Thursday, April 24th, 2025 Today, Judge Xinis obliterates Trump’s Justice Department stonewalling in the Abrego Garcia case; the producer of 60 Minutes quits citing a lack of independence; Trump is weighing slashing his own tariffs against China because of course he is; the Court of International Trade denied a petition for a temporary restraining order from five businesses that sued over the Trump tariffs; Governor Pritzker of Illinois has announced a review of all state business done with El Salvador eyeing a possible boycott for assisting Trump with defying court orders; Trump says undocumented immigrants shouldn’t get trials before being deported; the Hyattsville Police Department says they never identified Abrego Garcia as a member of any gang; Hegseth orders a makeup studio installed at the Pentagon; the Trump regime is planning to come after US citizens who disagree with him; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
Thursday, April 24th, 2025
Today, Judge Xinis obliterates Trump’s Justice Department stonewalling in the Abrego Garcia case; the producer of 60 Minutes quits citing a lack of independence; Trump is weighing slashing his own tariffs against China because of course he is; the Court of International Trade denied a petition for a temporary restraining order from five businesses that sued over the Trump tariffs; Governor Pritzker of Illinois has announced a review of all state business done with El Salvador eyeing a possible boycott for assisting Trump with defying court orders; Trump says undocumented immigrants shouldn’t get trials before being deported; the Hyattsville Police Department says they never identified Abrego Garcia as a member of any gang; Hegseth orders a makeup studio installed at the Pentagon; the Trump regime is planning to come after US citizens who disagree with him; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
Thank You,
Guest: Ofirah Yheskel
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Text “DEMGOV” to 30201 for information on governor’s races.
Stories:
How Trump's immigration crackdown could hit U.S. citizens | Axios
Trump Says Undocumented Immigrants Shouldn’t Get Trials Before Deportation | The New York Times
Hyattsville Police Department details 2019 encounter with Kilmar Abrego Garcia | DC News Now
‘60 Minutes’ Chief Resigns in Emotional Meeting: ‘The Company Is Done With Me’ | The New York Times
Hegseth orders makeup studio installed at Pentagon | CBS News
Democratic Governor Moves To Boycott El Salvador For Aiding Trump | HuffPost Latest News
Good Trouble:
Project “Citizens’ Impeachment” is a grassroots impeachment and removal effort with volunteers in more than 90% of congressional districts across the country, despite being very new. We are asking our Senators to speak up publicly in favor of impeachment and removal.
Send one email to each of your Senators using the contact forms on their websites this week. ***You’ll get instructions the day after you sign up (via email) on what to include in your emails.
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From The Good News
Signs of Justice (@signsofjustice) | IG and MSW Media (@mswmediapods) | IG
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Students, alumni criticize University for hosting Trump commencement address | The Crimson White
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Um. MSW Media Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, April 24, 2025. Today, Judge Sinis obliterates the Trump Justice Department's stonewalling in the Abrego Garcia case. The producer of 60 Minutes has quit, citing a lack of independence. Trump is weighing slashing his own tariffs against China because, of course, he is. The Court of International Trade has denied a petition for a temporary restraining order from those five small businesses that sued over the tariffs. Governor Pritzker of Illinois has announced a review of all state business done with El Salvador, eyeing a possible boycott for assisting Trump with defying court orders. Donald Trump. Undocumented immigrants shouldn't get trials before being deported. The Department of Justice has terminated all funding for the Prison Rape Elimination act contracts. The Hyattsville Police Department says they never identified Abrego Garcia as a member of any gang. Pete Keth has ordered a makeup studio installed at the Pentagon, and the Trump regime is planning to come after US Citizens who disagree with him. I'm Allison Gill.
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Hey, Dana. Happy Thursday.
Happy Thursday to you. How are you? We survived the taint of the week and we are moving on.
Yes, we are past the taint of the week, and I don't know which direction we're headed in, but we don't.
Know if we're going forward or backwards. So things might get more enjoyable or really shitty, literally.
That's the thing about the taint of the week. It's always a surprise what comes next. Although I am very excited. Today we're going to get to talk to the director of External affairs for the Democratic Governors Association. Her name is Ophelia Heskel, and she's going to join us later in the show. We're going to talk about what the Democratic governors are doing, uh, and what they have done and what they're planning to do and how we can support them. And it's so important right now who your governor is. You know, it really is, considering what's going on at the federal level. So I look forward to that discussion. But, you know, aside from that, we just have, you know, your regular mix of news about 50, 50 good, bad today. So. And then there's a really weird one about a makeup studio being put in at the Pentagon. Hm. So we're going to do our best to get through that without making fun of people who wear makeup.
Uh, so since we both do it certain times.
Absolutely. And I mean. I mean, the thing here is, is it's really kind of a Doge joke Right. Like, if you want to talk about saving money in the federal government, but spending tens of thousands of dollars for that. Remember when, like, melania spent, like, 50 grand a month on her hair and makeup or something like that?
Yeah.
That's. That's the kind of stuff we're, you know, we're looking at. So we're going to talk about that as well. So let's do it. Let's get to the news. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up. Oh, my God. Judge Cenis went off on the Trump administration in the Department of Justice last night. Annie, uh, McCabe and I are going to go over it in full on this weekend's Unjustified podcast. But I would be remiss, Dana, if I didn't share some highlights from this.
Yes, please.
Scorcher of an order. As you may know, Judge Cenis granted a bro Garcia's lawyer's motion for discovery and set a very tight two week schedule to have all this discovery done. Depositions, interrogatories, uh, et cetera. Now, she knew the government would fuck around, so she said any issues with stonewalling should be addressed in a letter to the court. She foresaw this. Right. Uh, like it's not hard to see it coming. And Abrego Garcia's lawyers wrote a letter to her on April 21, which is when the Trump administration's answers to their first set of 15 interrogatories were due.
Okay.
And they were just woefully ridiculous and stupid. And so they wrote a letter because Judge Sinis said, write me a letter if they. If they're stupid. And so Prego Garcia lawyers wrote a letter, and here's how she responded. They asked for a. A hearing, a. A teleconference that same day. Uh, because in her original order, she said if they screw around, if they fa. They can fo. Okay, um, by writing a letter, and I will schedule, uh, a conference, unless I don't think a conference is needed. And apparently she didn't because she just came out with this order. There's just two little pieces of it. Number one, she said defendants object to certain discovery because they claim the requests are based on the false premise that the United States can or has been ordered to facilitate Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador. Uh, that order from the Supreme Court made clear, quote, that this court properly required the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador. Word for word.
That's pretty clear word for word, Dana.
And she quoted it. Here's just one other example. She. She says, she talks about privilege assertions. She says, first of all, privilege assertions. Equally specious defendants objections on the grounds of privilege are rejected. The defendants invoke, in name only, a range of privileges. Attorney client privilege, work product privilege, the deliberative, the deliberative process privilege, state secrets privilege, and an unidentified quote, governmental privilege, unquote, without providing any supporting information or analysis. If the defendants want to preserve their privilege claims, they must support them with the required detail. Otherwise, they will lose the protections they failed to properly invoke. She gave them one day to turn in a privilege log. What's privileged, why it's privileged. And if they don't, she's not allowing them to cite any privilege. Oh, my God. Insane. Just. Wow. So she plans on addressing contempt once the discovery period is over. Right? She says, I'm deferring all of your other motions till after the discovery period is over. And the lawyers for Abrego Garcia, though, she did, like I said in the very beginning when she put this order out and said, I know they're going to fuck up, so write me a letter. I'll schedule a teleconference unless I have a thing. And also anytime during this two week period, if they're being dickheads, you have the right to file for sanctions before the two weeks are up. So we might see a, uh, sanctions motion come out before the two weeks are over. She's big mad.
She's amazing, amazing, amazing. She's doing a hell of a job. This one's from Axios. Trump administration officials are suggesting their immigration crackdown could expand to include deporting convicted U.S. citizens and charging anyone, not just immigrants, who criticizes Trump's policies. Here are three tactics the administration has teased. Number one, sending convicted U.S. citizens to prisons abroad. Two, putting critics of the administration's policy in jeopardy. And three, questioning the authority of court orders. Advocates worry the resulting confusion has laid the groundwork for Trump's team to send a US Citizen to a foreign prison, then claim that person couldn't be returned.
Yeah, that's why these Abrego Garcia proceedings are so important, as well as all the other proceedings for the rest of the people in Seacoat that are before Judge Boasberg and individual restraining orders in jurisdictions for habeas petitions after the Supreme Court vacated those Boasberg orders. But, you know, Sebastian Gorka came out and said, yeah, we should be able to prosecute US Citizens for crimes if they're telling people, they're telling immigrants what Their rights are. That's aiding and abetting terrorism.
Oh, my God.
If they're, uh, advocating for due process for Abrego Garcia, that's aiding and abetting terrorists. And so we should be able to criminally charge them. And Trump wants to be able to, if you're convicted US Citizen or not, in a court, to deport you, uh, overseas for. To be in prison for life, I guess.
Insane fascism.
Yeah. Next up from the Times. Trump asserted on Tuesday that undocumented immigrants shouldn't be entitled to trials at all, insisting that his administration should be able to just deport them without appearing before a judge. The remarks which he made in the Oval Office in front of reporters were Mr. Trump's latest broadside against the judiciary, which he has said is inhibiting his deportation powers. Mr. Trump, now, see, the judiciary inhibits you from breaking the fucking law. That's what the judiciary.
Yeah, Yep. That's called checks and balances, you jackass.
Mr. Trump falsely claimed that countries like Congo and Venezuela had emptied their prisons into the United States, and that, uh, he therefore needed to bypass the constitutional demands of due process to expel the immigrants. Quickly, quote, I hope we get cooperation from the courts, because we have thousands of people that are ready to go out, and you can't have a trial for all these people. That's what he said. You can't have a trial for all of them.
Actually, you can.
Yeah. And you're supposed to. It's the law, M. It's the fucking Constitution. Quote, it was meant. The system wasn't meant. And we don't think there's anything that says that. What? I don't.
What the fuck does that mean?
I don't even know. I don't understand.
Oh, man. And, of course, where's the press? Talking about his cognitive decline. Hello? Anyone? Anyone?
Bueller? For years. For years, they've just ignored that shit.
Yep. All right, this one is from the Independent. The wife of a wrongly deported Salvadoran father living in Maryland was moved to a safe house after Donald Trump's administration posted a court document that included her address on social media. She got doxed by the President of the United States administration. It's insane. In an interview with the Washington Post, Kilmara Brigo Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Souda, she's said she began fearing for her safety and the safety of her three children after the Department of Homeland Security shared a protective order from 2021 that prominently featured her address to the department's 2.4 million followers on Twitter. I hope she Sues the shit out of somebody. And I quote, I don't feel safe when the government posts my address, the house where my family lives, for everyone to see. Especially when this case has gone viral and people have all sorts of opinions. That's what she told the Washington Post. So this is definitely a bit terrifying. I am scared for my kids. The fact that they did this is horrible. I know it may not be against the law. I have actually no idea if it is. It's just superbly up.
They certainly did it on purpose, too. This wasn't an accident.
No, this is. Yeah.
Yeah. Thank you for that story. Next up from Reuters. The Justice Department has canceled hundreds of ongoing grants that funded everything from services for mental health care for police officers to support programs for victims of crime and sexual assault. And that's according to internal records. And for people familiar, at least 365 grants from the Office of Justice Programs, the department's largest grant making army, were terminated late Tuesday. That's what, uh, two of the people said who were granted anonymity to discuss the details that have not been made public. And, Dana, the Trump administration just cut the entire contract for ongoing audits of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. That's the hugely bipartisan law. It was so hugely bipartisan, it passed unanimously in 2003 that requires jails and prisons to take rape seriously and adopt policies designed to make it less likely to happen.
Does it surprise anyone that a president who has been found liable for rape would not want to actually protect.
Yeah. Then, yeah. So that's. That whole contract's just gone, um, unconscionable.
All right, we'll file that under the bad news in this group of 50. 50. Uh, this one's from DC News. Now, in a news release published Monday, the city of Hyattsville Police Department, HPD, said that, quote, at no time did its officers identify Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia as a member of the gang. Never did they do that. HPD said that on March 28th of 2019, a detective saw four men standing outside of a store in the 3300 block of the East West Highway. That detective saw them seem to hide something under a car, so he approached them and I quote, during the encounter, the detective recognized one of the men as a Known Member of MS.13. This individual was not Obrega Garcia. That's HPD. Quote, at no time did any member of the HPD identify or file any reports classifying A Garcia as a member of any gang. HPD's statement read. And we've talked about this. He actually got legal, legalized, earned under the Trump administration. Right. And year after year, he would check in with them and was never identified as a gang member, as, as a domestic terrorist, as an international terrorist. Never, ever, ever. This is a fuck up from the administration. They know it, they've admitted it, and they're still trying to gaslight the entire country.
Yeah. Every. Every wrongfully disappeared person is a test.
Yep.
Of the court. That's what it is.
And the people. How angry are we going to get?
Yes, yes, indeed. I think a lot of people aren't going to get angry until it comes to their door, unfortunately. Yeah. Um, next up, the United States Court of International Trade has denied a temporary restraining order on tariffs filed against the administration by five businesses impacted by the import taxes. And I, we talked briefly about this. It was like five small businesses, a pipe fitting business, a cycling business. You know, they, they sued for these tariffs because their supply chains are fucked now.
Yeah.
And this temporary restraining order was denied, but not because the court thinks they'll lose. The court says upon consideration of the plaintiff's application for a temporary restraining order, defendants response thereto and all other pertinent papers, and upon determination that plaintiffs have not clearly shown a likelihood that immediate and irreparable harm would occur before consideration of their motion for preliminary injunction, therefore, the temporary restraining order is denied. So these five folks have filed a temporary restraining order and a motion for preliminary injunction. And we know temporary restraining order is only 14 days. Preliminary injunction is until another court stops it from happening. Right. That's more permanent and appealable. And the court is still considering that. What they're saying is between now and the time we consider that, we don't see you suffering irreparable harm, like in the immediate future.
Right.
That's why the temporary restraining order was denied. And they're, you know, so they'll, they'll consider the preliminary injunction. Will they tell you what happened, what happens with that? And also, Dana, a dozen states attorneys general have sued Trump over tariffs in this same court. I guess any, anything about tariffs goes to the International Trade Court. That's a federal court, and that is a developing story. And we'll bring you more as we learn more, too.
All right, thank you so much, Allison. I got a little bit more on tariffs. This is from the Wall Street Journal. The Trump administration is considering slashing. I only laugh because, of course they are slashing at steep tariffs on Chinese imports. No, I know. It's shocking, isn't it? In some cases, by more than half in a bid to de escalate tensions with Beijing, that of royal global trade and investment. According to people familiar with the matter, which he started. Yes, he did. President Trump hasn't made a final determination. This is what the people said, adding that the discuss remains fluid and several options are on the table. One administration official said Trump wouldn't act unilaterally, really? And would need to see some action from Beijing to lower tariffs.
For action from Beijing. Yeah, that he hasn't made a full determination because the discussion remains fluid, because he's trying to make sure everybody knows when to fucking buy stocks.
Buy stock, Sell stock. Yep. It's gonna happen again. One senior White House official said that China tariffs were likely to come down between roughly 50% and 65%. The administration is also considering a tiered approach similar to the one proposed by the House Committee on China last year. That would be 35% levies for items the US deems not a threat to national security and at least 100% for items deemed as, ah, strategic to America's interest. This is what some of the people said. Now, the bill proposed, it's phasing in those levies over five years. So I'm telling you, you're about to see it again. There's going to be a little, uh, pump and dump.
Oh, my Jesus. The problem is, is that this, this uncertainty, this volatility is what hurts the markets the most.
And we're the ones losing money permanently while billionaires get more and more rich.
Yes, indeed, buddies. Yes, indeed. All right, next up from the time CBS News entered a new period of turmoil on Tuesday after the executive producer of 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, said he would resign from the long running Sunday news program, citing encroachments on his journalistic independence. In an extraordinary declaration, Mr. Owens, only the third person to run 60 Minutes in its 57 year history, told his staff in a memo that, quote, over the past months it's become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what's right for 60 Minutes and what's right for the audience. So having defended this show and what we stand for from every angle over time, with everything I could, I'm stepping aside so the show can move forward, he wrote. That was in a memo which was obtained by the New York Times. There was a sign off on the last airing of CBS News last night, on Tuesday night, where the anchors were getting choked up over him leaving because he also produced that program.
That's so sad. This whole bullshit. All of this came out because of that interview with Kamala Harris and Trump being just a dick about it. After he won too, or quote, unquote, won the election. I just. It's mind blowing. Mind blowing. All right, this one is from cbs. Defense secretary Pete Kegseth recently ordered modifications to a room next to the Pentagon press briefing room to retrofit it with a makeup studio that can be used to prepare for television appearances. Multiple sources told CBS news. This is what happens when you put a Fox news host in charge of the military. The price tag for the project was several thousand dollars, according to two of the sources, at a time when the administration is searching for cost cutting measures. And I quote, changes and upgrades to the Pentagon briefing room are nothing new and routinely happen during changes in administration. That's what a defense department spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.
Oh, I can't. I know. This is totally normal. It's totally common.
Happens all the time.
Yeah.
Yeah, all the time.
We're going to put some bowling alleys.
I think it's the first time a makeup room has been put in the hot tub. Uh, the renovation was initially planned. It, uh, was estimated to cost more than $40,000, but the ideas were scaled back. That's what sources said. Kegseth, before becoming secretary of defense, was a morning show co host. Oh, I upgraded him to host co host on Fox news, Fox and Friends weekend. Since his nomination, he has vowed to emphasize improvements in the armed forces, war fighting abilities and military readiness as he continue continues to give sensitive war information to his friends, his siblings, his wife, anyone who happens to be on a signal chat text chain.
I wonder if there were meetings about what show to put him on. Like in the morning he's going to be hungover, but if we put him on in the evening, he'll be drunk. So what's worse? Like a hungover heg seth or a drunk heg seth? Like hungover. And then they went with hungover, uh, heg seth. Right. Yeah, that was their decision. If I, you know, because me personally, like, I don't schedule any flights before, like 7am Like, I'm not getting up that early. Uh, it's not because I'm, you know, drinking a fifth.
You don't go to bed very early.
But I like to have like a slow morning, you know? Yeah. Uh, so I wonder if he like, lobbied for a later time slot and they're like, no, we'd rather have you hungover than drunk. Anyway, um, thanks for that story. Just that's comedy gold. I just don't want to dig into it, uh, too much. It's, it's because it's mostly about the hypocrisy, really, and the, and overspending and to say, you know, to go on and on about doing like push ups on camera and we're in the war fighting mentality. Um, I guess maybe next a ball tanning station will go in for when Tucker Carlson visits the Pentagon. I don't know. I don't understand. Or was that Hannity? Was it Tucker or Hannity that tanned his balls?
Oh, my God. I don't know, but I'm getting nauseous the more you talk about this.
Sorry, taint of the week. I guess we're going forward.
Yeah, you definitely went forward.
All right, all right, everybody. Time for some good trouble.
What are you guys doing?
All right, first up, congratulations everyone. The Leguminati congrats on the anti Christian reporting email, the snitch email at the Department of Veterans Affairs. I received confirmation today. 54, 000 reports made on Wednesday, April 23rd. 54,000. That's like, that's so many people. All of them had to be manually reviewed and none of them were real.
Well done, everyone.
L. Yes, y'all. That is like the best response we've ever gotten to, to some good trouble. At least the good trouble we can track. So today's mission, should you choose to accept it, Project Citizens Impeachment is a grassroots impeachment and removal effort with volunteers in more than 90% of congressional districts across the country. Despite being very new, we are asking our senators to speak up publicly in favor of impeachment and removal. Send one email to each of your senators using the contact forms on their website this week. You'll get instructions the day after you sign up via email on what to include in your email. We'll have a sign up form link in the show notes. It's citizensimpeachment.com sign up. Be sure to correctly enter your congressional district for like, example, MN01. If, uh, you don't know your district, there's actually a link in the form where you can look it up because you want to be one of the constituents. So that's our good trouble today. Check for that link in the show notes and, um, and, you know, urge your representatives to call for impeachment and removal. Not just impeachment, but also removal. So that's it. That's your good trouble. And, uh, Dana Huffington Post is reporting to Illinois Governor J.B. pritzker is asking his state's pension funds and procurement agencies to examine any investments or contracts they have with companies in El Salvador, the first step toward a possible state boycott of the country for assisting President Donald Trump in defying court orders on the treatment of migrants. And we're going to be right back to discuss this and other directives with the Director of External affairs for the Democratic Governors Association. Her name is Ophira Yeheskel. So stay with us after these messages. M. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. I'm honored to be joined today by the Director of External affairs at the Democratic Governor's Association. Please welcome Ophira Yehuskel. Hi, Ophira. How are you?
Hi, Allison. Thanks for having me. I'm, um. Well, how are you?
I'm. I'm extremely well now that I'm. I'm getting to talk to you, because I want to hear all about everything all of the Democratic governors are doing to help push back and resist against what's going on in this particular Trump administration 2.0. Because, you know, we relied a lot on the DGA back in the first Trump administration to help push back on a lot of the policies and to help their states be protected from what's going on at the federal level. And we had a story I was mentioning right before the break about Governor Pritzker and what he's doing with regard to, you know, digging through state contracts in Illinois to see what if, uh, they have any with Bukele or El Salvador, and maybe what's a step toward a boycott to pull those contracts in opposition of him assisting the Trump administration in defying court orders, you know, with, with Seacoat and the torture prison down there. So maybe talk a little bit about that, then we can talk more broadly about what the DGA is doing and maybe some future plans.
Well, if you give me the time, Allison, I'll keep going on and on about all the great things. I have no shortage of, um, examples to point to. It's a lot, um, and I'm always telling people right now that who your governor is has never mattered more than it does right now. Like you said, they were a really important backstop in the last Trump administration. I think even more now, people are feeling that who their governor is is critically important, um, and that you want a governor right now who's going to, I think, where it counts, stand up to the Trump administration and be a leader morally, vocally, um, and also, I think, find ways to make your life better. And I think Democratic governors are doing that on a number of fronts. You mentioned Governor Pritzker. He's one great example. Governor Moore as well. Um, but I think they're really keyed in on also delivering for people on these kitchen table issues. That's why we've been able to elect so many of them. Last year we elected, elected, um, three. I think people maybe didn't, uh, pay attention to that, but it was a bright spot for us in 2024 that we were able to elect Josh Stein as governor of North Carolina and hold on to all the open seats that we had. And we have 38 governor's races over the next two years. Um, they need a lot of time and attention and energy. So I'm really grateful to be here and putting a spotlight on that. Obviously, the people listening will be a critical, critical part of that.
Right? Yeah, exactly. I agree. And, um, a lot of this has to do with protecting governors, protecting their constituents, people who live in their states, from what's going on federally, especially with ice. I know Governor Katie Hobbs, for example, vetoed, uh, a bill that came to her desk this week that was going to force local law enforcement to assist ICE in Trump's deportation policies. And, you know, short of, I don't know, promising a, uh, city mayor, uh, dropping charges, dropping criminal charges so that they help with immigration policies. You know, that's kind of what the Trump administration, where they're, where they seem to be coming from is to use like some sort of, sort of Damocles. That is one of the main things that I love about the unified front from our Democratic governors on that specific issue.
I think it goes to show, too, I think Democratic governors really care about keeping their community safe. And that's why the lack of action from Republicans on federal immigration reform is really, really astounding right now. They said this was a priority for them. Um, and I think nobody would love more than Democratic governors for there to be some sort of clarity, some sort of action for us to fix, uh, our immigration system, which is clearly broken. And I think this is just another example of where people are looking for leadership in the states. And whether it's on immigration and keeping your community safe or the economy, things that touch people every day in their lives, Democratic governors are really making a lot of progress. And even you mentioned Governor Hobbs. I think she's a great example of this. Vetoed, um, a zombie abortion law that had been on the books since the Civil War in Arizona. I think that's a really critical point of why her leadership in a state like Arizona matters. Right now when abortion rights are under attack. So, again, Allison, I could point to any number of things that they're doing, but, um, who your governor is really does matter quite a lot right now.
Yeah. And that was going to be. My next thing was reproductive, uh, rights and health, uh, care for women, but health care in general, too. We have Democratic governors moving forward to protect the healthcare in their states and some even moving toward, you know, m. Maybe a public option or something like that. But I think so much now rests with our governors to help protect our rights and talk a little bit. I'm curious about. I'm always curious, though, about how, like, the sausage is made, so, so to speak, how do they all meet? Do they have conference calls? They get on zoom calls, like, how often does the DGA meet? And, and, and do the governors, like, discuss and put out and, uh, brainstorm ideas about what they can do to protect their constituents in their states?
What. I think they're lonely jobs being executive of these seats. So I think when something's going on and they want to call a colleague, that happens quite a lot, actually. I know a number of them talk to each other when there's been, like, a natural disaster in their states. Um, and I think this has been really key. Some of them see, you know, I think Governor Walz is maybe a great example of this, has expanded school breakfast and lunch in his state, and has been, I think, a really great blueprint for other governors who might have asked, like, where were the pain points on that, like, what happened for you to get that, that done? And I think they all kind of turn to each other for advice. Governor, um, Kelly, who's our chair right now, has been pushing the whole time that she's been the governor of Kansas, where we have a Democratic governor, People might not expect that to expand Medicaid. And a lot of our governors have done that. So I think they turn to each other for advice quite a lot, actually.
And what are they doing, or can you speak to what, uh, the DGA is doing to prepare for how to respond to some of the dismantling of our federal programs that are now going to be left up to states? Like, I'm thinking of the Department of Education. I mean, you know, you put anything federal, ah, that we spend money on in Trump's lap, and he says we're gonna put it out to the states. The only thing I'm confused about is we send a bunch of money to the federal government via federal taxes to pay for these programs. Is that somehow not going to be sent now so we can pay for it ourselves. And, like, maybe we can just take Department of Education as a specific example. If we pay all this money into the Department of Education and it's no longer going to be a federal program, and, um, the states have to do, can we keep that money and do it for ourselves? And what does that look like? It just seems like it would be so disjointed to do it 50 different ways.
Yeah, I think you're making a great point, Alison. And obviously these, they're critical programs that the Department of Education is funding in states that students, that parents, that teachers rely on. And I think that's why Governor Evers is a great example of this, is taking the Trump administration to court over it. Um, and hopefully he'll be successful. I think many of our governors have seen that as a tool in the toolbox to make sure these federal funds that they're relying on are unfrozen and continue coming into their states. I know Governor Shapiro had to sue the Trump administration for some federal funds the other day, and, um, was successful in unlocking them. So I think that's been one tool in the toolbox. Um, but I think also everyone listening hopefully will raise their voice on the impact of this. I think we're seeing that Republicans in Washington, when they're hearing from their constituents and hearing from people in their states about how boneheaded some of these decisions are and how they're hurting people, maybe, um, reconsider and are on the back foot. And so I would urge everybody listening to make sure you're talking to your Republican congressperson and that they're hearing from you. I think they sometimes are in a vacuum and maybe not exactly hearing from people in their states, and it's that harm to these people in their states. I think that's why junior governor is, again, really does matter, because I think they're, they're trying to step into the breach, I think, and protect people. Um, but there's a lot of stuff happening at the federal level too, that requires a lot of attention and noise, I think.
Yeah, agreed. And I love seeing these, uh, town halls and the Tesla takedown and, um, a lot of people speaking out and organizing, uh, which I think is incredibly important, especially at the grassroots level, which has a lot to do with who your governor is and how things are set up, which is why it's so important. Before I let you go, what's coming up, what's on the docket, so to speak, what are they, what are they planning next? That you can talk about.
Well, we've got two big governor's races this year, Allison, off year's governor's races in Virginia, New Jersey. Um, and this is a really great opportunity for us to flip Virginia back into Democratic hands. We've got a great congresswoman. Abigail Spanberger is going to be our nominee. Really looking forward to electing her. She's running against a really extreme Republican, the Lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears, who's blocked, um, birth control access being guaranteed in the Commonwealth. She said that these federal layoffs, which harm a lot of people in Virginia, are not a big deal and for people not to fret. So I think that'll be, uh, an incredibly important governor's race. That will set the tone, I think, for the 36 that we have next year. Uh, and I hope people will pay attention to New Jersey as well. That's going to be competitive. And, uh, we want to make sure we keep that state blue after eight years of Phil Murphy's great leadership. And then we've been talking about a lot of great governors who will be up for reelection next year. Katie Hobbs is one of them. Um, Josh, we have 12 incumbent governors who have the option to run for reelection again next year. Um, want to make sure that we continue our record of reelecting incumbents. We say that income protections are bread and butter. We've been able to reelect 26 out of 27 since 2016, and we want to continue that, that really strong record next year. And then we've got a lot of open seats. Some of the folks that you might know, like Greta and Whitmer, are term limited. Um, and we'll have open seats in places like Michigan, New Mexico, California. They'll be really exciting opportunities for us to. And then we've got some states that we think we can expand the map on and flip. Georgia is one of them. Nevada, the Republican governor there, I think will be incredibly, incredibly vulnerable. So it's a big map with a lot of exciting opportunities. And, um, I hope people listening will tune in if they're interested in getting involved with the DGA. You can text demgov 30201 and, uh, it'll get you all the information you need to get plugged into our governor's races and all the great work we're doing.
Amazing. Because we always like to give tangible action that people can take. So, again, contact your Republican representatives. But once again, can you give that text, uh, information, text, text demgovs to.
30201 and we'll get you plugged right into everything we're doing to support Democratic governors and elect more of them.
Ophir, I really appreciate your time today. Thanks for coming and talking to us. And, uh, everybody, you've got your, you've got your marching orders. And, uh, we will. I hope to have you back, uh, soon so we can talk about some more progress that's made with the dga.
Thanks for having me.
All right, everybody, stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone. Then, good news, everyone. Good news. And if you have any good news, confessions, corrections, any sweet story you want to tell us at all, or if you have a shout out to a loved one or some great community organizers in your area, or a small business that could use a shout out, your small business. If you want to talk about what you're making and creating, we have tons of entrepreneurs that listen to the daily beans. We'd love to hear about it. Also, shout outs to government programs, whether it's the Affordable Care act or Head start or section 8, SNAP, WIC, Medicare, um, Medicaid, Social Security, Affordable Care act subsidies, great VA health care you've received, and student debt relief. Anything like that, send it to us. We would love to hear your good news. And all you have to do to get your submission on the air is pay your POD pet tariff, right? Which means attach a photo of your pet. If you don't have a pet, an adoptable pet in your area will do. If not, random photos of otters and red pandas will be great. We'll take those bird watching photos, which can be actual birds, or you and your family and friends flipping a bird to ah Trump and Musk Properties. We also would love to see your signs that you've seen out at protests. Some of your favorite signs that, uh, you've snapped photos of. Uh, your happy place pictures, of course. Baby photos. Really, any photo will do. And even if you don't have one, we'll probably read it anyway.
So, yes, we will. Send it to us just that nice.
We are and we just love your good news. Send it to us dailybeanspot.com click on contact. All right, first up, anonymous pronoun she and her. Hi there, My name is Abra. Pronoun she and her and I have a correction along with some good news for you. First, the correction on the Monday podcast. DG wasn't sure how to say Kootenay. And since I live in Spokane county across the border, I thought I'd help her Out. It's actually Kootenay. Uh, okay. But the e. The eh is barely pronounced Kootenay. Like that. Kootenay.
I love this little comment.
Just the slightest. Eh. You ever did hear Kootenay? Kootena County. Kootena County. Okay. As for the good news, I wanted to share that over the last few weeks, I've noticed a massive drop in the number of DJT yard signs around the area. And I see a lot, since I currently deliver boxes for a large retailer who I, uh, won't be shouting out here. Up until a few weeks ago, they were everywhere, but they're quickly coming down. Anecdotal evidence. Yeah, but I'll take it. For my POD pet tariff, I'm including a picture of one of my four cats. I also have a dog named Fred Millard. Millie Fillmore. She's the least intellectually endowed creature I've ever been owned by, but she's still a better president than the one we've got. No. Keep up the good work. Look at this with her toy. Pickle, I think. Cucumber with a feather attached. What an adorable baby. Thank you.
All right. Kootenay. All right. This is from Evan. No pronouns given. Borrow me. I grew up in rural Tennessee, outside chattanooga. In the 70s, I heard borrow me used to most Used most often by folks of a certain age. I haven't heard it in years, though. It makes a total sense now. Pillow guy would use it that way. He's got the temperament beliefs of people who were in their 60s and the 70s. My dog Ragu says hi. Um, did I miss something?
Uh, yeah. Weren't you around when the guy. When the Lindell.
No.
Oh, I know, I know why this was off of the cleanup on all 45 podcast.
Oh, tell me, tell me.
Mike Lindell is broke, and he cried in court again for being totally penniless.
Okay.
Said nobody will borrow me any money.
Got it.
And so I was like, borrow me. And I was like, you know what? Maybe that's a colloquial thing. Maybe that's something they say somewhere. Uh, and so that's what this is. In response to thank you.
I was like, I can't be the only one.
Thanks for asking. Because I was like, don't you remember? Nope. Totally different.
Don't you remember? I do not remember.
Look at the pupper.
No, this one's super short. Let me snag it, and then you can take the long one. This is from Anonymous. Pronouns he and him concerning what Kristi Noem was doing with the cash in her Purse. I'm guessing she was buying puppies to make a coat. Anonymous thank you for that amazing guest. Ah, $3,000 cash and Kristi Gnomes purse. Supposed $3,000 cash was used for to buy puppies to make a coat.
She kind of looks like Cruella de Vil. Yeah, a little bit with a little.
Bit too much Phil.
Anyway, thank you for that. Um, that's. I love that. Puppies for a coat. Next up, Tiffany Pronoun she and that by the way, we do not advocate selling puppies, using them for coats or anything like that. No one affiliated with Daily Beans or MSW Media Media does either. Thank you. All right, Tiffany pronoun she they. Hi y'all. Longtime fan since the Kitchen Table days and proud patron. While looking for parking at the airport, I was listening to the potpourri episode where DG mention the I bought this before I knew Elon was a fascist stickers that she's been seeing around. Ten minutes later after parking, I came upon this double bird watching opportunity. Imagine deciding to double down on this. Not just a Tesla, but a Trump 47 plate.
Wow.
It is so absurd. I couldn't help but laugh and snap proof of it for you and your community. I finally got to play bird watching. Thank you and all the back office Daily Beans team and for AG and DG for bringing laughter to my daily life. Wow, you got a Tesla and a Trump all in one bird watching photo.
Well done, Tiffany.
Amazing. Thank you for that.
My goodness. All right, this one's from Veronica Pronoun she and they Hiya Beans Queens. I just wanted to tell you both thank you. I found your podcast shortly after the election last year. As a recently out, uh, trans woman last September, I did not realize the amount of daily stress I had set myself up for with the election of Orange Menace. Your daily stories and good news have kept me above water in these times more than I would have been without them. I'm also a parent of five kids, two trans, one queer, and try to keep them uplifted day to day as well. The 15 year old listens to you with me en route to school in the mornings. What up, what up?
Morning. Morning.
Also, shout out to my fellow. This is Dana. Cheers to the 505. What? What? That's how you say Veronica. Thank you, my pod pet tax. I'm attaching photos of my Chihuahua Spike, named after the character from Buffy. Uh-huh. Keep up the good work.
Oh, look at the baby.
Oh my goodness. I love that your kiddo listens. Shout out to the kiddo and man, you are doing the Lord's work. Congratulations on your transition. As well as supporting two trans kids. One queer, one like. Well done, warrior.
Veronica. Right?
Seriously.
Jeez, look at this dog. Amazing little baby. A little tiny baby. I want to eat his pete. Oh my goodness. And he's got this look, the spike collar. Look, the black leather collar with the spikes. Oh my God, that's awesome. As. Thank you for that. All right, Prof. On a mission. Pronouns she and her. Oh my God. This cat through my cousin and bestie. When we were both 10, she would sing this is the dawning of the angels aquarium. Uh, Age of Aquarius will never be the same for either of us. Also, uh, psfl. That's public student loan forgiveness or public student forgiveness. I can't remember. It's for that public. People serving for the public served. Uh, my family. Well, three family members just made 10 years and got forgiveness. Yes, that's where you pay. You work for uh, like the government or a non profit or do something good for the the greater good or the public. You pay for 10 years on time and bam. The rest of your loan is forgiven. My pod pet tax is our three year old male Siberian cat. Pono smoke show. I've also sent some bird watching while done in Hawaii. I've been listening since the beginning. And AG and dg, you are the shiz. My sanity stays intact in no small part thanks to you.
Nice.
Prof. On a mission. Thank you. And I love this. The dawning of the angels aquarium. Have you heard that they might be giants song? This is the spawning of the cage and aquarium.
No.
Yeah. It's very good song.
Nice.
It's very good song. Sound like.
Definitely. Definitely a good song.
Definitely good. Oh, uh, there's some bird watching for. What is that? Donald Trump chocolate bars.
I imagine it's white chocolate if I had to guess. And I bet it's white chocolate with nuts. I fucking love you. Oh, uh, man. Nice bird watch. Okay, this one's from Anonymous. And this is regarding graduation debacle at the University of Alabama. No pronouns given please. For the love of all that is holy. Let people know that the majority of the faculty and staff are very upset by today's announcement that the Cheeto man is coming to town. Once again, we cannot speak openly about the issue for fear of losing our jobs. But we all have been sending messages across campus expressing our disappointment, no disgust with leadership on this decision. My office was flooded with calls today from students saying they are now not going to walk in their commencement ceremonies because of It. It is a disgrace that the University of Alabama is bending the knee to this regime. He might as well be standing in the doorway of Foster Auditorium to give his speech like George Wallace.
Wow.
I've been listening to your podcast for over a year now and have my whole office listening as well. What up up in Alabama. Tuscaloosa, uh, is a proud blue city in a deep red state. Now I know where I need to book a comedy show. We may be the minority, but we will continue to fight for my POD pet tariff. Here's a picture of my boys who were born at 28 weeks. They're now 11, and they love listening every morning while waiting for the school bus. Hi, kids. Our new favorite car game is flipping off Tesla. If it were not for wic, Head Start, public schools, food assistance, and, uh, when I was out of work, they would not be the strong, caring, smart young people they are growing into every day. Guys, if you're listening to this, boys, you are adorable, and I'm so glad you're thriving. 11 years old, kicking ass, 28 weeks.
Hoo, boy. Quite a bit premature.
God, they're cute.
Oh, they're adorable. Uh, and also, you know what would be really cool, Anonymous, is if the University of Alabama could have its own separate graduation ceremony. Oh, yeah, that would be, like, off campus. I don't know, go to the, um, I don't know, wherever. You know, a local theater or. Or something cool and. And just be like, we're gonna have our own. If you're gonna have this orange menace. Yeah. Come darken our door. Um, anyway, I didn't hear about this. This is the first I've heard about it, so thank you for letting me know, Anonymous. And look at these again. These angels are just so beautiful. All right, next up, Mitch from Virginia pronouns he and him. While many of us feel powerless to stop the dumpster fire in D.C. i got to see local democracy in action last night. Two weeks ago, our newly elected Doge, like mayor and his cronies pushed through a surprise motion to disband our town's police department. No discussion, no debate, no deliberation. While there are certainly valid questions about the role of modern policing, this is not the way to go about it. Tonight was the next meeting, and the town showed up. Town hall was at capacity, including multiple overflow rooms and an inflatable projection screen on the front lawn. Over 50 citizens signed up for public comment, a town record, all in support of the police department. I spent my two minutes talking about how the first five lessons from Professor Timothy Snyder's on tyranny applied to our town's current situation. In the end, in a dramatic turn of events, two members changed their votes based on the public feedback. The cowardly mayor didn't even have the courage to vote and chose to abstain. The citizens stood up, had our voices heard, and made a difference. Mitch, this is fantastic. This is fantastic.
It is.
I absolutely love this, telling you, if.
The people in power are not going to speak up, it is up to us, the people, to do it.
Huh? Uh-huh. 100. Always has been, right?
Yep.
We're the Muellers we've been waiting for, I think I've been saying since 2018.
Yes. Seriously?
Oh, uh, like, Dems don't run on this. Don't. He's not. No, These aren't messiahs. They aren't going to save us. Even though I do, right behind me, have a Robert Mueller prayer candle. But still, you know what I'm trying to say. Um, any, anyhow, thank you all so very much, uh, for your good news. Um, if you're a new listener, let us know. Let us know how you found out about us. I'd love to hear that story. And, uh, please, you know, attach whatever picture you want. Uh, even if you don't have one, send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. Do you have any final thoughts before we get out of here?
Num.
Nope.
I'm not with you tomorrow, so I will miss you dearly. But I'll be back in your ears Monday morning, everyone.
All right? And, uh, I will be, uh, carrying a day tomorrow. I'll bring you all the news that's fit to swear about. 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 I've been dg 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 mswmedia.com commsw media.