response, Comer called Black's actions unacceptable and said he and other panel members would discuss whether to hold him in contempt. Quote, I don't think I need to tell anyone in here how important of a witness Mr. Black is to this investigation. That's what Comer told journalists on the Hill. He added that of all the powerful people interviewed by the panel, Black is the first to file a lawsuit. Black, founder of the Apollo Global Management private equity firm, is one of several prominent figures that the panel has sought to hear from as it probes the scope of Epstein's ties. Keep in mind Apollo Global Management is one of the banks that bailed out the Kushner 666 Fifth Avenue building. His name appears in the Justice Department's Epstein files thousands of times. Appearing in the files is not necessarily an indication of criminal wrongdoing. That's what this article says. The federal suit filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia argues that the House committee's authority is limited by a requirement that its actions serve a legitimate legislative purpose. And in this case, Black's lawsuit states the panel has overstepped those bounds. Black previously spoke to the House Oversight Committee in June, but he ended that voluntary appearance after Comer raised a subject of non disclosure agreements. According to Black's lawsuit, Black has insisted he didn't know about Epstein's criminal actions. His lawsuit notes that an independent investigation commissioned by Apollo, his company, concluded Mr. Black paid Epstein $158 million for tax, estate planning and other legitimate activities. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the House committee's ranking member, called for Black to be held in contempt for disobeying a congressional subpoena. He also cited women's accusations against Black, quote, he funded Epstein's abuse and trafficking of women. Multiple women have also accused Black of sexual assault. That's what Garcia said in a statement to npr. He went on to say his connections to Epstein and his unwillingness to cooperate are unacceptable. Black's lawsuit cites his testimony before the committee in June in which he categorically stated he's never abused a woman, never been with an underage woman, never engaged in sex trafficking, never paid Epstein for access to women, and never was blackmailed by Epstein. The House committee has already questioned a number of high profile political and business figures, including Howard Lutnick, our Commerce Secretary, Bill Gaetz, Les Wexner, the billionaire behind Victoria's Secret, along with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Remember that Epstein's former accountant, Richard Kahn as well, and former attorney Darren Indykin. All right, let's, let's get to some better news. This is from the New York Times. A federal magistrate judge ordered the Trump administration Friday to reveal the identities of the people who devised a contentious plan to create the $1.776 billion slush fund to compensate those who believe they were wronged by political prosecutions. The order by the magistrate Judge Ivan Davis, could shed further light on how the fund was put together. The plan to create the fund, which could have funneled taxpayer money to the president's allies, drew repeated scrutiny. It prompted a rare rebuke from Senate Republicans. And it imperiled the confirmation of Todd Blanch as attorney general. Apparently not enough, but Mr. Blanch has repeatedly said the fund is dead. But Trump has been more circumspect, indicating his support for compensating people like the rioters who were prosecuted for attacking the Capitol on January 6th. Judge Davis's order, issued in federal District court in Alexandria, Virginia, came as that part of that lawsuit challenging the legality of the fund and another measure by the justice department that benefited Mr. Trump. That provision grants the president, his family and his business expansive protections against all past tax investigations. The suit seeking to kill the fund and the tax immunity deal was brought in Virginia by a group of plaintiffs that includes a former federal prosecutor who was fired by the Trump administration after working on January six related cases. The group has claimed the program was unfairly designed to help only supporters of the president. I have also sued about the fund, and that is still ongoing. The union representing IRS workers later joined the suit, claiming that the tax provisions were illegal and could put its employees in the untenable position of carrying out unlawful orders. Lawyers for the plaintiff hailed the decision. Quote, today's order granting discovery is a significant step in getting to the bottom of the slush fund. That's Amman George, a lawyer for Democracy Forward, which is the group that filed the lawsuit in Virginia. And here's some good news from Reuters. A federal judge Friday ordered the Trump administration to give 48 hours notice before engaging in any activity on the site of a triumphal arch that it wants to build near Arlington National Cemetery, except for work to identify underground cultural artifacts. This ruling comes from District Judge Tanya Chutkin, and it came a day after the US Interior Department announced plans to move forward soon with work on the 250 foot architect near despite legal challenges and the lack of final approval from a government planning authority. In a U.S. district Court filing seeking a temporary restraining order, lawyers for the group of three military veterans and an architectural historian said the administration has no legal basis for the construction work. They said the arch violates federal law and needs approval from Congress. The administration has argued a 1925 law that authorized a now defunct commission to build Washington's Arlington Memorial Bridge provides congressional approval for the arch. Opponents dispute that because it's ridiculous, Despite Thursday's announcement on Twitter by Doug Burgum of work starting after a very long wait, the government said in a court filing Friday they plan to excavate work at the arch site and that excavation work is not construction or demolition in preparation for construction. The government said in its court filing it plans to dig for test pits, four of them, to assess if any artifacts or cultural materials are present starting on or after September 21, and it would restore the site by October 31. Chutkan in April sharply questioned Trump's authority to build the arch, and the government agreed in April to provide 14 days notice before starting construction as part of a consent order entered by the judge. The Interior Department reiterated that notice plan on Friday. In her latest ruling, Chutkan ordered the administration to provide the court at least 48 hours notice before engaging in any activity at the site except the efforts to gather information on archaeological resources beneath subsurface fill materials as required under the National Historic Preservation Act. She also reiterated that any construction or demolition in preparation for construction before the National Park Service issues final authorization or without providing 14 days notice would violate Friday's order and her previous consent order and from democracy docket In a big win for voters, the Maryland Supreme Court ruled that a constitutional amendment on redistricting proposed by state Democrats can appear on the ballot in November. Should voters approve the measure, it would clear the way for Maryland Democrats to redraw the state's congressional districts for the 2028 election to counteract a wave of gerrymanders Republican led states carried out over the past year at the behest of Trump. The state Supreme Court determined that lower courts erred in halting the constitutional amendment entirely. However, it said the lower courts correctly found the language of the proposed Amendment, called Question 3, illegal under State law. But rather than bar the question completely from the November ballot, the court says it should instead be rewritten by the state Board of Elections. A remedy the court said was appropriately respectful of the General Assembly's constitutional authority to propose constitutional amendments to the voters of the state. The Maryland Supreme Court's decision came just hours after it heard two hours of arguments over whether the amendment should go before voters. Just two hours. And it also marked the second major Democratic redistricting court victory. On Thursday, just moments before the Maryland ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court greenlit a citizen led redistricting referendum that will give voters a final say over the Republican gerrymander in Missouri. In August, the Democratic majority in Maryland's General assembly approved a proposed constitutional amendment, the first step toward redrawing the state's congressional districts. The measure doesn't propose a new map. If passed, it would simply change the rules for redistricting by establishing that the state's constitutional requirements for compact districts that respect natural and political boundaries apply only to state legislative maps, not congressional ones. Democrats currently hold seven of Maryland's eight U.S. house seats, while Rep. Andy Harris, the one Republican, represents the Eastern Shore based 1st Congressional District. With a rule change, Democrats could then draw a new map that dismantles Harris's district, potentially giving them an extra seat in the U.S. house. But the measure can't take effect until voters weigh in. State Republicans didn't want to give them a chance and filed two lawsuits to block the measure from appearing on the ballot. The first lawsuit filed by an advocacy group on behalf of the far right Maryland Freedom Caucus. It argued that lawmakers passed the proposed amendment after a July 1 deadline for certifying ballot questions for November. Republicans on Maryland's Eastern Shore filed a second lawsuit which asserted that the proposed amendment will eliminate constitutional protections against gerrymandering.
What?
And deceive voters into surrendering their fundamental constitutional rights? Oh yeah, how do you like it? Late last month, two Maryland Circuit Court judges temporarily blocked the Democrats redistricting amendment, but simultaneously paused their order pending this ruling from the state Supreme Court that allows it to go forward. They just got to change the language a little bit on the ballot. So congratulations to Maryland. And speaking of voter suppression and increasing registration and making sure you're registered to vote. After the break, I'm going to talk with Andrea Haley. She's the CEO of Vote.org you don't want to miss this chat. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. It's kind of mind boggling to think about how much personal information about you is already on the Internet. Your phone number, address, your relative's information, other details can end up on data broker sites where strangers can find them and buy them. 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But os1 hair is drug free and it's water based, so it fits into a normal daily routine without making your hair feel way down. So you can use it on its own or alongside other hair treat treatments without irritation or issues. One Skin built its reputation on the OS one peptide in skin care, and now they're bringing that same science to your hair. If your hair has changed with age, this gives you a simple way to start supporting it at the source. Now, Born from over 10 years of longevity research, One Skin's OS1 peptide is engineered to support your hair to look visibly fuller, thicker at any age. And for a limited time, you can try one skin with 15% off using code DailyBeans at OneSkin co. DailyBeans, that's 15% off OneSkin co with the code DailyBeans. After your purchase, they'll ask where you heard about us. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. Hey everybody, welcome back. I'm excited today to be joined by the CEO of Vote.org, as you know, she transformed Vote.org from a voter registration tool into a full spectrum civic engagement force, including legal action, data backed outreach and cultural partnerships along with on the ground support. Please welcome Andrea Haley. Hi, Andrea, how are you?
Hi. I'm good. Thank you so much for having me today.
Yeah, no problem. Thank you for everything that you're doing. We need your organization now more than ever. You know, we've got not just these silos of people doing like one group does legal stuff, one group does voter education, one group does outreach, one group does registration. It's a one stop shop for Vote.org that you've transformed. Talk a little bit about, I guess, you know, sort of the development of it over these past years and kind of how necessity is the mother of invention when it comes to adding these different sort of Things that you get involved in.
Absolutely. what we found@vote.org is over the last few years, everyone who uses vote.org from voters to universities to companies, all need to come together in coalition around, you know, how do I vote this year, how do I make sure that I'm registered or that the employees are registered, that people, how do students know whether they can use a student ID or not? All these kinds of questions are nonstop@vote.org and we're in all 50 states. And so what we found is that we're really good at making sure that voters have the information that they need to participate. But we're also a very trusted entity for a lot of different organizations to plug into. So we do our work and we also are, the backbone for a ton of different organizations all throughout the country as they do their registration and get out the vote work. And what we've been able to build is a sort of larger movement that just is pro democracy and makes sure that people have everything they need to launch their own programs and to know how to, you know, how to register and how to increase registration, throughout their, you know, their spheres of influence. And that's been one of the, you know, biggest changes@vote.org, i think that we have become such a deeply trusted partner to so many people.
Yeah, I agree. And, you know, just yesterday I was talking to the attorney for the United States Postal Service whistleblower about this new rule, this new chaotic scanning, zero tolerance for error rule that could stop tens of thousands of ballots from being mailed to people. And I was talking to him about how important it is for whistleblowers like that to come forward, because then I can take that information and I can incorporate it into my voting plan. And I'm sure that Vote.org has been watching and listening. What are you doing to incorporate the information that we're hearing about the government and Trump and the post office wanting to implement these nearly impossible to follow rules for our state election officials?
Well, first, I want to acknowledge that this environment for so many people, including everyone on Vote.org can be overwhelming at times. There's so much information coming at you so quickly, that making your way through all of it as it changes day to day, is the most important thing. And I think what we're doing is we're out here reminding voters of a few things. States run their elections, not the federal government. So the biggest thing is that your state election officials are really the people who are going to be running your elections. And Those are the rules that you should go by and who you should be listening to. right now, not much has actually changed that we've seen yet. So the biggest thing this year that we're encouraging people to do is know their rules, make their plan, but make their plan to vote early, in the election cycle. Make sure that they then become the captains of the vote, captain of their friends and their family. so when you go to the polls, call around and see if anybody wants to go with you. Bring a group of people, to come to the polls with you together. I think that that is really the biggest thing. And move up the time period by which you would normally think about elections. So a lot of registration deadlines are coming up in October, and, you know, you want to really pay close attention to those. And then as you make your plan to vote, you can go to vote.org and check the what's on my Ballot tool to see what's on your ballot all up and down it. And once you have that information and you know what you want to do, go ahead and cast your vote as early as you can in your state so that you know that it's counted and go, and track it through the process. I think those are the biggest things. Waiting to the last minute this year is something that you really don't want to do, especially in light of some, of, some of what is going on on the federal level. So get there, get there early, make your plan early, and make sure everybody else does, too.
Yeah, I always like to think of Election Day as actually the final day to vote. not the day to go and do it. But, I mean, you know, if that's what you're able to do, then that's what you're able to do because of all of these additional potential roadblocks that, you know, the people in power are trying to throw up in front of us to prevent us from voting. And now that we're learning that, you know, this, this block against this USPS rule is blocking mandatory implementation of the rule, meaning there are states who could voluntarily want to go through this terrible process. And if you will, you know, that's why it's so important to find out what your state is doing. If you're. Is your state participating in this weird voluntary ballot scan thing. Do you even have mail in voting? But always, always think of Election Day as the final day. It's the end, not the beginning of the election. And I think that that's a super important, like you said, especially considering all these roadblocks. What else are you hearing, like, on the ground about maybe the enthusiasm to vote, the amount of registrations? I noticed, a new Gallup poll that says Democrats are up 49 to 39, which is the biggest it's been since 2008. The biggest, you know, deficit for Republicans since 2008. What are you noticing as far as registration is going?
So@vote.org, we saw a really early this year spike in registrations, early in the election cycle where people really wanted to have their voice heard and were registering in record numbers. A disproportionate number of Those people are 18 this year. So that's really exciting for us. We know we're onboarding the next generation. And I think that what I'm really noticing and have noticed, election cycle after election cycle, is these tactics are not fully new. People have been trying to wash voters out of the, you know, election cycle for many years, generations past, you know, ours, as well. This is something that's been going on in America for way too long. And the good news is that voters keep showing up and they're resilient. Our democracy stays in place because voters are not exhausted. They want to have their voice heard and they'll make it through this election cycle just like they have past ones. And so I think, what, what we're seeing on the ground is an. A huge amount of enthusiasm, about double the last midterm election cycle. So that's good. we're seeing that it skews young. And we, we saw it in the primaries. People turned out across the country and in record numbers and primaries. And I think we're about to have a very big year in this midterm election cycle. So while there. And really that's what we need to remember about these changes that are happening. And the last minute scurry to try to move the goalposts on what the rules are. all of that is being done in an effort to suppress votes because people feel like they're in a weak position. Those are the moves of weakness, quite frankly, and insecurity. And so instead of trying to get things done on your own terms and making it so that the American public is there with you, people are instead trying to wash the American public out of the process altogether. And I don't think Americans across the both sides of the aisle are having it. I think that, there's one thing Americans really don't like, and it's when you try to take away their freedom to have their Own voice heard at the polls.
Yeah, no, I agree. And you're right. We've been combating voter suppression forever. It just seems like it's on steroids, this year. Have you noticed anything difference, in, you know, some of these redistricting efforts that are going on, particularly in red states, areas like Memphis, where they're trying to dilute the black vote after the last vestige of the Voting Rights act was kind of trampled by the Supreme Court. Are you noticing, like my co host Dana has been saying, this could backfire on them because when you take away somebody's. Dilute somebody's vote, I think it actually energizes the base even more. Are you noticing anything like that? Maybe in these particular districts?
Definitely. I do think there is a backlash to these kinds of aggressive actions. I think it's been in the news. People are aware it's happening. Sometimes when people aren't aware, when, when, When a major move hasn't happened and people aren't aware that, that their rights are under attack, then you don't see as high of a turnout. But when you do something that's so in your face to disenfranchise somebody from their boat, it almost makes them more determined. And I think that's what, what has happened across, several different areas this year. And we are definitely seeing that start to happen. And there's, There's a lot of momentum, a lot of anger, quite frankly, on the ground, and a lot more awareness that if your vote, you know, wasn't, important, then people wouldn't try to take it away from you. So when people try actively to, to go after it, it makes it. You're like, oh, okay, there's something really here. We might be changing power dynamics if we show up to vote. And I do, I do think that backlash is occurring. And I think we're seeing it generationally too. So, the, the. I expect to see high participation in the midterms, across the board. And the more. More people attack everyone's rights, what it isn't doing, what the fear would be is that people cower and they get scared and they stay home and they get quiet and they get overwhelmed. And that is not what we're seeing. We're seeing people stand up, get more excited, register to vote, build more momentum. We're seeing more entities and civic groups and, institutions start to stand up at the state level. and I think across, like I said, I think across both sides of the aisle, nobody wants to, think that somebody is trying to keep them from participating. And I think we're seeing this with the SAVE act, too. Just the news that the SAVE act has generated around voting and voting rights in general. I think you have a lot of women who now realize that they were very much targeted, around their right to vote. And I don't think that that's. I don't think that's been taken lightly.
Yeah, And I think that that's, One of the things that, this administration has missed is that the. The backlash to the overreach, whether it's mass deportation agendas, whether it's, you know, stripping people of voting rights, whether. I mean, the. And it's like the Streisand effect. Like, wow, now it's. Now it's, a front of everyone's mind. And the overreach is, you know, I think the backlash is equal and even to the amount of overreach that they're trying to bring into the equation. But I also think that, you know, these kinds of, you know, in these districts where they're diluting votes, I think that's going to impact statewide races, too. I think that's why Texas is trying to remove polling places from college campuses in certain counties where certain voters have a certain skin color. Now we're seeing. We saw it, in the primaries in Dallas county where they had all the wrong polling places. And then the, court extended the polls two hours, and then the Supreme Court for Texas came in and said, no, no, no, sequester those ballots. They can't count. That's going to be the norm for this upcoming election. Those kinds of shenanigans. Because, frankly, Talarico could flip Texas Senate seat blue. And I think that that really scares the hell out of them.
I think we're seeing, you know, increased efforts at voter suppression anywhere where, you have a state that is on the cusp of becoming majority minority. That's something that, you know, we've seen, over and over again, whether it's, you know, Texas or other states. I think that the, you know, closure of polling locations is one of the most obvious ways to see that. That people just don't want people to vote. And it's why, though, if people just, you know, have the backlash reaction to that, I think that these. These tactics may not work. It may not work very well at all. It may have actually been, that the overreach people have gone too far here, because in Texas. So now. Now the thing is, just go and make your Plans to get to the polls as early as you can so that you know that your voice is heard. Don't wait till the last second because you know there might be lines because they've closed people. I think it was 92 or 93 polling locations. but people know what that means. It reminds me a little bit of like when Georgia decided that they were going to ban food and water at polling locations. So many of the things we deal with@vote.org are you know, you're in the nitty gritty of you know, wonky laws that that are kind of death by, by a thousand paper cuts for the American voter but hard to bring attention to. Saying you can't have water in an eight hour line is something that's, that people really understand and they really get they you know, and my response to you know, all of that is was at the time, well if you, if you only have a 30 minute line you don't have to worry about water one way or the other. So maybe we could create policy that really you know, supports voters and voters experience instead of instead of trying to make it so that voters have to jump through as many hoops as possible to participate. But yes, I think the closure of polling places that's probably going to have a backlash effect especially because there's a high awareness of it. And I think for every voter out there now the challenge is just overcome this like we have in the past. Overcome it. get your vote cast, make your plans, make your plans early, go with friends and get out there and vote because it, it. I don't know about you but half the time when somebody takes a stance like that and tries to take something I, I double down harder because they did it and work really diligently to make sure that I get through the process that they're trying to trick me out of.
Yeah, 100%. Well tell everyone how they can help and where to go to help.
Well go to vote.org no matter what state you're in. We're going to have the state laws that you need to know to make sure you can participate. This year you can check and verify your registration@vote.org and it only takes two seconds. You can do it right there from your phone. This year we have already had over 300,000 people who've registered using vote.org so join. You know let's, let's increase those numbers by the, by the end of this fall and make sure that everybody out there is, is registered and ready to go. The biggest thing you can do after that is make sure you know what's on your ballot. Go to the what's on my ballot tool and vote.org and you can look and see what's going on up and down your ballot. And then make sure all your friends and family have the information they need to participate. That's a big one. It's one thing when I say go vote. It's a whole nother thing when you tell your best friend who loves and trusts you to go vote and to participate and invite them to go to the polls with you. So I think this year, that's more important than ever. Make those plans early. And no matter what, make sure that you preserve, the right to have your voice heard.
Well, thank you again so much for all the work that you do. It's so important. We really appreciate it.
Thank you, everybody.
Thank you so much. Andrea Haley, CEO of Vote.org make sure you go check your voter registration. See if you've been purged from the voter rolls. Make sure you're registered. Get all the rules, get all the information, get all the voter education you need, and make sure you share it with everyone you know. Again, thank you so much for joining me today. I can't thank you enough for all the work you do. Thank you, everybody. Stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?
Everyone?
Then good news, everyone. M. Good news. Good news, Everybody, please send your good news. Dana will be back next week, or I think actually at the end of this week. so while it just me, keep me company, write in, say hello, tell me why you're awesome. Tell me about a nonprofit I've never heard of that needs a boost or a small business in your area. Give a shout out to a loved one or a government program. Or send your good news little big from yesterday or 20 years ago, 40 years ago, doesn't matter. Something good. And we can all microdose in your hope. Send it to us along with maybe your good trouble suggestions@dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. And all you got to do is attach a photo. it can be a travel photo, a sunset, something you're making or creating. It can be, baby photos, family pictures, pictures of you at a rally, your favorite protest signs, a funny meme. it can be your pet. We can do. We could. We could stick with the old pod pet tariff. That works, too. Random animal on the Internet. Anything at all, please send it to us dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. First up is your good trouble. Good trouble today comes from Trish. Pronouns she and her hi ag and dg. I'm in Michigan and when I was getting ready to turn 55 this summer, my husband asked if I was having a party or a girls night out. As, someone who used to have a lot of friends, I found myself pretty alone these last two years as a result of letting anyone go who voted for this regime. I have a few like minded online friends, but most of that consists of just sending memes in an effort to cope with whatever fresh hell is happening that day. I've also been hearing a lot lately that one of the most important things we can do right now is build community and get to know our neighbors. But sadly I didn't even know most of my neighbors names. So for my birthday I decided to give myself something I actually needed. Real life community. I went looking through local democracy groups online, found women near me, and started reaching out individually. Basically. Hey stranger, from the Internet, you seem, cool. And also horrified by current events. Would you like to come to my antifa party? Well, about 20 women said yes. There were baby Trump balloons, trivia, food, laughter. But we also talked about friendships and family that we'd lost. How exhausting it is to live with constant breaking news and how we're coping, or in many cases, not coping. Something happened that night that I hadn't experienced in a long time. I felt like I had hope. That party has now turned into a group I named the Michigan May Day a, nod to the residents of the Handmaid's Tale. We're planning more gatherings, talking circles, rallies, and probably a midterms party because I've decided this level of anxiety is best served with snacks. Oh, I agree. My hope is that other women hear this and start their own version wherever they live. Find five women, invite them for coffee, learn their names, talk about what scares you, figure out what you can do together. Sending each other memes may help us survive the day, but knowing who will be standing next to us when things get hard matters so much more. Thank you ladies for all that you do. I love the show and you're truly appreciated. P.S. attached is a pic of one of the badass cupcakes made by the ladies. This is incredible. I hope you play this good news story the next time you all meet Trish. Okay, the cupcake, it's a trump, but it's a poop. And then it's got eyes and the hair frosting is fantastic. And the red tie is amazing. That's incredible. How wonderful. Oh, and I love that watermelon sweater. Oh, there you are, Trish. Thank you so much. What a great idea. Real community. It's so important. All right, next up from Kathleen from Baltimore. She her In 2012, I met Gloria Steinem at the American Humanist association conference where she was awarded Humanist of the Year. She was both amazing and down to earth. She told a funny story about sitting on a plane where the man sitting next to her said he was hoping they weren't going to show out one of those chick flicks. She told him she was hoping they weren't going to show one of those prick flicks, which she defined as those movies with car chases and explosions. Sharing a bird watching photo, a painting on the gable end of a house in County Cavan. Is that saying that right? County cave in Ireland. Look at this amazing photo. Oh, that mural is beautiful. Oh, that's a pretty bird. I absolutely love it. Thank you so much, Kathleen, for sharing that memory with us. Next up, anonymous pronoun. She and her many people don't like bats because they don't understand their importance. We do understand them and in fact, we encourage their maternity colony every summer in our six bat houses on Manitisky Lake, Michigan. Manatisky Lake, am I saying that right? They have their pups here and each one gets thousands of mosquitoes and other insects every night. Farmers depend on bats to eat insect pests too. Their population was slash is being decimated by white nose syndrome. So helping to regenerate their numbers is important to us. This is incredible. I love bats. Thank you so much for this. Look, there's the bat houses. Hey, bats. Look, I see some bats. Hey, guys. They're so cute. Oh, they're so important. Both just because they're cute and ecologically. All right, next up from Michelle. Dear Ag and dg, today my hail dented Honda drove my mom, my sister, my two daughters and me to walk the Chalk. It's an event in downtown Littleton, Colorado. Although it was a toasty Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed ourselves in the artwork and the time spent together in our community. Lovely chalk art, drawings, cute puppies and babies and a fun feeling of sharing something free and important with others. We must enjoy art, simplicity and beauty in these impossible times. Attached is one of the chalk art submissions and when I saw it, I knew I needed to snap a photo of it for my beans queens. Thank you for being you and inspiring me. Michelle this is a fantastic chalk drawing of Frank N. Furter by Tim Curry. And look, there's the source art there in their hand. That's gorgeous. Thank you so much for sharing that. next up, Anonymous drove around the block to go back to get this photo to share from Council Bluffs, Iowa, next to Omaha's Blue Dot. Everyone, we are a lot purpler here than the polls show. Oh, for pet tax, here's an unknown to me pollinator insect I saw this morning. It has a vivid set of giant fake eyes on its butt. Amazing. So the thing that they drove back around to see. Be happy. It drives people crazy. And, oh, yeah, there's a pollinator. Look at that. Oh, that is a. Oh. Producer's note. Scolia dubia, also known as the two spotted scolid wasp or blue winged scolid wasp according to Google. Very cool. next up, Aunt Maggie pronoun. She and her he beans queens. Allison, you know, I know you're holding it down by yourself, and I've got some really bad great jokes, so I thought I'd share one with you. This is one of my Grandma Aggie's favorites. What did the mama skunk say to her babies when they sat down to eat dinner? Let us spray. Very nice, Aunt Maggie. For pod pet tariff, I've attached a picture of Calvin. Calvin is 8 or 9 years old. He belongs to some friends of ours. He was feral and partially paralyzed from the waist down. So he's got some serious mobility issues. Anytime they go on vacation, my wife and I go and we house sit for them, and we can sit and stay with Calvin. And for seven and a half years, Calvin had nothing to do with us. But last summer, I went to stay with Calvin for a week in June. When I got there, he met me at the front door, and he was with me by my side just about every minute that I was at the house, unless he was asleep. He let me pick him up. He let me carry him around. He let me pose him for pictures. I don't know how this happened. God is good, because Calvin is my new favorite man. We love you guys. We're daily listeners and we're so glad we found you. We need the news, Aunt Maggie. Thank you so much. Look at this baby Tabby. What a sweet baby. And his little funny sits. He sits because he's a little partially paralyzed with his little booty. Oh, my God. Adorable, everyone. Thank you so much. I needed that. I needed that. This Monday afternoon, I'm gonna get out of here, head over and record Beans Talk for you and then I'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Thanks again so much to Andrea Haley@vote.org for all of the work she's doing. Please, please check out your voter registration now. after this show is done. Do that and then come and see me over on Beans Talk. And until tomorrow, 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 and them's the beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Alison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Graduates Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com msw media.