Thursday, December 18th, 2025 Today, Jack Smith testified behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee; House Republicans jam through their stupid health care plan without extending ACA subsidies, but Hakeem Jeffries got 218 members to sign a discharge petition for a clean 3 year extension of subsidies; Dan Bongino is gonna quit the FBI on the same day the Epstein Files are due; the Coast Guard goes back to designating nooses and swastikas as divisive rather than symbols of hate; a judge has blocked Trump’s limits on lawmakers access to inspect ICE facilities; measles outbreaks worsen in multiple states; the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to abruptly fire tens of thousands of health care jobs; Warner Bros. plans to reject the Paramount bid backed by Saudi money; an appeals court clears the way for Trump to keep National Guard troops on the streets in DC; DHS fast tracked a one billion dollar contract to a Trump donor; the Senate passes the National Defense Authorization Act that pushes Kegseth to release the boat strike video; Ghislaine Maxwell files a habeas petition challenging her incarceration; and Allison delivers and your Good News.
Thursday, December 18th, 2025
Today, Jack Smith testified behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee; House Republicans jam through their stupid health care plan without extending ACA subsidies, but Hakeem Jeffries got 218 members to sign a discharge petition for a clean 3 year extension of subsidies; Dan Bongino is gonna quit the FBI on the same day the Epstein Files are due; the Coast Guard goes back to designating nooses and swastikas as divisive rather than symbols of hate; a judge has blocked Trump’s limits on lawmakers access to inspect ICE facilities; measles outbreaks worsen in multiple states; the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to abruptly fire tens of thousands of health care jobs; Warner Bros. plans to reject the Paramount bid backed by Saudi money; an appeals court clears the way for Trump to keep National Guard troops on the streets in DC; DHS fast tracked a one billion dollar contract to a Trump donor; the Senate passes the National Defense Authorization Act that pushes Kegseth to release the boat strike video; Ghislaine Maxwell files a habeas petition challenging her incarceration; and Allison delivers and your Good News.
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Stories
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/17/house-republicans-aca-subsidies-vote/
https://apnews.com/article/defense-bill-boat-strikes-hegseth-a0886906eb50432c38a4d5bf08e6a719
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/17/coast-guard-swastika-kevin-lunday/
https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-congress-justice-department-d35557d525fcfe51a20d08c6abb7f71d
https://www.ms.now/news/bongino-fbi-leaving
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/measles-outbreaks-worsen-south-carolina-arizona-utah/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/13/va-veterans-affairs-job-cuts-trump/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/17/dhs-contract-trump-donor/
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/17/ice-lawmaker-visits-policy-ruling-00695801
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/17/trump-national-guard-washington-dc-court-ruling-00694754
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/business/media/warner-bros-paramount-takeover-netflix.html
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Indivisible Groups, Colorado Partnership Teams, Aurora Unidos CSO and many other community organizations and individuals are protesting on Dec 20 against Key Lime Air's contract with ICE to transport detainees and with their contract with the University of Colorado to transport their athletic teams. Denver Air Connection is a subsidiary of Key Lime Air and we are protesting at numerous airports which serve Denver Air Connection. Y'all covered our efforts with Denver's City Council members voting down an expansion of Key Lime at Denver International Airport.
https://www.instagram.com/aurora_unidos_cso
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/875503
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msw media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, December 18, 2025. Today, former counsel Jack Smith testified behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee. House Republicans jammed through their stupid health care plan without extending the Affordable Care act subsidies. But Hakeem Jeffries got 218 members to sign a discharge petition for a clean three year extension of subsidies. Dan Bongino is going to quit the FBI on the same day the Epstein files are due. The Coast Guard goes back to designating nooses and swastikas as divisive rather than hate symbols. A judge has blocked Trump limits on lawmakers access to inspect ICE facilities. Measles outbreaks worsen in multiple states. The Department of Veterans affairs is going to abruptly fire tens of thousands of health care employees. Warner Brothers plans to reject the Paramount bid backed by Saudi money. An appeals court clears the way for Trump to keep National Guard troops on the streets in the District of Columbia. The Department of Homeland Security Fast tracked a $1 billion contract to a Trump donor. The Senate passed the National Def. Defense Authorization act that pushes Kegseth to release the boat strike video. And Ghislaine Maxwell files a habeas petition challenging her incarceration. I'm your host, Alison Gill. Holy majoli. There's a lot of news today, everybody. Welcome. Welcome to the Daily Beans. I'm here solo today. Dana's traveling. she's on vacation. She's taken a much deserved break, doing some self care. So thanks for hanging with me solo today. Ghislaine Maxwell, five. Remember, like a week ago we found out her lawyers wrote a letter saying she hasn't exhausted all of her appeals yet. You know, so you can't release the Epstein files, which is weird because the Supreme Court actually did knock down her appeal, which I thought exhausted her appeals, but she was planning on actually filing a writ of habeas corpus challenging her federal detention. And she did this by herself, without a lawyer. And as we all know, people who represent themselves have a fool for a client or a, convicted sex trafficker. So she's trying to make it so that she hasn't exhausted all of her appeals to try to keep certain things from coming to light. It's not going to work. Although I don't think Pam Bondi is going to release the entirety of the Epstein files, nor have we actually seen any of the released grand jury material that the three judges in different districts have ordered released since the signing of the Epstein Transparency Act. But we knew this was coming. She actually did file her habeas petition. And, it's as you thought, it's bullshit. It's just again, to make it so that her appeals have not been exhausted, even though they have, so that she can try to prevent things from coming out to the public that might hurt her case, might hurt her habeas petition. You know what hurts your habeas petition? That you're full of shit. But anyway, I just wanted to tell you about that. We have so much news to get to today, so let's hit the hot notes. Hot, notes. All right, first up, from the Washington Post, A small group of moderate House Republicans joined Democrats to force a vote on a proposal to extend pandemic era enhanced Affordable Care act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year, seizing control of the floor from Republican leaders yet again in another sign of sharp tensions within the party. Now, the subsidies are still virtually certain to expire because the Senate has already rejected this specific plan. And the House will not vote on the proposal until next year because they're going to go on Christmas break and you have to wait seven days after you get the final signature on a discharge petition like we did with the Epstein files. Now, the expiration is expected to push the costs for Most of the 24 million Americans who buy health insurance on the ACA marketplace up quite a bit for some sometimes quadrupling their premiums. This is so embarrassing for Mike Johnson. He has no shame, however, he just keeps saying, I don't know anything about that. I work 22 hour days. I don't even know what you're talking about. He could walk out of a caucus meeting about buttholes and be like, I don't even know what buttholes are. I don't even. I don't even. I've never even heard of it. I don't know what a meeting is. I'm not Republican. What's a Republican? That is his M.O. but this is the third discharge petition against him that is pretty stunning. And he claims, oh, well, I have a very slim majority. Oh, I thought you had a mandate, sir. And Nancy Pelosi didn't have a problem with a slim majority. You can't whip votes. You suck. And I can't wait for him to not be speaker anymore. This article goes on to say that House Republican leaders are still planning to hold a vote late Wednesday on a modest health care bill. And they did. They got a procedural vote through that Speaker Johnson unveiled last week. But with most Republicans opposed to the subsidies, Johnson refused to allow extending the policy in his bill. So this health care plan by Republicans, which is ridiculous and scant, even most Republicans think it's stupid. I think Chip Roy called it milquetoast. It doesn't include Affordable Care act subsidy extensions. This foments the strongest rebellion among Republicans from swing districts to date. Many of those lawmakers who fear political backlash in next year's midterms due to rising prices tried unsuccessfully for weeks to persuade Mike Johnson to include extending the Affordable Care act subsidies. As I have been saying in it is going to come down, there will be a reckoning between Republicans who actually have to get elected again, pleasing their constituents or pleasing Donald Trump. Mike Johnson seems to be going with pleasing Donald Trump. Separately, the Democrats who had made an extension their chief demand during the shutdown circulated what's known as a discharge petition, which can force legislation to the floor over Mike Johnson's objections if a majority of the house signs on 218 signatures. On Wednesday morning, four House Republicans, enough to put the petition over the top, joined the effort. The measure, sponsored by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, would extend the subsidies for three years, but not before the expiration deadline later this month. With the support from 218 lawmakers, House Democrats caused Republican leaders to scramble Wednesday when they attempted to bring up the three year extension bill for an immediate floor vote. Republicans closed a vote earlier than usual, preventing Democrats who had yet to cast their vote from prevailing. So that was the procedural vote that Dan Goldman was late to. They attempted to bring up the three year extension bill, but they closed the vote before Goldman, whom I'm assuming couldn't get over from the Jack Smith situation where he, where Jim Jordan and, the rest of the House Judiciary was questioning Jack Smith behind closed doors, but I'm not quite sure. Next up from the Associated Press. The Senate gave final passage to the annual military policy bill that authorizes $901 billion in defense spending, while pressuring Kegseth to provide lawmakers with the video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international waters near Venezuela. The annual National Defense Authorization act, the NDAA, which raises troop pay by 3.8%, gained bipartisan backing as it moved through Congress. It passed the Senate 77 to 20 before lawmakers planned to leave Washington for the holiday break. Two Republicans, Rand Paul and Mike Lee and 18 Democrats voted against it. The White House has indicated that it is in line with President Trump's national security priorities. But the legislation, which ran over 3,000 pages, revealed some points of friction between Congress and the Pentagon as the Trump administration reorients its focus away from security in Europe towards Central and South America. The bill pushes back on recent moves by the Pentagon. It demands more information on the boat strikes in the Caribbean. It requires that the U.S. keep its troop levels in Europe at current levels and send military aid to Ukraine. But overall, the bill represents a compromise between the parties. It implements a lot of Trump's executive orders and proposals eliminating DEI in the military, granting emergency military powers to the US Border with Mexico, for example. It also enhances congressional oversight of the Department of Defense. It repeals several years old war authorizations and seeks to overall how the Pentagon purchases weapons as the US tries to outpace China in developing the next generation of military technology. We're going to lose that race because of tariffs. This bill will now go to the House. By the way, every single senator that voted yes on the National Defense Authorization act also authorized the Uniform Code of Military justice, which by the way prohibits troops from obeying unlawful orders. So if you see any Republicans who voted yes on this, go after the six who made that video to say not to obey unlawful orders. They just voted yes on that very same idea. And more from Congress. This comes from the Post. At least two US Senators have put holds on the nomination of Admiral Kevin Lundy to serve as the Coast Guard's commandant after the service enacted new workplace harassment policies that downgraded the definition of swastikas and nooses from hate symbols to potentially divisive. We went over this. It's gone back and forth several times now. These actions by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Jackie Rosen from Nevada follow a Washington Post report on Tuesday, revealing that despite Lundy's forceful denunciation of such symbols and a separate directive he issued prohibiting them, the service allowed the policy to take effect. With the potentially divisive language included, the new workplace harassment manual changed how items such as swastikas and nooses were described, softening the definition from symbols of hate to, quote, potentially divisive. Potentially divisive. The new manual also would allow for a supervisor to review how the symbols were used or displayed in the workplace instead of immediately prohibiting them. We want to review your swastika before you put it up. What? After the Post in November revealed the Coast Guard's plan to adopt the new language, Lunde reacted swiftly, stating in a memo to all Coast Guard personnel that neither symbol was allowed in the workplace and condemned them both. Lunday said at the time that his directive would supersede any other policy language, but for reasons that remain unclear, the policy manual was never updated to reflect the admiral's directive. And it quietly went into effect earlier this week for reasons that remain unclear. I think the reasons are pretty clear. Washington Post. Next up from the Associated Press. Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers in a closed door interview Wednesday that his team of investigators, quote, developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt, unquote, that Trump had criminally conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election. That's according to portions of his opening statement that Jack Smith released to the public. Smith also said investigators had accrued powerful evidence that Trump broke the law by hoarding classified documents in his first term as president in his Mar A Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and by obstructing government efforts to recover the records. Quote, I made my decisions in the investigation without regard to Trump's political association, activities, beliefs or candidacy in the 2024 election. We took actions based on what the facts and the law required, the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor. He said that if asked whether he would prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, he said, I would do so regardless of whether the president was a Republican or a Democrat. The deposition before the House Judiciary Committee gave lawmakers of both parties their first chance, albeit in private, to question him about a pair of investigations into Trump that resulted in since abandoned criminal charges between the Republican president's first and second terms in office. Smith was subpoenaed by the Republican led committee this month to provide testimony and documents as part of Republican investigation into the Trump inquiries during the administration of Democrat Joe Biden. The former special counsel cooperated with the congressional demand, though his lawyers noted that he had been volunteered more than a month before the subpoena was issued to answer questions publicly before the committee, an overture they said was rebuffed by Republicans. They said it was. There was a letter. I read it. Now, Trump had told reporters that he supported the idea of an open hearing, but that's not what happened. Quote, testifying before this committee, Jack is showing tremendous courage in light of the remarkable and unprecedented retribution campaign against him by this administration and the White House. That's what lawyer Lanny Brewer told reporters. He went on to say, let's be clear, Jack Smith, a career prosecutor, conducted this investigation based on the facts and based on the law and nothing more. The committee's top Democrat, Raskin of Maryland, said the Republican majority made an excellent decision in not allowing Jack Smith to testify publicly, quote, because had he done so, it would have been absolutely devastating to the president and all of the president's men involved in the insurrectionary activities of the capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Quote, Jack Smith has just spent several hours schooling the Judiciary Committee on his professional responsibilities as a prosecutor and the ethical duties, of a prosecutor. And that's what Jamie Raskin said. Democrats are demanding Smith's testimony be made public along with his full report on the investigation. I'm assuming they're talking about volume two, since we have volume one, quote, the American people should hear for themselves. That's what Dan Goldman said. Next up from Ms. Now speculation and anticipation has gripped the nation's premier law enforcement agency over the future of one of its top leaders. I don't know if I would use the word top. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino Bongino has quietly told confidants he plans to formally leave his job early in the new year and will not be returning to headquarters to work this month. And that's according to eight people, briefed on his account. Bongino told his team and some senior FBI officials he tentatively planned to announce his departure when on December 19, the day the Epstein files are due. That's according to four people. Several people said some of Bongino's personal effects had already been cleared out of his office as of last week. With word of an impending departure has come speculation that Bongino is returning to podcasting, which reportedly made him worth $160 million. That is ridiculous. That is banana pants. I'm here to tell you. Podcasting usually doesn't result in that kind of net worth. In August, after Bongino privately sparred with Pam Bondi, Trump took the unprecedented step of naming a co deputy director to help share Bongino's work to help do his job. That was Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Ms. now reported last month. Trump and his White House aides have been weighing whether to remove Kash Patel and replace him with Bailey in the new year, which they can do now. He's been the deputy for 120 days to the day on December 19. By the way, interesting timing. Bongino expressed deep satisfaction earlier this month after the FBI arrested the suspect in the January 6th pipe bombing case. He said he pressed the bureau to solve the case and got regular updates from the lead investigator. But the suspect's identity refuted conspiracy theories that he advanced on his podcast and never publicly renounced once he got the job, asserting that the FBI had been covering it up and that he was an anti Trump pipe bomber and it was an inside job. Explaining his new thinking, Bongino said in an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity that as a podcaster, he was paid to give his opinions. But now at the FBI, I'm paid to be your deputy director, and we base investigation on facts. So he's quitting because he hates facts. Later Wednesday, Bongino confirmed he's going to leave the FBI next month. He's confirmed this reporting, by the way. It was sourced with eight people, but now he's confirming it. All right, let's go from the FBI to the hhs. This is from cbs. Measles outbreaks are growing along the Utah Arizona border and in South Carolina, where hundreds are in quarantine. Between Friday and Tuesday, South Carolina health officials confirmed 27 new measles cases in an outbreak in and around northwestern Spartanburg County. In two months, 111 people have been sickened by the vaccine preventable virus. Nationally, the measles case count is nearing 2000. This is for a disease that had been considered eliminated in the United States for the last 25 years. Cases have mostly spread among people who are unvaccinated. Last month, Canada lost their designation, which applies when there's no continuous local spread of the virus, as did the larger health region of the Americas. Experts say the US Is also at risk of losing this status and for that to happen, measles would have to spread continuously for a year. A ah, large outbreak in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma that started in January, sickened nearly 900 and kicked off the United States worst measles year in three decades. All but eight states have logged at least one case of measles this year. According to the CDC. They've confirmed 47 outbreaks this year, compared with 16 in 2024. Three people, two of them from Texas who were ah, school children, have died. So unbelievable. Totally preventable. Just anti science fuckfaces in charge of this government. Let's go from Health and Human Services to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Post reports that the VA plans to abruptly eliminate as many as 35,000 health care positions this month, mostly unfilled jobs, including doctors, nurses and support staff. According to an internal memo, VA staffers and congressional aides as well. The cuts come after a massive reorganization effort that had already resulted in 30,000 employees gone. Agency leaders have instructed managers across the VHA, that's the Veterans Health Administration, to identify thousands of openings that it can cancel. Employees warn that the contraction will add pressure to an already stretched system, contributing to longer wait times for care. When has the VA ever been appropriately staffed and now you're going to cut 35,000 health care positions. These aren't bureaucratic middle managers. These are nurses and doctors and LVNs and PAs and NPS. That is insane. This decision comes after the Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, under pressure from Congress, backed away from a plan to slash 15% of the workforce through mass firings. Instead, VA lost about 30,000 employees from buyout offers and attrition. The reorganization comes in advance of an expected announcement next week that Collins plans to also shrink the network of 18 region offices. These are called VISNs, Veterans Integrated Service Networks that administer the nation's VA hospitals and medical centers. I can't believe he's doing this. Staff at those regional offices help determine policies and manage staffing. Collins and others have been critical of the agency's top heavy administrative offices. Why are you cutting 30,000 health care jobs? The health system grew by tens of thousands of employees under the Biden administration as more veterans enrolled in VA health care after the passage of the PACT act, which expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Then secretary Denis McDonough urged veterans to be seen by VA doctors rather than request referrals to private practitioners outside the system. It's because they're better, the health outcomes are better, the wait times are shorter, and it is less expensive to the taxpayer for direct care than purchased care. But Trump administration wants more veterans to seek treatment outside the government system because, of course, they want to privatize it. Political appointees at the VA and their allies have also said they favor a leaner healthcare workforce because they think physicians and other healthcare providers could be more productive. I know these providers. I worked with them for over a decade. They're stretched so thin. Ugh, I hate them. All right, let's go from VA to the Department of Homeland Security. The Post reports that DHS fast tracked a contract worth a billion dollars to a company led by a donor to a pro Trump nonprofit where one of the officials overseeing the deal previously worked. That's according to records reviewed by the Post. The donor, William Walters, leads another company that received a separate $140 million contract from DHS to purchase six Boeing 737 planes to use for deportation. This larger contract involves a program called Project Homecoming that offers cash bonuses, free flights and concierge service at airports for departing migrants. The program arose from an executive order on the first day of Trump's second term directing DHS to develop policies to encourage immigrants to leave the country voluntarily, a process the administration called self deportation. That contract went to an Arlington based company called Salus Worldwide. according to an official with direct knowledge, the company was incorporated in June of 2023. Its website describes experience coordinating international travel, disaster aid and secure facilities. Now, Salus, or Salis, has never received a federal contract before. It served as a subcontractor on two State Department contracts, according to a lawsuit challenging the Project Homecoming contract. Walters, the company's CEO, was a donor to the America First Policy Institute. Walters also gave $10,000 in October 2024 to American Resolve, a super PAC run by allies of Kristi Noem that supported Trump in the presidential election. Representatives for the PAC did not respond to an inquiry. Just fast tracking billion dollar government contracts to donors. Drain the swamp, right? All right, let's go to the courts. This is from Politico. A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to limit members of Congress from visiting detention facilities operated by ice. This is US District Judge Gia Cobb. She ruled Wednesday that ICE cannot enforce newly adopted policies that require lawmakers to provide seven days notice before visiting detention facilities and entirely barring congressional visits to field offices being used to detain immigrants. Those policies adopted in June, appear to violate explicit language in federal funding laws adopted annually since 2020 that prohibit ice from restricting lawmaker access to its facilities. The Biden appointed judge noted that the seven day notice requirement complicated lawmakers ability to view real time conditions at facilities. Yeah, many complaints that they're overcrowded, unsanitary and unsafe. Give somebody a seven day notice for an inspection. Conditions can change quickly if there's a surge of arrests or a transfer of detainees to another location, quote. The changing conditions within ICE facilities means that it's likely impossible for a member of Congress to reconstruct the conditions at a facility on the day they initially sought to enter. That's what Cobb wrote in her 73 page decision. So I'm happy about that. I'm sure it'll be appealed. Also from Politico, Trump can keep National Guard troops on the streets of D.C. for now, according to a federal appeals court. This was a unanimous three judge panel, two Trump appointees and a Biden appointee. It raised serious doubts about the lawfulness of the deployments in other cities. The panel says DC's unique position as a federal enclave, which lacks the sovereignty of the state, gives Trump virtually unilateral control to deploy Guard troops in the Capitol and except on January 6. But it said his power was significantly more constrained in the states. In particular, the judges said it would be constitutionally troubling for the president to borrow national Guard troops from one state to conduct law enforcement missions in a non consenting state. That's precisely what they did in Oregon and Illinois before federal judges intervened to restrict the deployments. Quote, deploying an out of state guard to a non consenting state to conduct law enforcement would be constitutionally troubling to our federal system of government. That's what D.C. circuit Judge Patricia Millett, the Obama appointee, said in a ruling joined by the two Trump appointees, Rao and Katzis. Their conclusion could bode poorly for the administration as it awaits a decision from the Supreme Court about Trump's deployment of the National Guard in the Chicago area. Remember, by November 17th, they had to answer whether regular forces meant the military or local law enforcement. They've had that a month now. So to have these two Trump judges really trumpy judges, Rao and Katzis say that you can't do that, but they can in D.C. he can do it in D.C. so anyway, we'll see what happens with the Supreme Court. They're certainly sitting on their hands, but it's blocked in the meantime. All right, next up from the Times, Warner Brothers Discovery WBD went on the attack against Larry and David Ellison on Wednesday, urging shareholders to reject that hostile takeover, saying the Ellisons have consistently misled them. Paramount, which is controlled by the Ellisons, this is who Trump wants Paramount and the Ellisons to take over Warner Brothers Discovery. But Paramount, controlled by the Ellisons, has said that its proposed transaction has a full backstop from the billionaire family. But Warner Brothers Discovery said in a letter to shareholders that it does not and it never has. The decision throws another wrench into Paramount's frenzied, months long effort to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, a make or break attempt, analysts said, to compete with streaming giants like Netflix, Disney and Amazon. Warner Brothers Discovery agreed this month to sell a large part of its business to Netflix in a cash and stock deal worth $83 billion, spurning an all cash offer by Paramount for 108 billion. Paramount, which made six offers for Warner Brothers Discovery over 12 weeks, now faces the difficult decision about whether or not to raise its offer. But Paramount has refused to surrender, saying it wasn't treated fairly in the auction process. The company started a hostile takeover bid last week by taking its offer directly to Warner Brothers Discovery shareholders. In a letter to those shareholders, Paramount insisted that its offer delivers superior value and a faster, more certain path to completion than the transaction announced with Netflix, probably because he wouldn't get any trouble from the Trump administration. Warner Brothers Discovery defended its sale on Wednesday at the process of it. Arguing that the Netflix deal offers shareholders a better return than the one provided by Paramount, Warner said that, its sale process was full, transparent and competitive. The company said it held dozens of calls and meetings with Paramount, including four in person meetings and meals between Warner Brothers Discovery's chief executive, David Zaslav, and one or more of the Ellisons. David Ellison, Paramount's chief executive, has been backed by his father, the billionaire technology titan Larry Ellison. Now, Zaslav told the Warner Brothers Discovery board that the Ellisons said he would receive a compensation package worth several hundred million dollars if a deal was reached. According to a legal filing Warner submitted on Wednesday, Zaslav told the board that he had, quote, informed the Ellisons that it would be inappropriate to discuss any such arrangements at that time. Paramount has said the Ellison family is backstopping the vast majority of the $40 billion equity check included in the deal. But the legal entity backing the bid is a revocable trust run by Larry Ellison, a major concern for Warner Brothers. Quote, a revocable trust is no replacement for a secured commitment by a controlling stockholder. That's Warner Brothers Discovery. In a letter noting the assets and liabilities in a trust are not public and can be modified at any time. It's like a secret thing that's not really good collateral. The board said it had told Paramount repeatedly of the importance of a full and unconditional financing commitment from the Ellisons. And the board worried that without personal guarantees from the Ellison family, it would have limited recourse if Paramount's bid fell apart. Paramount has said it's absurd to suggest the family's not good for the money. Its proposed deal with Warner Brothers Discovery includes provisions giving it the ability to sue Paramount to make sure it follows through on the deal, though such provisions have limitations. Paramount's also lined up $54 billion in debt from firms including bank of America, Citigroup and Apollo Global Management. Sound familiar? They should. They bankrolled Jeffrey Epstein. They bankrolled Jared Kushner's $1.6 billion 666 Fifth Avenue Devil building with the help of Qatar. They don't mention the Saudis in here at all. By the way, no one should be buying Warner Brothers. But Trump's, going to be mad about this. We'll keep an eye on it for you. All right, we've got a lot of good news to get to, but we have to take a quick break. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody has Anyone ever gifted you a surprise bottle of wine? Something exciting that you would never grab for yourself, but you tried it and you loved it and it was amazing. That is what Naked Wines is like. It's like having a really talented, amazing friend with great taste send you incredible bottles of wine. I use them for all my gatherings. It's my favorite subscription service. They never fail to impress me or my guests. Naked Wines is a service that directly connects you to the world's finest independent winemaker. So you can get award winning wine delivered straight to your door. So let's thank Naked Wines for supporting our show. 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And you always have a gift bottle for going to those holiday parties. You're always, you've always got something to take under your arm. So now is the time to join the Naked Wines community. Head to nakedwines.com dailybeans click enter voucher. Put in my code dailybeans for the code and the password and you get six bottles of wine for just $39.99 with shipping included. That's a hundred dollars off your first six bottles and nakedwines.com DailyBeans and use the code and password DailyBeans for six bottles of wine for 39.99. You'll be glad you did. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news? Everyone. Then good news, everyone. Good news, good news. And if you have any bit of good news, could Be small, could be big, could be a great story that you want to share. Something that you share when you're sitting around with friends. Maybe a great joke. Whether it's a joke or your favorite comedian's favorite joke or your favorite joke, send it to us. We also like shout outs. whether it's to a loved one or a small business in your area or a nonprofit or a self shout out or a shout out to a government program that's helped you or a loved one. We want to get all that on the record for posterity to talk about how awesome government programs are and how awesome the government can be when it's not run by a bunch of shitbags. also, we would love to have your good trouble suggestions. If you have any of those. Maybe also you could send us a, confession or, some great community organizing. anything that's going on in your neck of the woods that you want to share with folks, please send it to us. We need to microdose the hope. And all you got to do to get your submission read on the air is pay your POD pet tariff, which means attach a photo of your pet and we'll try to guess the breeds in your shelter pup, if you like, or your cat or your turtle or your horse or your cow or your chicken. if you don't have a pet, send an adoptable pet in your area. We'll see if we can find them a forever home. Now, if you don't have that, grab a random photo of an animal on the Internet. It doesn't really matter. Maybe send us a photo of your holiday decorations or what you dressed up for is Halloween. Family pictures. Baby photos. Awkward. Family photos are always fun. Do you have any glamour shots? Those are great. Send in your glamour shots from the 80s. Those are so amazing. I, think I have some somewhere. Maybe I'll try. Maybe I'll send one in anonymously and see if anyone can tell it's me. Bird watching photos, which can be a bird or you flipping the bird to Trump buildings. We love those as well. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. First up is your good trouble. And your good trouble comes from Dana Miller, pronoun. She and her indivisible groups, Colorado Partnership Teams, Aurora Unidos, CSO and many other community organizations and individuals are protesting on December 20 against Key Lime Air's contract with ICE to transport detainees and with their contract with the University of Colorado to transport their athletic teams. Denver [Riggleman Air Connection is a subsidiary of Key Lime Air. And we're protesting at numerous airports which serve Denver [Riggleman Air connection. Y' all covered our efforts with Denver [Riggleman's city council members voting down and expansion of Key Lime at Denver [Riggleman International Airport. Yes. And a friend of mine is a flight tracker and sent me this, which I also shared on, Blue Sky. Dana. Fuck. Yeah. So here you go. We'll have a link in the show notes. It's December 20th. It's a mass protest going on in Denver [Riggleman, Centennial, Pueblo, Alamosa, Cortez, Jackson, Tennessee, Minneapolis, Minnesota. there's a couple of them there. They all start at differing times. We'll have a photo here for a flyer and a link in the show notes for all those. Thank you so much for that. Appreciate it. Next up, from Bruce. Pronouns, he and him. When I saw the JD Vance photo on Beans Talk, I instantly thought of Star Trek original series episode Errand of Mercy. Vance is a Klingon. The original series Klingons, not the cool Next Generation Klingons. Oh, my God, it does look just like him. Oh. We'll have side by side pictures, for patrons to view. Good catch, Bruce. I was wondering what it reminded me of. It's him. Oh, my gosh. Errand of Mercy, the original series, 1967, I think. All right, next up, from Amy Pronoun. She and her. In an effort to feel like I'm doing something positive in this negative world, I started tutoring an adult ESL health literacy class. One class focused on mental health and suicide. Important but tough topics. And I wanted to end it on a high note. So I cut out flower shapes and had everyone decorate one and write down some things that give them hope. We created our garden of hope that we now proudly display in the classroom. It was such a positive experience. And as I told them, what gives me hope is them. They work so hard and have big dreams. So shout out to Literacy Volunteers of America, Prince William, Virginia. I've attached a picture of our garden as well as one of our three cats. No. Oh, a photo of our three cats. Jalapeno, Habanero and Kosho. The pepper cats. Otherwise known as the Peppers. They got a pepper bar. Oh, my gosh. The garden of hope is gorgeous. I love this idea. Amy, that's so cool. Look at the cats. We love the subs. They got a pepper bar Quiz. No subs. You guys remember that commercial? Yeah. I used to sit on my friend Joelle's floor and play the guitar and put on hamster slippers and sing that song with her. I just thought I'd let You know, these cats are amazing. Thank you so much. Next up from Dr. Worm. Pronouns Dr. She her good trouble suggestion. I heard a story on the radio, probably npr, that featured a plea from a mayor of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, to buy from Somali owned and Latino owned businesses. Sounds like those businesses are being affected by ICE activity and ranting from you know who. So let's buy some shit Leguminati. I don't have any particular resources to point to to find those businesses, but I just wanted to throw the suggestion out there. Dr. Worm, great suggestion. Podpet tariff is a savage's throwback with my girl Moo on the fuck this shit vibe. Oh my God. Okay, so it's three kittens in a carrier and Moo, who's on a fuck this shit vibe is climbing, climbing the inside of the cage. So adorable. Thank you, Dr. Worm. Next up, Kathy Pronoun. She and her Lewiston, Maine, town of the October 2023 mass shooting tragedy stopped a deal the town council was plowing ahead to approve a new data center project. And we did it last night. You can see the meeting video on YouTube. We'll have a link in the show notes. We did it, y'. All. Is this the first? I think maybe it is. I am floating this morning. My picture is of my Chester. He's also happy. Kathy, this is fucking amazing. Fuck these data centers. I mean, unless you're going to turn them into a way to heat people's homes, which I saw something like that happening in Finland. Fuck them. I hate them so much. All right, I know hate's a strong word, but seriously, every single thing in this country that's wrong is traced back to these billionaire oligarchs. Anyway, your puppy's haircut is the best. Thank you for sharing. Next up from Jeff. Pronouns, he and him. Hello, lovelies. Florida native aside, I just moved to O.C. california and trekked down to San Diego this weekend to see Hassan Minhaj and Ronny Cheng's show. Okeechobee. Pronunciation Okeechobee. Said quickly. Love you, Dana for Podbet Tariff. The first is my dog Daily, short for Angelica Bean, after my daughter came home from work. She's a mix of two breeds. What you got? The second is my dog, John. He and Steph Miller dropped in on the Beverly Hills library last week and it was great. Steph had to leave early, but managed to stick around for a quick photo. Kudos to John for sticking around for over an hour to make sure he met everyone who wanted to meet him. Fugal Sang is truly an inspiration let's look at jelly here. Jelly belly. lab. Weimaraner lab. Something with a long nose. Let's see. Black lab, foxhound. 50. 50. He's a hound dog. Very adorable puppy, Jeff. Thank you so much. Next is from Ken. Pronouns, he and him. A, shout out. To two restaurants in a far western suburb of Chicago. Bartlett, the dog father and the north of the border. They have given me permission to use their names. Have a bulletin board by their back door that has prepaid meals. When a person who needs a meal can ask for one to be made, no questions asked. Those meals are donated by customers. I hope getting this practice out gets more places to start something like this. Yeah. Next time you're in your local eatery, see if you can pay for a meal and leave it on a bulletin board. Start a trend. A bonus seasonal joke. Why are there no dragons in the North Pole? answer is redacted. Let me guess. Why are there no dragons in the North Pole? I. I give up. Let's see. Santa slays. Ah. you see. I see. For podpet tariff, I have sent pics of Maggie, the adult cat we adopted. So I'm sending you a pic of another adult cat from the same place. The Tails humane society in DeKalb, Illinois. It's taleshumanesociety.org and here's Toby, a little ginger, five years old. A sweet, sweet baby that you can adopt. Thank you so much for that. Appreciate you, Ken. Next up, from Andrea Pronouns, she and her hello, beans, queens and Leguminati. Previously, you shared the good news of Dr. Cindy, who obtained her PhD at AH56. She offered words of encouragement for anyone out there doubting they could do something, which is exactly what I was doing at that moment, as questioned by sanity for even considering grad school at my age. Congratulations, Dr. Cindy, and thank you for sharing your courage and hope. It ripples out. For my pod pet tax, I've attached the amazing portrait of our senior black lab, gifted to me by my talented and beautiful artist friend Jennifer at Lions and Yellow Cake. You can go to lionsandyellowcake.com this dog is a. This is beautiful. This is a portrait. It's a drawing. And it's gorgeous with the monstera leaves and the beautiful puppers. Thank you so much for sending that and thanks to your amazing, friend Jennifer at Lions and Yellowcake. Next up, Marilees pronoun. She and her thanks for your thoughtful podcasts. I am a true blue fan and I can't wait for the day you are talking about plants or going to the beach or anything that after this big fat mess is over, here's Poppy, my seven month old puppy waiting in Squam Lake in New Hampshire. Guess the breed? We've been to three protest rallies in New Hampshire together. All the best. No breed was given, but it looks like a big old Goldendoodle. Or maybe an Irish Setter. Look at that tail. Is there such a thing as an Irish setter doodle? Let us know. Marileese. I'd love to find out. Everybody, thank you so much for your good news. I'm gonna be back on your ears tomorrow. I'm gonna see you solo over on the Beans Talk. I really appreciate you hanging in there with me while Dana is out, so I don't really have any final thoughts. I'll just see you all tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, and take care of your family. 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 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.