Wednesday, August 13th, 2025 Today, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the Arkansas ban on gender affirming care; bigot Kim Davis has asked the Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality; a federal judge has ordered improved conditions for immigrants detained at 26 Federal Plaza; how the State Department grappled with the release of a triple murderer in the CECOT prisoner exchange; Trump’s new jobs numbers guy suggests suspending monthly job reports; Putin visits Alaska as talks swirl about a new Trump Tower Moscow; core inflation continues to rise in the United States; Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urges prosecutors to jail Beto O'Rourke; Sherrod Brown announces his bid for Senate in 2026; and Allison and Dana read your Good News.
Wednesday, August 13th, 2025
Today, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the Arkansas ban on gender affirming care; bigot Kim Davis has asked the Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality; a federal judge has ordered improved conditions for immigrants detained at 26 Federal Plaza; how the State Department grappled with the release of a triple murderer in the CECOT prisoner exchange; Trump’s new jobs numbers guy suggests suspending monthly job reports; Putin visits Alaska as talks swirl about a new Trump Tower Moscow; core inflation continues to rise in the United States; Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urges prosecutors to jail Beto O'Rourke; Sherrod Brown announces his bid for Senate in 2026; and Allison and Dana read your Good News.
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Protest Putin in Alaska! Thursday, August 14 - 5:00 p.m. Valdez, AK, Small Boat Harbor Boardwalk. Putin will be traveling to Alaska to meet with Trump. They will discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Join Alaskans all over the state and rally to show that we oppose rolling out the red carpet for Putin and Trump and to show our solidarity with Ukraine. Bring Ukrainian Flags if you have them.
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Um, MSW Media media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Today, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the Arkansas ban. Gender affirming care bigot Kim Davis has asked the Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. A federal judge has ordered improved conditions for immigrants detained at 26 Federal Plaza. How the State Department grappled with the release of a triple murderer in the Seacoat prisoner exchange. Trump's new job numbers guy suggests suspending monthly job reports. Putin visits Alaska as talks swirl about a new Trump Tower. Moscow core inflation continues to rise in the United States. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urges prosecutors to jail Beto o'. Rourke. And Sherrod Brown announces his bid for Senate in 2026. I'm Allison Gill.
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Hey, Dana. Happy Wednesday.
Happy Wednesday to you, my friend. Uh, there's some good things on this little, um, list. There's some real shitty things on this little list. I know we're going to get to all of them, but, um, yeah, you've got. God, we have a packed show.
We do. We have a very packed show. Um, it's hump day. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. It's the taint of the week and some cool stuff here. First of all, Adam Classfeld's going to join us later in the show from All Rise News. He's, he was following that court proceeding all day. Gravid Newsom's lawsuit against the Department of Justice and Department of Their. No, actually against Donald Trump. The Trump administration. Right. For sending all the troops to Los Angeles. Yeah. Not going well for the government in that bench trial with Judge Breyer. And we're going to talk to Adam Classfeld. And then I'm going to be talking with, you know, former GOP comm strategist, and she's the co founder, CEO of the Senica Project, Tara Setmare. You've seen her, right? Like on CNN and ABC and everywhere. So we're going to talk to her for a bit. And the crux of our conversation is her and I disagree on a lot of policy stuff, but we agree that we have to get rid of the Trump administration before we can sit down and have disagreements on tax margins. Good. That's where it should be. Right. So it's, it's kind of like, it reminds me of, like, the wonderful conversations we have with our friend Olivia [Troye Troy or, you know, George Conway or, or any. Anybody like that. So it's really good conversation. She's really good at comms, and we, we talk a lot about what the Texas Democrats are doing and how this is the thing. Right. Yeah. To latch onto. And really good news. Sherrod Brown is running for Senate again in Ohio in 2026.
I love him.
He is the best populist guy in the world. Super pro union, very progressive, and I think he's got a real good chance to get his seat back.
Yeah, I, you know, I don't want to go down conspiracy rabbit holes, but, you know, I don't necessarily. I don't know. Everyone loved Sherrod has done so much good for that state, and I know that he's got a very good, uh, support system across the aisle. So I would love to see him get back into our government.
Yeah, we could definitely use that vote in the Senate. All right, we have, like you said, tons to get to today, so let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. First up, uh, from abc. Yesterday, we promised we would do a deeper dive on this story. Ten years after the Supreme Court extended marriage rights to same sex couples nationwide, the justices this fall will consider for the first time, um, whether or not to consider a case that explicitly asked them to overturn that decision. So they haven't. They're considering considering it, if that makes sense.
Yep.
This is Kim Davis, former Kentucky county clerk. You've all seen her and know her and hate her. Who was jailed for six days in 2015 after refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. One specific. On religious grounds. And she's appealing a $100,000 jury verdict for emotional damages, plus $260,000 for attorney's fees. In a petition for a writ of certiorari filed last month, Davis argues First Amendment protection for free exercise of religion immunizes her from personal liability for the denial of marriage licenses. No, it doesn't. More fundamentally, she claims the high court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges extending marriage rights for same sex couples under the 14th Amendment's due process protections. She says it was egregiously wrong.
It was not.
No quote. The mistake must be corrected. That's what Davis's attorney, Matthew Staver, said in the petition. And may he rot in hell. Just, uh, just saying. He calls Justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion in Obergefell legal fiction. Legal fiction, Dana. The court is expected to formally consider Davis's petition this fall during a private conference when the justices discuss which cases to add to their docket. So, want to be clear, they haven't taken up this case. They. This fall, they're going to have a conference on whether or not to decide to take up this case. But if it's accepted, it would likely be scheduled for oral argument next spring and decided by the end of June 2026. The court could also decline to take the case, allowing a lower court ruling to stand and avoid entirely the request to revisit Obergefell. And here's a quote from Sarah Isger, who's ABC News legal analyst and she hosts, uh, a podcast called Advisory Opinions. She said Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett seem wildly uninterested in this case. Maybe Justice Neil Gorsuch too.
So we'll see.
This is, you know, I just want to be clear. This is just this horrible, bigoted who.
Has been married four times. She was married and divorced three times. She's on her fourth marriage and she's arguing about the sanctity of marriage. So I'm sorry if I'm angry over here, but give me a goddamn break.
Yeah, but this is just her asking the Supreme Court to hear her case. Now, we've long known that folks like Alito and Thomas.
Mhm.
Have been champing at the bit to go after that.
Well, Thomas already mentioned when he overturned Roe v. Wade. We need to revisit o' Griswold and Obergefell.
Griswold and Obergefell. And probably loving, even though.
No, he doesn't. Oh, God, doesn't care about loving. He, uh, doesn't want to revisit loving because he's got a white wife. A very white. Like Storm the Capitol white. She's very white.
Storm the Capitol white. Well, he'd probably do a thing where, you know, people who are already interracially married are fine, but anyone who wants to get a new marriage certificate, I mean, who knows? Or leave it up to the states. Right. Yeah.
Uh, I understand why people are scared in this situation. And like Allison said, they haven't decided to take the case or deciding whether or not to decide to take the case. But if you happen to be a same sex couple and you are married and you are on Instagram, I want you to go to under the Desk News. Yes V. Esper, put out a reel, and it covers the nine forms that you need to fill out and how to get them to protect your family, your health, your partner, if marriage equality falls in your state. And remember, it will not necessarily go away in all states, regardless of what the Supreme Court says. But unfortunately, even interstate travel can be a problem for married couples. So go to Instagram, go to under the Desk News. You'll be able to find the reel, it's just in the last couple of days. And I think it's, it's unfortunately labeled the fall of marriage equality. But watch it because it is very, very helpful to prepare and protect yourself.
Please do. And make no mistake, Obergefell is under threat and it has been. So we have to continue to be loud about this.
And some of you out there that happen to be in a same sex relationship that just don't believe in marriage. This is also a way to protect your family and your rights. And God forbid anything happen to your partner, that there's no hospital in the state that can say you can't come and visit them. No third relative, once removed fourth cousin can come in and be like, I'm sorry, that person's not allowed in that. Make sure you protect yourself. That's all.
Yeah.
All right. This next One is from CNN. E.J. anthony, nominated by President Trump Monday to become the next commissioner for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, suggested that the agency should suspend its monthly jobs report, claiming that it's unreliable. They're frequently overstated. Oh, yeah. Anthony is in an interview with fo Fox Business News, by the way, that took place before his nomination was published Tuesday, said the BLS should instead publish quarterly data after it has been revised until BLS can ensure its monthly jobs data is more accurate. So that's saying instead, we need time to actually fix the numbers. This is the guy, by the way, that helped. He's part of the Heritage Foundation.
Oh, yeah.
Okay.
None of this should be surprising. It's Project 2025, and I quote, until it's corrected, the BLS should suspend issuing the monthly job reports but keep publishing the more accurate, though less timely quarterly data. This is what he told Fox Business. And he said major decision makers from Wall street to D.C. rely on these numbers and the lack of confidence in the data has far reaching consequences. Um, right. And also inflated numbers can fuck our entire thing. Now, Trump fired, by the way, the former Bureau of Labor statistics commissioner Erica McIntar. Mcinterfer, McKenturfer, McCuntifer maybe. Okay. After the July jobs report showed weak growth, which was the truth that month, and had included revisions for May and June that were historically large, Trump claimed without any evidence, the revisions constituted a scam and a vendetta against his presidency. Mind you, Erica was the messenger. She literally saw the job numbers right before she had to announce them. Had nothing to do with procuring them.
No. She takes data from 40 different people and looks at it and goes k and publishes it. That's it now? Let me. Let's talk math for a second. What's this guy's name? What's this moron's name? E.J. e.J. Yeah.
Anthony and Tony.
A.J. shouldn't be in charge of anything that has to do with math because let's. Who. Who cares? Whether it's quarterly or monthly doesn't matter for how many months you're reporting. It matters how long you wait before you report it. So stay with me here. Like if you. Let's say it takes three months to get a revision, right? So you got January's jobs numbers, and let's say you get the revisions for January in March, okay? Mhm. Then you can publish a monthly jobs report. Just do it 90 days in arrears. You can still do it monthly. How does switching to quarterly January through March. If you report it in April, you're still going to have revisions in July. So I don't understand the math because.
The math isn't mathing. You're not going to be able to understand the math. You're too intelligent and you care about numbers.
You can still do monthly. You know what? Never mind. I just. Okay. I can't fit it all on a bumper sticker, so it doesn't matter. All right, next up, this comes from the aclu, and this is bad news here. Following the supreme court's ruling in USV Scarmetti, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a challenge to an Arkansas law that bans gender affirming care for transgender youth. The law in Arkansas was the first statewide ban on gender affirming care when it passed over a veto from Governor Asa Hutchinson in 2021. Quote, this is a tragically, uh, unjust result for transgender Arkansans, their doctors, and their families. That's Holly Dixon, executive director of the ACLU for Arkansas. Quote, the state had every opportunity and failed at every turn to prove that this law helps children. In fact, this is a dangerous law that harms children. The law has already had a profound impact on families across Arkansas, who all deserve a fundamental right to do what's best for their children. As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want transgender Arkansans to know they are far from alone, and we remain as determined as ever to secure their right to safety, dignity, and equal access to the health care they need. Soon after the ban was passed In Arkansas in 2021, four families of transgender youth and two doctors challenged the ban that would prohibit healthcare professionals from providing medically necessary health care to transgender youth under 18. The lawsuit filed in federal court alleged that House Bill 1570 is a violation of the U.S. constitution. A preliminary injunction from the District court blocked enforcement of the law since July 2021, but the 8th Circuit just upheld it.
Thanks so much, Alison. This next one's from the Wall Street Journal. Expectations in Russia, they're running high. Ahead of Friday's planned summit between Vladimir Putin and President Trump, Moscow sees an opening to reset relations with Washington. Okay, I didn't realize. I can't. With Kremlin officials hinting at the potential for deals with the US on infrastructure and energy in the Arctic and beyond. We've talked about this. Why the fuck do you think that Trump keeps talking about taking over Canada? Now as Russia state media plays up what it bills as a looming entante. I'm learning so many words today. Entente between two equal great powers. And I quote, neocons and other warmongers won't be smiling when the two leaders meet. This is from senior Putin aide Kirill Dmitriev. He went on to say the Putin Trump dialogue will bring hope, peace, and global security. Yep. Though the Ukrainian question has been cleared to be the main item of the agenda. Quote, much more important global issues would be raised in Alaska, including ambitious plans for economic and infrastructure cooperation in the Arctic. This is from senior Russian lawmaker Sergey Gavrilov. That's what he said. Alexander Yakovenko, a former ambassador who headed Russia's Foreign Service Academy until last year, wrote op ed for the state RIA news agency that, and I quote, settling the war in Ukraine, which has been lost by the West a long time ago. That's not true. Has become a secondary issue in relations between the United States and Russia. Nothing more than an obstacle to normalization that we must overcome together. Okay, well, that's bullshit. Guess if they say it enough, they. They believe it. Now, ever since the summit was announced, Russian media had been replete with stories about special US Envoy Steve Witkoff and Dmitriev sharing fried dumplings at a restaurant in Russian capital and about the site of the future Moscow hotel, described as a possible Trump Tower. Moscow that the two men visited last week.
Of course.
Yep. Trump has let his self imposed deadline on sanctions against Russia lapse. Imagine that. Ahead of the summit, a move European diplomats fear signals to Russia that no serious additional US Pressure will be placed on the Kremlin whatever happens with Ukraine. Now, are you anyone surprised by this? Anyone at all surprised by this?
No, no, no, I'm not, but. Oh, uh, Ukraine's an afterthought. We have to talk about Our, you know, infrastructure settled.
The west lost.
The west totally lost.
That's not what happened.
How horrible. What an awful thing to say.
Yeah.
My God. And then Caroline Levitt. Oh, we're very proud to welcome the Russian president onto U. S. Soil. He's a murderous dictator. Ugh. Uh, war crimes, genocide in Ukraine.
Just awful, awful. And you got a leader of Ukraine that's actually doing their job.
Yes. Then they hate that cares about his.
Country, who's protecting his country.
They hate that so very much.
Yes, they do.
All right, so Trump Tower, Moscow. I guess Trump doesn't learn because Russia offered him a Trump Tower Moscow before.
Didn't that have to do with Ms. M Universe or one of those things.
That get rid of sanctions?
Right.
That was what The Trump. The June 2016 Trump Tower meeting was about. And they just pulled it right out from under him after they got what they wanted, I guess. I don't know. I'm not gonna say that he's, uh, equipped to learn lessons, but here we are. Next up from the Times. By the time the United States was extracting a group of Americans and legal US Residents from a prison in Venezuela last month, some State department officials had come to an uncomfortable realization. Now, we reported this about three weeks ago, Andy McCabe and I, on the unjustified podcast, that within this swap of 10 prisoners for everybody, for every man at Seacoat. Mhm. Was a triple murderer, Remember?
Yep.
And one of the prisoners had been convicted of murdering three people in Spain in 2016. And soon he would be on his way home to the United States, having his photo taken alongside those deemed by the United States who had been wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela. How were they going to explain that to the American people? On July 18, the day of the prisoner release, US officials tried to figure out whether and how to acknowledge that Washington was bringing home Dahood Hanid Ortiz, whose case seemed to undercut Trump's claims of keeping the worst of the worst out of the United States. In an internal email exchange. So because Andy and I were like, did they know? Did they even look? Did they read up on this guy? Yeah, they did. And this is what this story is about.
Amazing.
In an internal email exchange that was obtained by the Times, the State Department officials debated whether to include Mr. Ortiz in a public statement to be published that afternoon about people being released, 10 of them, including him. Michael Kozak, the career official who oversees diplomacy in the Western hemisphere, replied, well, then we probably should have not asked for him. Can we extradite him to Spain? We did get the Son of a bitch.
Released.
Finally, Mr. Kozak made the decision to include him. Well, I would stick with 10, as we did ask for and receive 10. And he added that the fact that at least one is a bum does not change that fact. A bum, A triple murderer is a bum. This guy's free in Orlando, by the way. That afternoon, Secretary of State Rubio released a statement saying Trump's leadership had led to the release of 10Americans. Quote, Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland. Except for one who actually did kill three people. No, he didn't say that. I added that. At some point, however, US Officials started to refer to nine people instead of ten. Getting a statement.
Sorry, let's, uh, not talk about that one.
Nine? I thought it was ten. It's nine. Just shut up. That's a nasty question. We need to get rid of the jobs report guy. Shut up. In a statement, an official from the State Department said, we do not comment on allegedly leaked emails. We're very pleased that nine innocent, wrongfully detained Americans have been freed from Venezuela. So. So the Times reached out to the State Department to ask about this triple murder guy and they're like, we don't reply to your bullshit leaky emails. We're very pleased that nine innocent, wrongfully.
Detained Americans have been freed.
The Trump administration is committed to law and order. Violators will be held accountable for their crimes by being exchanged for non criminals.
And released in Orlando.
I just, I can't with this information, with this administration, this law and order administration, maybe one of the roving patrols of FBI agents can help find this guy.
Maybe they're not doing anything. All right. This story is from CBS. The Consumer Price Index in July, it rose 2.7% on an annual basis. This is slightly cooler than economists had forecast. The cpi, it's a basket of goods and services typically bought by consumers. What it does is it tracks the change in prices on everyday items such as food and apparel over time. So far this year, inflation has stayed at around 3% or lower. With June CPI reading at 2.7%. That's above the Fed's 2% annual target.
Uh, right.
So called core inflation. A measure or CPI that excludes food and energy prices, which are more volatile. That rose by 3.1% over the past 12 months. That's the highest level in five months. Economists polled by FactSet had predicted a 3% increase for that measure. With the CPI in July rising to annualized rate of 2.7%. Inflation remains above the Fed 2% target rate. However, most analysts say that the possibility of a Fed rate cut in September is likely still on the table. And I quote, although core annual inflation is back to its highest level since February, today's CPI print is not hot enough to derail the Fed from cutting rates in September. This is from Shah. Now, as we just talked about, though, the latest jobs report shows that hiring actually slowed in July, which could bolster the case for a Fed cut rate. So.
Yeah, yeah. And we've long said, why would.
Yeah, maybe you should keep those fucking numbers.
We've long said, oh, you want lower interest rates? Okay, well, you have to drive up unemployment. I mean, that's how you get that done. Do you want that? And apparently that's what they're going for. But we also have to remember this CPI number, this Consumer Price Index number, you know, where they go out and get the prices for the eggs and the prices for that. Do you remember when we did the story that they fired most of that staff? Mhm. That get those prices. So I just want to be clear that this is Trump's report on these numbers with a very cut staff of people going out and getting these average prices of goods. So do I trust that inflation is not rising as fast? No. No, I don't. Also from Politico, Attorney General Ken Paxton. Huh. He has asked a Texas district court judge to jail Beto o' Rourke over his fundraising pitches connected to the state's intensifying redistricting battle. I wouldn't call it a intensifying redistricting battle. I would call it Republicans fucking cheating. But Paxton's request accused the Texas Democrat of violating a court order that the judge, Tarrant County's Megan Fahey, issued last week that barred fundraising by o' Rourke and his nonprofit, powered by people that were intended to bankroll the efforts by Texas Democratic lawmakers to derail the redistricting effort. In support of his claim, he highlighted a remark o' Rourke made at a Saturday rally a day after Fahey's order, saying, there are no refs in this game. Fuck the rules. Uh, hear, hear. But an attorney for o' Rourke says Paxton's characterization of o' Rourke's remark was an outright lie. O' Rourke's comment, she noted, was a reference to the broader nationwide fight over redistricting, a call for Democratic states to counteract Texas's redistricting push by undertaking their own redrawing of political boundaries. Quote, in their zeal and I guess to intimidate a political rival, they are actually lying to the court. Said o' Rourke's attorney, Mimi Marziani. That's her name. Who said she would quickly alert the court to the context of o' Rourke's comments and her intention to seek sanctions against Ken Paxton. Now, Paxton's request to jail o', Rourke, a political rival, comes amid calls by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Paxton and all their allies to arrest arrest dozens of Democratic state lawmakers who left Texas to prevent a quorum, to prevent Abbott from holding a special session to pass his ultra partisan redistricting measure, one expected to net Republicans five seats in Congress. So they're actually trying to now jail Beto o'.
Rourke. It's not going to happen, but it's just ridiculous.
Yeah.
Oh, my God. Okay, I have some better news for everyone. At least if that's in comparison to what we've just told you.
A. Ah.
Federal judge has ordered the Trump administration on Tuesday to swiftly remedy conditions inside migrant holding cells in New York City, where detainees have complained of squalid and overcrowded conditions. We just covered the story. Now, the judge, which, thank God, is Lewis Kaplan, that ring a bell?
That, uh, yeah, uh, that's, uh.
E. Jean Carroll, ordered the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to hold fewer people in the 10th floor holding cells of the agency's lower Manhattan offices at 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE has been accused of detaining dozens of migrants for days or weeks in tight quarters meant to hold detainees for just a few hours. Now, the judge also ordered ICE to allow migrants to place calls to their lawyers.
Good.
Yes. And to ensure that they have access to proper medical and hygiene care following allegations that detainees were deprived of sh. Showers, giving meager meals, and forced to sleep on concrete floor without any bedding. You have to remember, we don't even know. They don't even know if any of these people have committed crimes. A lot of these people have been living in the United States for years, doing what they're supposed to with their hearings, working, paying taxes, and then this is the way they're fucking treated. It infuriates me.
These are the folks who show up to their immigration hearings.
Yes, that's what I'm saying. They're doing what they're supposed to do. Now, the ruling came in response to a lawsuit that was filed in Manhattan federal court Friday by legal organizations representing Peruvian immigrant Sergio Alberto Barco Mercado, who was arrested by ICE and held at 26 Federal Plaza last week. Now, I don't know if this is the guy that snuck in the phone to record some of this, but somebody Did, Thank God.
Yeah. And that was used as evidence in this case. But this is the same lawsuit that we reported on here on the beans. So we got a temporary restraining order from Judge one. And yeah, I mean, Jesus. Yes, they get to call their lawyers. No, you can't put them next to an overflowing toilet on the ground to sleep. No. You cannot have a, you know, 20 people in a 10 by 10 room with the lights on all night and no air conditioning. No. And there has to be hygiene. There has to be like, Jesus. This is basic constitutional.
Yep.
All right. Thank, uh, you for that. I'm really glad that that story came through. I'm really glad that trow came through. Let's get to some good trouble.
What are you guys doing?
All right. You're good trouble mission, should you choose to accept it. Alaskans, we want you to protest Putin and his visit in Alaska. On Thursday, August 14th at 5pm Valdez, Alaska, small boat Harbor Boardwalk. Putin will be traveling to Alaska to meet with Trump. They are going to discuss, quote, a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which pretty much amounts to Trump letting Putin have pieces of Ukraine and putting the old Yanukovych in charge of it. Right. His original Ukraine peace plan. And I put that in air quotes of peace talks without Ukraine present. Okay, so that's what they're going to discuss. Putin is wanted by the icc, by the way, so I don't know if they're going to red notice him and maybe somebody shows up and arrests him in Alaska. That would be pretty fantastic. But anyway, they say we will join Alaskans all over the state and rally to show that we oppose rolling out the red carpet for Putin and Trump and to show our solidarity with Ukraine. So bring Ukrainian flags if you have them. August 14, 5:00pm Valdez, Alaska, small boat Harbor Boardwalk. Thank you very much. That's your good trouble.
Go do it. Go make some.
Do it. Make the good trouble. All right, everybody, we're going to be right back. We're going to talk to Adam Klassfeld a little bit about the court case today. Gavin Newsom versus the army or the Marines, is it, I don't know, the Pentagon. He's suing everybody, which is great.
I just wish it was versus Trump because that's who it should be to.
Get everybody to get all these military troops used against civilians on US Soil out of California. And then after that, we're going to talk to Terracet mayor. So everybody stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. This Episode is brought to you by IQ Bar. The better for you Plant protein based snacks made with brain boosting nutrients to refuel, nourish and satisfy hunger without the sugar crash. And right now, IQ Bar is offering podcast listeners an exclusive deal. 20% off all IQ bar products, plus free shipping. Just text daily beans all one word to 64,000. So IQ Bar sent me a bunch of stuff. Their ultimate sampler pack. Uh, and right away I was totally impressed. The mint chocolate chip bar became an instant favorite. But honestly, every flavor is worth keeping on hand. These bars are made with high quality ingredients that help you both physically and mentally, which is exactly what I need when my schedule gets chaotic, which, let's be honest, it always is. IQ Bar is free from gluten. It's got no dairy, no soy, no GMOs, no artificial sweeteners. And it feels good knowing I'm putting something clean into my body. There are nine flavors to choose from and they're all amazing. Chocolate sea salt, banana nut, toasted coconut chip, um, lemon blueberry, peanut butter chip. One of my favorites. With over 20,000 5 star reviews, more people than ever are discovering the brain and body benefits of IQ Bars. Plant protein bars, hydration mixes they have as well. Really infused with magnesium. They've got mushroom coffees that are awesome. So I can see why they have 20,000 five star reviews. I love these guys. So I like to keep a couple bars in my bag, gym bag, one in my nightstand, uh, and a bunch in my kitchen. They're satisfying without making me feel heavy. And I noticed I stay sharper throughout the afternoon because I get a little snackies. So whether you're looking for an easy breakfast, a healthy snack, or a smarter post workout bite, IQ Bar delivers flavor and function in every single bar. So right now, IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, plus you get free shipping. So to get your 20% off, text daily beans to 64,000. Again, text the word daily beans to 64,000. That's daily beans to 64,000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. I'm happy to be joined today by my good friend, the absolute best from All Rise News. Adam Klassfeld is here to talk about the trial that's underway in San Francisco with you know, Gavin Newsom and the Attorney General of California regarding the military deployments in Los Angeles. Adam, how are you doing?
Well, Alison, great scoop yesterday on the Ghislaine Maxwell. I would be remiss if I didn't start by saying that, uh, thank you.
Thank you so much. I appreciate it. I expect Kendall Indian to come out with the scoop any day. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but, uh, I wanted to talk to you today because you're one of, you know, my favorite independent reporters out there on the beat, on the court beat. And you are following along with the trial. It's a bench trial in front of Judge Breyer, who is Justice Breyer, Former Justice Breyer's brother. He's a district judge and I believe in the Northern district of California. Is that correct?
That's correct, yes.
Mhm. And he is doing this bench trial. It should just last. It should be done by this week, I, I imagine. And I wanted to talk to you about what's going on. And as I was following along, I was a little confused that the defense is up. I mean, has the prosecution, well, the plaintiffs, I should say, already gone with their witnesses and stuff, tell us, give us a little kind of wrap up about what's happened so far?
Absolutely. Well, you got it right. The, uh, evidentiary phase of trial, as we speak, has ended. Uh, both the State of California and the DOJ have presented their cases. And the key witness for both of them is one man by the name of Major General Scott Sherman. The State of California had two other witnesses, but I would say that Major General Sherman gave the most damaging testimony to the Department of Justice, uh, until today. He repudiated all that testimony. So let me give you a rundown of what he did, because I was.
Going to say yesterday, it didn't seem to go too well for them. And then I was like, wait, he's a witness for the government?
Right.
But apparently he's a witness for both, as you say.
Absolutely. And so there was great case of whiplash that happened because when this trial started on Monday, the testimony that we got from Major General Sherman, a decorated general of 33 years of service in the military, we were regaled with the dramatic story of how the MacArthur park operation of Task Force 51, General Sherman.
That's what stood out to me too, Adam. Um, was the MacArthur park thing where they, whoa. We were going to go in with 50 vehicles and beep bomb.
Uh, so, yeah, absolutely, because that was one of the most iconic operations since this entire thing on July 7th. Folks remember, um, who are listening, the, uh, federal troops marching around, uh, MacArthur Park, a iconic site for immigrants described by one city council member as the Ellis island of the West Coast. Um, this was an operation that General Sherman testified yesterday he objected, uh, to. And he is the commander of Task Force 51, that is to say the commander of the task force behind all of the troop deployments in la. Since all of this began. And after he objected to the MacArthur park operation, he said a Trump official, a civilian Trump official by the name of Chief Bavino of, uh, Border Patrol, questioned his loyalty to the United States. So a man of, uh, three decades of service objecting to one of the most controversial actions since all of this began, his loyalty is questioned, uh, and he eventually is no longer a part of that particular operation. Now, his testimony yesterday was about objecting to that particular operation. He talked about how in the Department of Defense, no one was calling the LA protests, the ICE protests, a rebellion, which is a legally significant, uh, concession, given that it's one of the central bases on which Trump justified the deployment of troops in California. And he also said that there was a low risk assessment in the MacArthur park operation. Now, today, he said the precise opposite. He said that he said he would clarify his view on whether or not there was a rebellion, because that he understood and other people in the DoD were aware that the President was referring to it as a rebellion, and everyone in the DoD would have been aware of that rationale. He then goes ahead and says of the MacArthur park operation that, well, the reason that he did not initially, uh, approve the request for assistance the rfa is that this was assessed at a higher threat level, that it wouldn't actually necessarily have involved him. And he eventually, uh, uh, agreed with it. Which seems rather inconsistent with the testimony from yesterday that a Trump official, Chief Bovino of Border Patrol, questioned his loyalty over it. It was whiplash inducing testimony. He, oh, in overall, his testimony was there were no violations of the Posse Comitatus Act. And he said further with that, um, that here's, uh, an interesting thing that has emerged, an interesting, uh, crossroads with where everything is going. It seems that the evidentiary record is m. Mostly undisputed. The DOJ does not dispute that certain people were detained, uh, during and under the Posse Comitatus act, that the military is not supposed to conduct civilian law enforcement except for limited exceptions. But it's undisputed that some people were detained. Everyone saw the footage of the veteran trying to go to the VA and being held by Marines. Uh, that was discussed during witness testimony whether the, uh, traffic control is a civilian law enforcement function. Now, the way that the general tried to thread the needle there is by saying that there was what he called a constitutional exception. Judge Breyer pressed him on this because he hadn't heard of, you know, when a federal judge says, well, what do you mean, a constitutional exception? And there was a very interesting exchange there where essentially General Sherman acknowledged that this is just the legal advice that he heard from all the way up the chain of the Department of Defense. Uh, so this is all, ah, right now we're in a court recess before we head to, uh, oral arguments, uh, at the. Where everyone. The, you know, the evidentiary phase is over, and people are going to make legal arguments. What is happening now? It seems quite clear that the legal arguments are, you know, the. They are going to interpret the same set of facts, and the government is going to argue, well, because this exception applied and this exception applied, uh, then this isn't a Posse Comitatus act violation, and the State of California is going to say there is no such thing as this constitutional exception that has come down from the top of the chain of the Department of Defense, that this is a smokescreen. Your Honor, you should issue an injunction blocking Posse Comitatus act violations in other cities because they played the clip of Trump, uh, his press conference yesterday promising more in Oakland, Baltimore and other cities.
Yeah. Just two more quick questions for you. The DOJ seemed to really not want to play some footage of the Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and something that he said, like, the day before, the night before, the same day during testimony, but they were overwritten and. And that clip was played. What was that? Why did the doj. What. What did Pete Hegseth say? Why do you think the DOJ didn't want it to be played in court?
Well, they didn't want to be played because if you're seeking injunctive relief, it's a damaging piece of evidence. Right. You're.
Because it's devastating to my case. Right.
I mean.
Well, that. And I think I like Judge Breyer.
Evidentiary basis for it. But, you know, obviously they're, uh, they're objecting on other grounds, like relevance, but relevance.
And. And this is, you know, we weren't given this. And Judge Breyer's like, well, yeah, because it just happened.
Exactly. There was. It was a very funny, uh, moment, because, yes, it came. It was a press conference scheduled for the first day of this PCA trial.
So.
Absolutely, as you said, Allison, this was the basis of the objection. Oh, this wasn't on the exhibit list. The exhibits were due days before the trial. This is a new piece of evidence that goes to their injunction request.
What was it that Hegseth said that the DOJ didn't want anyone to hear, uh, that he.
That this is what we did in Los Angeles. Hegseth, uh, brought up the Los Angeles example as an example for future things.
Got it. And then my. My final question. Has anybody brought up the fact that the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles is having a real hard time getting true bills for protesters and that some of the ICE agents have basically lied in their statements regarding what actually went on? Because it seemed like it might go toward the fact that it wasn't a need for the military to come to Los Angeles, because out of, like, 40 grand jury, uh, indictments, he's been able to get, like, five, and he's actually dismissed a couple of them. And now we're finding out that the ICE agents or CPB officials were actually making misrepresentations to the grand jury, and that's why they weren't able to secure any of these indictments. Uh, which is, by the way, for a Department of justice that usually enjoys like, a 99 return of true bill rate or something like that, for them to only get a handful out of 40 is pretty astounding. Right. It's really kind of killing their. Their record there, but it's slightly better.
Than Durham record, but.
Oh, yes, the Durham record. Did that come up at all? Or was that kind of, like, not really relevant to this procedure?
Honestly, it's an excellent point, Allison. It's an important story. People should follow it. Uh, unless it was a very quick episode that I missed, I did not personally hear that come up during the evidentiary phase, because I was looking for.
It, and I didn't see it either.
Yeah.
All right, well, I really appreciate your updates. I know you got to get back into the courtroom. Everybody needs to follow Adam Klassfeld and All Rise New so that you can get all this blow by blow, this information. And I appreciate you coming on and giving us the long and short of it, and I hope that, um, you know, we have you on again after the trial finishes.
That would be great. Happy to. Looking forward to it.
All right, thanks so much, everybody. Stick around. We'll be right back with Tara Settmayer. Don't go away. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. I'm super excited today to be talking to our next guest. I've been wanting to speak with her for so long because I have watched her to take apart people on cnn. She's former GOP communications director, co founder and CEO of the Amazing Seneca, uh, Project, which is a movement by women for women, just like here on the Daily Beans, a podcast by women for women. And it's driven by the relentless power of our collective voice. Super important. She also narrated the Emmy nominated three part doc Dismantling Democracy, which aired nationally on PBS stations. You've seen her on cnn, abc, everywhere. Please welcome Tara Settmayer. How are you, Tara?
I'm doing wonderfully. Thank you so much. I'm glad we're finally together. We can have a good chat about, uh, what's happening.
Yes, a good and important chat. And the reason I, uh, first of all, the way that you articulate what's happening with messaging on either side of the aisle when you're speaking to people on a, at a panel or at a roundtable or on live on the air, just blows my mind. Like everything you say, I'm like, yes, yes, yes. And I wanted to talk to you specifically about some concerns that our listeners have about the communications that we're seeing from our now, you were GOP comm strategist, but communication strategies we're seeing from our Democratic leadership and kind of like where they are and what they're doing. And I wanted to, and this was kind of based on some of the things that I've seen you talk about, like, come on, Stan, like you, this seems like such an easy fight to win if we just hit the points. Right? So I wanted to ask you about that, what you're seeing in Democratic leadership as far as messaging goes and communications go. Because sometimes it's not the messaging, sometimes it's whether we're reaching the right people or not. But I just feel a lot of folks have sent me tons of messages saying we feel kind of rudderless right now. And what I wanted to know your thoughts.
Yeah, no, this is something, I think that is a larger conversation, um, that a lot of folks have had since the election. And uh, coming from the other side, you know, like I said, I was, uh, you know, like you said, I was a Republican for many years, uh, 27 actually.
Always.
And never Trumper though. I was never, uh, I'm not one of those people who decided to come have a come to Jesus moment and say, oh no, now I'm against it. No, I was against him from the very beginning because he was, he represented everything that was anathema to what traditional conservatives and traditional Republicans believed, or so I thought. So I tried to, you know, change the party from within and hold them accountable and kind of be a, uh, a conscience, uh, within the party for the first term, calling them out on their hypocrisy. And then we saw what happened there and I finally said enough was enough and I, and I left the party completely and went independent in 2020 after Trump refused to, um, concede the election. And so, you know, this, this fight for democracy and this fight for, um, just basic decency at this point and just, you know, now we're at an existential threats, more so, even, even more so than it was back in 2020. Um, has really opened my eyes to kind of the way that the Democratic machine works because I was always on the other side. And um, you know, it's a, it's a very different animal. And it's been very frustrating for me because I'm like, listen, we bare knuckle brawl. You see the way that Republicans fight and unfortunately it has now become incredibly dishonest. And, but the idea of having to, um, you know. Well, I've often said this on air that Democrats have to stop bringing a policy pen to a political guerrilla warfare fight because that's not meeting the moment. And that's why my co founder, Michelle Kinney and I started the Seneca Project, because we knew that there need to be more killer messengers out there that weren't afraid to say what needed to be said. We're not part of the Democratic establishment. The establishment is still very stuck in the political ways of yesteryear. And you would think that if anything was going to shake them out of doing the same things, it would be this nightmare, this like dystopian nightmare that we're living through right now. Um, but it seems to still not be resonating with the leadership. Now. There are some out there, you know, there are the Jasmine Crockets and you know, the Cory Bookers and, and Gavin Newsom now of all people who we never thought. And you know, you're starting to see people and, oh, J.B. pritzker, like, you know, Pete Buttigieg, like you're starting to see people that are excellent communicators, just speaking plain language, selling it like it is, you know, meeting fire with fire. But as a whole, the establishment leadership is really why so many people feel, like you said, rudderless. Because it seems as though they're behind the eight ball. They're constantly reacting instead of going on offense. And when we started the Seneca Project last year, we did it because we said, listen, we know how important this is for women. Women could make the difference in this election. We're the only group that's actually lost a right in the history of this country. Like, ladies, let's go. Like this is existential for us. Never mind democracy. Yes, but even more so for us and unfortunately, uh, nationally we did not win. Right. The election didn't go the way we, we had hoped down ballot. We had some wins thankfully in some of the ballot initiatives. But it was really important to make sure we had hard hitting content that talked to people in a way that was different. So you're not talking at people. We were talking, you know, to women. We, as women, we were presenting messages that felt more relatable. And I think the Democrats had a, had a tough time doing that and they still are as like again more the establishment, not the pockets of stars that we see. But as a whole the party has really struggled in finding its way because they're oftentimes too afraid to offend. They want to focus group every sentence. They want to have a meeting to discuss a meeting, to finally have another meeting to you know, I mean it's.
Like meanwhile Big Balls is going to get exactly. Presidential medal.
That's right. Like, I mean it's, it's crazy. It's like do you see what's happening outside side? Like do you see what's going on in the streets? We don't have time for this. Like, we don't have time for this. We need to like get it together. So you know, listen, I'm from New Jersey, I'm a Jersey girl and I am incapable of. So you, uh, know my co founder, Michelle Kenny, she's from New York. Like we, we just work at a different pace. We have a different attitude about things and it's like you do what you got to do to get it done. And uh, I don't know what it's going to take for the Democratic establishment leaders to understand that we are in 2025, not 1995, not even 2005 or 2015. You know, this is a very different environment and they have got to step it up because the old ways aren't going to work.
Yeah. And I do feel like the establishment Dem, the you know, Democrats, the, the old school. And when I say old school, I don't mean age necessarily.
Right.
I just mean kind of that old guard.
Yeah.
Is shrinking. And I think it's shrinking because we are using our collective voice to push back on the fact that we aren't hearing what we want to hear. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've said you want to get your numbers out of the gutter. First of all, go on offense on this gerrymandering thing. Mhm. And then of course, you know, endorse mom, Donnie Just do it. Just go and overnight. But, like, even if you don't want to endorse Mom, Donnie.
Fine.
Let's go with. I still think they should, but. Or at least look at the best practices. I mean, what an incredible campaign.
Yeah, there's a. That's a different conversation. That's a different conversation. I have a lot of issues with Mamdani, and I understand the hesitancy there with him, but I think that the, that the Democrats were learning the wrong lessons. Like, he ran a fantastic campaign, and that's what you do. You know what I mean? Like, that's how you adapt to the modern era of campaigning. I have issues with his positions on things, and you have to remember I come from a more Republican, traditional Republican side of things. So I, I think the solutions that he's offering aren't the way to go, especially in New York City.
And I'm more left of left. You're more right of left.
Yeah, but listen, but we all are fighting for democracy, so in this case, it doesn't matter. But what he did and how he did it, that's the, that, that's how you campaign. And I, and you know, listen, I heard from some Democratic operative friends of mine that there were some in Democratic leadership that were still, like, unfamiliar with the value of subs. Of substance.
Right.
And I'm like, how are you not up to speed on where independent media is happening and growing and like the movement of, of, uh, so many voices in a place like substack and you. And you're in leadership. Like, this is. This is what, just like a small example of, um.
Right.
The, of kind of, you know, the tactics of yesteryear. If you don't understand the modes of communication and meeting people where they are, you're going to get left behind. Listen, Republicans spent decades building the ecosystem that they have. That ecosystem. I know because I was a part of it. Decades. And there were tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars invested in it. You can't get Democratic donors now to get, uh, to get out of the, like, defensive crouch that they've been in since the election. They're not funding the things that they need to fund. But, you know, I understand a lot of people feel burned and that the way the election, you know, went down and how money was spent, it was problematic. I totally get that. Believe me. I run a super pac. We didn't see any of that money. Seneca Project. We were strictly small dollar donors. And we, we did what we could do. We won a Webby award.
God.
Uh, thank you for those who voted for us, um, and for American Girl. But like, we under. I understand that, but you got to pick yourself up. Republicans don't give a. Okay, you screwed up. It didn't work. Where do I write the next check for the people who want to win? And Democratic donors don't operate like that. And it's putting the party behind the eight ball again, Even just investing in the messengers and the people who are trying to get out there and keep fighting and go on offense. Listen, I'm a football fan. Defense may win championships, but offense wins elections. And Democrats need to learn that offense all the time.
Yeah, somebody had put out a meme saying, you know, the Democrats are. Or certain Democrats are like, but dogs can't play basketball. And meanwhile, dogs keep dunking on us. Uh, and, you know, we argue kind of about the rules or we think in these old sort of campaign terms when we've got examples like Mamdani and AOC and Jasmine Crockett and stuff. And that's where I think this gerrymandering fight really gives us an opportunity. Like, I see these golden opportunities and it drives me insane when people don't jump on.
On them.
Right. Like, even on the other side, going back to Donald Trump had every opportunity to be a hero during COVID and just completely bungled it, mismanaged it, and we lost millions of lives because of it. Y and you're like, but it was right there. It was a low hanging fruit. Y and I see this Texas fight, this, and, and I think it should be nationwide as low hanging fruit. And I see people stepping up to the plate. Even Ken Martin, dnc, is like, yeah, we're going to fight back. We're going to fight fire with fire.
Finally. I mean, he's been in the witness protection program for the last couple months. I mean, I was like, oh, he does exist. It's like that Eminem's commercial, you know. Oh, you do exist.
Well, I think they have this thing where they're like, let's just sit back and let the Republicans destroy themselves. And I'm like, no, grab it, run with it.
Yeah, that's the James Carville, right? Carville came out and said, play possum at a time when the Republicans were destroying themselves. And again, there was a time and place for that tactic. Uh, you know, when the enemy is blowing themselves up, let them. However they were doing, they were flooding the zone with so many things that you have. You can't sit back ever, ever. There's no such thing as an off Year like I've been in politics for 30 years. And we are all conditioned to believe that after the presidential, you have the off year until the midterms. That is not the case. I can tell you right now that there is never an off year since Donald Trump came down that escalator. MAGA never stops. They never stop. So our side cannot either. There is no stopping. They are. While Democrats are still counting water bottles and determining how, you know, whether that's the way to go now. And then setting a meeting for a meeting to decide about the next meeting. The Republicans have already spent $20 million on ad buys pumping up Donald Trump as some heroes. You've got their, you know, they're out there with their super pacs, putting out propaganda on radio, uh, you know, in, in digital buys. Where are the Democrats? The DNC has, has money. They have a full operation. They have a team of people. Where are they going on offense every day counter messaging what Donald Trump is doing. I'll give you a perfect example. They're going out trying to sell this big bullshit bill, right? He calls it the Big Beautiful Bill. Seneca Project made an ad called the Big Beautiful Betrayal. Because Donald Trump has done nothing but betray not only the American people like us, but his own people and his own people, right? The cognitive dissonance of his own people thinking that by voting for him, their lives are going to be improved. Well, how is that going for you? Because he's betrayed you to enrich his billionaire buddies and enrich himself. So I was asking, you know, hey, is J.D. vance is gonna go to this swing district in Pennsylvania on a tour to sell the bill? And I said, is anybody gonna like, Is the DNC or anybody gonna like they have any ads running or are they gonna counter message this there? This was literally Pennsylvania 8, which is a swing district. It was a Democratic district until 2024. They got taken out by a Republican by 1 percentage point. So that's the type of district, swing district that Democrats need to win back. They're gonna win control of the House Crickets. Nobody, nobody thought to do this. Nobody thought to counter message JD Vance's visit at this location. So Seneca Project did. We put together a 30 second AD, we went there, we geofenced the location where JD Vance would be speaking. So people standing online would get it on their phones and anybody within a certain radius in that district would get that ad. 30 seconds, boom. Donald, does this sound beautiful to you? You're going to lose your health care, your mom's going to get kicked out of her nursing home and kids are going hungry. So billion Donald Trump's billionaire friends can get rich. Does that sound beautiful to you? It's not. It's a betrayal. He's betrayed you. Easy. And you know our little organization, we have to do it. But the DNC and others, like, where are they? They don't see the value in this. That's how you establish a narrative. Now, you can't approach this like, well, it's the off year. We're just going to build our coffers and then we'll start campaigning in January. No, the midterms started the day after the election. And the Republicans are always in that position. Democrats have to learn that that's the way you fight this. It's guerrilla warfare every day.
That, and legally speaking, it's. We don't have the time to get these new maps drawn, for example, if we're gonna talk about the right battling the gerrymandering.
Yes, I'm glad to see, I'm glad to see that Gavin Newsom and Kathy Hochul and Pritzker, like, I was like, yes, that's finally an issue where Democratic leaders can come out and say, okay, you want to mess with us, we'll do it. Because m. One of the hardest parts here, and I think this is something that more Democrats are starting to realize, is the lack of imagination. There was a time, a point where people are like, there's no way. He can't do that. Well, the law or the judge, uh, we've seen very quickly how Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about any of that. They're there. They don't care about the law, they don't care about institutions, they don't care about the norms. They're going to do whatever they want. So Democrats need to learn to fight fire with fire. Don't become what you despise, but you also need to meet the moment with the same level of intensity. Do not let lack of imagination stop you from going out there and punching the bully in the mouth. Sometimes you just have to do that. And that's, you know, that's what we do at Seneca Project, at least.
Right. And, you know, I think we're seeing it. I think we're seeing some movement there. I think we're seeing some more of the old guard understanding what substack and independent media is. Kamala Harris had it when she invited 250 content creators to the DNC and gave them a much nicer position in the stadium than the mainstream media got. Yes, we got a lot of hate for that. But yeah, getting smarter and, and, and understanding that there's, there's no reason to have any concessions because the Republicans aren't going to give you anything.
That's correct. You're not going out for drinks anymore at the Capitol Grill. You know, unfortunately, these people are, we're, again, I, I hate to use the war analogy, are at war. Here we are in a political war and these people are our enemies now. And it uh, it pains me to feel like that's where we are, but that's where we are because that's how they are approaching this. They're not, they're not looking for uh, nice niceties and concessions. They don't care. They don't care if people die. They don't care if women lose their right to vote. They don't care if they establish some Christian nationalist, extremist Gilead type government. They don't care. They don't care if the tech bros want to start network states and get rid of democracy. They don't care, you know, about our constitutional norms. They're looking to overturn marriage equality. They want, they don't care if women have the right to vote. They don't care if they, if we die in childbirth. They don't care. They don't care if they kill your grandma. They don't care. And so Democrats need to understand who the enemy is and approach it like that. Maybe one day we'll all be able to argue over marginal tax rates again and still be able to go out to the barbecue and have a beer. But right now this is existential. Either we're going to fight for this democracy or we're not. Because frankly, I don't want to be part of the generation that lost it.
Thank you. And I think that the work that for example, that Seneca Project is doing, or I know, Red Wine and Blue with their Trouble Nation or you know, that we try to do here on our independent media network. I think, think it's pushing our leaders to, to realize that I, I wish they would lead from the front and didn't wait to see what everybody else thought. Mhm. But I think that um, you know, it is the, it is our government. It does belong to us.
That's right. And they work for us. They need to be reminded of that.
They simply represent us. And so we keep, keep the pressure on. But I do like what they're doing with Texas. I would like to see a little bit more.
Yes.
But uh, I, I, I think that's a win. You know, I've got merch in my store that says low road Dems. I'm like, let's take the low road. I love the low road. So, uh, uh, I appreciate you helping us kind of understand the idea of communications, how it's changed over the last five, 10, 15, 20 years. And I would like for you to tell everybody how they can find, follow, support the work that Seneca Project is doing. Because, I mean, it's these kinds of things. It's these grassroots coalitions, especially with women. And uh, you know, we have a trouble nation group for red wine and blue getting together and going school district by school district and demanding a policy about what happens when ICE shows up at their front door, you know, and getting it and getting it done and getting it in their hands. And so these kinds of things and the kind of work that Seneca Project does is so important. So tell everybody where they can find Follow. You follow what Seneca Project is doing, what it's up to, how they can join and help and lend the voice, their voice to the collective voice of women. Let everybody know.
Yes, no, thank you. Um, so we are a content organization. We are the messengers. We are the ones that create rapid response videos and ads and push the messaging because you can't inspire people to get out there and do the work on the ground if you don't get them in their hearts and minds first. People have to understand what they're fighting for and want to fight for it before they'll actually go out and do it. So we're kind of the tip of the spear. So when we inform folks with our content and we let them know what's happening and what's at stake, take then, then they go, oh, well, what can I do? You know, then that's how you get involved in your local.
Here's the tools. We have tools for you.
Right, right. So, um, so for us, we are, you know, like I said, we're women led. Ah, we are democracy focused and we've expanded our mission to not just about women's, women's rights because at this point now it's about all of our rights. If we don't help preserve and fight for our democracy, nothing else matters. And um, what, what's most helpful for us is obviously, uh, financially we are a super pac, so we run on donations. We're not a, we're not a non profit and uh, we don't have major six figure, seven figure donors writing us checks. I mean, I hope we do one day.
How weird.
I know, right? Listen, if there is any out there Please, we would welcome it, um, but no one's going to save us but us. We are grassroots led and we're. So that's what's kept us going. Michelle and I started this with our own money, um, over a year ago. And uh, you know, it's just been the generosity of small dollar donors and average everyday folks that are out there um, helping us. So every, every dollar uh, matters. The more we have, the more we can scale up, the more we can get our ads and our content seen. Right now we have an ad out called Cheater that we uh, that, that points out the fact that Donald Trump has cheated in everything in his life and now he's trying to cheat the American people. Uh, we played that on Fox News and the Golf Channel, um, trolling him at his golf club. Um, and we made sure we found a very unflattering photo of him golfing to add to that ad just to make him even, you know, more annoyed. But it's also to point out, to remind people the guy's a cheater. So it's things like that that we, the, you know, the more support we have, the more people can see it. So if they want to support the Seneca Project, you can find us at Seneca Project Us. All of our socials are at Senica Project Us. Um, we have a streaming show called the Stakes that Michelle and I co host every Thursday at 7:30 that live streams on our YouTube and all of our socials. We also have a show called over it that we do with um, Julie Raginski and Jojo from Jers, uh, my girl Joanne Carducci, my fellow Jersey girl. It's called Over It. We do that on Wednesdays at noon and Saturdays at 10am for coffee and conversation where we kind of all just, just shoot the shit about what we're over because you just need an outlet sometimes. Um, so yeah, so that's what we're doing. And if folks want you can go to our website, you can also get our newsletter, uh, and um, share our content because I know it's tough. Not everybody can, can donate. But sharing the content and spreading the word, um, is also really, really helpful as well because that's what it's really about. It's, it's getting, spreading the word, getting more eyeballs on the content so people understand what's at stake and that we, we've got to fight the fight.
Well, thanks for spending some time with me today. Maybe one day we can sit down and duke it out over my progressive policies and your more conservative policies. I'LL totally win. I mean, I'm totally right. But, um, you know, I always say you gotta vote for Dems so that you have a seat at the table.
Yes.
Because if you don't vote, there'll be no damn table.
That's exactly right. Listen, I haven't voted for a Republican since 2018. So it's, ah, you know, oh, I'm.
A Blue Star Dem. I've never once voted for a Republican.
That's okay. Listen, we, I get it. And like I said, you know, we'll.
Have, we can have that. We fight today so we can have that conversation.
Exactly. We can have the friendly. In my family, we kind of argue baiting, you know, when you have the spirited debate on policy issues, I would welcome that. But until then, we have to just. We have to fight to save our democracy and our democratic norms and institutions first. Doesn't matter what the marginal tax rates are at this point, if we lose the democracy. So it's all good. We're all on the same team.
I've had the exact same conversation with Olivia [Troye Troy a million times. And George Conway and I could go on and on, but thank you so, so very much, everybody. Check it out. Seneca Project. I appreciate your time. Taraset Mayor, you're amazing. Thank you for being here today.
Thank you, Alison. Anytime.
All right, 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.
You have earned your good news.
Today we had two interviews. We had a half hour a block with a ton of news, not all of which was the best. So you have earned your good news. So if you have good news, send it to us. We want to be flooded with your good news. Flood the zone with awesomeness, not awesomeness. Send it to us@dailybeanspod.com. click on Contact. Any little good thing that's happened to you anytime, ever in your life, Maybe something you would like to happen, maybe like a wish, Send that to us. As long as it's awesome and it can make people feel good and less alone, we want to hear about it. Maybe have a shout out to a loved one, uh, maybe a great nonprofit that you work for or with or that's, you know, just in your community that you want to shine a light on, we would love to hear about that. If you have a shout out to a government program that's helped you or a loved one, maybe you have a self shout out. Maybe you'd like to share what you're making or creating. If you have a small business, we would love to hear about that. Maybe you want to share your thesis title or your dissertation title with us or just, I mean, really anything that you can think of that is, you know, just makes you made you feel good for a minute this week. Uh, send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact to get your stuff right on the air. You just got to pay your pod pet tariff, which means really, just send us a picture of anything. That's awesome. Uh, you can send your pet and if you don't have that adoptable pet in your area, otherwise just grab a random animal on the Internet. We would love to see that. I loved when somebody sent us the etymology of the secretary bird. Thank you for that. Speaking of birds, bird watching, which can be a bird, or you and your friends flipping the bird to trump buildings. That's still one of my favorite pastimes. And if you don't have that, any photo will do. Baby pictures, family photos, your garden, maybe, uh, signs you've seen at a rally that you love. Um, just anything you can think of. Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. First up from Brianna. Pronoun she and they. Hello, lovely. The goominati you mentioned sharing things you've been creating. I've been knitting Cuthbert the book snake. It will be a year long endeavor visually and tactilely documenting the books that I'm reading. Whoa, this is cool. Okay, so it's a book snake and you do a ring every time you finish a book. I guess the project hibernated for 2 months or so after I noticed a mistake. 15 or more books back and had to froth frog. Which means rip back nearly half of us. Oh no. Unfortunately, my book Listening and reading followed until I got back on track. I wanted to share Cuthbert with you for a few reasons. First of all, I'm proud having read 15 physical books after having a few years of not being able to focus well enough to do so. Cuthbert is named after the wooden leg of a pretty badass American spy named Victoria Hall. Also, the visual documentation has been really fun and it helps push me to try other genres as each color ring represents a different genre. Oh my God. And for what it's worth, most of the books I have read were audiobooks. So not really, you know, keeping yourself to physical books there, that's amazing. What a cool idea. Here's Cuthbert. Look at him.
I love it. It's so cool.
So you every time you read a book You. You crochet a ring. And each color represents a different genre.
That's very cute.
Fantastic.
All right, this is from Amy Pronoun. She and her Good Morning beanies. No, Queenie Beanies. Good Morning Queenie Beanies. Thank you ever so much for your sweary take on the shit show. It makes it slightly more bearable. I have five kids and each of them is my favorite for one reason or another. Today I want to take a moment to brag about my favorite youngest kid.
He's 17.
We just started his last year of homeschooling. He is my history politics loving kid who makes my social studies teacher's heart sing. He is is almost always a cheerful student willing to learn and do new things. I'm trying not to be a sad, bereft mess every day. I have loved homeschooling him so much and I'm really going to miss it. He is also a huge help around our farm, helping with gardening and yard work without being asked. He's an all around great young man and I can't wait to see what his future holds. Thanks again for everything. Really.
Uh.
Oh my God, this is so cute. I love that he's got first day of 12th grade at homeschool. This makes me very happy.
It does. And farming.
Yeah.
That's incredible.
Our farmers are well rounded.
That's important, right? Amy, good job. 5.
No, seriously, look.
Is that him?
As a youth, I'm assuming. And he is adorbs the two utes.
Oh my God. So great. Thank you so much for that. Next up from Stephanie Pronoun. She and her. Hello again, Beans Queens. I just wanted to give you a little update on the town hall in Chico. Oh Yeah. For California 1 1. Rep. Doug La Malfa. The one he held on Monday, it was amazing. They estimate at least a thousand people came, but there were folks lined up in the halls and outside. He had his ass handed to him about supporting Trump tariffs, ice raids and the big ugly bill. He was pretty immature, often throwing Biden's name out and Newsom's name out there to place blame or deflect. Many flipped the bird, yelled you. And demanded his resignation.
Oh my God.
I have to say, I just love seeing MAGA congressmen witness firsthand how their loyalty to the Orange Menace will cost them the support of constituents and hopefully their jobs. I'm attaching a link to ABC News coverage of the event. If you have a moment to watch the clip, you can hear the crowd's reactions to his. Later that day, coincidentally, we were notified that ICE was in town. We're pretty rural up here. We have lots of farms, and people are pissed and scared. There have been protests outside the hotel where these guys are staying. I love that, by the way. People finding out where ICE is staying and, like, making really loud protests at those hotels.
Yep.
Not, um, surprisingly, just down the road from the courthouse will be taking that town hall energy down to the hotel to tell ICE they can right off. With Rep. LaMalfa for my podbet tax, I'm attaching a photo of my dad, who just turned 74 at the no Kings rally. He went with my sister and me, making me one proud daughter. My dad has taught me so much about advocacy and compassion, which contributed to me becoming a social worker just like him. Oh, uh, my heart, as always, thank you lovely ladies and the POD team for all your hard work bringing news and laughter in the time that we need it most. No Faux King way.
Love it.
Go, dad.
Oh, dad indeed. All right. This is from Melissa Pronoun. She and her. Hey there, beans queens. I meant to send this a couple of days ago, but I stopped on site and joined your patreon instead. I volunteer with a wonderful organization in Portland, Oregon, called Rose haven, and that's rosehaven.org now it is a day shelter for unhoused women. They provide showers, basic needs laundry, a free store, advocacy. So much more. They provide community for the guests, staff, and volunteers. I had the privilege as a volunteer to work at their karaoke events, and the joy and love is palpable. As you can imagine, the need for all they provide is growing. So I wanted to give them a shout out for their great works.
Oh, man, that sounds like a place. I would just love to volunteer.
Right. I know. For my tariff, I've included a photo of Frau, my protest cat at no Kings. Her face is so adorably angry that it made the perfect backdrop for some fans I handed out, uh, at Rage against the Regime. As a bonus, there's also Rosemary, my deranged rescue made of the spare parts of many dog breeds. She's happily, uh, munching on a taco. Seemed appropriate. Thanks for all you do, Taco. Look at this cat's face.
That's what I was laughing at at the beginning. And look, it's on the signs, too.
It's so good. And that puppy is very, very happy.
Fascism. Not a fan on the fan. I love that so very much. My menopause heart loves these fans, by the way. Oh, my God, that cat's great. And the pupper, too. Thank you so much. All right, next up from anonymous pronoun, she and her good morning beans queens. My BFF college roommate sent me this pic when she was driving to Dulles airport in Virginia yesterday. She and her daughter are flying to Europe where her daughter will attend grad school. Congrats. So I had to send this to y'.
All.
I listen every day and participate in as many good troubled taskers as possible. Thanks for all you do. Heart, heart, heart. Adopt a highway. Okay, it's an adopt a highway, uh, sign for the President Trump fan club, but fan is scratched out for fan club and it says pedo. So it says adopt a highway President Trump pedo club.
Oh, my God.
Well done, good troublers.
Seriously. All right, we've got Amy, pronounced she and her Good morning, my princesses of the pinto beans. I love you both so much. Just a little good news that I got recently. I was waiting for my oil change to finish, and I decided to go online to see what the balance of my personal loan was so I could make a plan to pay it off. I thought I had three months to go on it. Imagine my surprise when I saw the payoff amount was. Drumroll please. $17. I almost cried. Now I can use that money to work on getting my credit card debt paid before things go truly tits up. For podpet tariff, I give you a rare group of photo of the demon children, Chloe, Jinx, and Vander. Can you spot my dog Max's photobomb? The second picture is of them taking part in their favorite pastime. Squirrel watching.
Oh, my God. This little clouder of kittens.
Oh, my God. So cute though.
The dog. See the dog?
Yep, sure do.
It's great. Oh, uh, squirrel watch. That is a big, beautiful yard you got there, Amy. Love it. All right, next up from Jill Pronouns, she and her. Hello, darlings. My daughter is starting. Uh, now I have to read it in that voice. My daughter is starting in college. She's starting college in a few weeks. Oh, cool. At a local community college. And guess what? I'll be paying for her tuition. Nothing. Here in Connecticut, most families qualify for free community college tuition. I'm so grateful that the first two years of my daughter's higher education are covered. Shout out to Connecticut State Community College and our state and local leaders who make this possible. No one should have to take on crushing debt to get an education. I know I'm preaching to the choir on this, but still, it needs to be said. I am so grateful for the work that you do to keep us informed of the Fuckery taking place in our country. I hope that you take mental health breaks, uh, as you need to. I can imagine being steeped in the fuckery day after day, and I can imagine that can take a toll. For my bodpat tariff, I submit to you my hostile co worker, Lucy. She hangs around my workspace most of the day, knocking things over, invading my personal space, walking across my keyboard every chance she gets, and generally being an agent of chaos, I think I need to report her to HR or Jill. She's fighting fascism like cats do by taking up space. Okay, Jill, if you haven't heard my interview, uh, with Brittlestar about his book about cats and fascism, you definitely need to hear it.
Look at this baby.
Oh, uh, adorable tuxedo.
So sweet.
Thanks, Jill.
Yep. Thank you, Jill. All right, we have anonymous pronouns, she and her. Hello. My son is not a great student, and he admits that he didn't qualify for much scholarships. He did receive a grant from Migrant Education to cover his first year public university in our state. This was huge for his confidence he would be the first child on his father's side to attend university in the U.S. well, with the defunding of the Department of Education, that grant. Oh, my God. Was yanked.
Oh, man.
He was bummed. And then he said, yeah, I hope they come after our school money, Mom. All of the people who got this grant will vote for the first time in November. And we will remember that our Red State senators and representatives agreed to this. We will vote accordingly. Good for him, right? The good news is he sees himself in alliance with others that were harmed by this administration and willing to stand up for education funding. I'm proud of his resilience. This generation's going to make a positive change for my pod pet tariff. Please meet our sweet village boy. He is seven years old and is scared of the dark squirrels and his reflection. Even, uh, the door. We only know he's about 100% dog. And no other info on the oven door.
I see. Yeah, my, uh, BFFs dog. Dog is Reflection.
Oh, my God.
That's right. He See, we call them the dryer dogs because he sees this reflection in the dryer, right? He's just like, freaks out. So that's hilarious. Look at this sweet baby. Yep. 100 dog. I agree with that. I think we can get that, right?
I think I got that. Yeah.
Oh, thank you, everybody. Needed that. Needed that on this Wednesday. So, uh, please send all your good news to us dailybeanspod.com. click on Contact. Thanks, everybody, for supporting us. Really appreciate it. Thanks for becoming a patron. Um, and if you are into it and you can swing it, it's patreon.com mullershirote we'd really appreciate it, but otherwise, our content's still free. Thank you so much, everybody. Do you have any final thoughts? Dana?
Not today.
All right, we'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your monthly health, and take care of your family. I've been ag. I've been dg and them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information, please visit mswmedia.com commsw media.