Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 Today, another line prosecutor has resigned from the DoJ in protest to being asked to open a grand jury investigation into an Inflation Reduction Act contract; nearly 1000 career prosecutors including Jack Smith sign a letter in admiration of the prosecutors that have acted courageously in the face of the Trump regime; Judge Reyes holds a hearing on transgender people in the military; New York Governor Kathy Hochul met with members of City Hall to discuss the removal of Mayor Eric Adams; a top social security officer has resigned over a clash with Musk’s access to private data; Trump’s regime petitions the Supreme Court to allow the firing of Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger; a quarter of US shoppers have dumped their favorite stores over DEI policy; after MAGA censorship - Santa Rosa students write their own play and take the gold; the Trump regime is making it more dangerous for women in the workplace; the DHS is preparing to fire hundreds of senior leaders this week who are seen as disloyal to Donald Trump; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
Wednesday, February 19th, 2025
Today, another line prosecutor has resigned from the DoJ in protest to being asked to open a grand jury investigation into an Inflation Reduction Act contract; nearly 1000 career prosecutors including Jack Smith sign a letter in admiration of the prosecutors that have acted courageously in the face of the Trump regime; Judge Reyes holds a hearing on transgender people in the military; New York Governor Kathy Hochul met with members of City Hall to discuss the removal of Mayor Eric Adams; a top social security officer has resigned over a clash with Musk’s access to private data; Trump’s regime petitions the Supreme Court to allow the firing of Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger; a quarter of US shoppers have dumped their favorite stores over DEI policy; after MAGA censorship - Santa Rosa students write their own play and take the gold; the Trump regime is making it more dangerous for women in the workplace; the DHS is preparing to fire hundreds of senior leaders this week who are seen as disloyal to Donald Trump; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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Stories:
Hochul Meeting on Eric Adams’s Future Plunges Him Deeper Into Crisis | The New York Times
After Censorship, Santa Rosa Students Write Their Own Play — and Take the Gold - Gabe Meline | KQED
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Call/Contact Governor Kathy Hochul and encourage her to remove Eric Adams.
Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you’re going to do, or just vent. I’m always here to listen.
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Um, MSW Media Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Today, another line prosecutor has resigned from the Department of Justice in protest to being asked to open a grand jury investigation into an inflation Reduction act contract. Nearly 1,000 career prosecutors, including Jack Smith, have signed a letter in admiration of the prosecutors that have acted courageously in the face of the Trump regime. Judge Reyes holds a hearing on transgender people in the military. New York Governor Kathy Hochul met with members of City hall to discuss the removal of of Mayor Eric Adams. A top Social Security officer has resigned over a clash with Elon Musk's access to private data. The Trump regime has petitioned the Supreme Court to allow the firing of Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger. A quarter of US Shoppers have dumped their favorite stores over their DEI policies after MAGA censorship. Santo Rosa students wrote their own play and took the gold. The Trump regime is making it more dangerous for women in the workplace. And the DHS is preparing to fire hundreds of senior leaders this week who are seen as loyal to Donald Trump. I'm M. Allison Gill.
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Hey, Dana, it's Wednesday. It's hump day.
Yes, it is. And I would have been someone who got fired for not being loyal to Donald Trump. Just so you know.
Yeah, samesies. Oh, wait, I did. I did get fired for not being loyal to Donald Trump. And, uh, I got this message from a friend of mine at the VA today who sent me a message that they received from a friend of theirs who's a nurse who was giving PMDB training, which is basically training that you give to employees at the Department of Veterans affairs on how to deal with violence, workplace violence and violence, potential violence from, uh, patients.
Okay.
And this person said, I'm teaching PMDB today. I've just been told I have to omit any references to gender even when talking about increased violence toward women and even during the sexual assault portion. I'm not allowed to discuss who may be victims of sexual assault. I'm no longer allowed to say the words transgender, non, binary, gay, lesbian, etc, or acknowledge them in any way. If brought up by attendees. I have a standard response I'm supposed to say about there only being two genders. In fact, I'm supposed to state this fact no less than twice now in the four hour class. And should I fail any of these directions, that is grounds for dismissal. Jesus Christ is up and frightening. Um, and ridiculous. And like, how do you. How are you going to sit there and say, okay, um, there's only two genders I mean, sexes. Right. Because they can't use. Even use the word gender now. But to not be able to say that women are more in danger.
Yeah.
Um, in. In those particular instances, as are trans, LGBTQ + folks. Right.
Yep.
You can't even bring that up. And if you're asked questions you can't talk about. Reminds me of when I was asked to speak at the VA about, um, my military sexual trauma. And I talked about how to, you know, trying to report it and all that other stuff. And this woman raised her hand in the front row, and she. She asked me, she's like, what do you think it's like to. To have to go through this as a black lesbian?
Oh.
And I was like. It was a gut punch. And I said, I. You're right, I need to acknowledge my privilege here. And I was ushered off stage at that moment and wasn't allowed to discuss it or answer the question. So that is kind of par for the course in the Trump regime. But this is super Handmaid's tale. Dystopian bullshit, fascist fuckery, and it's disgusting to me.
It's also. I mean, like I said, I don't like making direct comparisons, but this is the beginning stages of how the Holocaust started. You dehumanize a group of people so that you repeat it over and over and over. You don't allow people to speak the truth or there's consequences. This is not the first time this has happened, and I think for people to ignore the warning signs is going to be detrimental to this country.
Yeah, I agree. Um, so I just wanted to share that at the top of the show today, um, and that I'm standing in solidarity with these folks, um, and that I appreciate all the work that they're doing and how they're trying to push back and, you know, they're getting it from all sides, uh, these federal workers, people just trying to take care of our veterans, people trying to get Social Security payments out the door, people trying to fund scientific research and cure cancer. You know, people trying to take care of our national parks and our forest services. Uh, I mean, I could go on and on, uh, but it's awful. And, um, the cruelty is the point, as we. As we always say. All right, we have a lot of news to get to today, but first, we have some quick hits.
And to make a long story short.
First up, the head of the Criminal division at the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C. one of the Justice Department's most powerful prosecuting offices, abruptly resigned Tuesday for Reasons that remain unclear, though it seems as though she was asked to open a grand jury investigation into the Biden administration's deployment of funds under the Inflation Reduction act, apparently having to do with that $20 million that Lee Zeldin want to get back. Um, not the New York 80 million. That's different. Although it might have had something to do with it, too. Denise Chung, who has worked in the office since the year 2000, informed colleagues of her departure in an email sent Tuesday morning. Andy and I will cover this as more details emerge on this weekend's Unjustified podcast.
Thanks so much, Alison. This one's from the Times. On the 39th floor of a Midtown Manhattan high rise, Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday presided over a series of meetings to discuss one of the most consequential decisions of her tenure, whether to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office. She solicited opinions from Brad Lander, that's the city comptroller, and Adrian Adams, who is the City Council speaker. She shared coffee and tea with the Reverend Al Sharpton and asked others, uh, over video chat. She gave no indication that she would come to a quick decision on the mayor, who by chance, was only a dozen blocks away at the time.
Yeah, and he got his press conference where the members of the press were like, what's up? What's going on? Why? Why won't you tell us these things? And he's like, because y'all lie. And he just, like, walked away. Super maga. Also, hundreds of former Department of Justice prosecutors, including our friend Barb McQuade and former Special counsel Jack Smith, signed an open letter shared Monday expressing concern about the reported politicization of prosecutions. And Eric Adams and Emil Beauvais have been ordered, by the way, by a judge to show up in court today and. And defend their plan to dismiss the charges without prejudice. Again, Andy McCabe and I'll cover the results of that hearing and this letter signed by these prosecutors this weekend on the unjustified pod.
All right, and the, uh, Trump administration will ask the U.S. supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that ordered government ethics watchdog reinstated to his post after the President fired him and did not fire him the right way. Now, Hampton Dillinger, leader of the Whistleblower Protection Agency, the Office of Special Counsel, sued the Trump administration administration after he was fired this month. Judge Amy Berman Jackson has issued a temporary restraining order reinstating his job while she considers a preliminary injunction. She has set a hearing for February.
26, and we will cover that as well. And this is from CBS. U.S. district Judge Tanya Chutkin rejected the temporary restraining order request sought, uh, by the 14 Democratic led states as they pursue a challenge to Musk and Doge's like, authority in general and how they have their little fingers, their disgusting little fingers in our payment systems and private information. The states argue that Musk, who the White House has categorized as a special government employee, has unchecked authority and is violating the Constitution's Appointments Clause. Chutkan found that the states have failed to show they will suffer imminent irreparable harm without relief. That's what's required for a restraining order. But she did fire a shot across the bow at Musk and Doge, saying the state's claim that Musk's actions violate the Appointments Clause has serious, serious implications. Citing Supreme Court precedent, she wrote that they are the executive abuses that the constitutional provision seeks to prevent. Musk has not been nominated by the President nor confirmed by the U.S. senate, she says, as constitutionally required for officers who exercise significant authority to pursue the laws of the United States. Bypassing this significant structural safeguard of the constitutional scheme, Musk has rapidly taken steps to fundamentally reshape the executive branch. So while she didn't grant the immediate restraining order because there hasn't been any harm yet, she doesn't seem to like m. Hold any, pull any punches when saying, when we get to this on the merits, you don't have a really good case.
Yeah, did you see some shit about the executive Order? Trump was like, I'm the person that decides what the laws are in this country. Basically, that the president. Yeah, it's, it's, uh. Um. All of this is just. It's maddening, it's mind blowing. It's coming at us at a rate that none of us are supposed to be able to absorb, by the way. So if you're like, this has been too much. I'm burning out. Like we've always said, it's intentional. Take a step away, take a breath, we've got you. It's going to be there in the morning.
Yeah, we need that. Ted Lasso Season 4.
Yeah, there you go. It was fun seeing him on the SNL 50th anniversary. That was a great skit. Oh, my God, if anyone watched that. Okay, I digress, though. Yeah, I. I'm sorry I put some good news in all of this bullshit. Okay, this one is from the Guardian. Americans are changing their shopping habits. Actually, this one's pretty good because you get to see what money matters. Americans are changing their shopping habits and even dumping their favorite stores in a backlash against corporations that have shifted their public policies to align with the Trump administration. This is all according to a poll exclusively shared with the Guardian. Four out of 10Americans have shifted their spending over the last few months to align with their moral views. That's according to the Harris Poll. A quarter. They're saying 24% of the respondents have even stopped shopping at their favorite stores because of their politics. Quote, think of this as laissez faire consumerism. Buyers aren't boycotting, they're just opting out. That's what John Gerzema, he's the CEO of Harris Poll, said. Instead of demanding more, they're simply disengaging with the marketplace and businesses who disappoint them. And I tell you what, the black community is really fucking good at this. And there is a lot of people that were like, we're done with Target. And as convenient as Target is, they're done with Target. Yeah, I think they've lost billions in the last few weeks because of these sorts of things. You're not saying I'm, um, boycotting. I'm just done shopping there. I'm giving my business elsewhere. I'm taking my money somewhere else.
This is wonderful to hear and read. It's one of those things that makes us feel like we're less alone, that you can't gaslight us, that, you know, uh, we're not just rolling over and we're going to shop at your fucking Nazi store. We're just not going to. So I'm very, very glad to hear this. I hope this brings a lot of people some peace and comfort, at least a little bit in these times. All right, we have a lot more news to get to. We have to take a quick break. We'll be right back with the hot notes after these messages.
We'll be right back.
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Everybody, welcome back. It's time for hot notes. Hot, uh, notes. All right, first up, A federal judge appears poised to block the Trump administration if the Department of Defense attempts to place limitations or bans on transgender service members. This is U.S. district Judge Anna Reyes. She is, uh, hearing arguments Tuesday in the case, but signaled deep skepticism with the claim that transgender service members lessen the military's lethality or readiness. And here's some transcript from that hearing. Reyes, can we agree that the greatest fighting force is not going to be impacted in any way by less than 1% of the soldiers using a different pronoun than the others might want to call them? Department of justice attorney? I can't agree with that here. Reyes, would you agree with me that if our military is negatively impacted in any kind of way that matters, we all have a lot bigger problems than pronoun use. We have a military that's incompetent. Any common sense, rational human being knows that it doesn't. It's pretext, and it's frankly ridiculous. If you want to get me an officer of the US Military who's willing to get on the stand and Say that because of pronoun usage in the military that we are less prepared because of pronoun usage. I will be the first to give you a box of cigars. That's the first one, right? Like, uh, bring a military officer in here under oath and tell me that you guys can't handle the greatest fighting force in the fucking world. Can't handle calling somebody a different pronoun. And here's another one, Reyes. This order calls an entire category of people dishonest, dishonorable, undisciplined, immodest who lack integrity, people who have taken an oath to defend this country, people who have been under fire, people who have received medals for taking fire for this country. I want to know from the government whether that language expresses animus. Does that express animus? DOJ ATTORNEY not in any constitutional. REYES In a common sense way. This is a policy from the President of the United States, affecting thousands of people. To call an entire group of people lying, dishonest, people who are undisciplined, immodest, and have no integrity, how is that anything other than showing animus? DOJ ATTORNEY I don't have an answer for you, Reyes. You do have an answer. You just don't want to give it. People can make solid arguments as to why some or even most transgender people shouldn't be in the military. We're dealing with an unadulterated animus. We're dealing with the President of the United States dealing with a group of people serving their country calling them liars. Reyes then says she changed her courtroom orders to bar people who graduated from UVA Law School from appearing before her because, quote, they're all liars and lack integrity and are undisciplined and can't possibly meet high rigors of a benign lawyer from the government. She made the DOJ lawyer sit down on that basis, and after he did, she called him back up and asked whether that was a display of animus.
Oh, my God. So good. Just like judiciary. There's a lot of judiciary that is saving us right now and doing their jobs. All right, this one's from Julia Ainsley at NBC. The Trump administration is preparing to fire hundreds of high level Department of Homeland Security employees this week as part of a move to rid the country's third largest agency of people deemed to be misaligned with the administration's goals. And that's according to three sources familiar with the matter. The sources with the Trump administration has, quote, a centralized plan and a list of people in high level positions across every component of DHS who are to be targeted this week. The firings will come on top of hundreds of more general cuts that began from DHS on Friday night, which targeted the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Those firings were the latest in a government wide effort to reduce the federal workforce this week. The three sources told NBC News, career employees at high managerial levels, namely Senior Executive Service in general schedule 15 employees may be removed from agencies across DHS not to reduce the size of workforce, but to remove employees whom the administration sees as potentially standing in the way of the goals the Trump administration has for the agency. Dhs, which includes Customs and Border protections and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is the primary agency tasked with enforcing US Immigration law. Trump has relied heavily on CBP to secure the southwest border and on ICE to ramp up arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants living in the United States. The employees of those high levels are career people who have an influence on policy and strategy in those positions. And this is from former senior Biden administration official responding to the news of the plan. A Trump administration official defended the plan. Asked whether reducing the positions would make it harder for DHS to make good on Trump's immigration goals, the administration officials said the administration is removing people who it believes, quote, willfully grind things to a halt.
Oh, the people who follow the law.
Uh huh huh, quote, those people put themselves in a terrible position and they need to be removed. This is what the Trump administration officials said. They put themselves in that position. In a statement, a spokesperson for DHS said, quote, under President Trump's leadership, we are making sweeping cuts and reform across the federal government to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer. Uh, they have not found that a lot of the, um, things that they're trying to cut, snap, whip, all those things, immigrants, uh, that are not, ah, documented, that are not citizens of the United States, are not actually, uh, allowed to get those. So what they are doing is hurting poor Americans or hurting Americans that for some reason need some of these things just to get by a little bit more in their life. So let's be honest, here they are, they are scapegoating immigrants in this country and, uh, they're hurting Americans, yeah, 100%.
And if I were writing this article, I would use the language. We're firing people who are disloyal to Donald Trump, that are loyal to the Constitution because that's what's happening here? Did you see Tom Homan wants to deport and investigate Ocasio Cortez? Deport? No, deport it to the Bronx.
Like, oh, my God.
Uh, yeah, that guy's a fucking douche. All right. Next up, from Lisa Rain at the Post. The acting commissioner of the Social Security administration left her job this weekend after a clash with Musk's Doge service over its attempts to access sensitive government records, according to three people familiar. Michelle King, who spent several decades at the agency before being named its acting commissioner last month, left her position Sunday after the disagreement. President Donald Trump appointed Leland Dudic, a manager in charge of Social Security's anti fraud office, as acting commissioner, while Frank. Bisignano. Bisignano, I guess maybe the. Whatever. Frank. The president's nominee for permanent commissioner is vetted by the Senate. That's according to three individuals who talked candidly. A public announcement is expected this week. Dudic, uh, has posted positive remarks on social media about DOGE and their efforts to cut costs, quote, unquote, and search for fraud in federal agencies. According to two individuals, quote, president Trump has nominated the highly qualified and talented Frank Bizignano to lead the Social Security administration and we expect him to be swiftly confirmed in the coming weeks. That's White House spokesman Harrison Fields in a statement. In the meantime, the agency will be led by career Social Security anti fraud expert as the acting commissioner. President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long. By the way, a former SSA person said that what Musk is doing could. Could pause Social Security payments. It could disrupt.
Wow.
The payment security system. Social Security payment system now. In selecting Dudic, Trump bypassed dozens of other senior executives who sat hiring the agency's leadership hierarchy, touching off alarm in and around the agency, which has already faced years of budget and staffing difficulties. There's a, quote, at this rate, they'll break it and they'll break it fast. And there will be an interruption of benefits. That's Martin O'Malley, Social Security Commissioner under the Biden administration and former Maryland governor, quote, it's a shame. The chilling effect it has to disregard 120 Senior Executive Service people. To pick an acting commissioner that's not in the senior executive service sends a message that professional people should leave the beleaguered public agency. White House officials have said Musk's associates are being properly vetted before they're appointed to official roles. Uh huh, sure. Administration officials have been skeptical of career employees efforts to guard federal data, maintaining that political appointees should also be able to access it, particularly if necessary to root out wasteful or erroneous spending. On Fox News Monday night, White House press secretary Caroline Leit Levitt said she'd been fighting fake news reports, uh, who had been trying to fear Monger about Social Security payments. Levitt said Trump had directed Musk only to identify fraud in the program and that seniors retirement benefits would be protected. Okay, we'll see. Musk has increasingly turned his attention to the Social Security Administration in recent days, arguing the program is rife with fraud and erroneous payments without offering evidence for his claim, saying millions of people that are dead are getting Social Security payments. And I can tell you that is an outright lie because state agencies, the irs, the va, the ssa, that they all talk to each other and when someone dies, they stop sending payments immediately. And if, and, and by the way, the, the person who's supposed to constantly monitor what you know, that everyone who's getting payments hasn't died is the Inspector general who was fired. So, you know, okay, whatever. King, a, uh, career staffer, has worked at the agency since 1994. According to the agency's website, she has also held, uh, senior positions in its Office of Retirement and Disability Policy and the Office of Budget, finance and management. 1994, Dana. And she's gone. King could not be immediately reached for comment. The SSA's records include all Social Security numbers, comprehensive medical records for those who have applied for disability benefits, bank information, earnings records and more. There is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is. She said.
Thank you so much, Alison. Last in the segments from Gay Malin at kqed. And you can't keep good kids down. After having their fall play suddenly canceled due to subject matter. And faced with continued monitoring by the administration, the students at Santa Rosa High School's Art Quest theater programs refused to back away. And I'll tell you right now, the kids are all right. Instead they fought back the best way they know how by co writing a pointed, smart and hilarious one act musical called it's been Redacted, uh, which satirized the school district and the impulse to censor content deemed, quote, unsuitable. And you know what, ag over the weekend and apparently the play is called Redacted, which is even more fucking brilliant. It's the name of the play at won a gold medal at the Lining Linnea Festival, which is a statewide theater competition of over 70 high schools. Santa Rosa also won 12 other awards at the festival, including the Spirit of Linnea award and one of the festival's very top honors. Jarem Anglin, who teaches theater at Santa Rosa, said the awards ceremony, quote, pretty much brought everyone to tears. We all got pretty emotional with it. Anglin said. Went on to say, to win so many awards up against so many other high schools, it just felt like our struggle had been recognized. Now it's quite a curtain call for a long, painful episode. Last November, after rehearsing for four months, the Santa Rosa students opened their fall play, Dog Sees Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal. In its imagining of the characters from Peanuts grown up and in high school. Linus is a stoner, Lucy is a juvenile institution, and Pig Pen is homophobic, which is a problem because Charlie Brown is experiencing his. Is experimenting with his sexuality. Okay, this is definitely a play I want to see, but your usual high school stuff, in other words, like, uh, a lot of people are going through this. A lot of people know someone about these characters. So after opening night, citing quote, complaints without elaborating, the school district suddenly canceled the play's remaining performances. Undeterred students Dean Jansen and Layla Payne mobilized schoolmates to get on the phone to the local paper, the Press Democrat. They also contacted the Mercury theater in nearby Petaluma to check about availability there. The result? Days of media coverage, hundreds of social media comments lamblasting school officials priorities, and two sold out performances of Dog Sees God at the Mercury theater that raised over $3,500 for their theater program. I love people sometimes. The district reverse course formally apologized and said the play could be produced on campus. But it also asked to proofread scripts of, uh, future productions and instituted an age restriction for certain shows with, quote, adult themes. Speaking with kqed, the singer and Broadway composer Sara Bareilles said the censorship at Santa Rosa high school quote makes me so angry, calling it a misuse of the district's energy. The district also installed a new principal at the high school who last month raised concerns over the content of three student monologues that were to be performed at the Linnae festival and asked that the monologues be approved by the students parents. If that sounds a little like mommy's against the arts, well, that's what the students thought too. In redacted a collaboration between the students and Brent Lindsay of the local theater company the Imaginist, a group called Mommies against the arts intervenes at a local school. They deride the librarian as quote, too woke Celebrate that indecent art is dying fast. And reprimanding quote, Mr. A and Chant, protecting kitties is our duty. We cancel anything that smells a little fruity.
Mommy's against the art.
I know there are references to canceling plays, burning books, and the school board having nothing better to do. The mommies parade about defending district employees, particularly those who make over $200,000 a year. One discovers a student script and screams, quote, we've been writing this without my approval. Burn those words. Yeah. England invited the school board, district's officials, and the administration to see redacted. Not many came. He said one woman from the left, partway through the principal didn't really have much of a response to it.
She walked some lady with this play. I love it.
I know the judges of Lyne, and if I'm saying that wrong, someone connect me. Correct me, please. If I'm saying, correct me, please incorrectly, you can also correct me there. The judges at Lyna, however, certainly did. In awarding the students the Spirit of Lyne award, board director China Moslin was emphatic, and I quote, this group refused to be silenced. They mobilized their community, pushed back against censorship, driven by fear, and ultimately staged their production, selling out performances. But that hurdle seems to be the beginning of a larger issue of silencing and oppression. My experience with the school reminded me that we are not just performers. We are powerful and our voices matter.
That's so great that they get, uh. So they get censored by these school administrators. They leave, go to a different theater, sell out two shows, make 3, 500 bucks, and then write a play about how they were censored called Redacted, which wins this huge award that 70 schools were competing for. That's so cool. Congrats to these kids at Santa Rosa High School. All right, everybody, it's time for a little good trouble. What are you guys doing? All right, everybody, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is pretty simple. Call Kathy Hokel. Tell her to get rid of Mayor Eric Adams and to do it immediately. That is all that is this very simple, straightforward, good, uh, trouble this week. So, uh, I appreciate you, uh, doing these little things. I. You know what? You know who I really appreciate? My amazing accountant and her wife, who came to me and said, you know what we need? We need homework. And I was like, all right, well, why don't I do a segment on the show where we just have a little thing that's. That everybody can do that. That would really be helpful to us because we're like, we just want to something and we don't know what to do and every time we do do something it makes us feel so good. So I want to thank uh, and shout out our amazing accountant and her wonderful wife for, for making this idea happen. So thanks all that's good Trouble. We'll be right back with the good news everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Good news everyone then good news everyone. And if you have any good news confessions corrections, you have any ideas for good Trouble, send them in. You want to give a shout out to a loved one, a spouse, a kid, a family member, somebody doing incredible organizing in your neighborhood, maybe a small business that could use a boost or your small business. And of course we love self shout outs and shout outs to government programs whether you're doing, uh, you know, something that's helped you or your family, like WIC, Head Start, Section 8, uh, maybe a local shelter, a food bank. Um, we've worked with so many incredible food banks here on the Daily Beans. Of uh, course, great VA health care you've received, um, anything big from like Medicare, Social Security, Affordable Care act, things like that. Send that to us. And of course student debt relief. And all you gotta do to get your good news submitted or your shout out submitted is to pay your pod pet tax, which means attach a photo of your pet. And if you want us to guess the breeds in your shelter pup, we will try to do that. We're not very good, but it's fun. Um, and if you don't have a pet, you can send us an adoptable pet in your area. That'll work. Or any animal photo from the Internet is fine as well. I love capybaras and frogs. Of course. We, uh, also do bird watching here on the Daily Beans, which you can send a picture of an actual bird or you and your family and friends flipping off Trump properties or Musk properties. And I do want to throw a caveat in here. I know that a lot of our listeners drive Teslas because they care about the environment and they care about the, you know, the, the emissions that they would otherwise be putting into the atmosphere if they didn't drive an electric vehicle. And I know you also hate Elon Musk. So when we make fun of people flipping off Tesla dealerships or cybertrucks or Teslas or anything like that, please don't take it as an affront to you. We know that you're awesome people and amazing and I just wanted to put that out there because we're not trying to shame Tesla Owners who, you know, bought them, um, way back when.
But I would like to have a word with anyone who bought a Tesla cybertruck. Not that I'm shaming you, but I would like to understand.
Just for understanding purposes, just for understanding.
I don't understand how there's not blind spots all over this thing. Like, it doesn't have any. I mean, it has windows, but it doesn't have any windows.
I think the idea was, it doesn't matter because if you hit it, it's made of steel.
But, like, I. I guess that's true.
I don't know. I really don't know. But I've seen a couple of videos of cybertrucks trying to get out of a couple inches of snow, and it's kind of funny.
Yeah.
Um, so attach those photos and then, of course, we don't have any of that. Baby pictures. We love to see your baby pictures. Send them to us dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. First up from Anonymous. She her. In this dystopian era we find ourselves in, I'm limiting my exposure to corporate media. I'm so grateful for you ladies who dive deep into the hellhole and let us know what's going on. The spoonful of goodness really soothes my soul. Also looking for sunshine where I can find it. So here's a couple of rays I ran into just this week. I called Target Credit Card Services over a dispute on my credit card and shared with the agent that I had already put the card away and would no longer be shopping at ah, Target due to their cancellation of DEI programs. After the credit card issue was resolved, she took down a detailed report on my comments to send on to corporate, and she sounded absolutely gleeful. Yesterday, I was talking to a turbo tax expert. Expert is in quotes. And we got into a bit of a riff on what President Musk was going to do next. She was impressed with some of the information I shared and asked for my source. The Daily Beans, of course, I said. She wrote down the info I gave her and said she was going to check out the Daily Beans as soon as she was off the clock. It is reassuring to find that across the spectrum of daily life, there are people talking about, commiserating and condemning what is going on in our government. Only 3 years and 11 months to go. We need to keep the conversations going, so. Hey, TurboTax person. Welcome. For, uh, my pod pet tax, I'm sharing a photo of my pup, Hodari. When I first turned on our new housewarming gift A Roomba. Daria is clearly not a fan, in case you want to guess her breeds. I'm including another photo more recently of our walk near our home in Seattle.
Oh.
Oh, Cattle. Uh, dog and a lab and German shepherd.
Sure.
Healer. Catahoula.
Catahoula. Catahoula. Hound. Catahoula. Shepherd.
All right. Border collie. Blue heeler. Blue tick. Coonhound. Not Catahoula. Uh, der. Classic mutt from rural Missouri. Beautiful baby. Thank you. So sweet. And thanks for those rays of sunshine.
Yeah, I know. All right, this one's from Jeremy. R. Pronouns he and him. Hello. Reynas de Frajoles. This morning, my awesome kiddo had her tonsils and adenoids taken out. She adopted us when she was an infant and gets Medicaid until she turns 18. Or until the pumpkin spies Palpatine. Oh, my God, the pumpkin spice. Palpatine gets rid of it in his, quote, bullet Train to Hell style of governing. She's currently recovering by eating several bowls of ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and it's only been, like, three hours since surgery over the course of her nine years. And because she started out being in the foster care system, I want to shout out all of the programs that have helped us raise her and her siblings. First of all, in the San Diego County Health and Human Services, WIC, Medi Cal, and later Medicaid. KidStart, a, uh, San Diego area organization that provides therapy until a child graduates from the program. Head Start, the California Free School Lunch Program, and in Texas, the Federal school lunch Program. Catholic Charities, the Adoption Assistance Program. The list probably is even longer. Those were just all the organizations and programs that we had access to and have utilized so far. SDGE also provided a, uh, discount on our utility bills just for having someone receiving Medicaid in the household. This wasn't even something we needed to apply for. It was just from a survey done over the phone for pet tax. A picture of our bestest boy, Thurl, our Great Dane, named after Tony the Tiger, and Disney voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft. That's a good name. AKA Fritz from the Enchanted Tiki Room.
Yes.
Yep. Thurl shares his home with us. Well, as his friend Leota, the pit bull, named for Madame Leota from the Haunted Mansion. We like Disneyland to an unhealthy degree, according to some people. There's a picture of Thorl and Leota as puppies. Holy shit. Look at the Great Dane puppies. Ah. Uh, I can't, because they're like, I don't even know how Big. I'm about to get, like, they're so cute.
Jeremy. I am a huge Disneyland fan, too. I have the Enchanted Tiki Room sign. I have a, um, Jungle Cruise 1960s mid century modern Art. Um, in my bathroom, I have the birds on their circles, on their little perches from, uh, the Enchanted Tiki Room. I have an Enchanted Tiki Room Lazy Susan dish set with all four of the birds in there. So I am also, uh, a little bit of a fan of the Enchanted Tiki Room. I always get a dole whip. And I love the Haunted Mansion, too, Especially around Halloween and Christmas. Those are my two favorite things to do at Disneyland. These dogs are gorgeous. All right, next up from Pam Pronouns, she and her hi, AG and dg. Thanks to the whole Beans team for all you do. I'm a member of a contra dance community, a type of folk dance that has many local groups. This weekend, my local group hosted our annual Contra dance weekend with dancers and musicians from all over the country and Quebec. We are a welcoming community with many LGBTQIA dancers. For about 18 hours from Friday night through Sunday afternoon, we danced, laughed, and shared joy with each other. And Sunday evening, we shared our joy with groups of newcomers. It was a beautiful reminder of the values we're fighting for. Finding joy is part of the resistance. I know quite a bunch of the dancers listen to the Daily Beans, so if you're listening today, thank you for the fabulous weekend. And if anyone wants to find some joy, look for a local contra dance group.
Nice.
Um, a note from our producer, Pam. The picture you sent didn't come through, and we would love to see Zuli and Maestra, but it will have to be in a future submission, so try that again. And then. You know what? This reminds me of? Dan, um, Savage. Um, you know him?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And he has a quote that I turn to a lot. Um, and I'm pulling it up as we speak. He said, during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for. It didn't look like we were going to win. And then we did. It doesn't feel like we're going to win now, but we could, so keep fighting and keep dancing.
Yeah, I saw that the other day, too. It's beautiful.
Sorry. I get choked up with whenever I read it.
No, don't. I told you, stop apologizing. People love that. We feel okay.
I mean, yeah, I get choked up whenever.
That's right. Fuck, yeah. Cry a little. You. I mean, uh, listen, more people have heard me cry on this podcast than any other place in my life, by the way.
I make a lot of people cry. That's what I do.
But, uh, one of my best friends told me, and I love this. My vulnerability has allowed her to be in touch with her vulnerability because she knows I'm a safe space for it, and what a gift we are giving to other people.
That's amazing. And that's true, because I cry a lot more now that I. No, I'm just kidding.
I cry a lot more since you've been on the show, Dana. All right.
You teach me a lot about vulnerability. You really do. I was gonna make a joke about I cry all the time when I see you, but I. For serious, though, you do teach me a lot about vulnerability. I know you do that for a lot of the people in your lives.
Thank you. I'm a crier. I'm a crier. Um, I'm a laugher, and I'm a crier. All right. But I don't know what Robin is, but she's up next, and her pronouns are she and her. Happy Tuesday. While we all run around with hair on fire. I live in a very small town in North Carolina. I am the blue dot. Today, I'm going to town to stand up with our country's democratic women. It is a board of commissioners meeting to decide if our county will enter into an agreement with ice. Basically, the county police would take on the added responsibility of ICE immigrant arrest and detention in our county. Apparently, 15 other North Carolina counties have agreed to this nonsense. I love your podcast cast. P.S. the first bird pick was taken in 2019. That's the first Trump disaster. The second is an actual woodpecker out of my kitchen window. And the third is two of my pups. White one is Lucia, and tan is Sol. We also have Luna and Blanca. Betty Lou. The Great Pyrenees.
Oh, I love a Great Pyrenees, too.
Oh, these babies.
Oh, they're adorable. Oh, and the bird. The woodpecker. I like it. Dogs, we gotta flip the bird. We got a couple of pups, and we got an actual bird. A woodpecker. Love it. Oh, uh, thanks for that submission. Next up, Laura. Uh, Laura. I. She her proud member of the LGBTQIA community. My pledge is, if gay marriage or any other LGBTQ rights are diminished or taken away in any way, shape, or form, I will pay my taxes to reflect on my less than whole citizenship. I'm 73. I've been an activist since I was 16, and I'm willing to go to jail for this and make a test case. Laura, I love it. That's very, very brave. Look at this. Uh, I'm assuming Laura's dog with the sunglasses.
Super cute.
That is amazing. And you can see by the hand that's holding. This is a tiny, tiny dog. You can see the little thumb in the bottom of the picture.
Oh, look at that. I didn't even notice.
Adorable. I mean, unless the dog has a human thumb, then that's.
I mean, you never know.
I think they're holding.
They don't have opposable thumbs. Maybe they do.
Maybe they finally figured out how they've.
Been hiding them the whole time.
Thank you for that and thanks for all these inspiring, um, submissions. Today, please send your good news to us. We need it every day more than ever. Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. Even if it's something that's small, One good thing that happened to you today, send that in. Um, we would love to hear from you. Uh, again, DailyBeansPod.com click on Contact. It's Wednesday. That means there's a new episode of cleanup on aisle 45. Out with me and Harry Dunn, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who's a fantastic person and an amazing human. So check that out. It's free wherever you get your podcast called Clean up on aisle 45. Do, uh, you have any final thoughts today, my friend?
Not today.
All right? We'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, and take care of your family. I've been aggressive 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 Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information, Please visit msw media.com msw media21. My cat is screaming. Come on in, buddy. Sure, whatever you need.