Motion To De-Fur (w. PETA’s Ashley Byrne)

This is exactly right. Right Network. Listen to My Favourite Murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Goodbye. Hello, it's me, Anna Sinfield, the host of The Girlfriends. I'm back with more one-off interviews with some truly kick-ass women on The Girlfriends Spotlight. I'm going to climb this. Is badness hereditary? Let's see how we can stop killing. I'm not too intimidated by her. What are you talking about? Listen to the Girlfriend Spotlight on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Dirty Rush, the truth about sorority life, the good, the bad, and the sisterhood. With your hosts, me, Gia Giudice, Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Kessler. The reality of Greek life has been a mystery for those outside the sorority circles until now. Is it really a supportive sisterhood that's simply misunderstood? Or is there something more scandalous happening on campuses across the country? Let's get dirty. Listen to Dirty Rush on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Brief Recess. I'm Michael Foote. I'm Melissa Malbranch. Today we're going to be talking about the Super Bowl halftime show, whether or not cops on Long Island take cash or credit, Clinton's headed to Congress, getting older with less fucks to give about it, and we have an interview with Ashley Byrne from PETA, and all your questions from the DMs. Stick around. I mean, there's like the overpriced shit. Like you've got the lilac chocolate. I got a piece of pineapple, and it was like $12. It was $12 for a thing of pineapple at the corner store. And I was like, you know what? It's the middle of winter. I feel like I'm getting scurvy. I'm going to pay for the fucking pineapple. Sometimes you have to. Yeah, you do. How are you doing? Groovy. How have you been? Oh, my God. I haven't seen you. You look great. Thank you. Are you ready for the Super Bowl? Yeah, I mean. This will air after the Super Bowl. All right. So I'll say this. I am not a sporty person. I did not marry a sporty man. And one of the things that when I was looking to meet somebody new, because my previous long-term relationship, he was really into sports. And it was annoying. It was so annoying. And Andre could give a shit. Yeah. I love that for me. But we are going to watch because a couple of reasons. Okay. I'm super excited about Bad Bunny. Yes. I love that he's performing. I think there'll maybe be some sort of political statement or something. Yeah. And it's going to be really good. the Seahawks, I believe. Is it the Seahawks? Sure. But the Seahawks- I only know the teams from Heated Rivalry. I know. This is not the same. But the owner of the Seahawks is a woman and she's quite progressive. Oh, that's cool. And she's made some cool donations and stuff as opposed to the guy from the other team, which I don't even know, is apparently a huge man. Right. We do the Gay Super Bowl, which is we go to Trader Joe's because it's empty. Do you find that it's empty? It is empty. There's no one there on Super Bowl Sunday. If you want to see me come to any Trader Joe's in New York City, I'll be there. I'm cleaning up at the Trader Joe's. But not in the morning because I have gone to the supermarket. No, you have to go during the game. Yes, but by then everything is gone. No. All the good shit is gone. No. Good snacks? No, everything's great. Everything's there. They replenish. I have a great time. No, not at mine. I'm yapping. The cashiers there are so flirty. They are flirty. So I'm just yapping with everyone. one put his hand on my lower back was he escorting you he handed me my back and then put his hand on my lower back and i was like oh service with a smile did you provide a correction do you feel like it's too much sometimes not definitely the hand on the back is too much but like sometimes i feel like they're talking me up too much how are you did you find everything yeah and i feel like a hello. Right. I also don't need you to comment on the thing. You're hyping up the little sandwich crackers with the cheese in the middle. Oh, these are my favorite. Yeah. All right. Well, just easy. We're all here because we're broke and it's $2 for a thing. But no, I won't watch the game, but I will be at Trader Joe's. You don't watch the halftime show? Not unless it's Beyonce. Okay. Well, it's only been Beyonce one time. And that was the only time I watched it. Do you remember when it was Janet Jackson's boobie? Yeah. Yes. Were you watching? Yes, I was watching. Okay. And I saw the boobie. Yeah. I'm still gay, despite it. Well, of course. And it was a formative experience in my childhood. My childhood. But I do think that the way they treated her and the way they treated Justin Timberlake is a perfect example of misogyny in America. Not unbelievable, but- She was like, yeah, basically canceled and he got off scot-free. Yeah. And had like this whole prolific career after that. And she was blacklisted. But I feel like he's getting what he's deserving now. Yeah. After that, Dee Wee, do you remember that? I do. It's actually where he, I know exactly where he got pulled over. Me too. Yeah. Yeah. I know because it's Long Island. Yeah. Well, but it's- It's out east. It's out east. It's way out east. It's out east where we go every summer. And I was just like, I know exactly where he did that. And I know those cops don't give a shit about who you are. It was out in the Hamptons. I mean, the thing about it is, think about how many super duper wealthy people go through there. You think we're going to care about Justin Timberlake? They do not. This is going to ruin the world tour is what he said. This is going to ruin the world. And it did. He said, what tour? The cop was like, what are you talking about? Who are you? Who are you? He was like 21 and it was his second week on the job. I've been pulled over out there a bunch of times. So I'm just like, as I am in everyday life, imagine it behind the wheel. I'm extremely erratic. I'm distracted. I'm you drive like that. Yeah. I live my life as this. And sometimes it involves a motor vehicle. I'm not like drunk I'm not I'm not suggesting that but you one time I did have a sip of a drink at ladies night a Pimms when I was it was much younger I think I was like a teenager and I was driving home and I got pulled over and I was so nervous because I was like oh my god did you do a lot of underage drinking yeah it's why my brain just is kind of like a I you know what's really funny i did not really nope you don't give off that energy at all well i don't know what that means i just mean you seem i'm mother has lived yeah mother has lived from from her 20s 21 onward yeah you know what it is i think because drinking in my household was not a big deal and if something special was happening i was allowed to have a glass of champagne do you know what i mean so there was never like this feeling of like i am dying to get my hands on a drink okay Yeah, no, it was the opposite for me. We were drinking and partying a lot when we were kids. I feel like that's a very suburban thing to do. Not to say that kids in the city don't do that, but all my cousins who grew up in suburbia, they were drunk all the time and they were going to parties and they were getting drunk. I'm just saying. Just stumbling into homeroom. Yeah. But that was not, yeah, that wasn't my experience. It just was not an interest at all. Oh, yeah, I loved it. I used to hide vodka in my closet. Vodka? I know. It's disgusting. It's not even tasty. And it was anytime we traveled, I would go to- Smirnoff like the cheap shit. When we were abroad, I'd go to the duty-free store in the airport, and I would buy bottles of cheap vodka and hide them in my suitcase from my parents. But wait, at the duty-free, they were letting you buy it? Yeah. In other countries? In other countries. And so then I guess I was sort of like a smuggling ring. I was running out of my closet, and I would smuggle it back into the US, and I hide it in my closet. And then I would pour it into a thermos and bring it to friends' parties. Well, we've learned something about Michael. That's so weird to me. But yeah, when I did get pulled over, I was so nervous I gave him my credit card instead of my license. Did he think you were trying to bribe him? Here, take my Amex. Excuse me, sir. Do you take MasterCard? No, wait. I think I have a discover. Imagine bribing someone in such a shit way. What a bad way to bribe someone. Did you get in trouble? How old were you? Sorry, I didn't have any cash on me, officer. And so after I gave him the credit card, I was like, oh, he knows I'm wasted. And I wasn't. I really wasn't. But I was like, I've had some alcohol and I didn't. No, I mean, I was a kid. And so I was sure this was going to be Shawshank. Life in prison. No parole. A green mile dead man walking. Attica. Attica. Attica. Truly. And so I called my mom when he was running the plates. Okay. Because I was like, mom, I gave him my credit card instead of my license. Like I'm totally going to the clink. It's going to the big house. So, you know, in my mind, I'm already picking out like what color my coffin is going to be. Sure. And so I called my mom and she's like, you idiot. Yes. You're so stupid. Yes. Oh my God. She's like, call me back after you get a ticket so I can make sure you're not in prison. Like call me back in 10 minutes. Okay. So he came back and gave me my credit card. Wait, he took your credit card? no i mean my license eventually i gave him my license see that's how easy it is to mix it up and he was like you know here's your license back and you know don't be a shitty little kid don't fuck up and i was like okay cool and so i call my mom back i'm like hey i got off it's fine and i'm pulling out of the side of the country road not one but a family of raccoons runs in front of my car did you hit one of them bitch it was the red wedding every single last one of them i don't know i so i'm swerving trying to was like frogger like i was trying to avoid these fucking raccoons and they're i want to say that they were like leaping in front of the tires it was like a full kamikaze like a like a group suicide raccoon yeah it was like that jim jones group suicide Kool-Aid situation with a family of raccoons, 19-year-old Michael, a little bit of tequila, a cop right behind me. Oh, so the cop saw you hit them? And my credit card's out. Like, that was the truly formative experience for me. I'll never get over it. I don't like those animals either. This is Sidebar. We're going to get into a little something personal and professional that's happening in our lives right now. Okay. Did you have a moment when you were like 25, 26, where you fully developed your brain and you realized you started to really experience fear and consequences? I think I was a little bit older. Really? Okay. So late bloomer. Yeah. Yeah. They say the brain develops at 25. My mom has said, because I did everything late, right? I graduated college as an adult. I met and married my husband as a grown ass woman, all of a sudden, and just sort of my life got together when I was older. And my mom was like, Melissa, she's a late bloomer, but she blooming. that's so good i swear to god stop did you say that recently or at each sort of like life milestone at each like at a milestone even my even my aunt when don't you get shout out to don't you get also just like you might let bloom my baby it's it's the toast at your wedding pretty much i mean i think have you ever watched um that movie um my big fat greek wedding yes of course yeah my mom's side of the family is greek so that is that is bible that is verse and testament So there's a scene in it where the woman is, she's going to marry this guy and her family meets him. And they're just like, we think these days will never come. And I'm pretty sure my parents felt like I was a lost case. I was at a wedding once of someone who was a notorious bachelor. And the best man toast was, congratulations, Ashley. 1237 must be your lucky number. What the fuck? I'd be so pissed off at that guy. It's so crazy. And was there like, this is when I would fake sneeze. This is where I would fake sneeze because that would make me feel so uncomfortable. Hit the fake sneeze button. Yeah. That's when I would fake sneeze. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Chilling laughter because he really was. And I think, I honestly don't think they're still together. I mean, still, man. Actually, they're not. They're not. Why do you look so happy and excited about it? I'm excited that I actually remembered because this is a very distant, tangential person that I went to their wedding. I just remember I danced to the Carly Rae Jepsen song. It had just dropped. It was like 2010, Call Me Maybe. I just remember dancing to that. Do you know what I remember? This is so ridiculous. Core memory. Colin Powell was on CBS this morning when Charlie Rose was still on that show. This is like you're pulling ad lib words out of a hat. Colin Powell and Carly Rae Jepsen do my. No, no, no. And they started saying it to each other on air. And it was so funny. These two old men. Well, Charlie, call me maybe. I just met you. Signing off. Here's my number. I don't know why I remember that, but I do. It was really funny. Charlie Rose. Whatever happened to him? Where is he? Quoting currently right. Is he alive? I think that he is alive, but he got let go from that show for doing some Matt Lauer-ish type stuff. Oh, no. I think so. Yeah. You know who never got the Matt Lauer treatment, who just retired and is wonderful and living his best life? The guy from The Price is Right. Bob Barker. He's dead. God damn it. We'll be right back. I got to do some quick Googling. Well, he was retired. He did a great job. He was and then retired and lived his best life. But he never got canceled. There was never a Bob Barker scandal. I don't think there was a there was a scandal, but it didn't. It was not career ending. He like didn't spay or neuter his one cat and then got canceled for that. What was his cancellation? That show was like core memory. You're sick. The chicken. noodle soup. You got the taste of this thermometer in your mouth. The chicken noodle soup. The mercury from the thermometer in your fucking mouth. Ginger ale, a sleeve of saltines, and Bob Barker. Saltines. I saw someone on TikTok, they did, oh, let me get your file, and they just start flipping through a row of saltine crackers in the sleeve. I thought that was so good. I thought that was so great. I was like, this is my legal filing system for my legal practice. Oh, Malbranch, is that under M? We'll be right back. Hello, it's me, Anna Sinfield, from The Girlfriends, the number one hit true crime show that puts women right in the centre of their own stories. I'm back with more one-off interviews with some truly kick-ass women on The Girlfriends Spotlight. I want to introduce you to Sylvia. I'm going to climb this. And then there's Vaisaka. Let's see how we can stop killing and save lives. Leila dared to ask the question... Is badness hereditary? And finally, we'll meet Rosamund. If it wasn't for the year where Ella lived, she wouldn't have died on that fatal night. You'll even get to meet my mum in that one, who I can always count on to keep my feet on the ground. I'm not too intimidated by her. What are you talking about? Listen to the Girlfriend Spotlight on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Dirty Rush, the truth about sorority life, the good, the bad, and the sisterhood. With your hosts, me, Gia Giudice, Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Kessler. Rush, the recruitment, the ritual, the reality of Greek life has been a mystery for those outside the sorority circles until now. Is it really a supportive sisterhood that's simply misunderstood? Or is there something more scandalous happening on campuses across the country. In this podcast, we pledge to peel back the layers and spell out the truth one Greek letter at a time. Pledges and actives, rush chairs and ritual keepers. Some call it the best time of their life, while others say it's a nightmare. From a perfect rush to recruitment scandals, what is really going on behind the doors of those sorority houses from Alpha to Omega? We're taking you inside sorority row, including the chapter room as we explore the fellowship in the frenemies. Let's get dirty. Listen to Dirty Rush on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Danielle Robay, host of Bookmarked, the podcast by Reese's Book Club. And this week on Bookmarked, we're basically hosting the ultimate girls night. Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Rita Wilson, and Gary Rice and author Laura Dave. These are the women behind season two of the Apple TV series, The Last Thing He Told Me. We're talking about turning a book into a hit show and what it really takes to bring a story to life. The most important metric for me is do I want to share this book with somebody? That's what creates community and that's the main thesis of our book club and why we started it was just to connect people together. Listen to The Bookmarked by Risa's Book Club podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is your algorithm is showing we're going to talk about all the weird crazy things we're seeing in the news right now. I want to talk about Hillary Clinton recently tweeted. It broke the gay internet gay Twitter. Absolutely. The tops the bottoms the verses all freaked the fuck out about Hillary Clinton. So they've been trying to pressure her and Bill to testify in like the Epstein right in front of Congress because they keep dropping files and then they drop more and then they say oh those were redacted. and then they say oh well this is the last one we promise this is the last drop and then they drop it and then they redact everything except like the victims confidential information and images but like of course protect all the white rich powerful men right and so in it bill clinton was named a bunch and so they keep republicans keep threatening oh we're gonna make the clintons come in and testify we're gonna subpoena and they're like okay literally yeah they were like sure so they did it again after this last drop and hillary was like hillary tweeted so let's stop the games oh dramatic reading dramatic reading let's stop the games if you want this fight representative james comer let's have it in public oh you won't talk about transparency there's nothing more transparent than a public hearing cameras on we'll be there i love that shit watch your feet the mic is dropping Hillary Clinton right now. Love that. So now all the Republicans are backtracking. They're like, we actually don't want to hear- No, no, no, it's fine. No, he don't have to come. We're good. We're good. It's okay. It's okay. And she's like, no, bitch, come on. No, I'm on my way. I'm on my way. Yeah, she called her Uber. This is the Hillary Clinton version of earrings off, vacuole on. She's got her rollerblades on. She's flying to Capitol Hill. I love that. Just absolutely. would love to see this. And it is a little bit of the fanfare sort of public drama that Trump lives for, except it will completely implicate him. So that's how you know he is so guilty of everything in the Epstein files and so the things that people are saying about him in the files are true because he's not leaping at this opportunity for a PR firestorm I know this is like truly what we know about him is that he dreams of shit like this A dramatic public congressional hearing with the Clintons Let's get let's sell the ad time. Let's get the ad buys going. Let's get like brought to you by. How can we monetize this? Yeah. Like that is something he completely lives for. I wonder what do you think before she sent this tweet? do you think she had a moment where she yoked up bill by the neck just yoked him up because i love a good yoke up just a good yoke up i think and was like what's a fucking yoke up come here just like by the scruff no come here oh no okay i got this come in here so you're in my camera line here let me tell you something that's a yoke up murder on the dance floor that's a yoga she got him like she got him right by the collar because i remember there was rough before right when the monica lewinski thing was had come out yeah hillary clinton went on the today show and she snapped her acrylics off and she said this is a right-wing conspiracy against my husband dun dun dun dun well history history let that one tell us what really happened correct So I feel like she probably has said to him, you did that shit to me once, Bill. Yeah. Fool me once. So I want to know. Play stupid games, win stupid prices. Correctamundo. And so she, yeah, I do think. So what is the conversation that happened in that house? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. No, no. I'm just like, it was just shocking. A good yoke up. And I'll get him every time. Before she tweeted that, she did that. But I do think she probably has on staff like a 24 year old twink who's like knows the RuPaul's Drag Race vernacular to sort of help her with these kinds of tweets to be like, OK, Diva, Miss Boots, we're coming to gather your ass, honey. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Hunty. Hunty. But seriously, there must have been some kind of a conversation. Yeah. That happened in that household. Sure. And she was just like, all right. Yeah, definitely. I think so. Yeah. Let's get her on the show. She won't come. Let's have her yoke me up live. Wait, what's on your algorithm? Anything? This is usual. More BBLs? No BBLs. Okay. Although, anyway, no BBLs. She said anyway. But just still, I have to like stop engaging with it because it's making me, so now what ends up happening is that I am now looking at my face. Right. And I'm looking at all the things that I would do. And while I don't think there's anything wrong with that, I haven't decided if that's the person that I want to be. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. But if I were to be that person, the time is now. Because if you wait too long, it's too late. It's too late. I remember it's really funny. So I have my dad's neck is what I realized. Like things that run in families. Yes. Yeah. Get your mother's hips. My dad's chin. Right. Exactly. Yeah. And I remember about 10, maybe 15 years ago, my dad went to a plastic surgeon to get. Really? Yes. Because he was sensitive about it. Like his bottle. And he went for a consultation. Yeah. And whatever, whatever astronomical fee that they told me, he was like, all right, I guess I'm going to live with it. Like whatever they said. But he had a little folder and they gave him all the things. And I was like, Pop, really? He was just like, yeah, that is so cute. I want to see. That's adorable. It is. I love that. No, sure. I feel like if people, if there's like something that you're insecure about that you really want to change, like go for it. I love that. But I think, and I think about this a lot, especially as I've gotten older, is what is wrong with getting older? Yes. And why does it bother me to look at my aging face and feel like I should fix that? Yes. Right? It's absolutely something that is taught to us. And it's certainly, I mean, there are many more qualified people that can speak to how, you know, we treat aging and youth and the values and how it's just like so pervasive in every part of our society. But even if it is this thing that we should have never gotten, we still have it, this insecurity. So what you sort of do with that is up to you. I mean, and there are some things like many men wouldn't have a bald head. They would be like, I'm so insecure about that. I'm going to go get that fixed immediately. And that's not something that bothers me. But other things bother me where I'm like, oh, my skin is like looking. And then I go to the dermatologist and they're like, oh, what if we did like a chemical peel or lasers or something? And I'm like, I don't know. Chemical peel just sounds so dramatic. Like, well, I'll just buy something over the counter. But everyone has their own sort of reference point. Everyone has a thing. Yeah. I mean, and the thing about it is, is that if I was so fussed about looking older, I would just color my hair. Right. I was going to say, like, I talked to people, women about, oh, I could never color my hair. Like, oh, people will say to me, like your co-host, Melissa, her hair is so beautiful. And I'm like, yeah, you would look great with gray hair. So many people would. And they're like, oh, no, I never could. I never could. Never, never. Right. And I'm like, oh, OK. Yeah. You just said it looks beautiful and great. No, I know. But I mean, it is one of those things. And when I stopped coloring my hair, I got a lot of shit for it from my family. When you stopped coloring? When I stopped coloring. What was the narrative? Why would you do this to yourself? Okay. It's going to look ugly. It's going to. No, and you're going to look old. I had this woman who used to be my boss, who I adored. And she was just like, I think that's career suicide. Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is this recent? Like, what year was this? These are the fucked up things people said a long time ago. I mean, not that long ago. I was in my mid 40s. I'm almost like 10 years ago. Yeah. Less than 10 years ago. Yeah. It was before I got married. So, yeah. Wow. So like 2017, 2018, 20. I think I went gray 2016. Wow. Yeah. So it's not that long ago. So there's still like other people. I think I feel like I see a lot more women who are allowing themselves to just go gray naturally. But it's a big deal. Nobody would ever say to a man, you should color your hair. Yeah. If you stop coloring your hair. Never. Women will not find you desirable. It's career suicide. Yeah. You're going to look old. On the contrary. Yeah. But women get this whole other narrative. It is what it is. It is what it is. Yes. Yeah, I did see that our friend Congressman Robert Garcia was in the news again. So this clip is from Robert Garcia. He's in a proceeding and the victim of a shooting with ice is is called in front of Congress. And what he shows are these text messages from the ice officer after he shot her. And so the officers is in the text reviews how many times he shot her and says, put that in your book, boys, as if they are documented. in some sort of sick way, how many times they shoot citizens. Or if it's like, there's like some kind of a sick quota. Yeah, like a point system. Is it true that in the body cam footage, the CBP officer told you to, and I'm so sorry for saying this, the officer told you to quote, do something bitch before he fired? Yes. It's disgusting, shameful, and it gets worse. Ms. Martinez, these are images of texts sent by the agent who shot you. And they're actually disturbing to read, but I think it's important for the public to see this. The agent linked an article about your shooting and texted, read it. Five shots, seven holes. I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes. Put that in your book, boys. Oh, well, it is what it is. Shit happens. I wish I was shocked. I am shocked just by seeing the words, right? Like I was shocked by just seeing the words and hearing the violence, these text messages. The language used is so, it's like the language people use in video games is how they're treating Americans. Like every day is January 6th in this country, right? Okay. But there's nothing about that that is surprising or shocking to me. And I think to your point that it's like people in video games. These are not people that have gone through sort of your normal training of a law enforcement person. This is some Yahoo, right? Who probably, like you said the other day, probably couldn't become a police officer. So it's basically a rent-a-cop with a gun and a license to do whatever they want, right? Exactly. So and they probably have spent a lot of time because my theory is a lot of these guys were like living in their mother's basement, eating Cheetos and playing a lot of them. A lot of them are convicted criminals. Some of them are on Megan's law lists where they are registered sex offenders. So none of this is surprising. Yeah. None of this is surprising. And also the president of the United States talks like that. A reporter went undercover and applied to become an ICE officer. That I did see. And she was approved in like two days. It took no time at all. She had a very unique name that if you just Googled it, you would see she was a reporter. And she was approved. And I think the background check didn't even go through before she was onboarded as an officer. It was unbelievably fast. It's like the Keystone Cops. It is. Isn't it? It's like it's like it is such a hot mess. Yeah. It's so gross. I mean, this really pisses me off because we have Democrats keep saying, oh, well, you need to have body cams. You have to take your masks off. That's what Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer asked for in exchange for reaching a deal on the package for the latest budget. But that's not going to stop them from brutalizing Americans. they're still going to be uh even with their masks off even with body cams on they're still going to be doing all sorts of insane things in the streets they don't care because they don't have to that's what it feels like because there's no accountability exactly there's no accountability and they don't and again the president has made it clear he's made it seem as though he will have their backup but it's like i was saying the other day i don't understand why these people don't recognize that he does not give a shit about you remember the january 6 insurrectionists he sold them for a dollar he was like i they they were like oh i'm at trial they're they're charging me with federal charges and and he was like okay how'd you get this number right yeah i don't know i find myself drawn to like what type of tv shows does this make you want to watch to feel comfort like i find myself watching older tv shows just to feel like close to the new york that jerry seinfeld lived in you know like just to feel close to the new york with no black people in it whatsoever well okay like friends fair yeah like friends were there no black people on friends there was i never really watched that show yeah there was one way later and i can't remember who was dating her i may have been don't remember yeah i remember that i can see the i could see the actress's face she's uh aisha taylor tyler oh yeah yeah love her um did you see that woman um from minnesota she um uh i'm gonna i don't want to mispronounce her name but i believe it's alia rahman oh no i didn't so she's on the autism spectrum and she has a traumatic brain injury and I dragged her out of the car. And I guess she testified somewhere and it was so upsetting to hear. And there is this feeling sometimes when you hear about things like that, it's like you don't want to watch it. You don't want to hear it because you don't want to take that in. But I think that we all need to sort of bear witness as much as possible. Like that kind of thing will continue to happen. We are barreling towards a government shutdown right now, and we're recording this a few days ahead of it being dropped. So apologies if I'm behind on the times when you hear this. But things like that, I think, sure, yes, Republicans, how could you ever let this happen? But Democrats, how could you continue to let this happen? Right. I know the weakness is nauseating to me. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries already rolled back their statements about masks and body cams. They were like, well, it was they were like, well, maybe yesterday the thing we wanted is not something we technically want. But, you know, maybe we're not sure. We're going to double. We'll get back to you. They already are walking it back, which is just unbelievable. So let's take a break. We've got our guest in the studio. Yeah. Can't wait. Hello, it's me, Anna Sinfield, from The Girlfriends, the number one hit true crime show that puts women right in the centre of their own stories. I'm back with more one-off interviews with some truly kick-ass women on The Girlfriends Spotlight. I want to introduce you to Sylvia. I'm going to climb this. And then there's Vaisaka. Let's see how we can stop killing and save lives. Leila dared to ask the question... Is badness hereditary? And finally, we'll meet Rosamund. If it wasn't for the year where Ella lived, she wouldn't have died on that fatal night. You'll even get to meet my mum in that one, who I can always count on to keep my feet on the ground. I'm not too intimidated by her. What are you talking about? Listen to the Girlfriend Spotlight on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Dirty Rush, the truth about sorority life, the good, the bad, and the sisterhood. With your hosts, me, Gia Giudice, Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Kessler. Rush, the recruitment, the ritual, the reality of Greek life has been a mystery for those outside the sorority circles until now. Is it really a supportive sisterhood that's simply misunderstood? Or is there something more scandalous happening on campuses across the country. In this podcast, we pledge to peel back the layers and spell the truth one Greek letter at a time. Pledges and actives, rush chairs and ritual keepers. Some call it the best time of their life, while others say it's a nightmare. From a perfect rush to recruitment scandals, what is really going on behind the doors of those sorority houses from Alpha to Omega? We're taking you inside sorority row, including the chapter room as we explore the fellowship in the frenemies. Let's get dirty. Listen to Dirty Rush on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Danielle Robay, host of Bookmarked, the podcast by Reese's Book Club. And this week on Bookmarked, we're basically hosting the ultimate girls' night. Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Rita Wilson, and Gary Rice, and author Laura Dave. These are the women behind season two of the Apple TV series, The Last Thing He Told Me. We're talking about turning a book into a hit show and what it really takes to bring a story to life. The most important metric for me is do I want to share this book with somebody? That's what creates community. And that's the main thesis of our book club and why we started it was just to connect people together. Listen to the bookmarked by Risa's book club podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. welcome back everyone this is under oath we're here with ashley burn who is the director of outreach and communications for pita which is the people for the ethical treatment of animals her days are filled with body paint fake blood and vegan donuts so you can find her on socials at ashley loves mongo welcome to the show ashley and thank you for joining us thank you so much for having me welcome to brief recess i love your bio it's very fun and whimsical i'm glad you're really embracing like the fun parts of your job, I imagine. How do you sort of like, take me through like how you spend your days? I'm just like so curious what it's like to work at an organization like yours, which, you know, is very storied, I'm sure. Yes, that's a great question. One of the things that I love about working for PETA is that, I mean, really no two days are alike. And even when you think you have a very quiet day ahead of you with everything, you know, kind of structure. The next thing you know, you could be doing anything from running through the streets in Bushwick trying to catch a stray chicken to. Oh, my God. Because people in Brooklyn have like barn, like named like backyard barns and farm stuff and like there. And I know they're also every now and then there'll be like a cow or a goat that makes their escape. Right. Right. And like Florida houses from live markets. It actually happens quite often. Oh, like a lot, like an actual market. Yeah. Interesting. Okay. I didn't realize that. Yeah. Oh, wow. It's been in the news. Yeah. Right. I mean, and you know, you kind of, it's interesting because everybody's always rooting for the animal. They're like, get away, get away. Of course. Yeah. And then, you know, a lot of the time people are probably going to dinner and eating that same animal. I guess that's right. Get away, get away. But it's like, wait, why were they in that position in the first place? That does make sense. Get away from who? You know, like maybe from you. But I mean, the way I look at it, though, it's kind of like it brings you back to the fact that I think people ultimately are, for the most part, compassionate and love animals. And that is a great part of this job. It's hard. You see a lot of devastating things. You see a lot of things that are hard to forget, impossible to forget. But then you also see this incredibly kind side of people and you realize that at the end of the day, most people not only like animals, most people love animals. Yeah, I will say that's part of one of the reasons why you're here today is because we were talking a bit about fur and vintage fur and whether it was like good, bad, ugly, whether we support it, whether we don't. Jury seemed a little bit out. And so, look, I'll be like very honest with you. Your organization is notorious for being very confrontational. I think that's in sort of like the lifeblood of PETA. and we were shocked to find the opposite when we touched upon fur and your organization reached out in a very kind, compassionate, thoughtful way. Super kind. So that was actually like, look, if someone is, someone says, oh, Michael, watch out for so-and-so, watch out for so-and-so, whatever it is, whether it's PETA, whether it's a person, whether it's that girl in my sorority, I always say, okay, thank you so much. And then I approach it based off what that person has said and done to me directly. That's really all you can do, right? And it could be very possible that somebody has had a negative experience with an entity or a person or what have you. But when you deal with that person, it's a completely different experience. And I remember, you know, I went home and I told my husband, I was like, we heard from PETA. And he was like, uh-oh. Yeah, yeah. Uh-oh. Watch out. And then I said, I'm like, it was really one of the nicest letters that I've ever forgotten. Like barring activist organizations, like just generally people. Right. I love hearing that. And I wonder, because I remember growing up hearing about PETA and it was always kind of aggressive or at least that was what was in the media, right? Based on what I was consuming at the time I was a kid. It almost feels like PETA has gone through sort of a rebranding. Or is it that we're learning more about what PETA actually does? That's a great question. And I think it's the latter, honestly. I think that very often people confuse the firmness of PETA message I mean just the strength of PETA message with PETA being somehow aggressive or unfriendly And I mean, the fact is, yes, we are absolute about our message. We don't back down. We're all about protecting animals and we don't apologize for it. But at the end of the day, as I was saying before, we realize that most people do not want to hurt animals. Most people support protecting animals. Now, I would say the vast majority of people probably hurt animals in a bunch of ways that they don't really realize or they don't really think about. And we're here to help with that. I mean, we see most people as just needing more information. Now, if you're someone who's abusing animals. Sure. Right. That's a different story. Yeah, for sure. Look out for PETA. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Watch out. But, you know, even in those cases, I think people don't realize that a lot of the time or all the time, really, before something gets to that national stage, we reach out to businesses. Sure. Behind the scenes. Of course. Slightly. We ask if we can help. You know, we try to change things in a constructive way. It's really just when they dig their heels in and they say, nope, we're going to keep abusing animals that, you know, we do get tough. Yeah, sure. I think people want us to. Yeah. But so I think that's a great question because I think that shift in perception has a lot to do with, I think people's perception of animals is changing drastically. I think so. I noticed that I make a lot of videos about ICE and DHS and how people are being treated. And I will say when I make a video about migrants' pets getting put in shelters because migrants are being picked up, those get engaged with on an astronomical level online. And everyone's very engaged around, especially people who follow me and watch the messages about immigration. But I do see this like other audience opens up when I start talking about animals. Right. And I think that's because it's something that hits home in a very universal way. Right. Because, you know, so many people either have a dog at home, a cat at home. They've bonded with an animal at some point. And so it hits them in this way that, you know, transcends politics and transcends, you know, just a lot of cultural things. It's emotional. Exactly. Because, I mean, I think especially with if you are somebody who has a pet or has had a pet or have lost a pet, the love that you have for your your it's your companion. Really, it becomes your companion. And when you realize, hey, somebody's poor animal is now feeling lost and scared. They don't know where their person is. You think of yourself and you think of the bond that you have with your animal and you're like, oh, that is just, it's so wrong, right? Yeah. Exactly. It's a truth that, like you said, if you've ever bonded with an animal, you know. You know what that animal's feeling. And it reaches people in a way that I think few things do. So just for context, what DHS and ICE are doing is that when they detain someone, they usually leave the animal where the family was. They don't call animal control. It doesn't go to a shelter. It usually becomes a stray dog. And so if people are out walking their dog in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the person gets picked up by ICE and then the dog is left there on the street. And so there are these dogs that are the shelters are sort of having to take in or they're getting lost and people aren't finding them or they're trying to call the person and they're being held in a detention center so they can't answer their phone. so it is it really has created this like animal crisis in many ways and i know we brought you on to talk about fur but it just like became top of mind for me because you know i woke up this morning and it was me my dog's head on his pillow next to me and then my husband on his pillow like between us and i don't like like you're saying it really is this like emotional thing that i don't we don't we don't really like think about it that much yeah your animal is your family yeah Right. Like absolutely like our cat sleeps in the middle, hugs up the bed. And, you know, what I think is so funny is like you usually end up moving over to like the cat. All the way to that. Your dog is all over your Instagram, right, Mongo? Well, so my my Instagram is named for one of my my former dogs. He did pass away. But that's so hard. Thank you. I mean, but also, you know, I left that name there because he just obviously like losing him was devastating. But he also was just one of the most wonderful things that's ever happened to me. And yeah, exactly. All over all over my Instagram. Just a wonderful shelter, you know, shelter dog, like so many wonderful shelter. We have a rescue psychopath and I love him so much. And he's truly like he is a convicted criminal. And I love him so much. And like, honestly, it's much more interesting and fun to have a crazy rescue than it would be to have some like gorgeous, perfect purebred. I'm like, he's got a real personality. Like he's a true New Yorker. Oh, my God. So I was going to ask you, I mean, like people do talk about like PETA shelters. And I know that there are, I think, out of context, rumors about PETA killing animals in their shelters and all this stuff. Do you want to go on the record and sort of correct those people who are listening to this being like, I can't believe Michael had Ashley on. Don't you know what they do? Right. And why didn't you ask her? So yeah, we'd love for you to gather them, get them right by the scrub. Let's talk about this. Exactly. All right. Let's do this. Yes. I am always thrilled for the opportunity to set that straight. So PETA has a shelter in at our headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. It's a shelter that services the rural areas nearby in Virginia and North Carolina. And for people who aren't familiar, which I was not before I came to PETA. I grew up in Los Angeles. I lived in Washington, D.C. I live here. I really had not seen a lot of rural America before. The areas that this shelter and our outreach workers service are desperately poor. And the people living in these areas lack access to resources that I think a lot of us, you know, maybe living in Manhattan take for granted. They very often, in cases where they do love their animals, they very often don't have the money to adequately provide for them in a lot of situations. And then you also have a severe lack of education about animals. And so a lot of people will get a dog, put them outside on a chain as security or something, and pretty much forget about them. They won't go outside and spend time with them, play with them. They won't bring them indoors in snowstorms. Our crews have actually been out for literal months now in this weather where most of us are hiding in our houses with the heat cranked up, just begging people to bring their animals in. But when they won't, providing dog houses and straw and anything they can to keep these dogs warm. Because unfortunately, in a lot of these places, it's not even illegal to do what is unthinkable to so many of us. And on top of that, a lot of them aren't socialized because nobody ever spends any time with them. They have no human contact. And so, again, our outreach workers do everything they can to go educate people about how to take better care of their dogs, provide resources, just do anything they can. But in some cases, it just falls on deaf ears or they just get there too late. Like, you know, they eventually come to a house and it's too late. And they find dogs who are in such severe states. They're on the brink of death already. And so in that case, you know, sometimes then they're finally actually breaking a law and they're able to have animal control intervene, you know, basically say that the dog is being relinquished to PETA. And then PETA will bring these dogs to their shelter facility and will do what – unfortunately, in too many cases, the only kind option is to put them to sleep because they're in a physical state where they aren't going to get better. And they're just in pain probably. Exactly. They're in pain. A lot of them are just so terrified of humans. And so when they actually are dogs who we think would have a chance of getting adopted, we partner with the local SPCA and we'll bring the dogs there because our shelter facility isn't actually, it's not what you think of like when you think of a shelter where people can like go visit, see the dogs, play with them. It's really just like a facility at our headquarters that can provide medical services and other things, but it's not actually set up for people to visit. So if we think a dog's adoptable, we're going to bring them to the shelter where families will visit, where they actually will have a chance at getting a home. So those statistics when people were like, wow, look at all the awful deaths happening in PETA's facility. It was that facility. And it was just because those pets were being adopted out to the SPCA. And then just the ones that were not salvageable, like able to be really adopted or cases where they could really survive. It sounds like. Exactly. Or then being euthanized. The other situation is we have a lot of people from these areas who will bring their animals in. And they'll say, you know, they'll bring their animal when they are extremely sick, knowingly, suffering. And they can't afford to take them to the vet and have them put to sleep. And having been in a situation where I had to do that, and it was the most devastating, heartbreaking. But it would have been even worse if I had to watch my dog suffer and with nothing I could do to help him. I mean, just, you know, and so we never turn anyone away, anybody. There's an attorney on Long Island, and I will reach out. I want to get him on the show. But he actually goes and sues people who treat animals poorly, dogs. And he's the dog lawyer. It's like kind of incredible. There's this awesome times article. We'll link to it in the episode. And oftentimes, I mean, like you say, the human in charge of the pet is really the problem. It's not the pet that bites the person. Right. Like we and like we have many of us know this, but the judge is like, well, it's so clear that this isn't the actual dog is the problem. It's the person. And the lawyer says, a judge, if you sign the arrest warrant, I'll make sure it gets executed for the euthanasia warrant for the owner. And the judge is like, yeah, right? Like the lawyer says something like that. That's important because it's so clear that it's the person, not the pet. Right. Yeah, exactly. So go ahead. Sorry, I was going to ask. And the thing about it is I wonder, please tell me, there's no way to prevent an abuser from getting another pet. That's a great question. So actually, when we are able to actually get law enforcement involved and have charges brought against people for extreme cruelty, neglect, etc., we do everything we can to get these cases taken through the courts. And one of the things that we ask for is for the court to mandate that they cannot ever have an animal again. It's part of the order, yeah. Exactly. Now, that doesn't always happen, but it's absolutely something we ask for. And I think that there are places now that are looking at the possibility of having an animal abuser registry, just like you have a sex offender registry. And I mean, we need that because the thing is, all too often, you're right, people can go and just buy another dog, buy another cat and go through the whole same cycle again. You know, one other thing that I want to bring up very quickly, because I'm just so glad you did ask about this, is that I think people don't realize that this kind of like this misinformation, this twisted narrative did not come about on its own. It was engineered by a special interest group that is funded by multibillion dollar industries that make their money abusing animals. And so, you know, we're talking about the meat industry, the dairy industry, you know, the fashion industry, fashion industry. This the Center for Consumer Freedom is the name of this organization. There are multiple organizations like this. The Daily Show actually did a piece on them once and called their founder Dr. Evil. And they don't just come after animal rights groups. I mean, they came after Mothers Against Drunk Driving because the alcohol industry paid them to. Gotcha. But so I think people should realize that this is actually a very engineered, deliberate, false narrative. It's very much like the woman gets called crazy because she brings up the accusations against the abusers, right? Yes. Yeah. It is exactly. I get it. That is the best analogy for it that I've ever heard. Thank you. So let me ask you something. Let's jump to something else for a second. So I guess the reason why Peter sort of picked up on the conversation that Michael and I had had on our show was that we had both said, never going to buy a new fur, but I love vintage fur. I had this coat that I had inherited from my aunt. And I will tell you that I remember when she bought this coat. And I probably was like 10 years old. And I know that for her, she was a single woman, made her own money. And for her, the purchase of this coat meant something to her. It meant that she had arrived in some way. And when she passed away, she didn't have any kids, didn't have a spouse. And the thought of this coat ending up in the trash did something to me. I was like, well, we can't just leave it. But I didn't think that I was going to wear it. But then I was like, if I'm going to have it, maybe I should wear it. And this idea of there's a difference between vintage for vintage leather and new things. And this very kind letter to us was like, we understand why you think that. However, it really doesn't make a difference whether something comes from 1946 or 2026. I would love for you to explain that to us, explain that thinking, because I think what a lot of people believe, like you said, people love animals. They don't like the idea of an animal having been hurt. but there is a feeling that it happened such a long time ago and this item already exists in the world. What is the harm in my keeping it, having it, wearing it? Sure. That's a great question. Well, I think first of all, I would say that fur is a great example of something where I think a lot of our of our relatives. A lot of people we love probably owned them, wore them, wore them while cuddling with their dogs, you know, just really like wore them without ever thinking that they were doing anything harmful. My grandmothers and my mother are both examples of this. And I remember my mom looking very glamorous in the 80s in these, you know, big fur coats. And I wanted one and I had one. I got one as a child. But fast forward, we know so much more now than we did at that time. And as a result, fur has come to be so synonymous with cruelty to animals that almost every major designer has dropped it. Most major brands have dropped it. It's been banned from the runways of New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week and several other international fashion weeks. Vogue won't publish it in editorials anymore. I mean, it is truly almost universally seen as just being unacceptable. Now, the problem with wearing vintage fur is, to kind of put it in the context here, it sets a precedent that these things are, you know, that we're not okay with them, but well, we can live with the fact that they happened. Instead of saying, no, the idea of having something in my house that came from an animal who was vaginally electrocuted or who had her skin ripped off of her while she was still alive. I mean, if that was a Dalmatian coat, if that was a Persian cat coat, I think we'd be saying, get this away from me. Absolutely not. No, we don't think that that kind of cruelty should be even tacitly endorsed. It's less that like this actually killed an animal recently and is continuing to contribute to an industry that is killing animals and more that like what it represents. Exactly. Okay. Okay. Yeah. And I mean, I think, again, to put it in context, I think most of us, if we inherited a piece of art from our family that was just hideously sexist, you know, that that was cruel or violent towards women or that was racist, we wouldn't say, well, it was a different time and like hanging on the wall. We would just want it out. Yeah. So what do you suggest people do with like their vintage fur? Because we have some fur for you today that we would like to donate. But what do you suggest to the people at home, the people listening, the people watching? What is like the tea? What do you do with that mink coat that you got from grandma? What do you do with it? What do you suggest? Well, so the story that you were telling is one that PETA started hearing from a lot of people. Once our fur campaigns, you know, this is back before my time, it started getting a lot of attention. And once people's ideas about fur really started to shift, we started hearing from a lot of people who would say, I'm not going to wear this, but I inherited it from someone I loved. It seems wasteful to just throw it away. What do I do? So we started a program where people could donate their furs that they already owned, and then we would repurpose them in a number of ways. One of the most common has been we donate them to refugees or people living in refugee camps in tents who are just literally freezing and trying to stay warm from the elements. And it's not when they put on a coat, it's not a fashion statement. It's literally trying to survive. We've donated them actually in some cases to wildlife sanctuaries because sleeping on fur is actually comforting for orphaned animals. This is what my mom did with our grandma passed away. My mom was like, I'm never going to wear these coats. And she donated them to the local shelter. And they've let the puppies kind of sleep on them. It was pretty cute. I think it's kind of a way to, especially if it came from someone you cared about, to honor them and the fact that they certainly didn't intend to cause any harm, but to sort of bring things into the modern era and also honor what we know now. To have something good come out of something that really is very sad if you look at how it came about. Point well taken. And I appreciate that explanation. I had been thinking about this when I realized that you were going to come on. What do you feel like is the overarching goal of PETA? Would PETA like to see more veganism? Like, ideally, what would you—not you, Ashley, but—or maybe, yes, or maybe you, Ashley. But, like, what do we feel like PETA really wants from the average person? Sure. PETA's mission statement. Is that animals exist for their own purposes. Okay. And that they are not ours to exploit. You know that they ultimately exist for their own purposes and not to be worn and eaten and used in experiments and used for entertainment and commodified and just again exploited in any way And so I think what that means for most people is that there are so many areas of our lives where the average person they making choices throughout the day I mean, most people now who you encounter, who are encountering PETA's campaigns, have more options about what they're eating, what they're wearing, how they're spending their you know, recreational time than people have ever had in the history of humanity. People like to ask vegans and like animal rights activists a lot of the time, well, what if you were stuck on a desert island? Would you, you know, would you eat an animal? Would you wear an animal? And the thing is, we're not talking to that person stuck on that theoretical desert. Correct. We're talking to people who have. Who are shopping at Whole Foods. Right. Yeah. You know, you have supermarkets, you have DoorDash, you have so many options. So ultimately, we're asking people to just make different choices. And for most of us, that is literally as easy as saying, I'm going to eat this instead of that. I'm going to wear this instead of that. It's a small decision throughout the day for us. It is literally the difference between a lifetime of suffering and a very violent death for an animal. And I'm glad you I'm glad you kind of like explain that that it comes down to like a simple choice that this isn't like, you know, an absolute right. It comes down to like, we're all dealing with a lot. The news cycles have been absolutely insane lately. How are we all like surviving in this world? And like, how do we also then try and think about how we are being ethical consumers? How are we ethically, you know, treating animals? Right. And so I think thinking of it as making a small choice, a small change here and there when we can, whatever is your personal individual circumstance and how you sort of start to incorporate those ideals, if you believe them, into your life. When you did mention refugees and first for them, we have someone called in. So we have people call in with questions. And someone called in because he had a situation that he wanted to kind of ask you about. So if you don't mind, we'd love to play the clip, CJ, if you want to hit it. Absolutely. My grandpa left me a fur coat that is a beautiful thing, but I don't wear it. And so I donated it to the homeless guy on the corner and keep him warm in the winter. You're going to tell me that he has to throw that thing in the garbage? Like whether the coat's in the garbage or in the closet or keeping this guy warm, no animals are getting killed either way. It doesn't matter to the animal what happens to their carcass many, many years down the line. You're going to take this coat off of this poor guy's back. Thank you for calling in. We always love our zealous listeners. People get very excited. But I think that that is the perception that people have, right? Peter wants to take a fur coat off a homeless guy. And that's the narrative you were talking about, right? Of just like the way your organization is often portrayed in media. And I think it's more of a perception than reality, right? That PETA is not going to suggest that you rip a coat off of a homeless person. No, we're going to hand it to them. You're going to actually do the opposite. But I think if you had not said that to me, if I had not gotten that letter, I don't think that I would know that. And I think that that is also because of being afraid of what I'm going to see when I log on to PETA's Instagram page, for example. Am I going to see something that is going to disturb me? And I don't want to, because I think we feel this need to protect ourselves. I don't want to see that. We're already so disturbed, Ashley. There are so many things that are really deeply upsetting that this is not something that I want to see. so I may not take the time to engage with PETA on social media or go to their website or go to a meeting or what have you because I'm going to see something that I cannot unsee and once you've that bell yeah it's permanently in there and I can see why there's a case for that and against it I also think it's like what you said about like making a small choice like that's very accessible and easy for a lot of people it's like okay my small choice is I'm not gonna buy anything with are in it like that is like feasible and doable for me a busy person who's just like trying to make it through the day without passing out so uh like i loved hearing that because it's like okay cool like i like the pressure's off if i uh yeah if i slip up like i'll figure it out but like just being real with people and understanding that people are humans and that we're just trying to make it and get by is like a very refreshing perspective i think from what the rumors and the bias that we came into this interview with, I would say. The thing is, I think we see it as part of our job to make people aware of the choices they have, aware of how easy they can be. We work to make them more accessible by working with companies. Just earlier this week, we launched an ad with Alan Cumming where he's wearing all vegan leather. He has this cactus leather jacket on, but it was an All Saints jacket. I mean, it's something that that anyone could order. I mean, it's literally, again, one of those things where it's like this or that. Did you say cactus leather? Cactus leather. Interesting. I've never heard of cactus. And so, actually, so if you go to PETA's social media, yes, we do have some things that are hard to see, but we actually have a ton of information about all the alternatives that people have and how amazing they are. I mean, we have such incredible options and the same goes for food. And so that is, you know, that's part of our job too. And that's something we work at. We want to make these things available, accessible, like show people how wonderful they are, that it's not about depriving yourself of things. It's just about choosing things that are actually better. And I think actually making these little choices throughout the day is incredibly empowering because if you look at the impact these choices have, I mean, they're small for us. They're big in their impact. I mean, just the environmental impact you can have by choosing a vegan meal, the environmental impact you can have by choosing a vegan leather jacket. It's actually quite significant. And those things add up. And in a world where everything feels so out of control, it's kind of amazing to actually be able to wake up in the morning and say, okay, I can't change everything right now, but I can- Have coconut yogurt. Yes. I mean, it sounds like what you're saying is it's not all or nothing. You can make these small changes in your life, these small decisions that will have a larger impact. And not doing so doesn't necessarily make you like this evil person that P is going to come after in the middle of the night and drag you out of your bed. But I appreciate that. And I think that this conversation that we've had and the fact that Michael and I were talking about this great letter that we got. Because I was really touched by it. And I've told everyone in my circle, be like, I got this great letter from PETA. I love hearing that. Because it completely flies in the face of what I think I thought PETA was. Like mean, angry. Yeah. Right? That's always so funny to me because, yeah, like everyone I work with, they're literally the nicest people in the world. I'm sure. But again, if you're abusing animals, well, they're going to get tough. No, but if you're abusing animals, you deserve what you get. Yeah. So thank you for coming on the show. We would love to gift you this fur to give to a refugee, a homeless person, whatever you need to do with it. I mean, I don't know. Whatever. Ashley, you will look at it and take it back to your office and you will. It's a first stole and a, I think a glam jacket. Yeah. But a very warm for maybe puppies or orphaned pets. Yeah, like whatever you think. Thank you so much for making this choice. And thank you for sharing it, you know, with your audience so that they can actually think about this and think about whether they want to make the same choice. Because it's so much better to have these pieces just go to do something good in the world than it is to just sort of have them as a skeleton in your closet, literally. Do you want to tell them where they can donate their furs if they have them from their grandma? And is it only fur or do you take other items as well? We've had people donate other items. Donate exotic animal skin items and even leather items. But yes. So anyone who would like to donate a fur or another item made from animals to PETA that doesn't really fit with their ethics anymore, they can go to our website, PETA.org. We have an entire page about our fur donation program. You can actually get a tax write-off from doing it because it's a donation. It goes down as a donation to PETA. So all the information is there about where to send it, how to send it, and then how to claim that write-off. Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us. Yes, it was a great conversation. Thank you. I really do appreciate it. We appreciate it. Thank you. Welcome back to Brief Recess. We're going to do Tales from the DMs. We want to get to all your burning questions, all the weird, wacky, crazy, wild, incredible, interesting, insane things that you message me through social media or at Brief Recess at ExactlyRightMedia.com or in my link tree, you can click on record a message that you can send to us. As I always say, friends, while Michael is a lawyer, he's not your lawyer. So the advice that you hear here, here I go again. No, let it leave the slip up and let people know that you're human. You're too perfect and beautiful and amazing. I want them to know that you make mistakes every now and then. I'm not your fucking lawyer. OK, so everyone calm down. Michael's not your lawyer. Your favorite teenage Minnesotan wrote us an awesome email. I love that. So here's what she said. Hi, guys. I want to start off by saying how much I appreciate what you guys are doing for your podcast. I love learning about what is happening in the real world. Both your humor and insight make it both entertaining and enlightening. Anywho, I'm a high school student in the surrounding Twin Cities area. And as we are all aware of, my state is going through some shit. But this is very publicized brutality that has happened here before. This made me feel so old. George Floyd was killed when she was in elementary school. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. That makes me feel really old. Yeah, for sure. And now that I'm older, I'm able to understand more about what happened then and recognize the impact that it's having on my community. I was just going to write a paragraph of questions, but it was overwhelming me. So I put them in bullet points instead. So here are the questions that she has. What are the parallels that you've noticed between George Floyd and the current shootings? Oh, that's really interesting. I mean, this is not a legal question, so let's jump in. I mean, I've certainly I've been thinking more about like the public outcry and the way that it has sort of taken over media and everyone's conversations in social media. That's the parallel I have really noticed, not necessarily in like the way people are. But I guess they're very similar in the violence against. Yeah. I mean, I think I think the similarity that I am seeing is that is sort of this collective outrage. Right. And the people who are outraged versus the people who are not, it tracks, right? So the person who would say, well, if George Floyd had just cooperated, then he wouldn't have died. Yeah, those people are tragedy to tragedy, maintaining the same. Absolutely. And these are the same people who are like, well, if they were here legally, well, if she hadn't been in her car, she tried to run him over. Or if Alex Purdy hadn't like kicked the car. Oh, well, why didn't he fight that? Yeah. Why was he filming? All of that really tracks for me. So it's the same people who were not outraged about George Floyd are also not outraged about it. Right. And then the similarity of, you know, officer person. Correct. Killing someone for literally no reason. Right. So that's the similarity that I see. Our favorite Minnesotan also asked, how likely am I to witness something or be in a position where I have to do something? I mean, that's really hard to answer. It's changing every day. I would say that we're all witnessing things here all the time. I have a friend who put out on her stoop whistles for ice for people to take one to have on them in case they see ice. I know someone who saw ICE trying to abduct a child on the New York City subway the other day and intervened and got them released. So it is unfortunately possible. It is certainly possible that you'll witness something or be in a position where you have to do something that is like a conversation between you and your parents. I do not want to be telling you what to do. For sure. But I do know of some great volunteer organizations that you can reach out to who might be able to guide you in ways that you could be involved. I know that handsontwincities.org is a great one. And the other thing to our favorite teenage Minnesotian, we are, I have your email address. We're going to get back to you and I'm going to share these links with you. And also we'll put them in our socials and our show notes just so that everybody has access to them. I would, I really want to stress to you that it's really important. I hope that you're in a position where you can really talk to your folks about this stuff. because if you are underage, we want you to get their permission, right? We don't want anyone to go out there and get themselves in trouble. And the other thing, I had this thought, and I was wondering what you thought about this. I know that you were really interested in doing something that is sort of immigration related. I do have an email out to an organization in your community to ask about that, waiting to hear back from them. But I wonder what you think about just this idea of volunteering in general. So that if you are not able to volunteer with a legal organization because you're too young, there's a part of me that feels like volunteering in general, it's sort of like the good deed gets passed on. You have no idea how many tangential nonprofits support my work that you would never even guess. I work with the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, CRGS, I think it is. I go to them for legal brief templates sometimes. And I think it's like this group of researchers and librarians and legal brains who work at this nonprofit. it and I'll have a migrant in a unique situation with a very unusual background or something that they are just a perspective or an issue that they're facing in the court system. And it's a one of a kind one. And I bring it to them and I say, hey, I've got this client. This is what's happening. And they say, oh, here's a stack of 10 other briefs where this thing happened. You can use them as a template. They redact everything for me and it makes my life so much easier. So I can then get to court quickly and help that person with real legal precedent behind me. And a lot of those folks aren't lawyers. It's not even really like an immigration nonprofit. I think it's like a, it's part of a university or college or something. Like, I'm honestly not sure. So there are so many nonprofits that have ways that you can help indirectly that really make a big difference. It doesn't have to be. And it could be local. It could be helping at the local church soup kitchen. Yeah. I saw some awesome protesters. It was like all women over the age of like 75. They were all retirees and they worked in shifts protesting in my small town where I grew up. I remember you telling us. It was so cute. And like, it's these little things that really are death by a thousand paper cuts for fascism. Yeah. I mean, there are a lot of things that I think that you can do from where you are. And I also feel like you will likely be more successful at whatever it is if you feel an affinity towards the thing. Right. So that if your thing is animals, Michael was saying that there are a lot of people who are getting picked up by ice and those animals, the animals of those people who've been picked up are being dumped at shelters. Yeah, go walk the dogs at the shelter. Go walk the dog at the shelter. Go socialize the cast. I think there are a lot of things that you can do. And a lot of the people who are like, oh, there's nothing I can do, a dread doom scrolling. Try and do one little thing to volunteer and I guarantee you're going to feel better. You are going to feel better. And it will make a difference in your community. I thought this was really funny. It's something that she said. My final question is, do you not have a profile picture for your email? Because I wrote to you and I had no idea if I was writing to the right person or not. You might want to get on that. I love a teenager fucking snatching my wig. Roasting eyes. Oh shit, get him girl. I love it. From your sort of your Gen X auntie and your millennial uncle, your gunkle. point taken point well taken we really need to get a profile photo up there all right call exactly right get them on the phone but um you're you're gonna hear from us directly and um we really really appreciate you listening we appreciate you having this desire to be helpful um and we love that your sort of optimism she said i love your podcast i hope you don't i don't see you in court was how she signed the email i hope you don't see me or she or they or he i don't know I'm not sure, but thank you for writing in. That was tells from the DMS. We've got some other questions that we're going to get to next time. I promise we're going to get to them. I guess I'm going to see you in court. Not me. Well, and now that PETA came on the show. What? I'll just, I guess I'll just say. What? My soy shake brings all the vegan boys to the yard. I hate you. This has been an exactly right production recorded at I heart studios hosted by me, Michael Foote. And me, Melissa Malbranch. Our producer is CJ Ferroni. This episode was edited by Nicholas Gallucci. Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain, and our guest booker is Patrick Kottner. Our theme song was composed by Tom Breifogel with artwork from Charlotte Delarue and Manessa Lilac, with photography by Brad Obono. Brief Recess is executive produced by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark, and Danielle Kramer. You can find me on Instagram at Department of Redundancy Department, or on TikTok at Michael Foote. And I'm on both Instagram and TikTok as Melissa Malbranch. Got legal questions? Reach out at briefrecess at exactlyrightmedia.com. Listen to Brief Recess on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, we're a podcast with video. Search for Brief Recess on YouTube. Back in 2016, we said, let's do a podcast. Little did we know it would last 10 years. I mean, but here's the thing. Stay out of the forest. You're in a cult. Call your dad. This is terrible. You guys stay sexy. Don't get murdered. Elvis, do you want a cookie? A cookie? My Favorite Murder turns 10 this month. Join us for new episodes every Thursday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Goodbye. Hello, it's me, Anna Sinfield, the host of The Girlfriends. I'm back with more one-off interviews with some truly kick-ass women on The Girlfriend's Spotlight. I'm going to climb this. Is badness hereditary? Let's see how we can stop killing. I'm not too intimidated by her. What are you talking about? Listen to The Girlfriend's Spotlight on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Dirty Rush, the truth about sorority life, the good, the bad, and the sisterhood. With your hosts, me, Gia Giudice, Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Kessler. The reality of Greek life has been a mystery for those outside the sorority circles until now. Is it really a supportive sisterhood that's simply misunderstood? Or is there something more scandalous happening on campuses across the country? Let's get dirty. Listen to Dirty Rush on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.