Friday, February 16th, 2024 Today, the judge in the hush money case has denied Trump’s motions to dismiss and scheduled his criminal trial for march 25th; Judge McAfee held a hearing in Fulton County about DA Fani Willis’ potential conflict of interest; 12 of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have sued the FBI for failing to protect them; Joe Manchin floats Mitt Romney as a possible running mate for a third party bid for president; the feds have filed a superseding charges against the man found with guns and ammo in a van near President Obama’s home; President Joe Biden extends student debt relief to include those with financial hardship or excessive interest. Plus Allison and Dana deliver your good news.
Friday, February 16th, 2024
Today, the judge in the hush money case has denied Trump’s motions to dismiss and scheduled his criminal trial for march 25th; Judge McAfee held a hearing in Fulton County about DA Fani Willis’ potential conflict of interest; 12 of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have sued the FBI for failing to protect them; Joe Manchin floats Mitt Romney as a possible running mate for a third party bid for president; the feds have filed a superseding charges against the man found with guns and ammo in a van near President Obama’s home; President Joe Biden extends student debt relief to include those with financial hardship or excessive interest. Plus Allison and Dana deliver your good news.
Our Guest John Fugelsang
https://www.johnfugelsang.com/tme
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-fugelsang-podcast/id1464094232
Taylor Taranto, Jan. 6 defendant arrested near Obama home, indicted on five new felony charges
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/taylor-taranto-jan-6-defendant-arrested-near-obama-home-indicted-on-five-new-felony-charges-capitol-riot-firearms-van-nist/65-97d86d27-7d32-445a-97ce-ebc51ad7f428
Biden administration looks to expand student loan forgiveness to those facing ‘hardship’
https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-debt-forgiveness-college-069753ae42ab90974eb03173b8b5910a
12 Epstein accusers sue the FBI for allegedly failing to protect them
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/12-epstein-victims-sue-the-fbi
Subscribe to Lawyers, Guns, And Money
Ad-free premium feed:
https://lawyersgunsandmoney.supercast.com
Subscribe for free everywhere else:
https://lawyersgunsandmoney.simplecast.com/episodes/1-miami-1985
Check out other MSW Media podcasts
https://mswmedia.com/shows/
Follow AG and Dana on Social Media
Dr. Allison Gill
Follow Mueller, She Wrote on Post
https://post.news/@/MuellerSheWrote?utm_source=TwitterAG&utm_medium=creator_organic&utm_campaign=muellershewrote&utm_content=FollowMe
https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote
https://www.threads.net/@muellershewrote
https://www.tiktok.com/@muellershewrote
https://instagram.com/muellershewrote
Dana Goldberg
https://twitter.com/DGComedy
https://www.instagram.com/dgcomedy
https://www.facebook.com/dgcomedy
https://danagoldberg.com
Have some good news; a confession; or a correction?
Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beans
https://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/
From the Good News
Shout Out for Lauren’s Lost Cats
https://laurenslostcats.net/index.html
Student Loan Forgiveness
https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service
Allison Gill: Daily beans. Hello, and welcome to the Daily Beans for Friday, February 16, 2024. Today, the judge in the hush money case has denied Trump's motions to dismiss and scheduled his criminal trial for March 25. Judge McAfee in Fulton county held a hearing about Dafani Willis's potential conflict of interest. Twelve of Jeffrey Epstein's victims have sued the FBI for failing to protect them. Joe Manchin floats Mitt M. Romney as a possible running mate for a third party bid for president. The feds have filed a superseding indictment against the man found with guns and ammo in a van near President Obama's home. And President Joe Biden extends student debt relief to include those with financial hardship or excessive interest. I'm Allison Gill.
Dana Goldberg: And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Allison Gill: And holy shit, breaking news, like, just in the last few minutes before we recorded this episode. Dana, the guy who told the FBI that Burisma had bribed Joe Biden to get his kid hunter off the hook, that whole Burisma conspiracy theory.
Dana Goldberg: Yeah, that guy's in a lot of trouble.
Allison Gill: Yeah. David Weiss just indicted him. David Weiss, the bar appointee, uh, who indicted Hunter Biden for tax evasion and gun charges, has just indicted this guy. This completely blows apart the republican house conspiracy theory. Know, uh, Joe Biden fired Shokin, who was a prosecutor, to get his son off the hook from Burisma from being investigated. That whole thing was made up. And the guy's been indicted by beautiful thing. Pointy. It's nuts. I can't believe this. We're going to go over this in depth on the Jack podcast, but I couldn't not say anything because everyone who called me crazy for saying that was Russian disinformation. The apology line forms on the left. It's probably nobody listening to this show, right? But I got dragged hard on social media. Russia, Russia, Russia. Everything's Russia that you don't like. I'm like, no, I'm pretty sure this is russian disinformation. And it is.
Dana Goldberg: It was. Okay.
Allison Gill: So, yeah, when are you going to change your name from Mueller? She wrote, you're so stupid. Not everything's Russia. You know what? Sometimes it's Russia. Anyway, uh, also, it's Friday, so Fugal sang will be here. Our friend John.
Dana Goldberg: Love him. Hi, John.
Allison Gill: I do, too. And his fabulous hair, feathered and lethal.
Dana Goldberg: So good.
Allison Gill: And guess what? I have a show to announce.
Dana Goldberg: You do? Tell me, tell me.
Allison Gill: Columbus. Columbus, Ohio. I am coming with the daily beans to Natalie's music hall. Um, that's Friday, March 29 Columbus, Ohio. Now, tickets go on sale for patrons today, Friday, 10:00 a.m.. Eastern. You're also going to get an email, and you'll know about it before this episode airs to the public because patrons of this show get the episode the night before it comes out to the public. So you'll know about this tomorrow, 10:00 a.m.. Eastern. There are going to be a, uh, ViP meet and greet at the venue where we can hang out, have cocktails and mocktails and chitchat for, like, an hour before the show. And then, um, everyone else, the tickets go on sale to the public on Monday, and the link will be in the show notes. So I'll tell you again on Monday. I'll remind you again on Monday. It's a pretty small theater, so I anticipate it might sell out pretty quickly.
Dana Goldberg: That's fantastic.
Allison Gill: So again, Natalie's music hall in Columbus, Ohio Friday, March 29 I haven't been on stage, my dear friend, uh, in five years.
Dana Goldberg: Like riding a bike. Sometimes it's like riding a bike without a seat on, but it's like riding a bike.
Allison Gill: It's like riding a bike with those pedals that clip in. So you fall down a lot.
Dana Goldberg: Yeah.
Allison Gill: Uh, also, before we get on to the, um, hot notes, the hush money election interference case, there was a hearing today. That's the Manhattan da, Alvin Bragg. And right immediately, the judge is like, your dumb motions to dismiss Trump are all denied. Uh, although the part the prosecutors want to talk about with Karen McDougall, the other woman, that won't be part of the case. Um, so that's just a small caveat I wanted to talk about. We'll go into detail and clean up on all 45. And jury selection begins March 25. He's going to trial on March 25.
Dana Goldberg: Fantastic.
Allison Gill: And there's a hearing right now in Fulton county. And I got to tell you, right before Fani Willis took the stand, Pete struck. And I recorded our bonus episode for cleanup on Al. 45 patrons for the weekend, and it wasn't looking good for the state. But Fani Willis has been kicking ass on the stand.
Dana Goldberg: Yes, she has. She brought receipts. She came ready to go, fired up. None of this should even be fucking happening. We know this. I mean, one, the fact that she's a woman, that's why there's more scrutiny. Two, she's a Black woman. That's undeniable. Um, yeah, I'm glad that she's coming with fire. Mhm.
Allison Gill: And so my overall view that you're going to hear on the cleanup on aisle 45 bonus episode this weekend has dramatically shifted now that Fani Willis has taken the stand. But if the show is already in the can. But, uh. Wow. It's, ah. A whole new world.
Dana Goldberg: A whole new.
Allison Gill: Was, uh oh. Who sang the karaoke with Butina Erickson? Remember her boyfriend, the republican national Convention?
Dana Goldberg: Yeah, but I have no idea what you're talking.
Allison Gill: They did karaoke. Butina the redhead, NrA Russian. They karaoked beauty and the beast together. Not a whole new world. My bad.
Dana Goldberg: Before we get to the news part last in this segment, I don't want to wait till the hot notes, I mean, till the good news. There is a 100% chance that Caitlin Clark has broken the women's NCAA women's basketball record. Because before we're recording this, the game has not happened yet. But she only needs eight points. Eight points tonight. And she is a joy to watch. She's magical. But I'm just going to say above, um, put my beans down. Congratulations, Caitlin Clark. I'm breaking the record.
Allison Gill: Hell, yes. I love it. Because by the time this show airs, she will have broken it.
Dana Goldberg: Absolutely.
Allison Gill: Congratulations, Caitlin Clark. And do you have any shows coming up, my friend?
Dana Goldberg: I do indeed. In fact, March eigth, I'm going to be in Bend, Oregon. So if you're in central Oregon listening to this podcast, such a cool show.
Allison Gill: Absolutely.
Dana Goldberg: I've got a couple of local openers that are coming in, uh, for the event. You can get tickets on my website, which is danagolberg.com. And April twelveth, my birthday, I am going to spend it with you. If you live in Fort Lauderdale or anywhere near that area, tickets are also on my website. You can get them at my, uh, performances. Uh, tab, just click on that. Click on, uh, the one for the Sunshine theater. Excuse me, the sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale. And I'll be with you April Twelveth. And between now and then, I've got, like, six other galas with different organizations. So just check out my schedule. I hope to see some of you on the road.
Allison Gill: You're very popular because you're so funny and so kind and so empathetic that you are able to raise so much money for these incredible organizations. Human rights campaign, lambda legal, all the galas you do, you are.
Dana Goldberg: Thank you.
Allison Gill: Amazing person, my friend.
Dana Goldberg: Thank you, ag.
Allison Gill: All right, we have a lot of news to get to. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up, from WUSA, nine federal prosecutors have filed a superseding indictment Wednesday, bringing additional felony charges against a man arrested with firearms and ammunition in his van down by President Barack Obama's home last year. Taylor Toronto of Seattle was arrested last June. You'll remember this. We've talked about it in DC's Colorama neighborhood. I hope I'm pronouncing that right. Send them in if you got corrections after secret service officers noted him acting strangely and making unusual comments on live stream near the Obama family home. He was charged with two felony violations, a DC code for carrying a pistol without a license and unlawful possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, as well as four other misdemeanor counts relating to his alleged conduct during the Capitol riots. Now this week, a federal grand jury, I like to call it the insurrection as opposed to the Capitol riots. I just want to plug that in there. This week, a federal grand jury returned a new superseding indictment charging Tarana with five additional felony counts of possessing an unregistered firearm. A Scorpion CS short barreled rifle. Can't have that. Carrying a pistol without a license, a Scorpion CZ pistol, unlawful possession of ammunition, false information and hoaxes. I didn't know that was a criminal charge.
Dana Goldberg: Didn't either.
Allison Gill: There's a felony charge called false information and hoaxes and obstructing an official proceeding. Oof. That one carries a 20 year sentence. The false information charge, a felony that carries a sentence of up to five years, stems from comments Toronto made on live stream the days prior to his arrest in which he threatened to blow up his van near the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Uh, that's Gaithersburg, Maryland. Again, send the corrections. Toronto's attorney, assistant federal public defender Catherine Guevara, has disputed the validity of those threats, saying in court it's clear Toronto was joking about his old model van having self driving capabilities. The remaining charges carry potential stunt and sentences ranging from a mandatory minimum of one year for, uh, unlawful possession of ammunition to a max of 20 years. That's the obstruction of an official proceeding I told you about. Trump is also charged with this. The latter charge is the only one of the new counts stemming from Toronto's alleged actions. On January 6, Toronto sought bond and leave to return to Washington state last year, and that was denied. Quote, I'm scared that if something goes wrong or there's an accident, there could be catastrophic consequences. That's what magistrate Judge Zia Faruki said. Guavera, the attorney, has maintained through the case that prosecutors have cherry picked statements to overstate the risk that Toranto, A-U-S Navy veteran who deployed to Iraq during her service, the threat he poses to the public. She said he initially traveled to DC only in response to what he perceived to be an invitation from then speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to view unreleased footage of the Capitol insurrection. She also pointed out he'd been living in his van near the DC jail for months. Mr. Toronto has remained in plain sight. That's what Guevaro said during a hearing. I'm confident if law enforcement was monitoring him with the degree of concern they now claim to have, they could have found him. Okay, it's one way to go for a defense. Tarano had been a regular participant in the nightly vigil organized by supporters of January 6 detainees, but was also asked, uh, to stop participating shortly prior to his arrest for claiming Ashley Babbitt, the woman killed while attempting to climb through a window at the speaker's lobby, was still alive. So the January 6 people were like, that's a little too nuts for us. Okay, could you turn it around, get back in your van, go down by the river. I think is probably how that happened. Now, in September, Toronto said he had no interest in a plea offer from the government and sought a trial date as early as January. As of Thursday, Toronto was scheduled for a jury trial before the US district judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, on July eigth. So that's where we are with that.
Dana Goldberg: Thank you, ag. This one's from the Associated Press. Americans who are struggling to repay federal student loans because of financial hardship could get some of their debt canceled under President Joe Biden's latest proposal for widespread loan forgiveness. I love that he is chipping away. Supreme Court said no. And he was like, watch me, watch me.
Allison Gill: And by the way, that's a terrible lead for this story. The lead for this story is say millions and millions of more Americans are going to have their student debt loans forgiven. Check this shit out. That's what.
Dana Goldberg: Absolutely. Yep. Several categories of borrowers would be eligible for relief under Biden's second try at widespread cancellation after the Supreme Court rejected his plan last year. Those with older loans or large sums of interest, all of them are being targeted for relief. For example, on Thursday, the education department expanded its proposal to include those who face financial hardship. Almost everybody. Biden initially attempted to cancel up to $20,000 for an estimated 43 million people with incomes under 125,000. Well after the Supreme Court ruled he overstepped his authority. Biden asked the education department to craft a new plan under a different legal basis. The new proposal is narrower focusing on several categories of borrowers who could get some or all of their loans canceled. Here's what we know so far about who could be eligible for cancellation under the Biden plan. First, we've got hardship. Borrowers facing financial hardship could see relief under the newest proposal put forth by the administration. The proposed regulations include automatic relief up to the entire outstanding federal loan balance for borrowers who are considered highly likely to be in default in two years. Additional borrowers would be eligible for relief under wide ranging definition of financial hardship up to the outstanding balance of their loans. Those factors include, but are not limited to, a person's relative loan balance and payments compared to their total income. Other considerations included are, uh, whether a borrower has high cost, unavoidable expenses, such as paying for childcare or health care. In addition to the list of factors, which also includes age, disability, repayment history, the proposed regulations state that, quote, any other factors of hardship identified by the secretary may also be considered.
Allison Gill: So basically, apply and you probably have a hardship.
Dana Goldberg: Just apply. Borrowers may be eligible for relief either automatically or through an application. The other one is interest resets. Borrowers who have seen their loans grow larger because of snowballing interest would be eligible for up to 10,000 or $20,000 in relief, depending on their income. The broad goal of this category is to reset borrowers loans back to their original balance. Isn't that crazy? Not pay it off even just back to their original balance? Mhm. For individuals who earn up to $125,000 or couples who earn up to $250,000, the proposal would knock off $10,000 of their accrued interest. Uh, it applies only to the amount of money that has piled up beyond the original loan amount. So, uh, for instance, a borrower's current loan balance is $7,000 higher than the original loan would get, $7,000 forgiven. For borrowers who make less than 125,000 or 250,000 as a couple, accrued interest could be reduced by up to $20,000. And we've got older loans that's also being covered. Borrowers could get their entire remaining balance erased if they have been paying their loans for at least 20 or 25 years, depending on the type. Those who entered repayment 20 years ago on or before July of 20. Oh my God. I can't believe 20 years ago was July 2005.
Allison Gill: You're like, this is a typo.
Dana Goldberg: This must be a typo. Can't be right.
Allison Gill: You mean 1995, don't you?
Dana Goldberg: How dare you. Those ones would be eligible for full cancellation if they received the loan as an undergraduate student. Those with other types of federal student loans would be eligible if they entered repayment 25 years ago on or before July of 2000. Other forgiveness programs. A range of student loan forgiveness programs has existed for years, but some borrowers who are eligible don't know about them or don't apply. Well, those borrowers could automatically get their loans erased under the proposal.
Allison Gill: So if you don't even know you're eligible for a program, you might just.
Dana Goldberg: Wake up and your loan might be done. Fucking love this guy so much. I know. It would also allow the education department to cancel the entire loan balance of borrowers who meet the eligibility requirements of one of the existing income driven repayment plans. It would also cancel loans for those who are eligible for other targeted relief programs, including public service loan forgiveness, borrower defense to repayment, and the closed school discharge program. Also low value programs. Borrowers could get their loans canceled if they went to a for profit college program that leaves graduates unable to repay their federal student loans.
Allison Gill: So that's like, all of them?
Dana Goldberg: All of them. The education department plans to judge the value of college program under a separate initiative known as the gainful employment rule. And borrowers who graduate from programs that don't deliver value could get their outstanding loans erased. So if you went to Trump University, chances are you don't owe jack shit. Borrowers would be eligible for cancellation if, while they attended the program, the average federal loan payment among graduates was too high compared to their average salary. And in general, programs are considered failing if graduates are paying more than 8% of their average yearly income on federal student loan payments. Borrowers would also be eligible for cancellation if their program left graduates earning a lower average salary than that of college age workers with only a high school diploma. This is a sweeping initiative that is really going to knock out a very large percent of the ones remaining.
Allison Gill: I got to tell you, it's kind of a good thing that the Supreme Court didn't let him do $10,000 because this could probably take care of most people's student debt.
Dana Goldberg: Absolutely. And I'm telling you what, erase interest. Absolutely. You know, we're going to ask you to write in, so if you wake up one morning, you're like, holy shit, I don't know any more money on my student loans. Let us know.
Allison Gill: Oh, yeah, definitely. Send it into the good news. All right. Next up from CBS, twelve accusers of Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender and billionaire whose trafficking charges made international headlines, have sued the FBI for failing to protect them good. And that's according to a complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit, which was filed under the pseudonym Jane Doe to protect their identities, alleges the FBI had specific information about Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 in a New York City federal detention center. He was awaiting trial in New York on federal charges of sex trafficking, conspiracy, and account of sex trafficking. Quote, the FBI has turned its back on survivor victims, and this lawsuit seeks to hold the FBI responsible for failure to act when it absolutely should have. That's Jennifer Plotkin, counsel at Merson Law. That's the firm that filed the complaint on behalf of the Jane Doe's. Instead of investigators using their own protocols and following up on tips, the FBI was negligent in Epstein investigation. That's according to the complaint, claiming the agency knew he was abusing and sex trafficking young women and children and allowed the abuse to continue unchecked. The complaint alleges that tips, reports and complaints about Epstein's activities were provided to the FBI from starting in 1996 and went on for a decade. The complaints came in through 2006, but FBI documents show the agency did not open a case until 2006. They received tips and complaints for ten years before they opened an investigation while he had to register as a sex offender. As part of a 2008 plea agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida and pay settlements to victims, victims say that they were not told about the agreement leading to an investigation with the circumstances surrounding it, which was in progress when he died. The US Department of Justice report later found former labor secretary appointed by Trump, Alex Acosta, the former U. S. Attorney, exercised, quote, poor judgment, but his decisions did not result from improper favors. I disagree. The current complaint alleges the FBI has done nothing to right the wrong, even after Christopher Ray testified on December 5, 2023, to the Senate Judiciary Committee that his team would further the investigation into Epstein and other sex trafficking networks. In a statement to CBS News, the FBI said it does not comment on litigation. This reminds me of the Dr. Nassau with the brave and beautiful and incredible survivors, uh, of the gymnastics doctor sexual abuse scandal. And the FBI did nothing. Mhm.
Dana Goldberg: Yeah. I hope justice is served here. I really do. I hope these women get what they need out of this for some sort of healing. Nothing's going to be complete, but it would be nice to have the vindication.
Allison Gill: Hold the goddamn FBI accountable for ten years of tips and complaints. What do you think this is, Kavanaugh? You can't just ignore. I'm sorry.
Dana Goldberg: Uh, that's okay. I know where you stand on we so does everyone listening. And you can have the mic as long as you'd like. All right, ag, this one's from Henry Gomez, NBC Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat. I use that loosely. Dance Riana's interest in launching a third party presidential bid here Thursday, but he endorsed a potential running mate. If he does, quote, hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate, really, who would ask right now? Mitt Romney. That's what Manchin said, identifying the republican senator from Utah. Manchin also said he would consider Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, as vice presidential pick, saying, rob's a dear friend of mine. What a good man. Yeah, also really? Okay. Manchin offered several pointed criticisms of President Joe Biden in the appearance at City Club of Cleveland breakfast, part of his nationwide listening tour that followed his decision to not seek another Senate term.
Allison Gill: Okay, mansion, listen, don't do it.
Dana Goldberg: Just don't. Please don't do this. The tour, which included a stop last month in New Hampshire ahead of that state's first in the nation presidential primary, has fueled speculation that Manchin might mount an independent or third party campaign for president. He's been linked to the no labels organization effort to field a bipartisan ticket. It's not bipartisan if Manchin's been voting with Republicans and then puts a fucking Republican on the ticket.
Allison Gill: Yeah, and you aren't allowed to call it the listening tour if you don't listen to me.
Dana Goldberg: No. City club CEO Dan Malthrop, who moderated the forum, repeatedly pressed Manchin on his 2024 intentions. And Manchin repeatedly dodged, offering meandering responses and asides. Oh, look, he's a Republican already. During the audience question and answer session, an attendee tried again, asking who Manchin believed his democratic opponent would be if he were to run for president. Quote, guys, listen, I'm not running for anything, he said. I'm basically running to try to get people involved. Well, afterward, Manchin acknowledged reporters that he hasn't ruled out a White House campaign, quote, third party run. Everything is on the table, Manchin said in a response to a question from NBC News. Nothing's off the table. I'm still evaluating all that. Super Tuesday, which is March 5, pretty much would be a deadline that tells you where you are. What, Mansion's? Yeah. Manchin's daughter has launched a group, Americans together, that could be a vehicle for such preparations. The senator's Cleveland visit was part of new series of appearances set to include Columbus, Ohio, later Thursday. Mansion is also scheduled to address the Detroit economic Club on February 26. That's the day before the democratic presidential primary in Michigan, by the way.
Allison Gill: I bet I sell more tickets in Columbus than Mansion does.
Dana Goldberg: I have no doubt. More than 150 people. Whoa. I'm sorry. More than 150 people. So that means it was 151. More than 150 people attended the event at city club, which bills itself as the citadel of free speech and is known for requiring its speakers to accept unscripted questions from the audience. Until Donald Trump, every sitting us president since Ronald Reagan, had addressed the club. Yeah, he won't take unscripted questions. Thursday's event drew a bipartisan audience. Those on hand included Rob Frost, the former chairman of the ah, wow.
Allison Gill: Cuyahoga county.
Dana Goldberg: Okay, don't give me a second. Cuyahoga County Republican Party.
Allison Gill: I just know it. I just know it.
Dana Goldberg: I appreciate that, because that would have been ugly. Um, so he'll be there. Cleveland City Councilman Danny Kelly, who's a Democrat and a longtime labor leader. After breakfast, Manchin met privately with Albert Ratner, who's a longtime real estate developer and power broker in Cleveland who has donated to candidates on both sides. Manchin took several swipes at Biden. He complained that Biden had gone, quote, so far to the left, while at another point simultaneously praising Biden for moving more to the political center on border security while also criticizing his policies. This sounds exactly like Joe Mantra, by the way. Um, quote, first of all, if you want to blame Joe Biden, he's totally guilty as charged on opening up the border and making it what we have today. And I've told him I've been disagreeing with him from day one. Manchin, who happens to be 76 and sure no one's talking about his age if he launches a third party run, also made a quip about Biden's age, which has become a major focal point for voters. Special counsel Robert her Jackie S. Recently described Biden, 81, as an, quote, elderly man with a poor memory in a report explaining why he had declined to prosecute the president for his handling of classified documents. And that's bullshit because you don't let people get away with high crimes if just because you think they have a bad memory and you think they're a nice guy. And I quote, he's a little older than I am, Manchin said a Biden during the forum, malthrop interjected. You were like a freshman. He was a senior, pretty much. That was really good being like three fucking years older than you, dude. Asked by a reporter afterward about her's report and whether he found Biden to be mentally sharp Manchin said he has no issues communicating directly with Biden or Trump. Nice. Both sides in it. And I quote, if you're going to base on memory, your vote, and if that's your two choices, we're in trouble. Manchin said, when the president made a mistake in a gafe. Where are you at on that? A gaffe? Where are you at on gaffe? Ah, a gaffe of calling the president of Egypt, identifying him as the president of Mexico. And then you have Donald Trump saying that Nikki Haley is Nancy Pelosi. You've got a problem.
Allison Gill: And then also, Russia can attack our NATO allies. But samesies.
Dana Goldberg: Yeah, totally. Yep. One likes ice cream, the other one's trying know tear down our democracy. But if you're basing on character, Manchin said, I think it's a no brainer. Manchin then clarified that he meant Biden was the better of the.
Allison Gill: Except, you know, he's way too far to the left. But good job on the centrist stuff. M. All right, well, cool. All, uh, right, it's Fugal sang Friday around here, which means we'll be right back with John Fugelsang, and then we'll have the good news after that. Everybody stick around.
Dana Goldberg: We'll be right back.
Allison Gill: Hey, everybody. Welcome back. It's Friday, and that means it's my favorite time. It's Fugal sang Fridays. And joining me is my friend, host of tell me everything on Sirius XM progress channel 127. Weeknights, 09:00 p.m.. Eastern. 06:00 p.m.. Pacific. And if you don't get Sirius XM, um, radio, you can listen to his podcast for free wherever you get your podcast called the John Fugelsang show. Please welcome my friend, John Fugelsang.
John Fugelsang: Oh, Allison, you are so nice. You and Russia can do whatever the hell you want, both you.
Dana Goldberg: And.
Allison Gill: So I can invade NATO countries because I have a poopy diaper.
John Fugelsang: Exactly. Right. Yeah. Can you imagine this guy? Let me tell you, snowflakes, okay? I think Hitler was a genius for invading Poland. He can go into Czechoslovakia if he wants. He can do whatever the hell. France, whatever the hell he wants.
Allison Gill: Well, I tell you, uh, when Tucker Carlson goes and sits down with Vladimir Putin, a murderous dictator, uh, and allows him to talk about the benefits of invading Poland, after, of course, he's, uh, dragged through the mud by Putin for not being serious enough to be accepted by the CIA, which is a serious organization, and then within days, you have the new talking point from Trump, who many people said he was joking, but he has now doubled down on this.
John Fugelsang: Oh, yeah.
Allison Gill: That if a NATO member doesn't pay, which isn't a thing, you don't pay money into a bank account.
John Fugelsang: Correct.
Allison Gill: You just bring in 2% of your gdp toward defense, uh, of NATO. Uh, and if you don't, then not only will he not protect you, he will encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want. I think President Joe Biden spoke very forcefully, uh, about those comments, and I hope that this country's memory is not so short that we don't remember what happened the last time.
John Fugelsang: Just as they count on the republican base not understanding that NATO members don't pay into any kind of fund, just as they count on their base not understanding that if you're standing on american ground, you are legally entitled to due process in an asylum claim, so you can't be called an illegal. They are counting on the ignorance of their own base. And there's days when it's funny. There's days when it's not. And what's not funny about this is. Well, actually, let's talk about what's funny about it. Joe Biden had maybe one of the worst weeks of his presidency the last time we were talking. And, uh, Donald Trump made everybody forget about the angry Biden. I'm not old, goddamn it. Press conference by doing this over the weekend and by attacking Nikki Haley's husband. But, um, it's really his winged monkeys that are even more despicable, because it was Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio who helped lead a bill to block a president from withdrawing from NATO without Senate approval. Both of them were defending Donald Trump's comments. You have to remember, if he's talking and breathing, he's lying. But it's not just that. It's the republican base defending him. These gelded men who despise him, who are in such fear they will defend him all weekend long. Tom Cotton, as well, who looks like a constipated, mean, literally, they're all going nuts defending this. And our media responds by talking about how Joe Biden's old. I mean, Donald Trump takes credit for Taylor Swift, and the media responds with Joe Biden's old.
Allison Gill: Right. And let's be clear here. Even this bill that went out from, uh, Lindsey Graham saying that, uh, in part co sponsor that no president can unilaterally withdraw from NATO, it's not even necessarily about that. If Trump wins and becomes president, he doesn't have to withdraw from NATO to allow Russia to attack NATO countries and just decide that that doesn't violate article five and said, we're not going to help you. That's the real danger. That's what he's telling Putin, and that's what he's, uh, advertising, uh, to the world. Uh, it's extremely, um, reckless, frightening, dictatorial, nazi, even.
John Fugelsang: Well, it's why they're talking about the border so much isn't know. Especially after seeing in New York on Long island with Tom Swazi. I mean, I live in New York City. I've been watching these ads against Tom Swazi for weeks and weeks and weeks, and they're all about immigration. Immigration, open borders, open borders.
Allison Gill: And they didn't work, really didn't work.
John Fugelsang: This time, did it?
Allison Gill: No. The voters know that the Republicans abandoned a border bill that would have helped. And, uh, I'm very glad to see evidence that the voters know that. I think we can run on that and carry it through. I think that the Republicans are now on their back foot, and we're on our front foot when it comes to the border for the first time in decades. Because they tanked their own bill.
Dana Goldberg: That's it.
Allison Gill: And let's talk about that, because the immigration lies are, first of all, back up. Big picture. The crisis at the border is a humanitarian crisis. That we don't have enough people to process asylum seekers and that those resources, when used up, to process asylum seekers or to have judges to be able to represent unaccompanied minors who don't have their own judges.
John Fugelsang: Correct.
Allison Gill: That takes away from resources that are needed to stop fentanyl, uh, from coming into the country. Uh, for example. Just one, uh, of many examples. And so now we have a situation where the money is needed. And yes, Biden has the executive authority to shut the border down, but without the money to do it. And who controls the purse strings? Congress.
Dana Goldberg: Mhm.
Allison Gill: Without the money, it's just an empty thing.
John Fugelsang: That's all it is. And this is why the border Patrol union endorsed this bill and Republicans to sign it. But of course, they've got to turn around and lie and call it amnesty, which is how you know they're lying. There's been one president in our lifetime who has called for open borders and amnesty.
Allison Gill: And, you know, Ronald Reagan.
John Fugelsang: Correct. The one and only correct answer. The only president to call for open borders. And this lie is all they got. The question is, will this lie be enough? You're right. There is no crisis at the border. There's a crisis with guns in this country. But in terms of the border, these are legal asylum seekers. So if you're trying to keep them in concentration camps, because that's what they are. Let's be serious. We put these people in concentration camps at the border. If you're trying to keep them there or kick them out of the country to deny them due process to which they are entitled by american and international law, then you're the illegal. You're the illegal. Anyone who is trying to deprive them of due process is the illegal. They're the unconstitutional one. And I wish Democrats would start pushing that talking point.
Allison Gill: Let me ask you a question, because certainly Johnson must know that they are not going to be in the majority in, uh, the next Congress, in the 119th Congress. The Democrats are going to take the House back. I think that that's, uh, pretty clear. Uh, and I'm not talking about polls. I'm talking about actual elections that we've seen over the last year and a half.
John Fugelsang: Most likely. Most likely.
Allison Gill: So he certainly knows that many committee chairs that are Republicans know that they are resigning and not running for reelection, and they are committee chairs. They see the writing on the wall. But now we have the Republicans hair on fire. Emergency at the border. It's an emergency. We have a national security threat. Nukes in space from Russia. Um, emergency. But, uh, we're going to take a two week, uh, vacation. We're going to start early. Um, and, uh, we're going to impeach my orcas first before the Swazi election.
John Fugelsang: Well, there's a cris, my orcas because of the crisis, Allison.
Allison Gill: And then right on the way out the door, we're going to hold a hearing about COVID and spread russian propaganda about vaccines. But we're going to take a break because these emergencies, they can certainly wait until we get back, and they can most definitely wait until after the next election. At what point do we, uh, maybe say, well, I know we're going to try, uh, to get the bill on the floor through some other processes for the Ukraine aid, for the foreign aid package, but falling short of that, at what point do Democrats say, mike Johnson, if you're going to keep stay speaker, it's only going to be for the next eight, nine months or so. Uh, tell you what, we'll vote. If there's a motion to vacate because you've worked across the aisle, we'll vote to save you. If you just put this bill on the floor. Uh, do you think Democrats would do that? Or do you think they'll be like, keep fucking it up for yourself, my friend.
John Fugelsang: I think the Democrats would actually want one more chance to demonstrate to the american people that they are doing shit for them. I mean, I get these right wing callers to my show all the time on SiriusXM, and I always ask, what has this congress done for you? What have they done? They censured Rashida Talib. They censured Adam Schiff. They fired George Santos. They fired Kevin McCarthy. What else you got? They had an evil immigration bill that's never going to pass.
Allison Gill: Um, now they've impeached Majorcas for not doing a job they won't give them money to do.
John Fugelsang: Yeah, they've impeached Majorcas for not keeping the border safe, which they've decided can wait. A like, everything they're doing is only designed to make people vote for them who are already voting. Know, a, uh, dozen years or so ago, I was on CNN every morning, and one morning I got to do a segment with Mitt Romney's communications director, and I said, you guys have backed yourself into a corner. He's too right wing now. How are you going to get independence at the general? And Romney's communications director said to me, oh, it's like an etch a sketch. You shake it. And by the time I got home, the clip had gone viral and was on the Daily show that night because it was the first big scandal of the Romney campaign. This notion you can just shake the etch of sketch, and everyone forgets. And this republican party is still, and Donald Trump is still. I mean, who decides who's the president? It is confused white people in seven states. Those are the most powerful group. Confused white people who aren't sure yet if they can make up their mind. Between Joe Biden's agenda and Donald Trump's agenda in seven states, I don't see Republicans doing anything to reach those white people. They are still auditioning for their own base. It's just about the donations. It's just about the donations to save America PAC, which means there's only one candidate in this race who has stolen from his campaign donations to pay for his child's legal expenses.
Allison Gill: Yeah, and, um, money. They have $8 million. They want to put Laura Trump in charge at the RNC so she can.
Dana Goldberg: Yes.
John Fugelsang: Yes. Allison, is that the best idea you've ever heard? Let her do for the RNC what you did for Tom petty covers. Let her do it.
Allison Gill: M wants to do that. Um, there's no money. He still owes, uh, an escrow account $83.3 million by today. At some point, uh, he could owe another two, three, maybe $400 million. Uh, he doesn't have that in liquid cash. He may have to file bankruptcy. Uh, it's going to be very interesting to see how this all plays out. But the only chance the Republicans in the House have to hold on to power at this point is to not just pass this clean foreign aid bill, but to actually pass the border bill that the know Langford sinema and I can't remember who the Democrat was that worked on it. I should know that off the top of my head. Uh, but it's escaping me right now is to pass that bill, the one that they tanked.
John Fugelsang: The one that they tanked.
Allison Gill: Even a clean foreign aid bill won't save them now. They have to do something on the border because we have seen now from the voters, independent suburban voters, the ones that they need in the general, the ones that you were talking to Romney.
John Fugelsang: About, the etchesketch voters, they've got the racist already.
Allison Gill: They've got the racist lockup without them. And those voters now know that the problems at the border are now the Republicans' problems.
John Fugelsang: They own them. Yeah. And it's beautiful. And by the way, let me agree with the Republicans on something. I don't like these bundled bills. I don't think that you should have a border bill chained to funding for Ukraine and Taiwan and Israel.
Allison Gill: Um, we didn't think that in the first place either. It was the Republicans who forced to put border stuff on.
John Fugelsang: Exactly. It was their idea for months and months and months. Any funding for Ukraine, because, again, they're not exactly against what Putin's doing. So any funding for Ukraine has to be tied to a border bill. So they finally get it, and the rest of it, of course, is history. But Republicans know that their base will believe that Oceania is at war with East Asia, and Oceania has always been at war with East Asia. Their base will forget right away that they were demanding this, coupled of the bill to the immigration bill, to the Ukraine bill. I mean, they'll forget it as fast as they forget how much they all defended George W. Bush. And, uh, this is the mismanagement. This is why Ronald McDaniel's out. I mean, the entire out of money.
Allison Gill: And he wants that cash.
John Fugelsang: Yeah, because no one's donating to the RNCs in their states anymore. They're all donating the Save America pack, which means E. Jean Carroll gets to go shopping. Because when you donate to save America pack, it goes to E. Jean Carroll's weekend shopping spree, folks.
Allison Gill: Well, in a roundabout way, you can't directly pay Eugene out of the pack. That's illegal. Um, and he may try to do that. You know how I know Donald Trump.
John Fugelsang: Is paying his lawyers? He is paying his legal fees.
Dana Goldberg: Yes.
Allison Gill: So he saves that money.
John Fugelsang: That's the roundabout. And Jared and Ivanka as well. So this is why. And again, is it Ronald McDaniel's fault or Trump's fault that Trump has been such a drain on this party? I mean, we just saw in the New York third district, Democrats flipped another election last year. Democrats killed it in all the special elections. They won off year elections in Jersey. Uh, they recaptured the state assembly in Virginia. There's no recession. It never happened. Inflation is way down. Prices are still too high. But, I mean, they gain seats in the midterms, and they lost big in 2020, they lost big in 2018. Like, they are marginalizing the party more and more. Let them. Cable news wants Donald Trump to be the president again because they are loyal to ratings. But as long as there's a high turnout, we know how this is going to play out. The same way all the special elections have played out and the tv really doesn't want to know about it. And so what makes me like Joe Biden the most is how much billionaires hate him and how much the billionaires who own big corporate media seem to really hate the man. Um, and I also love know my donations to him don't go to his kids legal affairs.
Allison Gill: Yeah. So the RNC is broke. $8 million bet. Worst fundraising in decades.
John Fugelsang: Yeah.
Allison Gill: Uh, the pack.
John Fugelsang: But it's his fault.
Allison Gill: The pack is bleeding money because of 70, $80 million in legal bills over the last two years. Uh, the cokes hate him. They aren't going to give him anything. But did you know, um, a lot of people, uh, have kind of missed this because we've been so focused on the Fonny Willis thing in Georgia. We've been so focused on Manhattan Da. We've been so focused on Jack Smith. And then, of course, the New York attorney general civil fraud trial verdict comes out today. The New York attorney general is also doing this exact kind of civil fraud lawsuit against another organization that used to fund the Republicans with russian money, and that's the NRA. And closing arguments are today in that case. So they are also gone, which was another source of funding, uh, for the Republicans. So they have no money. What, uh, did Lindsey Graham tweet? If we nominate Donald Trump, we will be destroyed and we'll deserve it.
John Fugelsang: Exactly right. I mean, it's everything we predicted. Just like under Bush and Cheney, everything we predicted came to pass. I'm so tired of being able to see five steps ahead with these idiots. But it's always the same playbook. I mean, aren't Americans bored of it yet 40 years straight? The Democrats clean up the mess, Republicans leave the arsonists stick around to heckle the fire department till they get power again. Burn it all down, and we hire Democrats to come in. Three democratic presidents in a row have left the economy in better shape than they found it. Three republican presidents in a row have left the economy worse than they found it. Numbers don't lie, and most people know it. The Republicans have a core base that'll turn out no matter what. But I need someone to explain to me how Donald Trump is taking steps to make himself more popular now than he was before January 6, 2021.
Allison Gill: Yeah, it'll be interesting to see. Um, I think we may be witnessing the end of the republican party.
John Fugelsang: It's been a long time coming that before, Allison. I've heard that as. As long as christians are groomed in this country to believe that criminalizing abortion has anything to do with Jesus, there will be a republican party. That's what got fake christians who don't know what's in the Bible got Donald Trump elected, along with dead slave owners who demanded an electoral college. But we thought they were dead under Bush Cheney. Believe me, they will always survive. Billionaires will always want to protect their tax cuts, and that's the only thing republicans do well. They get non millionaires angry, and they protect the profits of billionaires. Rich people pay fox people to make middle class people blame poor and brown people. It's always worked. It's their racket. It's not going away even if the party does.
Allison Gill: Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying, my friend, and I appreciate you coming on the show. And if you want more goodness like this, you can listen to tell me everything on Sirius XM. Um, progress channel 127. That's weeknights 09:00 p.m., eastern. 06:00 p.m. Pacific on the best coast. 06:00 p.m. And if you don't have Sirius XM, you can listen to the podcast for free anytime, wherever you get your podcast. The John Fugelsang show, my friend. Thank you so much, John Fugelsang.
John Fugelsang: I love doing your show so much. Rob Reiner is on my Sirius XM show tonight, and we'll be having a very big tour announcement, uh, very soon with me and Stephanie Miller. So, uh, stick around for that.
Allison Gill: That's incredible. Congratulations, my friend. Tell Rob Reiner I said hello, and inconceivable. I just give him that shout out.
John Fugelsang: Never hears that. I definitely do that for me.
Allison Gill: I think I got to talk to him for like six minutes at the impeachment party at Stephanie, if you remember that. That was fun. I got to meet so many amazing people. Stephanie Miller is just a national treasure.
John Fugelsang: I've met so many amazing people at her house. I've woken up with so many amazing people at her house. It's really quite a wow.
Allison Gill: Thank you. Thank you. We will talk soon. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news, everybody.
Dana Goldberg: Welcome back.
Allison Gill: It's time for the good news. Who likes good news? Everyone. Then good news, everyone. And if you have any good news, confessions, corrections, you want to play any kind of animal game, what the fark is in your arc? Send that to us. We'd love your animal photos. Pod pet tax if you don't have pod pet tax to pay, you can send an adoptable pet in your area. Shout out to a small business in your area, or your small business. Or a self shout out. Or a shout out to a loved one. Or shit. Kids say or daily beans. Monda Greens. That is misheard song lyrics. Those are always fun. You can send that to us. Um, theses titles. Dissertation titles. I almost forgot what it's called for a doctorate. And I did one dissertation. Allison dissertation titles. If, uh, you have a great anecdote about healthcare at the VA or you have a student debt relief story, and you may have one coming up pretty soon, you haven't had one already. We would love to hear from you too. Whoopi stories, blankie stories, um, baby pictures, frog orgies, whatever you want to send to us. Dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. First up, from Kirsten in Pao, one pronoun. She and her greetings. Leguminati. Thank you as always, for your mix of humor and news. It brings me joy every day. I have a small correction. I'm in Bucks County. God, I love Bucks county. I'm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Voter and volunteer organizer. And we were overjoyed with the victory of Pa Stout. I know where this is going, by the way. They didn't flip it. They retained it. And I figured that out later, but I'll continue here. We were overjoyed with the victory of Pa State House District 140. Democrat Jim pro choice, pro union, procopiac. As his ad says, our state house in Pennsylvania was split 100 100 after the vacancy left. When the former democratic rep left to become a judge Rep elect Procopiac's massive overperformance win means that democratic House Speaker Joanna McClintock, the first woman and first African American to lead this body, is safe and still setting our agenda in the lower body of the state legislature. Here's a correction. Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania State senate is still controlled by Republicans. There are currently 28 GOP state senators and 22 democratic ones. We have a good bit of work to do to flip the PA senate this year. There are 13 republican incumbents up this year, including insurrectionist Doug Mastriano, who ran for governor in 2022 and got his ass handed to him by Josh Shapiro. Yes, I love that we need to get at least three of those as red to blue flips while protecting our twelve incumbents. But we pa indivisibles and our allies are going to work like mad. Should I be saying Pa or Pennsylvania are working like mad to flip the state senate so we can protect reproductive freedom, raise the minimum wage, which is stuck at 725, and make recreational cannabis legal?
Dana Goldberg: Woohoo.
Allison Gill: Thanks for all your amazing advocacy work. You ladies are national treasures. Thank you, Kirsten. I thought both state houses had flipped, but you maintained one and you got to flip the senate. Okay? And we're going to help you do that.
Dana Goldberg: All right? This was from Devin, which I love that name, by the way. Pronouns they and he. Hello, lovely lagoons. I just had to write in about your absolutely infectious laughter at the end of Thursday's show. I love listening to you at work while I'm starting my daily routine, and it's such a good feeling to break down in laughter in the middle of the warehouse hallways with you. Sometimes I worry a coworker will catch me and try avoid me or something. Whoops. Thanks again for the laughs and smiles. Thank you, Devin, for listening.
Allison Gill: Yes, thank you from AJ. No pronouns. Hello, ladies. Love your podcast. Wake up to it every morning. I had to laugh this morning when you were talking about hard to pronounce cities when you mentioned Versailles. My great grandmother lived in Versailles, like Versailles, not the french pronunciation, Indiana, which is also home to a giant pumpkin fest where folks grow pumpkins that are hundreds of pounds. Anyway, back on topic. Not at all pronounced with the french pronunciation, but the most basic english way possible. Thanks, AJ.
Dana Goldberg: Love it. This one's from Paul pronouncing him, hey queens of the legume wanted to shout out to my wife Ashley. This past Sunday was our 7th wedding anniversary and she's still my favorite person in the world. Back in 2016, we'd been dating for a little less than a year, but I was still going through my wild post divorce phase.
Allison Gill: Um.
Dana Goldberg: Oh, my God. When a semi hit me while I was at work. I instantly went into shock and was emotionally numb while the emergency workers cut me out of my truck and took me to the ER. She was the only person I could think of that I wanted to see at that moment. And when she walked into the room, I felt safe and suddenly felt every emotion. I had been walling off for the past multiple hours. Began bawling uncontrollably. She stuck with me through my recovery, using tweezers to pull out bits of glass that my body was pushing out, taking me to surgeries and making med schedules for me so my ADHD ass didn't accidentally OD. Eleven months after the crash, we ran off to Eureka Springs, Arkansas to elope. And it was the best decision I've ever made. She's the most amazing, intelligent person I've ever met. A wonderful and caretaking partner, and the best mother of our kids could hope for. Um, Paul, thank you for that. I'm so glad you're okay. And I think having those experiences early in a relationship where the person shows up, I mean, shows up and takes care of you and you can feel safe and lean in and you're most vulnerable when that happens early in a relationship, it tells you exactly who they are. Um, so glad seven years later you're still together. Ashley, sounds amazing.
Allison Gill: What a beautiful story. Congratulations, Paul and Ashley. Happy 7th. All right, next up from that one, got me a little next up, pronoun she and her shout out for Lauren's lost cats. That's laurenslostcats. Net. Uh, and to find homes for Alice and Angie, two lovelies I'm currently fostering. They might be sisters, but they're not bonded and so can easily be adopted separately. They're both very nice, affectionate ladies, very young, about one or two years old. Angie's a bit more into food than Alice is since they came from the streets where regular feeding was rare. Please contact Lauren. That's Lauren at Lauren's lost cats. If you're interested in either Alice or Angie.
Dana Goldberg: These aren't the best pics of the.
Allison Gill: Girls, but they're the best I have. And for some reason, the pics didn't make it. We'll ask our producers about that to make sure they get in the show notes. Laurie, thank you for that shout out. And, um, another really quick one from just she, her anonymous. Just a picture of Maurice McGinger butt, the cat who loves the beans because he has beans. Kitty beans. Look at the sweet boy.
Dana Goldberg: Cute. All right, this one's from Alicia, loyal listener. Multiple good news adder. Good morning. In 2009, when I hit a stagnant point in my career, I decided to go back to school at 34 years old. To make my situation even more difficult, I divorced my husband, became a bona fide single mom, lost my house to Wells Fargo, and almost my mind all at once. Working toward my degree helped me get through the roughest patch of my life as it gave me a distraction. 2011, I graduated with an as in paralegal studies. I took out approximately $36,000 in student loans I had been religiously paying for ten plus years, and honestly, I didn't think I qualified for forgiveness. I knew my school was part of a class action suit. The class action suit. But I couldn't find any info on what that meant for me. I looked at the borrower's defense info, and again, I didn't think it applied to me. So I went about my merry way, awaiting the restart of my payments. In March 2023, I lost my dad. It changed my life in a way I never really expected. Unbeknownst um, to me, my father planned for his passing and left my brother and me a life insurance policy, which I sobbed about because I had never had anything like a lump sum like that. I cried and exclaimed to my teenager, grandpa has just changed our life. Fast forward two weeks and I got a letter in the mail saying my loan was discharged. Of course, I didn't believe it, but it was true. $13,000. Discharged completely via borrower's defense. A week later, I received a check in the mail from the US treasury for $18,000. They were reimbursing me for my education from this defunct college with a class action settlement of millions of dollars. I know this isn't a public service discharge, but it changed my life. My entire life. Makes me feel a bit like my degree is bunk, but, hey, I still think I'm smarter from it. Thanks, POTUS. P. S for pet tax. This is Max, my.
Allison Gill: Huskaranian.
Dana Goldberg: Thank you, Huskaranian. Aka Pomsky. That one's much easier for me. My best bud. Oh, my God. A, uh, husky and a Pomeranian. Get the fuck out of here. Okay, this is Max, my Huskaranian. Or my. Aka Pomski, my best bud. The one who saved me through back surgery, recovery and a lot of sadness. Wants everyone to know. Look into my magnificent blue eye. Think and then vote, people.
Allison Gill: It's just the one magnificent blue eye.
Dana Goldberg: This dog is adorbs.
Allison Gill: What a sweet baby. Palmsky. I love it. Thank you for that. What an amazing story. Uh, incredible. Next up from anonymous, no pronouns. In Tuesday's episode, you speculated that birds might be counting us while in the office yesterday. That rarely has people in it. I made friends with a female cardinal. I'm pretty sure she's watching me through the window, wondering why I was there. So, for pod pet tax, here's a photo of my new friend. I was able to pull my chair right up to the window without spooking her, um, while she did the head tilt, staring at me. I love those. Thank you for keeping us informed and educated on the news. Look at the pretty girl.
Dana Goldberg: Absolutely awesome. Doesn't even look real. Looks like a does. It does. All right. This is from Kirk in Minneapolis. Pronouns he and him. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I've been a longtime listener to all the MSW Media shows, but they are especially helpful right now, informing me on what's going on in the world and giving me hope and smarts and laughter. I've been absorbed moving my mom out of a hospital and into hospice in a long term care facility. Your condensation. I love that. Your condensation of what really counts is priceless to me. I was moved to tears listening to the note from the woman who lost her husband and is picking up fly fishing with the fly girls. I went from tearing up to sobbing to snorting with laughter out loud. Hearing that clip of you two laughing about AG's face doing a, uh, sink clap in Thursday show. Oh, my God. Just everything I love in the world in five minutes. Love to you and this beautiful community. Her pet tax is our hurricane Katrina rescue. Girl Mooney. She has one eye like a full moon and is pit bull and border collie just loving brains like you? Oh, my God. She's really cute.
Allison Gill: I know.
Dana Goldberg: My God, I've never seen a pit.
Allison Gill: Border collie mixed like this. And it's like, exactly half and half, right?
Dana Goldberg: Yeah. I mean, it literally looks like it's split down the middle of the dog.
Allison Gill: Yeah, it totally does.
Dana Goldberg: It totally does.
Allison Gill: What a sweet baby girl. Thank you, everybody. All the outstanding pet pictures and incredible stories. If you have any corrections for the towns that I couldn't pronounce today in the news, please send those to us. And any other good news you have, send it@dailybeanspod.com and click on contact patrons. Check your inbox for those Columbus, uh, tickets pre sale for vip and premium seating. Because y'all are patrons y'all get the good stuff. So, uh, there you go. And again, everyone else who's amazing laguminati listeners, those tickets go on sale Monday. Uh, do you have any final thoughts before we get out of here?
Dana Goldberg: No, I don't think I do.
Allison Gill: No, I don't really either, other than.
Dana Goldberg: Just care of at the top. Yeah, I got them all taken care of at the top of the show. Yeah.
Allison Gill: Awesome. Everybody have a wonderful weekend. This episode of Jack on Sunday is going to be epic. You don't want to miss it. Uh, and, um, of course, the cleanup on all 45 bonus. Again, it was before Fonny Willis's testimony, so cut me some Black because my whole view has changed, and we'll cover it on the next episode of cleanup until Monday. We'll be back on your ears for the beans. Please take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. Take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, take care of your family. Vote blue over Q and take everyone.
Dana Goldberg: You know with you.
Allison Gill: I've been Ag and I've been DG, and them's the beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill, with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Dessiree McFarland, with art and web design by Joel 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.