Ceasefire Pump And Dump (feat. Rick Smith)

It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they are the one holding the line and they'll use any trick they can to get you there. But don't let them fool you. Get unspun. I'm Amanda Sturgill. I've been a reporter and today I teach future reporters to cut the spin and think critically about what newsmakers say. My podcast, Unspun, shows you how to know when you're being manipulated by the news. Learn to spot the tricks and how to make up your own mind about what's true. So if you're tired of being fooled by the news, subscribe to Unspun today. Unspun, because you deserve the truth. MSW Media Daily beans, daily beans, daily beans. Hello and welcome to the Daily Beans for Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026. Today, it's Taco Tuesday as Trump announces an indefinite ceasefire in Iran, hours ahead of the expiration of the last two-week ceasefire. Democratic Rep Sheila Sheriff-Ellis McCormick has resigned from Congress just minutes before a hearing on whether she would be expelled. The Southern Poverty Law Center says it's under criminal investigation by Trump's Justice Department. Donald's approval rating hits an all-time low again. And the EU's top court has found that Hungary's anti-LGBTQ plus law is discriminatory and contrary to the identity of the union. I'm Alison Gill. And I'm Dana Goldberg. Hey, my friend, happy Wednesday. Happy taint of the week. Happy taint of the week, hump day, however you like to see it. We're halfway through, everyone. We are halfway through. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. We're going to go over the results in more detail for you on Beans Talk today. But Donald Trump's approval rating took a nosedive this month. It's down to 33%. Wow. It's been hovering at 37, 38. It's lower than his indictment count. Yeah. 34 felony counts. Isn't it 34 felony counts? Yeah, you got it. That's good. That's like three scaramochis. I may actually post that Donald Trump's approval rating is officially lower than his federal indictment counts. Okay, you do that. I'm not going to take that one away. All right, you got it. You make sure to post that one. 33 percent. That's a new Associated Press Nork poll, and we're going to go over that, plus a new Reuters poll. And the economy, his approval rating on economy isn't a shitter. Iran, everything. It's all in the tank right now. But to see it go from, you know, it's been like 37, 38 for like the last six months or whatever. And then just down to 33. Yikes. Anyway, we'll talk about that over on Beans Talk. Later today on the show, I'm going to be talking with Rick Smith from The Rick Smith Show. He's going to join us, followed by the good news. But also, I just want to really quickly hit on something this weekend. And this is something that Andy McCabe and I are going to cover in depth on this weekend's Unjustified podcast, Dana. But a guy named DeGeneva was sworn in to oversee the Department of Justice's criminal investigation into the deep state, you know, that big Florida Quinonez U.S. attorney trying to get it in Judge Eileen Cannon's courtroom investigation into everybody who started by investigating him in Russia to people who raided as the Mar-a-Lago house for the classified documents, like giant conspiracy against Donald Trump. And Andy McCabe was actually received a subpoena for that. But a guy named DeGeneva was sworn in. Dana, and for others who may have been listening way back in the Mueller She Wrote days, DeGeneva was the guy and his wife, Victoria Tonzig, were the lawyers for Dmitry Firtash. That's the guy who funded what we called the Parnas and Fruman show, right? The Ukraine clown posse. Parnas, Fruman. With Rudy, Fraud Guarantee, Lev Parnas, and Igor Fruman to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. And they've funneled all that laundered Russian disinformation from Russian agents through Congress, like people like Ron Johnson and a guy named Andrew Bailey, a special U.S. attorney, who's now, by the way, the co-deputy director of the FBI. Well, no, just the regular deputy director since Dan Bongino left. That's true. Yep. He got a promotion. But that's DeGeneva. He was investigated criminally, along with Rudy and the Ukraine clown posse for all their bullshit over in Ukraine. No charges were ever brought. But he was also subpoenaed and investigated in Jack Smith's January 6th investigation because he helped organize the coup. He was one of the lawyers that helped do the fraudulent electors scheme. He's now in charge of the Russia investigation. Unbelievable, but also super believable. Yeah. The investigation into the Russia investigation. Right. So that's just banana pants. So he was sworn in. And then over the weekend, a bunch of new subpoenas went out for some of these folks to appear before a federal grand jury. And just today, they were all withdrawn. Oh boy. It's just a giant clusterfuck. I just, I had to share that. And because I know a lot of folks who listen to The Beans used to listen to Mueller, she wrote and listened to Unjustified. We're going to talk about that more in depth. But speaking of Andy McCabe, he's on Blue Sky. Nice. Talked him into signing up on Blue Sky and sub stack. Please give him a follow if you haven't over on Blue Sky. He's at TheRealMcCabe. How cute is that? And is adorable. It is. Very clever. Also, quick announcement. We have a patron happy hour with Harry Dunn and you, Dana, and me on Thursday, April 30th. We're going to send emails out to our patrons. and this Saturday you should get an email with a link to buy tickets to the gala. Woo-hoo! June 20th. Big old surprise guest, June 20th. You're right, downtown Chicago. It's going to be amazing. We're going to have you performing. We can't tell you who the main guest is. It's a surprise. It's a secret, super secret for patrons. We're going to have Harry Dunn there, Andy McCabe, Olivia Troy is going to join us. We're going to have a bunch of really great guests and you can all like mix and mingle and we'll have an open bar for you and a bunch of snacks and tacos. Because, you know, Taco Tuesday. Absolutely. Even though it's a Saturday. No cilantro in mine. Make sure you have a no cilantro taco section, please. No problem. Thank you. Because I am with you on that. Woo-hoo! And I appreciated you doing that the last time you fed me. You are very welcome. You're like, no cilantro. No offense. Hey, man, if you love cilantro... Hey, if you're team cilantro and you like the devil's weed, go for it. but it's like shaving a bar of dove into my food. It's just some of us have that weird... It's a gene. It's a gene. The no cilantro. The devil cabbage. That's right. Gene. And if you want to become a patron and join us and also get this show and Unjustified early and ad-free, you can do that at patreon.com slash thedailybeans. All right. We have a lot of news to get. That was a lot of announcements, but we had a lot going on. That's all right. Tainted the week. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right. First up from CBS, President Trump is extending the ceasefire in the war with Iran until talks between the U.S. and Iran are concluded. That's what he announced Tuesday. Yeah, they shouldn't even start. Despite previously saying he would not extend the deadline. And this is the latest in the deadline, no more deadline, ceasefire, extend the ceasefire thing that's been going on for the last, I believe, four or five weeks now. which I think is just a stock trade pump and dump situation. 100%. Someone's making millions off this fucking nightmare. Yeah, because watch what the Dow does today. I'm sure it's going to be fantastic. Indefinite ceasefire, which is code for surrender. That's just really no other way to put it. I don't know. There's really no other way to put it. That's how Iran sees it. How can they see it as any other way but totally winning? Now, Trump says he's granting the ceasefire extension at Pakistan's request and blamed Iran's seriously fractured government for the delay. I wonder why their government's seriously fractured. I wonder what could have possibly happened. He said he's giving Iranian officials more time to come up with a unified proposal. They have the same one they've had the whole time. It's just fucking insane. Quote, I therefore directed our military to continue the blockade and in other respects remain steady, ready and able, and will therefore extend the ceasefire until such a time as their proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded one way or another. That's what he said on True Social. Iran has not publicly reacted to the president's extension. Because they're putting together a Lego video for us because they're putting together their amazing fucking propaganda. Oh, man. I hate that it's so good. I love watching those. I don't like AI and I don't like state-sponsored terrorism, but holy fuck, they're good. The two-week ceasefire was originally set to expire last night, Tuesday night. But Mr. Trump has said in recent days it would end Wednesday evening. Mr. Trump said previously he wasn't in... So it was a taco on the taco. Okay. He previously said he wasn't inclined to extend it and that the U.S.'s bombing campaign against Iran would resume and we would take out all their civilian infrastructure, war crimes, stuff like that. Asked on CNBC Tuesday morning whether he would allow the ceasefire to continue if talks were going well, the president said, I don't want to do that. We don't have that much time. I'm like, okay, buddy. Senior level talks stalled after sending couch fucker over to Islamabad again and having that fail. Sometimes I think he's just purposely trying to humiliate J.D. Vance. Oh, I know. Right? Dashing hopes for further in-depth negotiations. After the first round of talks, Trump accused Iran of refusing to reach a deal on its nuclear program that the U.S. president viewed as acceptable, which is basically Obama's nuclear deal without Obama's name on it. Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire with Iran blocking ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. blockades Iranian ports, and we actually shot at and boarded a couple of Iranian tankers in the Gulf. It seems like a breach of the ceasefire. J.D. Vance, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff, and Jared Kushner were on their way to Islamabad Monday, although that wasn't the case, even though Trump said it was. A White House official said a senior U.S. delegation plans to travel to Islamabad soon. But by the president's announcement of a ceasefire extension Tuesday, Vance was still in Washington, even though his plane was in Islamabad. And can we also point out that we have one of those three that isn't an official White House person? Like Jared Kushner is not an official fucking White House person. And he's in the Middle East doing whatever, getting more money, probably. Yeah, we got a real estate developer and a hedge fund manager, one that's already taken billions of dollars from the Saudis. Like, Jesus, fuck. Yeah. U.S. is now more than seven weeks into what administration officials initially said would be a four to six week campaign, beginning when the U.S. and Israel struck Iranian targets in late February. All right. Thank you so much, Allison. And this next one's from NBC. The head of the Southern Poverty Law Center said Tuesday that the civil rights organization was being targeted by the Trump administration with a criminal investigation that appeared to focus on the group's use of confidential informants that gathered evidence on, and I quote, extremely violent groups. Brian Fair, the interim chief executive of the group, said in a video post Tuesday that the 55-year-old organization was facing a serious threat, quote, a criminal investigation and possible charges against the SPLC or some of our employees. Now, Farr said SPLC's confidential sources had risked their lives to infiltrate and inform on the activities of our nation's most radical and violent extremist groups and provided information to the FBI, which saved lives. For decades, SPLC has used civil lawsuits to combat white supremacist groups. The federal criminal hook for any potential investigation into the group is unclear. I know it's pretty clear on our end. Now, the Justice Department, as is his standard practice, has no public announcement about any investigation. I love that it says as a standard practice. Do you know how many times the Department of Justice has commented on investigations? Well, maybe if Kosh Patel were a little more sober. Yeah, no kidding. He wouldn't be posting on Twitter. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama, where SPLC is actually located, said in a statement when asked for comment that, as a matter of the Department of Justice policy, we generally do not confirm, deny, or otherwise comment on the existence or non-existence of investigations. The Trump administration already has taken action against the SPLC, which has long faced criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill. In an interview with Trump administration officials working on a forthcoming report on, I quote, anti-Christian bias. FBI Director Cash Patel said the FBI jettisoned all relationships with the Southern Poverty Law Center. That's what NBC News reported earlier this month. I would love to hear him define jettisoned. Now, recounting the organization's fight against white supremacy and other forms of injustice, Ferris said the SPLC was unsurprised by the latest organization targeted by this administration. They have made no secret of who they want to protect and who they want to destroy. The statement from the SPLC comes at a time when Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is under pressure to deliver wins against entities disfavored by Trump, who was upset that former Attorney General Pam Bondi couldn't do it. She couldn't secure the convictions against his political foes. In an interview with NBC last week, Blanche said that Americans should be happy that Trump was so closely involved in the Justice Department's operations. Yeah, SPLC is based in Montgomery, Alabama, and that falls within the Middle District of Alabama, one of 94 U.S. attorneys' offices in the U.S. And that federal prosecutor's office, it's headed by acting U.S. attorney Kevin Davidson, who, by the way, has been in the role since 2024. He became a career federal prosecutor in 2012. Wow. I wonder how he feels about this as a career federal prosecutor. But how weird. Nazis hate it when you send informants undercover to infiltrate Nazi groups. Yeah. All right. Next up from NBC, Embattled Rep Sheila Sheriffless McCormick, Democrat from Florida, resigned Tuesday moments before the House Ethics Committee was set to consider whether to recommend she be expelled from Congress. Last month, the ethics panel found her guilty of 25 ethics violations related to allegations she stole federal relief funds and used some of the money to further her political campaign. Her criminal trial is expected to begin in February, 2027, and she complained that it was a dangerous path for the ethics panel to weigh her expulsion before her day in court She denied wrongdoing pled not guilty Quote I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on and my good name to be tarnished. That's what she said on Twitter. Quote, rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida's 20th district. It seems like you'd be able to fight for your neighbors in Florida's 20th district better by representing Florida's 20th District and Congress. I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately. Tuesday's stunning development marked the third resignation in the past week. Two other House lawmakers, Swalwell of California and Tony Gonzalez of Texas, resigned ahead of potential votes to expel them from Congress over allegations of sexual misconduct. Expulsion requires two-thirds votes in the chamber, meaning it would have taken roughly 70 Democrats to remove her, which is a high bar. But Democrats were under enormous pressure to ouster as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his team try to paint Trump and the GOP as the party of corruption. Sheriff Willis McCormick's decision to resign now means her fellow Democrats won't have to take a tough vote on removing her from office. As he opened an ethics committee hearing focused on Sheriff Willis McCormick, Chairman Michael Guest, Republican from Mississippi, said Tuesday afternoon that her resignation means his panel has now lost jurisdiction on the matter but defended the committee's two and a half years of work. He said, I will tell you, the committee has worked diligently to investigate this matter. This was not a rush to judgment, as some would claim. This was a very deliberate process to gather information into allegations that were extremely serious and extremely complicated. The Justice Department indicted Sheriff Alice McCormick in November on charges that she stole and laundered millions in federal emergency management agency funding, FEMA money. Her family's healthcare company, Trinity Healthcare Services, had been working with FEMA through a COVID-19 vaccination contract, but then received a $5 million overpayment. The DOJ alleged that she and her brother never paid it back, routed it through multiple accounts, and then used it to fund her 2022 special election campaign. She also allegedly used some of the FEMA money to buy a $109,000 3.14 carat yellow diamond ring. She could face more than 50 years in prison if convicted. Her federal trial has been slated to begin this year, but a judge delayed it until February 2027, well after the November midterms. All right. Thank you so much, Allison. And I have some good news for you all. This is from The Guardian, I know. The EU's highest court has found Hungary's anti-LGBTQ plus law to be discriminatory, stigmatizing, and in breach of basic democratic values, setting up an early test for the incoming government when it takes power next month. This is a big fucking deal. In a wide-ranging judgment, the European Court of Justice said the 2021 law that bans content about LGBTQ plus people from schools and primetime TV was at odds with the society based on pluralism and fundamental rights such as prohibition of discrimination and freedom of expression. Peter Magyar won a landslide election victory last week after promising to root out corruption and improve living standards. But the incoming prime minister has been muted on whether he will roll back the anti-LGBTQ plus policies introduced by Orban, who was defeated after 16 years in power. He has vowed to, and I quote, bring home EU funds intended to help Hungary develop its economy, some of which were frozen, by the way, over the anti-LGBTQ law. A larger part was suspended over risk to academic freedom, breaches of the right to asylum, and concerns about corruption and lack of judicial independence. The ruling marks the first time the ECJ has found a member state guilty of breaking EU law based exclusively on breaching the bloc's fundamental values described in Article 2 of its treaty. These include respect for human dignity, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for fundamental rights, including those of minorities. Now, the judgment paves the way for future cases against EU member states that systematically flout basic values on democracy and the rule of law. Hungary passed the so-called child protection law. Of course. Uh-huh. In 2021, imposing restrictions on schools and media companies and depicting LGBTQ plus people. Previously likened to Russia's notorious gay propaganda law, the Hungarian legislation, it means gay and transgender people or themes cannot feature in school educational material on any TV show, film, or advert shown before 10 p.m. So apparently that's late night stuff for them. When did Ellen come out? Like, what the fuck? I know, I know. The court said in a statement that the Hungarian law was, and I quote, contrary to the very identity of the union as a common legal order in a society in which pluralism prevails and that Hungary could not validly rely on its national identity as justification for a law that breached fundamental values. It's a good argument. It said it's expected Hungary to comply without delay and it ordered Budapest to pay its costs and those incurred by the European Commission, which brought the case, by the way. Now, the Hungarian government has been contacted for comment. Tanik Strik, a Dutch Green MEP who oversees the European Parliament's work on the rule of law in Hungary, said it was up to the incoming government to ensure, and I quote, quote, the full restoration of the rights of this community in front of Centra in its plans to reinstate the rule of law. Anything less than that would render those reforms non-credible. Esther Pogari of the, help me out here, is it Hater? Your guess is as good as mine. Hater Society? All right, Hater Society in Hungary described the judgment as, and I quote, a milestone for protecting human rights in the European Union and a historic victory for LGBTQI people in Hungary. She said, and I quote, the court was firm. No state can outcast LGBTQI people through stigmatizing. And if needed, the ECJ steps up to protect these values. I mean, in Hungary, this is a big deal. This has been going on for a very long time. Yeah, and it is going to be an interesting test of Magyar, who is a conservative. Yeah. to see whether or not he is going to, how he's going to feel about this and repealing that 2021 law. God, no gay content before 10 p.m. And at school, not at all. Wow. Anyway, thank you for that bit of good news. That's really, really reassuring. I'm also very jealous of the EU these days. I would like that same policy. Yeah. Human rights and dignity and anti-discrimination. Like, that would be wonderful. If we had something like that here in the, oh, that's right, it's the Constitution. It's just interpreted by a bunch of assholes at the Supreme Court. My bad. And just some breaking news. It looks like the 2026 Virginia Congressional Redistricting Amendment has passed. Yes, Virginians have voted yes. Democrats have voted yes on redistricting. The decision desk has called it, even though right now yes votes are trailing by a little bit, but that's because there's still about 70% of the votes still yet to be counted in Fairfax, which is going for yes by about 70 to 30. That should put us up maybe 51, 49. It's a squeaker. It's a nail biter, but it has been called. Yes, Virginians have voted on redistricting on the referendum in that state. So congratulations, everyone. All right, everybody, we're going to be right back with Rick Smith from The Rick Smith Show, followed by the good news. Stick around. We'll be right back. These messages. We'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack and hydration sponsor. IQ Bar is the better for you plant protein-based snack made with brain-boosting nutrients to refuel, nourish, and satisfy hunger without the sugar crash. And right now, IQ Bar is offering you an exclusive deal, 20% off all IQ Bar products, plus get free shipping. Just text Daily Beans to 64000. One thing I appreciate the most about IQ Bar is the whole lineup feels easy to use in real life. I love simplification, as you know. It's not just one product with one purpose. You've got bars, you've got hydration mixes, mushroom coffees, and that makes it easier to choose which actually fits in the moment. Now, that's probably why more than 20,000 people have left a five-star review. The Ultimate Sampler Pack is the smart place to start because it gives you all three in one box. You get nine of the IQ bars, eight of the IQ Mix hydration sticks, and four IQ Joe coffee sticks. Now, for me, IQ Joe has been one of the most useful options. It's mushroom coffee. It's made for mental clarity. It has 200 milligrams of clean, natural caffeine, and it comes in amazing flavors. So it feels like a nice way to start the morning without getting too bored. Then later in the day, the bars are easy to grab when I need a snack on the go. I like that they have plant protein, plenty of fiber. I need that and no sugar added. That makes them feel like a better choice than snacks I used to carry with me. And I also appreciate that everything is clean label certified, free from gluten, no dairy, no soy, no GMOs, no artificial anything. And that makes the whole brand feel more thoughtful. And the flavor variety, that helps too. Between mint chocolate chip bars, blueberry pomegranate IQ mix sticks, vanilla spice IQ Joe coffees, it is the easiest way to find combinations that actually keep you interested. So right now, IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, including that sampler pack, plus free shipping. So to get your 20% off, text DAILYBEANS, all one word, to 64000. Text DAILYBEANS to 64000. That's DAILYBEANS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Hello, Martin Sheen here, and it seems to me that no day of the week is without its endless barrage of bad news, even on Sunday, for God's sake. Let's change that. What do you say? Together, let's make Sunday immune to bad news. Starting Sunday, May 3rd, Season 3 of the Martin Sheen Podcast begins with yours truly, Martin Sheen, of course. Yeah, 10 brand new episodes are coming your way. So join me, Martin Sheen, for a 20-minute journey as I share my personal stories, a bit of poetry, and insightful reflections that will encourage you to take a deep breath and enjoy a relaxing moment. Of course, it's important to know and understand what's happening in the world, but I also believe there's nothing wrong with taking a step back to find strength and clarity, and Lord knows we need that now more than ever. A moment of thoughtfulness and calm may be rare these days, but it doesn't have to be. So what do you say? You want to take back your Sundays? So do I. And guess what? I've already done it with the Martin Sheen podcast, season three, starting May 3rd. Don't mess with my Sunday. And thank you for listening. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. So as you know, this week is a week of corporate reckoning. Yesterday, we had Sarah Fetterman on to talk about her book, Corporate Reckoning. We're talking about May Day. We're talking about the economic blackout, which is being supported by the folks at Indivisible and what we're doing here at MSW Media with our ad-free podcast that day to stand in solidarity with that event and the events that are surrounding it. And, you know, along with this, we really need to talk about unions and labor. And so who better to bring on the show than Teamster, labor rights advocate, host of the Rick Smith Show on MSW Media, Free Speech TV, and everywhere you get your podcasts, but also caregiver to his catastrophically injured wife. He is launching a new program to help find community and make sure that those who have or are going through what he has gone through don't feel so alone. Please welcome Rick Smith. Hi, Rick. How are you? Hi, Allison. I'm doing great. It's really good to speak to you, my friend. I love when you come and visit us on the Daily Beans from the Rick Smith Show. And I want to talk about your new program. But before we do that, can you just give a brief background in case people haven't heard our previous conversations about how your life changed on that one day. Yeah, Thursday morning, nine o'clock in the morning, a state trooper showed up in our driveway. And, you know, I thought my son had done something stupid. And when the trooper said, are you Carol's husband? Wow. It hit me again. I mean, it was that emotional that, wow that I I asked is she alive and he said I don't know and you know immediately where is she we raced to the hospital she had been life flighted to the trauma center in our area and thus began what was a complete change of our lives the life that we had the minute that officers knocked on our door was over and a whole new journey began uh they began to get her the care she needed to help her survive uh to then bring her home and acclimate to a new a new lifestyle at home and not just for me but for our children as well and you know along the way we met so many people who were suffering and struggling through the same stuff uh now i've been very fortunate you know i was raised by Depression-era grandparents who instilled in me that you always prepare for the worst. And I've always been prepared for the worst. Our mortgage is always paid a year in advance. I've got six months of bills basically in a tin can because that's what was instilled in me. So we've been pretty good. And the fact that my union has been fantastic and our union contract and our union health insurance have been incredible. You know, of all the things that could have gone right in a horrible tragedy, I have benefited from it. But the people that I've met along the way haven't. And the sad reality is for most people whose lives change because of someone making a left turn in front of them while they're riding their motorcycle like my wife or a diagnosis or anything. You know, sadly, the reality for most people is poverty, desperation, guilt and depression. And those shouldn't be your only options. along the way. I've had so many conversations with people and the one woman sticks in my head every day because she said to me, she goes, I feel so guilty and I hate myself because sometimes I wish he would have died because it is that hard. It's that devastating and there's no help. And look, the reality is all of our friends and family want to be helpful. Everyone comes immediately, whatever you need. But look, they've got lives and they've got problems of their own. For a lot of caregivers, it becomes very lonely because everybody's life goes on. And you are now in a position where, you know, this is your new reality. And it's it you usually don't plan for it. So my goal in this is to to help people who are in situations like like I have been in tell their story find people who can be helpful in just lending an ear but also down the road you know figuring out how we make this easier for people Because the reality is is I never imagined that Thursday morning was going to come. It could be any one of us at any moment. It could be happening to someone right now who's not prepared for it. And our social safety net is not there. A lot of people say, well, you can get this, you can get that. No, no, there's there are hoops and obstacles and roadblocks to all of that stuff. and the reality is my hope in this is to get people to come tell me their stories and for us to be able to help do some things to get people to feel a little bit better and to instill the idea of caregivers having some rights and making that something dignified. You know, one of the weirdest things that happened to me and the first time it happened, it's just kind of like, what? But the second time I was like, by the fifth, sixth, fifteenth time, I'm like, is this a thing? And the compliment that I got, which is the weirdest thing I've ever heard, is thank you for not abandoning her. Which I got to tell you, I can't fathom. But I find out now that in cases like this, 70% of men abandon their wives and more than 50% of wives abandon their husbands. Because it is that difficult. It is that hard for people to deal with because there isn't the help there. So that's kind of where my thoughts are. Yeah. And let's talk about, let's dive into that a little bit more because right now, especially right now, the power of community is extremely important. And talking about how storytelling gets us there and how feeling like you're not alone helps get us there too. because there are people, bad people, whether they're trying to crush unions or whether they're trying to crush democracy or crush whole groups of people is to isolate them so that they feel alone and they don't know that there are others out there that feel the same way so that they can be gaslit over and over again. You know, I remember when I experienced military sexual trauma, I ended up being in a Oscar nominated documentary about it called The Invisible War. And it wasn't until then that, you know, when I saw the movie and saw other people go through this and had people reach out to me and ask me about, you know, what my story is and want to tell me their story, that I wasn't alone. And honestly, that's when my whole life pivoted was when I realized, I mean, it pivoted at the trauma, but it pivoted again back into my control when I realized that I wasn't alone. So what you're launching here in order to expand community, find community, and make storytelling real so that other people can feel the power of what it's like to know that you're not alone. It's called the Caregivers Resilience Union, Surviving Health Emergencies and Devastation. Talk a little bit about, personally for you, when you met all those people along the way that you talked about that helped you feel part of a community because you weren't alone, how did that change things for you? Did it make it easier for you to navigate how to do things, how to be, what best practices were or just that you felt a little more in control of some situations that maybe seemed completely out of control because you felt alone. Can you talk a little bit about that? I've always been a control freak. So I've always the moment this happened, my mind went into planning mode. And how do I how do I deal with all of these things and make contingency plans? And because that's how my mind works. So in talking with other people, I have to tell you, I didn't get any of those things. I felt guilt. I felt a lot of guilt because I wasn't suffering like they were because I had the world's best health insurance. I've got a stack of health health care bills, about seven million dollars worth of health care. Yeah. And that's how I felt about the movie. Because I was in a movie, I got the care that I needed. And I thought about the thousands and thousands and thousands of veterans who weren't in a movie. And that's one of the reasons I got my Ph.D. in public health, continued to work at the Department of Veterans Affairs is because I wanted to reach as many people as I could to build that community. That's why what you're doing is so important, I think. No, and that's why I said I got to do something, because I look at all these incredible people who are who are really overcoming odds that are stacked against them in so many ways. And they're the ones who are the champions in this. They're the ones who haven't given up on their loved ones. They're the ones who haven't shoved people into nursing homes or who knows where. These are people who take on their loved ones and fight for them. And I want that to be the norm. When I heard that 70% of men abandon their wives because there isn't help for them, I said, this is not, look, that wouldn't be the man my mother raised me to be. and i i think every one of us i think every man should feel that way when i said for better or for worse till death do we part i meant that and but there should be help and the sad reality is as i said i feel guilty in that i have been able to do and have benefits that the vast majority of people don't and i want to make sure that everyone gets those opportunities instead of saying hey you know, good for me, the heck with you. I want to make sure that anyone going through this has the ability to care for their loved ones and still lead a functional, happy, happy life. I mean, that's what this is about. And if we can't use our government to collectively do the things that we can't do individually, I don't know why we have one. So for me, part of this is telling the stories that people are to give them some community. But also, when this happens, how do we make this easier for families to deal with and navigate? How do we make systems better instead of the arduous processes that have been put in place in my state, mostly by Republicans? And I hate making this that political, but it is. The people who have destroyed our social safety net, the people who asset test and put roadblocks in front of everything so that the care that someone needs is blocked by, hey, you made 18 bucks more than you got last year, is literally insane to me. And there's so many things along the way. I mean, one of the most infuriating things I found out, my wife doesn't qualify for Social Security disability or any Social Security because she raised our children. I didn't know that that was a consequence of us having the perfect leave it to beaver existence. My wife took care of the home, took care of everything, our children. I never went grocery shopping in 30 years. How does that disqualify her? She didn't have enough years paying into. You have to have X amount of years to pay into before you can collect anything. And a kind of part of me gets it. But her job was at home. Right. There should be some sort of credit for that. It's been all of these things to where, you know, the sad reality is, let's say from her point of view, she is abandoned. What is there for her? So there's a lot here for me. There's a lot of avenues for anger and for activism and for people to come together, share their thoughts, their stories, their hopes, their dreams, and feel that sense of empowerment of action. And for me, that's where I'm at. I need that fight. And I bet so many other people who are beginning to come to that. So I think this is a moment where if you're going through something, I want to hear your story. I want to talk about those things. And I want to figure out, yeah, it was bad, but how do we make it better for the next person who comes down the road? How do we make it easier for somebody else? Instead of just saying, how do I make it better for me now? How do we make it easier for everyone, us and the future? Yeah. And you got to also have a space where people can express the doubts they have in themselves to be able to do it. Where they can say, you know, I've got aging parents right now. and a lot of us do in Gen X. And it's important to have a place where you can talk about how you're not okay and how hard it is and some of the thoughts that you're having and how to overcome those thoughts, right? No, and especially you brought up Gen X. I mean, especially for men, because one of the things we're told, you know, I grew up, you know, it was beaten into me. You don't show emotion. You don't cry. You don't rub some dirt on it. Walk it off. You walk it off. And I've struggled with that because that's who I am. And my children have never seen me cry until the moment that I saw her in the hospital. And that kind of emotion, that kind of anger, that kind of frustration has to come out somewhere. And for me, the therapy, I say, is in the action. It's in the work. And it's what we've done to get my wife back to somewhat functional. She's never going to be the incredible woman that she was. But, you know, she's going to be someone. She'll be the incredible person that she is. Yeah. You know, she's sadly a childlike version of who she was. But every day we're taking another step forward. And every day we're making another chance for her to have and for us to have a life that we imagine. And I want that for everyone, not just for me. So what sort of stories do you envision? We're going to give an email address where people can send their stories and share their stories in this project that you're starting, that you're launching. Tell us when you're launching it and what kind of stories you imagine you might get. Well, right now we're collecting stories, as you mentioned. We're going to launch it on the day of her accident, September 12th this year. That'll be the two-year anniversary. Right now we're just collecting stories. We're going to be doing interviews of people telling what happened to them. So far we've met people who, like me, a careless driver made a left-hand turn in front of a loved one, a diagnosis of cancer, you know, something, a fall at work. There have been all of these stories where in an instant, life changed, and it's never going back. In the blink of an eye, everything that you, all the hopes and dreams and thoughts for the future are gone. Your new reality is what's going to happen in the next 30 seconds, the next minute, the next day. And for those stories for me are heartbreaking because these are people who have shared their some of their experiences and don't really have an idea where they're going yet. And and the frustration for me is I can't help there. I have a plan. I have an idea of where I want things to go because I have resources. I have different abilities. But some of these folks, they're really struggling with. I feel like I said, you know, their only options are poverty, desperation, guilt and depression and helping them get through that. If we can do that for a handful of people, I will consider this a massive victory. And if we can do that for people to help each other, even better still. Wonderful. Well, let everybody know, please, where they can send their stories in and what the deadlines are for for making sure your story gets in on time. There are no deadlines. I want to hear people's stories no matter when, but we are collecting stories now until the beginning of September. So you can email me at crushedstories, spelled out like crushed, C-R-U-S-H-E-D, stories, S-T-O-R-I-E-S, at gmail.com. Or just email me at the show, rick at the ricksmithshow.com. Probably easier. But either way, you get a hold of me. We will set up a time to have a conversation. We'll share some emails. And I just want to hear people's stories. I will eventually want to videotape them so we can share them on a Substack page that we're going to launch later in the year. But the goal is just to have a place where people can see what other folks are going through and maybe hear some stories on how they've dealt with it and how they've overcome. because for me, the process of this is, yeah, having a place to vent, having a place just to let it out, but also having a place where you know other people have walked the mile, walked in your shoes, and have come out maybe better. Wow. What a great idea. What an incredibly important community to create. So thank you for doing it. And I really recommend everybody check out The Rick Smith Show. Tell everybody where they can find it. Well, the Rick Smith show dot com. We're on terrestrial stations all across the country. Free speech TV every day at 3 p.m. Eastern time and your podcast with with our friends here at MSW Media. Thank you so much. It's really good to see you, my friend. And, you know, just as always, sending you all the strength and positivity that we thank you over here at MSW. Rick Smith and the Rick Smith show. Make sure to check it out. Everybody else stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Hello, Martin Sheen here. And it seems to me that no day of the week is without its endless barrage of bad news, even on Sunday, for God's sake. Let's change that. What do you say? Together, let's make Sunday immune to bad news. Starting Sunday, May 3rd, Season 3 of the Martin Sheen Podcast begins with yours truly, Martin Sheen, of course. Yeah, 10 brand new episodes are coming your way. So join me, Martin Sheen, for a 20-minute journey as I share my personal stories, a bit of poetry, and insightful reflections that will encourage you to take a deep breath and enjoy a relaxing moment. Of course, it's important to know and understand what's happening in the world, But I also believe there's nothing wrong with taking a step back to find strength and clarity. And Lord knows we need that now more than ever. A moment of thoughtfulness and calm may be rare these days, but it doesn't have to be. So what do you say? You want to take back your Sundays? So do I. And guess what? I've already done it with the Martin Sheen podcast, season three, starting May 3rd. Don't mess with my Sunday. And thank you for listening. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Good news, everyone. Then good news, everyone. And if you have any good news you want to send us, it can be big, it can be small, it can be from yesterday or from 40 years ago. It doesn't matter. If it brings a smile to our face, we want to hear it. Maybe it's a story that you like to tell when you're hanging out with your friends that puts a smile on everybody's face, right? You can send your good trouble suggestions, shout outs to loved ones, government programs that have helped you or a loved one, nonprofits that you want us to know about, small businesses in your area that could use a boost, self shout outs, we love those. Maybe send your we used to do a thesis and dissertation titles Those are always really entertaining especially when we have to pronounce what you amazing brilliant scientists are doing for your dissertations and theses We really appreciate all that. Send it to us, dailybeanspod.com. Click on contact and all you got to do to get your submission submitted properly is by your pod pet tax, which means like attach a photo of anything. It can be anything. It can be your favorite meme. It can be your favorite joke. It can be photos of what you're making or creating. It can be your pet. and we can try to guess what breeds are in your shelter pup. A random animal on the internet, if you don't have that, or an adoptable pet in your area. Just baby pictures, anything. Photos of your favorite signs from No Kings Rally so we can get ideas for the next one. Send it all to us, dailybeanspod.com. Click on contact. First up is your good trouble. Good Trouble today comes from Suzanne, pronouns she and her, in Idaho. The Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act is moving right along in Deep Red, Idaho. Over 1,100 volunteers have collected over 102,000 signatures across the entire state. Our goal was 100,000 in order to have 77,000 valid signatures by April 30th to get reproductive freedom on the ballot in November to overturn one of the nation's strictest abortion bans and bring back our doctors. Idaho has lost 43% of our OBGYNs. And at the end of the day, Idahoans overwhelmingly support women, families, and doctors making personal decisions, not the government. I am a Catholic mother of seven, and I have knocked on over 1,500 North Idaho doors. Wow. Wow, Suzanne. And I'd like to shout out my good friend and volunteer extraordinaire, Amy, who has knocked on almost 6,000 doors in the Idaho panhandle. So these aren't houses that are real close to each other. No. And secured over 1,100 signatures. Amy, big ups. She is the embodiment of good trouble. So we, and especially Amy, are doing our best to make good trouble here in Idaho. Amy is in the middle of the first picture. And here is our campaign photo mix to celebrate 102,000 signatures collected. So to volunteer and find signing locations and support this important initiative, you can go to backtoidaho.com. We'll have a link in the show notes. I love this. Look at these lovely women. Man, all doing such good work. 6,000 doors. I got to know, what shoes do you wear? What are the comfy shoes that you wear? Because I need a pair. I know, seriously. For real. All right. This is from an anonymous human, but the pronouns are she and her in Michigan. I have no Clever Bean related intro, but I do have special election heads up. Democrat Chedrick Green, pronounced like Shedrick, good, is running for Michigan State Senate District 35 in a special election in two weeks. Shedrick is a retired Marine fire captain who spends his off days working at soup kitchens and reading to kids. No, really. If listeners could make sure their family in the... Saginaw Bay. Thank you. My brain literally reversed the A in the I. I was like, Saginaw? Saginaw Bay City, Midland area. Know that there is a special election on May 5th. May 5th, everyone. and to vote for Green the Marine. That would be awesome. What a great slogan. Green the Marine. So good. And my bad. It's Saginaw Bay City in Midland, not Saginaw Bay. My bad. There you go. Saginaw Bay City in Midland. My pod pet tariff is Bay. My voluptuous tabby. We do not wait. Shame in our house. As you can tell, she's tired of my shit, your shit, all past and future shit. And we'd just like you to sit the fuck down so she can sit on your lap. campaign website for shedrick green for senate we'll have a link in the show notes so you can go support but special election may 5th everyone tell your friends tell your family and go out there because this cat is tired of your shit cinco de mayo green the marine everybody got it awesome beautiful cat by the way i love that sick of your shit sick that's a really good summary of how cats are by the way uh next up dusty pronoun she and her hello beans queens greetings from the strange state of Georgia. I had no idea it was lesbian visibility week. Thus, here I am being visible. Nice. I was part of the lesbian community that took care of the AIDS victims during the height of the pandemic. Thank you, Dusty. We welcomed our brothers into our spaces and sadly, we lost many. Sorry, this is gonna get me. It's gonna get everybody who lived through that. I am out to my grandkids and my granddaughter felt safe coming out to me as bi. Due to a hand and wrist injury, I was unable to carry a sign for No Kings 3, but I made sure to show my colors. The welcome from the younger gay women was great. For my pet tax, I'm sending a photo from No Kings 2 of an old bulldog and her favorite pup. Oh my god, an old bulldog and her favorite pup. I love that so much. Oh, incredible, Dusty. Thank you for that. Thank you for all the work you did and have them keep doing. I love it. And you know Dusty back in the day was like just bringing in the women. Mm-hmm. Cutie pie. All right. This is from Anonymous, no pronouns given. Listening about May Day in the garden this morning while on spring break from teaching. Pet tax photo is our rescue, Ruby, and her favorite pile of dirt on her couch. While I'll have to work and teach on May 1st, I can easily not shop and I'll spread the word about Small Business Saturday. In Greenfield, Massachusetts, we have some great independent bookstores, a bunch of fabulous second-hand stores, and my favorite woman-owned business, Sparkle Cave, who uses her sidewalk sign for good trouble messages. Amazing. First of all, Sparkle Cave? I know. Hello. That's the best name for a business ever. Look at the pup on the favorite pile of dirt right there. That's a doge dog. So, so good. Adorable. Thank you so much for that. Really appreciate it. Next up, Judy says, Hello. Sunday, I attended the Michigan Democratic Nominating Convention in Detroit. At this convention, we voted on candidates for a secretary of state, attorney general, and various governing boards of the three largest universities in our state. This is great news. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is a physician and a progressive, got a standing ovation at the convention. People clapped politely for Mallory McMorrow, and Haley Stevens got booed. She's the preferred candidate by DNC leaders and has taken APAC money, as has McMorrow. To be clear, we're not voting on these candidates. When the votes were tallied, weighed by county population of Democrats, progressives won the day. Garland Gilchrist beat Barb Byram, the Ingram County clerk who might have won had she not pulled lovers to get her son readmitted to our local school after getting that he was expelled for SA-ing a girl in school. Jesus. SA stands for trigger warning, sexual assault. Eli Savitt, maybe Savitt, prosecuting attorney for, uh-oh, Washtenaw County? was nominated for attorney general. He's gotten rid of cash bail, excellent, and encouraged judges to use other restrictive methods for violent offenders, excellent. He is also an environmental lawyer, which this Great Lakes state needs. Also, one of the incumbents for U of M Regents lost, who had targeted Palestinian protesters at the school, getting some of them arrested, and also putting their names and pictures online to the point that they got death threats. Jeez. Every person minus one that I voted for, one. progressives won the day no more mealy mouth dems for the 70 year old grandma pics Abdul Syed and Garland Gilchrist incredible that's so encouraging Judy it really is thank you for that this is from Shea pronouns she and her hello gorgeous ladies of the legumes and a happy belated birthday to Dana thank you very much first I want to thank both of you for your tireless work making this shit storm a little easier to withstand I have some really exciting news I just have to share. Our little podcast, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, which is a proud member of MSW Media, is going to have its first live event. Well, sort of. We're acting as support and introduction for two real historians. We just play historians on the radio to talk about Tacoma's UFO story, the Maori Island incident. Maori Island incident. This is a UFO incident that took place before Roswell, but has never gotten the glory and limelight that Roswell did. It was in Washington state that the term flying saucers was coined as well as the first recorded incident with men in black. Anyway, if you live in Pacific Northwest, we would love to see you at the McMenamin's Elks Temple in Tacoma, Washington on June 3rd. Tickets will be at rainydayrabbitholes.com. We'll have a link in the show notes. AG and DG, any advice for dealing with stage fright? I'm scared. Thank you. Poppet Tariff is my sweet baby angel, Ruff. Well, I would tell you this. Stage fright means this matters to you. And sometimes stage fright, that nervousness can fuel a wonderful hosting job. I would say open with a joke. Get people to laugh. It will relax everyone. That is just my opinion. And by the way, if you haven't seen McMenamin's Elks Temple in Tacoma, I have with Shay. it's incredible and if you haven't checked out Rainy Day Rabbit Holes the podcast you should it's all this just cool history mostly about Pacific Northwest but all sorts of stuff and stage fright you know what this is going to sound weird if I have to kind of go if I have to kind of pee and I just hold it I do better interesting I found I don't know why that is those are two very different pieces of advice so just take whichever one works for you Probably go with Dana's. Just so you don't end up in a Steve Bannon situation. Or work on your kegels. I don't know. Or strengthen your kegels. Whatever you want to do. Do what I end up like Fergie. All right. Look at this. There's Ruff. Hi, baby Ruff. Thank you so much for that. All right. Rainydayrabbitholes.com. Next up, anonymous pronouns she and her. Hi, beans queens. I've been making these bracelets to say fuck Trump in Morse code. Oh my God. That's amazing. I think you gave us some. I've given away at least 250 of them so far. whenever and wherever I go, I offer them to people I come in contact with. At the No Kings protest at the recent one, I gave away 40 bracelets and several woke just like Jesus pins. Everyone who accepts them are very happy to get them. And we often share a hug knowing we're all on the same team, same side of this travesty that has befallen our country and its citizens. I would love to send you and Dana a bracelet. I have given them to Rashida Tlaib and Abdul Al-Sayed at Abdul's recent rally. Oh, we've got two people who probably ran into each other and might not have even known it. I have several health issues and difficulty speaking. So this is my way of spreading the word and showing up for justice for all humanity. I wish I could do more, but I'm limited due to my health issues. Anonymous, we would love these. There is a snail mail address to send us presents at dailybeanspod.com. And I think it's under the contact tab, same place you submit for good news. It does take a while to get though, because it goes to a place and then a person on the staff picks it up and then sends it to another person's house who then either ships it to my local store and then I have to go get it. It's a very convoluted process. Wow, I need to give you my PO box so people can just send me shit because apparently I'm never going to get it. It's all to like protect, you know. Yeah, our safety. Our online personal information, but it will get to us and I think that would be wonderful, Anonymous. Thank you so much for that. Everybody, thank you for this amazing round of good news. We really appreciate it. Send it all to us, dailybeanspod.com. Click on contact. Dana, do you have any final thoughts? I do actually have a request. And that dailybeanspod.com website is, I mean, email is going to be important for this. Allison, I haven't even asked you if I could do this. If you are an LGBTQ owned and operated eating establishment, or you know an LGBT owned and operating eating establishment in your area, That means a bakery, a bar that has food, a restaurant, specifically restaurants if you can, but the other ones, anything that has an eating establishment. Can you send them to us? And I know my producer is going to kill me. I don't think there's going to be that many. But so many of you all write in about like restaurants in your hometown. I need them for a project. And so, like I said, if you have any LGBTQ owned and operated eating establishments, bakeries, restaurants, please send them to dailybeanspod.com. And what's better way? It's not just that. Oh, I would send it to hello at mswmedia.com. Okay, wonderful. And make sure you put in the subject line, Dana's project. There we go. So we know that we can forward all of this email subjects that have Dana's project in the subject line to Dana. I'll probably email the producer and ask if he'll make me a spreadsheet. And that's hello at mswmedia.com. Okay. I thank you so much. Thanks, AG. Yeah, no worries. It's a very cool project, y'all. I'm not going to tell you about it quite yet, but the whole world will know soon. The whole world will know one day. Everybody, 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 A.G. I've been D.G. 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 Reeder 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 Network, a collection of creator-owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics, and justice. For more information, please visit mswmedia.com. MSW Media. Hello, Martin Sheen here. And it seems to me that no day of the week is without its endless barrage of bad news, even on Sunday, for God's sake. Let's change that. What do you say? Together, let's make Sunday immune to bad news. Starting Sunday, May 3rd, Season 3 of the Martin Sheen Podcast begins with yours truly, Martin Sheen, of course. Yeah, 10 brand new episodes are coming your way. So join me, Martin Sheen, for a 20-minute journey as I share my personal stories, a bit of poetry, and insightful reflections that will encourage you to take a deep breath and enjoy a relaxing moment. Of course, it's important to know and understand what's happening in the world, but I also believe there's nothing wrong with taking a step back to find strength and clarity, and Lord knows we need that now more than ever. A moment of thoughtfulness and calm may be rare these days, but it doesn't have to be. So what do you say? You want to take back your Sundays? So do I. And guess what? I've already done it with the Martin Sheen podcast, season three, starting May 3rd. Don't mess with my Sunday. And thank you for listening.