March 21, 2025 • 54 mins
Hosts Mandy Griffin and Katie Swalwell discuss the importance of white women recognizing their role in activism and learning from communities with long-standing vulnerabilities. They critique systemic issues and figures such as Pete Buttigieg's inadequate political responses, and dive into the problematic policies and actions of Trump's administration, focusing on the misguided efforts of officials in education and agriculture sectors. The episode concludes with a call to understand the historical context and influence of white Christian nationalism in shaping these systemic issues.
00:43 Reflections on Marginalized Communities
03:29 Toxic Positivity vs. Despair
05:38 Frustration with Democratic Leadership
12:01 The Role of the Department of Education
23:42 Tariffs and Their Impact
31:30 Economic Impact of Avian Flu on Poultry Farmers
44:27 The Reality of Mass Deportations and Agriculture
47:26 Trump's Nominee for Surgeon General: Jeanette Neshewat
52:09 Upcoming Topics and Future Discussions
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, this is Mandy Griffin andI'm Katie Swalwell and welcome
to our dirty laundry stories ofwhite ladies making a mess of
things and how we need to cleanup our act.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (00:14):
Hello, it's us.
Good to see
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (00:18):
Good to see you too.
We're live.
We are functioning.
Mandy just asked me how I wasdoing, and the way I've been
answering that question is tosay within my locus of control,
things are either, likerelatively good or sometimes
even great, like in my verysmall locus of control.
Everything else is just like awildly, unpredictably shitty
(00:42):
nightmare.
I was eating breakfast thismorning with a friend of mine
who describes himself as a queerblack fat man.
And he's so if I'm Okay, theneverybody else needs to pull it
together because he lives inIowa, which is as I've in this
podcast, a show.
(01:03):
So I, and I was reflecting onhow the least despairing people
that I keep talking to in thelast month, the last six weeks
are people with multiplemarginalized identities, I
think.
And we were, I was actuallytalking about that with my
friend this morning and justthinking through.
They're like why that would bethe case and my friend's
(01:26):
frustration with people hecalled hen the hand ringers Like
pearl clutching hand wringingkind of people, you know who
like think what's happening isterrible but just can't do
anything but like panic and Ithink there is something to
looking at communities that havealways been vulnerable who've
(01:48):
always been targeted and who'veLong found ways to engage in
mutual aid and ways to find joyand be creative, even when they
are so targeted.
And I think there is somethingthere for white women who the
(02:08):
podcast that we make is by andfor, even though I know we have
a lot of other people listening,that.
It's just a reminder that thoseconnections to each other,
connections to ancestors, and arefusal to look for affirmation
from the state or formalinstitutions.
These are also the people who Ithink have been the most
(02:31):
dedicated to fighting forjustice.
So I'm not saying that they'relike, checked out and figured
out a way to not care.
It's like they, they, these arefolks that care.
So deeply and their existence isactivism in a lot of ways like
they, they are going and goingstrong and connected to each
(02:54):
other and fueled by somethingthat's so much deeper than I
think the knee jerk reactionthat I fall into a lot of times,
which is like panic, or despair.
And so just remembering thatthose are not helpful emotions
and.
Again, when the most vulnerablepeople are continuing to find
(03:16):
ways to care for themselves,each other, and engage in
activism, it's pull it fuckingtogether, Katie.
That's what I tell myself, ifthat makes sense.
That's how I'm doing.
That was very long answer to ashort question.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (03:28):
It's good.
I think always have a knee jerkreaction.
Against positivity.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (03:38):
Just in general, no matter how things
are going.
Yeah.
Even on the best ofcircumstances, how's Mandy
doing?
Not great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (03:45):
but I think it's like it's the
reaction to like Toxicpositivity, as
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (03:51):
Yeah.
Oh, for sure.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (03:52):
just the whole ignoring the horrors
of the world and covering themwith trite, happiness and
cliches and, frivolity that Ifind so.
Absolutely infuriating.
So that my initial reaction isalways to be like, no, no
(04:12):
happiness.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (04:15):
I crush you.
I see you and I crush you.
Okay.
Here's,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (04:18):
But
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (04:19):
actually, I think toxic positivity is the
other side of the coin I wasjust describing.
It's like panic, like spiralingpanic and despair is the flip
side of toxic positivity.
Both are like rootless, nothelpful, like un, Connect like
(04:40):
disconnected not in communityemotions to have that are not
anchored in any sort of likereality or Community, so that
makes sense to me.
They're actually like my senseis that people who?
Exhibit one in somecircumstances would likely
exhibit the other that's myhypothesis
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (04:59):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I like the thought of being incommunity being the antidote to
those things.
I think, any sort of eitherpositivity or despair that is
not rooted in connection andaction is not helpful, I think,
(05:19):
is what I would say.
And I think there's that littlephrase I think that's been going
around in some meme.
It says the horrors persist, but
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (05:28):
Yeah yes
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (05:31):
think that's where we're at right now,
like we are still persisting, weare still trying, we're still
fighting back about this.
I think some of us, I do, here'sanother like tangent to go off
on that I was irritated aboutthis week.
I'm irritated at the Democrats.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (05:46):
Oh yeah, we
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2025 (05:47):
a long time.
We have discussed this fuck theDemocrats and their inability to
do anything meaningful.
But Pete Buttigieg was onColbert this week and Colbert
was asking him, basically, Whatare the Democrats doing?
And he was asking him in thecontext specifically of a Trump
tweet that was the anti protesttweet he put out about how they
(06:11):
were going to like on collegecampuses, they would arrest
people participating in quote,illegal protest, whatever the
fuck that means.
And stating that it would beillegal for protesters to wear
masks.
Because he doesn't want peopleto be able to hide their
identity and about deporting anystudents who protest who are
here on student visas oranything.
(06:31):
This is the tweet he put out.
Then Colbert was saying, what isAmerica if we're illegalizing
protests?
What is an illegal protest?
What are you even fuckingtalking about?
First Amendment rights here?
Are we just getting rid of that?
And he was saying, what are theDemocrats doing about this?
And Buttigieg's answer was, Likepeople, all freedom loving
(06:54):
people should join togetheragainst this.
This is an assault on all of ourrights.
This is we need conservativeswho love freedom to support us.
We need libertarians to get onboard.
We need everyone to fightagainst this, Because it affects
all of us.
And people in the comments underthis post were like, I love Pete
Buttigieg, like Buttigieg forpresident.
(07:14):
We need Pete.
And my response, quite frankly,was fuck Pete Buttigieg.
He just dodged the motherfuckingquestion.
The question is what areDemocrats he's like pussy
footing.
And being like, we needeverybody.
No, quit this.
No, forget those people.
They do not care about us.
(07:35):
They are not on our side.
They do not want to fight withus.
They are beyond repair.
Like just.
Go to the grassroots of thepeople who want fucking change
and actually like I'll green itYou know stand up and scream in
the middle of the speech.
Don't hold up your paddles Don'tdo this other bullshit Like I'm
(07:57):
just so infuriated at that sortof response and that people
liking that sort of response
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (08:02):
I I wonder if it's like too, so
how I, when I listened to thatstory, so I feel like I both
agree and disagree, like on theone hand, it's absolutely Dodge.
I absolutely share yourfrustration.
Yes, I need to know what are youdoing?
Like I'm asking you as not you,but like you Pete, you know
what, like the Opposition partyhas a role to play and has
(08:24):
things that they can and shouldbe doing.
That is a fair question and itdeserves a direct answer.
So that, I share thatfrustration.
And as his answer to a differentquestion, I do think that having
a way for people to find shared,Concerns across all different
(08:46):
kinds of groups is superimportant and is essential to
building something different.
And I don't think it's possibleto build a necessary coalition
with contempt as part of it.
I think, and this is a wholeconversation for another day.
(09:07):
I'd like to unpack how coalitionbuilding could work, should
work, etc.
And I'm definitely not theexpert to figure that out, but I
keep thinking about it.
So I don't.
I don't think like I thinkthere's something in his answer
that I understand why peoplewould be responding to but it's
not the answer to that questionand it's not and I actually
(09:31):
think it falls back in on itselflike I actually think where his
answer does connect to thatquestion is if my take is that
if The Democrats were more clearvoiced and taking direct action
and focused on like actualpopulism and the actual root of
(09:54):
the problem and taking moreradical aggressive stances on
things.
I think that actually would bewhat would build a bigger
coalition.
So I think that coalitionbuilding is important.
I think the Democrats doingthings are important, and I
actually think that them doingmore and clear, direct actions
(10:16):
would be what actually connectswith people because a lot of the
people who are disaffected andare hurt right now are people
that were drawn to the idea thatthis the system of government is
broken fundamentally and is notworking for us, and they're not
wrong about that.
So Yeah, anyway, we could get awhole other conversation about
(10:39):
that, but I am also frustrated.
And I think that's why I willalways vote.
I think that's really important.
It's just something personallythat I've decided I will always
commit to doing.
I will help get out the vote,but I don't put all my eggs in
that basket.
And I also really want to focuson local mutual aid and
community action and all ofthat.
(10:59):
But I don't like, and people wholisten to this podcast know our
hot take, not even hot take, butour stance on.
Capitalism and white supremacyand how they're connected and
just, I don't know, it's justit's frustrating to not have a
clear, strong oppositional partyleadership, but at the end of
(11:19):
the day, maybe there's, this isme being toxically positive,
probably like something that Ifear that can happen so easily
is people just rallying aroundlike another cult of
personality.
And I don't think that's helpfuleither.
Okay.
I think it's helpful in theshort term as like a shortcut to
stuff, but it doesn't, I don'tthink that's a great long term
(11:44):
solution, so I don't that isprobably me trying to put like
sprinkles on a pile of shit, butthere you go.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (11:53):
Oh, yeah
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (11:55):
A doily! That's right.
We put doilies on shit piles.
That's what white women arereally good at doing.
Tell me, so you prepared morefor additional people that had
been nominated.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (12:06):
yeah, I'm just an yeah, and I wanted
to do an update on the lastcouple that we talked about,
just because a couple of thingshave happened.
That are pertinent to thatdiscussion.
So our last little mini sode wasabout Linda McMahon for
education secretary and BrookeRawlins.
For agriculture both of whomhave been confirmed now and are
(12:32):
underway in their, dismantlingof their whole entire programs.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (12:38):
Yep.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (12:39):
so specifically, I was going to
address like Linda McMahon'sconfirmation and the just
absolutely bonkers fact that inher confirmation as the head of
this department.
She endorsed dismantling theapartment, the
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (12:58):
Mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (13:00):
So I'm like how do you position
yourself as being the bestperson for a job?
That you don't want to existlike this is just I don't
understand I don't understandthe mental gymnastics of
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (13:19):
Like why why even have any other
questions at that point?
That's really the only questionthat matters is do you want to
dismantle this department?
And if the answer is yes, whichof course it is because that is
the whole reason she's gettingnominated, then who fucking
cares, to be perfectly honest,what you think about Title IX,
or what you think about IDEA, orwhat you think who cares what
(13:40):
you think about literally any ofthe other responsibilities the
department has had?
Who cares?
Because if you don't want it toexist, and that will be your
priority is to dismantle it,then what do I care what you
think about students withdisabilities?
It doesn't matter.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-0 (13:56):
because you're just getting rid of all
of this.
Anyway, yeah, and so that washer answer whether she thought
the department it, whether theUnited States needs the
department of education.
And she said, no, we
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (14:09):
There you go.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (14:11):
So wild.
And I'm so infuriated about thisbecause we knew from the
campaign trail that Trump wantedto dismantle the department
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (14:21):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (14:22):
And then all of the people who were
like it doesn't matter that hesays that cause he can't do it.
And it's what do you mean?
He can't do it.
I don't think there's anything.
That Trump gives a shit aboutcan or cannot, like he's going
to do it and then he will makethe legal battle happen to fight
(14:45):
against it.
And then we all know that thereare judges in place that once it
gets pushed to the very end ofwhatever court cases there are,
they're on his side.
So there is no, he can't do
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (14:59):
and I think that,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2025 (15:00):
I don't get that
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (15:01):
I don't I have found it helpful to
read about, and I just sent youthat video that was about ways
that things have been blocked.
So I, and even at the SupremeCourt level, that things have
been blocked in maybe surprisingsorts of ways.
But I think even if thingsthat's great.
I appreciate those blocks.
Great.
But the fact is that even, it'sall such a distraction and it's
(15:25):
all such a massive suck ofresources.
And, as so many institutions ofpublic education, whether it's K
12 or higher education, I'veheard from so many colleagues in
many different institutionsacross the country, what is
happening in their school ortheir campus, and how the
(15:47):
leadership is often just cavingand overly complying and
complying in advance and makingall these huge changes.
So that even if it does getblocked, like the reassembly of
anything or the, Rebuilding ofany, it just is so destructive.
So even if it doesn't getdestroyed, there is still so
much destruction damage.
(16:09):
Exactly.
Yeah, it's I did.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (16:12):
Yeah, and apparently like it's it
takes a Congress has to approveclosing the department.
It takes a majority of congressto do that.
They don't have the numbers Todo that right now.
Supposedly, although I don'ttrust any of that.
But you're right.
Like they still like thefunding, the, allocation of jobs
(16:33):
and programs and all of that arestill going to be affected
because their plan.
The plan, when they say, so ifyou shut down education, then
what happens?
And of course the answer is, itall goes to the states.
Then the states have morefreedom.
This whole state's bullshitthing.
And really it's all justdeployed for like voucher
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (16:55):
Right
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (16:57):
and.
Letting states give money topeople who are already
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (17:02):
and supporting discrimination.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-0 (17:04):
wealthy
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (17:04):
That's what it ultimately boils down to
this.
I was there's like a mom's groupthat I'm a part of.
And we were talking about this.
And I think this is in the weedsthat people don't always know if
they're not in the field ofeducation, public schooling is
constitutionally a state'sresponsibility.
So it's not, I think there'ssometimes the idea that like,
Oh, the, I don't, the departmentof ed is like how we have
(17:25):
schools.
And that's actually not true.
The department of ed is actuallypretty recent.
Invention in a cabinet position,but part of the reason that it
got created was to enforceagainst the discriminatory
practice, enforce the laws thatwere being passed to make sure
students who were beingdiscriminated against had rights
(17:46):
and protections.
So that piece of it like that.
That's a reason to want somesort of federal Intervention in
things is to make sure thatstudents rights, the rights of
all young people to an educationthat's free and equal, that
(18:06):
there has to be some nationaloversight that makes sure that
happens because a state can'tjust like we know what happens
when Supreme Court justices aresupposed to check themselves
Like we that's not a greatsystem, you know It's a to say
to Clarence Thomas like if youneed to recuse yourself, we'll
trust you so I think especiallyliving in a state like Iowa
(18:28):
where I live where it has likethe most batshit far right
legislation you could Possiblyimagine like I think I don't
know if I told you about this,but there's a bill right now It
failed in one house, but it likeone branch, but it's coming
through another branch tocriminalize anyone who
administers an MRNA vaccine.
(18:49):
So that's a
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (18:50):
Yes,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (18:51):
plan.
But that's a medical bill, butwe have just a million horrible
schooling bills.
So it's like at that point, thenit's not like things shift so
much in terms of who's had,who's borne the responsibility
for public schooling.
But there is also.
Funding that comes along at thefederal level.
(19:12):
And even though it's not themajority of any one district or
universities funding, it's asignificant percentage so that
to lose it would be incrediblydamaging.
That is a problem.
So they're holding that over theheads of districts that don't
want to comply with things likemy home district that they don't
(19:32):
want to comply with certainthings.
But then they're beingthreatened with not having
federal funding if they haveaffinity groups for staff or if
they do any sort of DEA,anything, et cetera.
It's not like our state wantsthat either.
But I think that black, like ifthat funding were to go away,
either because districts aren'tcomplying or it just goes away
because they just cut itentirely.
It's super, super damaging.
(19:52):
So yeah but to your point, itonly benefits the people who
want to privatize education,which allows them to have all
kinds of like really deeplydisturbing ideological lessons
taught to students in schools.
And it.
Absolutely allows schools justto kick kids out for whatever
(20:16):
reason because they don't followwhatever rules they've set forth
or they don't feel like they canquote serve them.
mandy---she-her-_1_03- (20:22):
required to many
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (20:23):
Yeah, exactly.
So just thinking about like whyagain, why there are services
that just need to be public andcommonly shared as a collective
responsibility schooling is oneof those, especially in a
democracy.
And it's really infuriating tojust see it being so attacked.
(20:44):
But, anyway.
That's my
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (20:47):
Yeah.
And then the other things likethe Department of Education also
administers financial aid andstudent loan programs and their
answer for that is To either putit into the small business
associations purview or I can'tremember the other place they
said that we go.
I'll look it up, but I don'tlike.
(21:08):
Giving control over student loanprograms, again, to mostly
privatized entities.
If you end up letting just bankshandle all of that, the amount
of like corruption anddiscrimination and predatory
lending behaviors, because wealready know that happens.
Like I just don't see where theonly people that's good for are
(21:33):
wealthy people.
Which is what all the decisionsof this administration are made
for is for further enriching thewealthiest people in this
country and world.
Yeah, and then there, so there's4, 200 people that are under the
Department of Education that areemployees and McMahon's.
Answer to what would happen tothese employees was, she said
(21:56):
that workers would be providedoff ramps, including an offer of
severance payments up to 25, 000woohoo.
Like how long,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (22:06):
Right.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (22:07):
how long does that last?
Anyone?
And then early retirementpackages for qualifying workers.
And she also pointed out thatthere were 7.
6 million job openingsnationwide.
They should just go do any ofthose things, yeah, just any of
those jobs.
And this, the article that Ilooked at said she did not
(22:28):
mention the recent signs of theslowing U.
S.
economy, including 172, 000layoffs in the month of
February, which is the highesttotal for a month since 2009.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (22:40):
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (22:42):
You know, that job market out there
is just great.
I also follow this woman thatlike helps do career coaching
for people and finding jobs forpeople and resume work and all
of this.
And she said on average, likethe statistics right now that
are for every 100 jobs, a personsends their resume into their
hearing back from one employer.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (23:04):
mm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (23:05):
So this idea that there's just all
these jobs out there that, wecan just let go of these people
and they're just going to gofind something and it'll be fine
is ludicrous.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-20 (23:16):
Thanks, Linda.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (23:17):
that's education.
Thanks, Linda.
It's great.
We're all feeling a lot better.
That's
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (23:23):
Maybe they can all join the World
Wrestling Federation and justbe, like, a new ring of people
with different characters.
Yeah, yep, that's great.
We'll just boost wrestlingticket sales.
I think that sounds fantastic.
Okay, who is the
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (23:41):
Oh, okay.
So then we were also talkingabout Brooke Rollins and the
agriculture stuff coming up withall of these tariffs and then
deportations of.
agricultural workers.
So I was looking a little bit atwhere that was at because
honestly I see all these clipsand hear all the little news
(24:02):
things about Mexico and Canadaand they're back and forth and
tariffs are in and tariffs areout and what are we changing?
And so I was like, what?
I don't even know what'sactually
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (24:12):
I don't think anybody knows what's
actually,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (24:14):
right now.
No.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (24:15):
it's, that's what
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (24:17):
the people
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2 (24:17):
Exactly.
I don't, yeah,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (24:19):
It just seems like we're just
messing around.
Tariffs were supposed to go intoeffect.
Some of them have, but thegeneral ones, the biggest ones
that we all know about areCanada and Mexico, and there's
like a 25 percent tariff thatthey are Going to have under
Trump's new rules, but then thatwas supposedly rolled back was
(24:41):
the headline of things thatthere had been negotiations and
they're rolling back thosetariffs, but they're actually
only rolled back for a month.
So they're just postponed.
They're still supposed to gointo effect in April.
And then not only on Canada andMexico, are they supposed to go
into effect, but we've raisedChina tariffs were 10%.
(25:02):
They raised another 10%.
So now they're effectively 20%.
And then Trump was talking abouthow.
That he's just wants to enforcethese on a bunch of European
countries too.
So tariffs on European importscould be up to 25%.
So he's basically just startinga gigantic Across the entire
(25:22):
world, really.
And then when he does this, allof these countries then
retaliatorily impose tariffs onus.
So they're like, okay, you wanta tariff here.
Now here's our tariffs.
And the people who pay for allof these are the end consumers.
It's just us.
Like we're just the people whoare going to end up having the
(25:44):
increased costs for all of thesegoods.
It doesn't actually do anything,but.
I don't know, be used as somesort of pawn for whatever the
hell
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (25:54):
is going on.
I know, right,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (25:57):
it's just so wild.
Although I do say I do have tosay, I love like.
One of Canada's tariffs thatthey imposed because you can
make these very targeted onanything from like specific
products like
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (26:09):
Mm hmm, mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (26:10):
things that we're imposing tariffs on
or specific agriculturalproducts, but Canada imposed a
100 percent tariff on Teslavehicles.
Which
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (26:22):
Chef's kiss, tip of the hat.
Canada.
Yes.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (26:26):
Thank you, Canada.
You're amazing.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (26:30):
I think that people need to just
troll them harder.
I love that.
I think that is fantastic.
Yeah, great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (26:37):
Just bring out the pettiness.
Let's
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (26:40):
What about like that pillow guy
that's so into Trump?
Put a tariff on pillows.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (26:44):
Put a tariff on those frickin
pillows.
Yeah.
All of it.
200 percent on the pillows.
Oh my gosh.
Okay.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (26:53):
got
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (26:54):
So there's that.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (26:55):
of them are now in Ag Secretary and
Department of Ag Secretary.
Okay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:01):
Yeah.
Huh.
And Brooke Rollins recentlyrolled out a five point proposal
to defeat the bird flu and makeeggs cheaper.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (27:12):
is it?
I'm fascinated because all ofthe points I would put on the
list are things that are beingdismantled.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:19):
Yeah, it's a one billion dollar
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (27:21):
B.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (27:22):
to fight the avian flu.
B.
One.
Billion.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (27:28):
Yeah, that'll go through.
That seems like in line with theeffort to cut government
funding.
Sure.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:36):
Yeah, and some of these are great.
So the people who actually knowjack shit about bird flu and
eggs are like, cool, but here'swhy this plan is not going
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (27:47):
Yeah.
I'm shocked by the way, but yes.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:49):
Yeah, so the step one is to have
better biosecurity spending upto 500 million.
So half of the budget to beef upbiosecurity measures at egg
laying facilities.
So policies and physicalinfrastructure aimed at
preventing avian flu fromreaching the egg farms in the
(28:11):
first place, specificallyexpanding a Biden.
Era program which involvessending staff to chicken farms
to
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (28:20):
What staff?
I'm sorry.
What staff
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (28:22):
yeah,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-20 (28:23):
There's staff.
Okay.
Okay.
Yep.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (28:27):
So they go to the farms and they
try to identify ways that wildbirds are infiltrating the egg
laying facilities, which this tome, there's some sort of like
hysterical cartoonish movie thatcomes into my mind.
Of wild spy birds infiltratingwith their avian
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (28:49):
for sure.
I'm also just imagining like youare an anti science
administration.
So when you like defund allscience institutions, what tools
do people have to do this?
So I'm, in my head, I'm alsopicturing Them with just like
two big sticks that they're justlike clapping together to scare
(29:10):
away pigeons from Farms, likewhat are you leaving people with
or
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (29:17):
Yeah.
And the thing is you're like, itdoesn't really work.
The theory is that the avian fluis transmitted to chickens from
wild birds, but in order tolike, stop that from happening,
you actually have to have thiswhole Very complex, very
expensive, very resource richprogram to monitor wildlife,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (29:42):
also just being decimated,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (29:46):
Yeah, and these like these biosecurity
assessments by this program.
They're not doing that They'relike a one time thing where the
staff goes into a poultry placesees where the wild birds could
be getting in and then You knowgive them their recommendations
based on that But they're notlooking at ways that like the
threats
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (30:05):
right
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (30:06):
over time or like what's happening in
the wildlife population like
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (30:10):
Like it's not gonna just be people
noticing like holes in the roofand putting duct tape on them
and now we're good
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (30:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And they said they're sayingwhat they're doing what this
program is doing isn't a badthing.
It's just not a complete thing.
It's just like a spot In thewhole system.
It's not actually.
Addressing all of the otherproblems that are surrounding
it.
And they don't really Captureany of the data, so they're not
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (30:38):
Data is gay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (30:39):
in order to have Yeah, we don't
want it because data could tellus things that we don't
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (30:47):
I call it gata,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (30:49):
and so if we don't
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (30:50):
knowledge is
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (30:51):
If we don't keep it We just put it
in the
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (30:54):
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (30:56):
back in the
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (30:57):
Yeah, if we know things, then people
think things, and that can't begood for anyone.
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (31:05):
Yeah.
So there's no data collection orstorage with this program to
then find out if it's eveneffective.
If you don't collect data, howdo you know if there's
improvements?
How do you know what's helpingand what's not helping?
And the USDA is we're not goingto spend money on that.
Okay, that's, so that's notreally going to work.
(31:26):
The step two, increasingfinancial relief for chicken
farmers.
So one of the strategies in thiswhole avian flu is that if there
is determined to be avian flu ina poultry stock, then the
farmers are paid essentially tokill off their entire
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (31:44):
right,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (31:45):
so that it doesn't get passed on.
But these payouts are like inand of themselves expensive.
And it doesn't necessarily coverall of the losses that these
poultry farmers are taking evenwhen they get them.
And then there's a lag betweenwhen they can get back to
(32:05):
production as well.
And so it's not really clearhow.
That really makes up
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (32:15):
And again, that costs money, which
comes from
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (32:18):
yeah, and it's a cost.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (32:19):
Step three,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (32:20):
Yes.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (32:21):
ban
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (32:21):
Oh, you're gonna love step three
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (32:23):
number
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (32:24):
step three is my No more fancy
feathers for you ladies
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (32:29):
Have you seen hens this, they are out
of control.
They are.
We no more fancy chickens.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (32:39):
No You can't do it.
No step three is actually
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (32:43):
Oh good.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (32:43):
It's actually my favorite step
because step three is fundingfor Vaccine research to
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (32:54):
But what happens to all the
mandy---she-her-_1_03-0 (32:56):
against the avian flu.
I can't like, I'm like, whoeverwrote that step in that
admission had to be choking ontheir own tongue as they were
trying
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (33:09):
that step makes sense.
It does not make sense relativeto anything else you're doing at
all actually.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (33:15):
not for
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (33:16):
Great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (33:17):
Like you are anti vaccines in every
way, except for when it comes tothe bird flu.
Let's vaccinate the birds.
Another problem with that isthat most countries, won't
import vaccinated So then ifyou're trying to do something
like sell those chickensafterwards, it can't be.
(33:39):
Used I don't know.
Interesting.
Also on vaccine, that justreminds me of the flu and the
flu vaccine, the meeting thatthey do yearly to decide on
which strains to put in theannual flu vaccine at the CDC
was canceled last week.
As far as human flu goes, no, 1knows what's going to happen
about us having a vaccine forthe next flu season.
(34:01):
So that's going to be.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (34:02):
Mhm.
Mhm.
So what I'm
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (34:05):
in the ER this flu season where
there have been vaccines andit's been one of the most
fucking awful flu seasons we'vehad in years and years, if we
don't even have a vaccine, weare fucked and that is like not
even an understatement.
It's going to be insanity.
So anyway, that's great.
Bird vaccines.
(34:26):
Okay, step four deregulationbecause you know how much we
hate regulating anything exceptfor the first
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (34:34):
I was, you just made my mind bleed
a little bit because all ofthose first three steps would
require regulation if I'munderstanding those steps
correctly.
But I also have to admit thatwhen you say step one and step
two immediately in my head Istart singing Dick in a Box and
so that has just been playing inmy head this whole time.
(34:54):
So I might just be a littledistracted.
But,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (34:56):
yeah.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (34:56):
Okay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (34:57):
Oh my gosh.
Oh my gosh.
Okay
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (35:00):
step four, erase steps one through
three.
Step five, come and die with me.
Okay, great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (35:10):
No, but this is on.
Regulations that restrictchicken ownership.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (35:15):
Oh, so just like more chicken
owners.
You get
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (35:20):
So basically any, everyone can just
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2 (35:22):
chicken.
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (35:27):
My sister Katie was trying to talk
me into why we should getchickens and have some chickens
in our yard and I was like, thecost, ridiculous, we'd have to
pay for so many 12 dozens ofeggs in order to justify paying
for chickens and their feed andtheir, Like houses and their
whatever especially in Las Vegasbecause it's so frickin hot and
(35:47):
these chickens will just dieoutside But there are I was like
can we sell the eggs fromchickens?
We had the answer is actually nobecause if you like home owned
Chickens, I guess where we liveyou're not allowed to sell those
eggs for a profit.
You could give them away Youcan't sell them.
Anyway, this is supposedly oneof those things that they're
(36:09):
looking at.
But there's the funniest quotein this article by this person
they're asking aboutderegulation for chicken owners.
He says, probably won't makemuch of a difference.
This guy says, I'm sure thereare rules, but I've never seen
chicken police out enforcingthem.
So I'm not
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (36:28):
Oh my
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (36:30):
about.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (36:31):
Yeah,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (36:33):
So that's the thing.
If you have rules, you have tohave people that enforce them
and no one enforces thesefucking
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (36:39):
I will have to say the reason that
we don't have chickens isn'tbecause I looked into the
chicken ordinance and felt likeit was too cumbersome.
I don't have chickens because Idon't want to deal with
chickens.
So that is why.
And I, my guess is that mostpeople aren't.
living by the letter of chickenlaw.
Oh my god, this makes me thinkof did you ever watch It's
(37:00):
Always Sunny in Philadelphia?
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (37:02):
yeah.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-20 (37:02):
Charlie is an expert in bird law.
The more that show is makingsense, like it's concerning.
Yes.
Okay, so that's step four iseverybody gets chickens and then
you just
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (37:15):
Yeah.
Everyone,
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (37:16):
apartment or house or wherever you live.
You will have your own eggs.
mandy---she-her-_1_03 (37:19):
problems.
There will be no problems.
And then the last step is toExpand imports and restrict
exports of eggs, so that we'rebringing more
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (37:33):
in a trade war, super good
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (37:35):
yeah,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (37:36):
mmhmm, mmhmm, mmhmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (37:37):
great.
Problem being, the U.
S.
doesn't export very many eggs tobegin with.
Apparently, like the data from2002, only 1.
7%.
Of all U.
S.
produced eggs were exported toother countries.
So keeping those not really ahuge effect and the same goes
(37:58):
for imports.
It says that did you do that?
The plan was to import between70 and 100, 000, 000, 000 eggs
over the next few months, whichmight sound like a lot, but the
U.
S.
produces.
to nine billion eggsdomestically every month.
(38:20):
So bringing in a hundredmillion.
When you produce nine billion
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (38:26):
Right.
I'm sure there are
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2025 (38:28):
a whole
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (38:29):
listening to us who are like, here's a
solution, just don't eat eggs.
That's another option.
I
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (38:35):
Cake.
Have you guys heard of cake?
I've had your vegan cake.
It's not that good.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (38:39):
I can't eat gluten, so I'm already
eating shitty cake.
So it's fine.
I know.
It's my, it's very sad.
Here's, here is the one note ofgrace I will give for these
cabinet secretaries.
Like in all fairness, what arethey supposed to come up with as
a solution when their boss istaking away all the funding and
(39:01):
tools?
They honestly like they, theyshould just say, Oh, our plan is
not our problem.
Because that is the that is thestance of this president, is not
our responsibility, not ourproblem.
So I don't even know why they'retrying to come up with a plan at
all, to be honest.
But, okay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (39:20):
The bottom line of this article,
which I also love, like thisarticle is a little bit petty
and I like it a lot
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (39:26):
If there was a petty news network
like PNN, you would be the mostavid fan.
Yeah,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (39:33):
CEO
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (39:33):
would be like, yes.
You would love that.
Yes.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (39:37):
In charge of pettiness.
But it says ultimately the onlyreason egg prices are a matter
of national concern is becauseAmericans want to keep eating
eggs.
Despite the fact that the modernpoultry industry has essentially
remade the animal population onthe planet and been a disaster
for animal welfare, the averageAmerican eats around, guess how
(39:57):
many eggs a year?
How many eggs a year do youthink the average American
needs?
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (40:01):
Mm.
Um, 300.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (40:07):
Yeah.
280 eggs a year.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (40:10):
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (40:11):
That's so many eggs.
I don't eat that many eggs.
I mean I, I do eat
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (40:15):
we're, I'm out in our family.
We all eat eggs every morning,but my neighbor does have
chickens.
So now I'm like, Oh, maybe Ishould just make a little like
neighborhood chicken co op andsee if they're, cause I don't
want chickens.
I don't want to, I have takencare of these chickens.
For my neighbors.
mandy---she-her-_1_03- (40:30):
Chickens are
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (40:31):
I told you what
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (40:32):
and they're gross animals.
They eat each
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (40:34):
Oh my god.
Okay my poor, I adore myneighbors so much.
I'm pretty sure that they loveus too.
But they like, They will neveragain ask me to watch their
chickens because on my watch, somany of their chickens have lost
their lives when I've been askedto take care of them when
they're out of town.
And I feel really terrible aboutthat.
(40:55):
So I there was one Morning.
Have I told you the story aboutthe chickens?
I have so many, but this is one.
So one morning, it was like myresponsibility to take care of
the chickens and this we'reeating breakfast at our house.
And our back door is like allglass all the way down.
Katy (41:12):
So we're eating breakfast and we look in the back door and
we hear this tapping sound.
Look over.
There's a chicken knocking onour back door with its beak.
As in at first it was like, Oh,that's funny.
It's like, I was too early inthe morning for me to register
that there's a chicken knockingat our back door.
And I was like, Oh my God.
So, and then I put two and twotogether.
(41:34):
Like, Oh no, if there's achicken at our back door,
Something has gone terriblywrong with the neighbor's
chicken coop that I amresponsible for right now.
So, I am super panicked and thischicken, I swear to God, came
for help.
Like, Lassie style came to help.
There was a massacre ofchickens.
(41:57):
Next door, this, there had beena storm and like a, the door to
the chicken coop, they have thisreally fabulous chicken coop,
but some predator animal wasable to punch in the window of
the door to the chicken coop,and then had just ransacked the
place it was awful, and thenother chickens had gotten loose
(42:19):
and fled the scene, and so therewere, it was just like, chicken,
Mandy (42:24):
it happens.
This is how the wild animals
Katy (42:27):
my god.
It was awful.
And so then he, this my husbandis like running around trying to
chase these chickens.
We'd put out an APB in theneighborhood for like people to
locate the missing chickens.
And then when I went over there,I noticed like there were
carcasses of chickens, you know?
And so there was one inparticular that I was like, Oh,
(42:47):
we got to clean up and I didn'thave any gloves.
And so I say to my husband, canyou?
Like I had to go do somethingelse.
Could you go grab this chicken?
So he goes next door.
He's there was no carcass.
I don't know what you're talkingabout.
Those fucking chickens that werestill alive, dragged that
carcass of their little cousinin and packed it to nothingness.
(43:11):
Like they, it was like, like achicken skeleton in the corner
and the other chickens were justlike packing away.
It was, I was so horrified.
I felt so terrible.
It was.
Such a mess and I felt reallybad and I Like and my neighbor
like loves her chickens.
They have names They like and Ihad gone into the house to get
(43:32):
some cleaning supplies and I waslike, They're just chickens and
I'll just get them new chicken,like just trying to make it less
traumatic and it was like ahorror movie where I look around
my neighbor's kitchen and Idon't know why I never noticed
this before but it was likeevery corner I turned my head to
look there was chicken art likechicken knickknacks and I was
like oh no no no like you I havemade a terrible mistake.
(43:57):
So all of this is
Mandy (43:59):
Yeah, no.
We don't
Katy (44:00):
I understand why they don't want me taking care of
their chickens anymore.
And this is, it just reinforcedmy desire to not be the person
in charge of chickens.
Okay.
That's
Mandy (44:10):
that, on a scale of
Katy (44:11):
a national scale, right?
Okay.
Yep.
There we go.
Okay.
Mandy (44:16):
chickens.
Okay, so last point on theagriculture stuff that we had
covered.
And then maybe we
Katy (44:23):
we have time for a nominee.
Mandy (44:24):
Maybe you could.
Okay.
Okay.
We can talk about one.
So the other thing we weretalking about with agriculture
was how all of these massdeportations were going to
affect the agricultural industrybecause 40 percent of
agricultural workers areundocumented.
Katy (44:40):
That'll just be Department of Ed people will get those
jobs.
That's right.
Mandy (44:44):
Oh, that's the jobs they should be going to get.
Yep, they're going to go fromworking in the Department of Ed
to picking strawberries.
They'll be fine, I'm sure.
It'll pay comparably too.
There have been stories about,people just not showing up, like
all these farms just don't haveworkers because they're afraid
of ice coming and raiding them,so they're just not coming.
But the thing that's That Trumpis mad about with the
(45:07):
immigration stuff is the newsthat has come out recently that
he is actually deporting Lesspeople since he took office Then
we're being deported on averageunder the last nine months of
Biden's
Katy (45:21):
Yeah.
I don't wanna pretend that likepeople were safe under by that's
not
Mandy (45:25):
No, but it's not the mass.
Like we're going to send all ofthese people out of here within,
days of coming in that heclaimed it was going to be, and
that makes him very upset, he'snot a happy boy about that.
He is arresting more people.
And detaining more people, butit turns out the whole process
of actually deporting them ishard.
(45:47):
Because there are laws, andthere are processes you have to
go through.
And those also involve federalworkers, and judges, and
bureaucracy, and all of thethings that they are trying to
dismantle.
It's not going so well.
The deportations.
I've also seen like a couple ofTikToks and reels that I find
highly entertaining of peoplewho have been deported then
(46:09):
filming themselves coming backinto the country, which is
hysterical.
This one guy was on the beach inMexico saying, Oh, I got
deported.
Here I am.
Like, I'll see you again nextweek America and then he has a
video of himself wrapped in aMexican flag in front of the
Trump the Trump Hotel here inVegas like giving the middle
finger to it and I'm all forthat kind of puttiness as well.
(46:32):
So
Katy (46:32):
Again, you need to launch the Paddy News Network.
I think it would do very well.
That
Mandy (46:37):
I'm gonna talk to Kendrick Lamar
Katy (46:39):
look.
Mandy (46:40):
and he and I
Katy (46:43):
That would be
Mandy (46:43):
get on it.
Katy (46:44):
Yep.
Mandy (46:46):
Yeah.
So that's not going so well.
I don't know.
I have not seen any actual dataon how it is impacting
agriculture at this point or ifit's gotten to the point where
we can see that on the economicside.
But in general, these massdeportations are not happening
the way that good old TrumpsterWanted them to happen.
Katy (47:08):
Hmm.
Mandy (47:10):
that?
Okay.
We do have a couple more peoplethat we're gonna talk about, but
Katy (47:14):
me all about them.
Yes.
Mandy (47:17):
Today and then maybe we can do one more episode where we
can wrap up the rest of them Butlet's do a quick one Trump's
nominee.
Surgeon general is JeanetteNeshewat.
I don't see any news on wherethis nomination is at since he
announced that he was going tonominate her in November or
(47:37):
December, so I have no ideawhere that is and I don't see
anything on an upcoming schedulefor her confirmation but just a
little bit of information onher.
So her background is as a familymedicine doctor.
And she owns a franchise ofUrgent Cares
Katy (47:55):
honestly the fact that she's got professional some
alignment that is light yearsahead of most of these other
nominees so I'll give her that.
Mandy (48:06):
But it's also not lost on me that she's not any sort of
like research or academic
Katy (48:11):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mm
Mandy (48:13):
she's a business doctor.
She owns an Urgent
Katy (48:16):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mandy (48:18):
Also tracks for the kind of person that Trump would
surround himself by.
She was, she came onto thenational scene as a contributor
to Fox News during COVID.
And she, are we shocked?
She was a promoter ofhydroxychloroquine for the
treatment of COVID
Katy (48:38):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mandy (48:39):
She is not against vaccines.
She is supportive of vaccines,but she's against mandates on
vaccines.
Katy (48:47):
Right, because vaccines work if we just pick and
Mandy (48:51):
Let people do whatever.
Yeah.
Is anti transgender affirmingcare,
Katy (48:56):
Mm hmm.
Mandy (48:58):
Her sister is married to a Florida congressman named
Michael Walls.
And then her sister also workedas a Homeland Security Advisor
in Trump's first administration.
So there's some family.
Family things going on herebecause that's how we do things.
That's no D.
E.
I.
You must be qualified through
Katy (49:17):
Merit.
Yeah.
Merit, which is synonymous with,are you friends with us somehow,
then you merit
Mandy (49:25):
money that you can give
Katy (49:27):
Right.
Mandy (49:27):
Yeah.
But here's one of the mostinteresting things that I think
is in her background.
And there's not a lot of detailon who knows what actually
happened to this.
It's actually really terrifying.
Horrible.
Story because one of the thingsthe Surgeon General in the past
has been active in is discussionof gun control.
Katy (49:50):
I the only thing I think about Surgeon General is Surgeon
General's warning, smoking isbad for you, or Surgeon General
warning, don't let your kidshave much screen time, like just
general health advisories, andgun safety kinds of things.
Mandy (50:05):
yeah.
So at least in democraticcontrolled administrations,
people have been, pro guncontrol and gun control being
part of public health, whichsome people are like, it has
nothing to do with health.
It shouldn't be.
We shouldn't have a
Katy (50:21):
I wish it didn't,
Mandy (50:23):
Yeah.
Right.
Except for that.
kills people.
So that's pretty integral to ourhealth.
So the interesting thing fromher childhood is that she was
actually involved in anaccidental shooting in her home
as a 13 year old that killed herfather.
Katy (50:39):
my god.
Mandy (50:40):
Yeah.
Katy (50:41):
Oh my god.
Mandy (50:45):
The story, so I tried to look into details of this, like
how did this happen?
And the story that I found wasthat her dad was sleeping in his
room, in some room in the house,and she went to try to get
something out of a box that wason a shelf in that room.
(51:07):
And there was a loaded gun inthat box.
And when she took it from theshelf.
The box fell and the gun wentoff and shot her dad in the head
and he died.
Katy (51:18):
my god.
What?
How?
Mandy (51:23):
the craziest story I've ever heard.
And apparently it's not a storythat she has not told.
She said that is why she decidedshe wanted to get into medicine.
The details are vague on the
Katy (51:35):
But she's anti gun safety?
Mandy (51:38):
She's anti it being part of a public health initiative.
Katy (51:42):
my god.
This is, that's one of thoseexamples where you are hopeful
that reality helps peopleconnect the dots and then you
just know that it does notalways do that.
Oy yoy.
What a
Mandy (51:59):
Isn't that?
Katy (52:00):
Wow.
That's a dark and tragic note toend the episode on.
Mandy (52:05):
It's pretty pretty wild.
I don't know.
Katy (52:09):
Who are we going to learn about next time?
Mandy (52:11):
So we're going to finish up with the ones we have left on
list.
Tulsi
Katy (52:16):
Oh yeah.
Mandy (52:16):
for national intelligence and I think then not a cabinet
position, but Trump's chief ofstaff, Susie
Katy (52:27):
Oh yeah, I am very curious about her.
Okay.
Yeah.
Mandy (52:31):
secretary, Lori Chavez de Rummer.
And then Elise Stefanik for UN.
So
Katy (52:39):
Yeah.
Mandy (52:40):
those are,
Katy (52:40):
let's pack
Mandy (52:41):
The ones
Katy (52:42):
the next
Mandy (52:42):
Yeah.
To the next
Katy (52:43):
And then what I am proposing, like way back before
the presidential election, wehad started to launch a season
looking at the history of likesettler colonialism and just
like the, that the kind of rootsof the United States and white
women's role in that.
And I think.
(53:04):
I want just given everythingthat's happening and given the
agenda of this administrationand the very clear directive
that they're giving statelegislatures, et cetera.
Not that those people need adirective.
I feel like they're verymotivated to do their own
bullshit.
But I really want to look atwhite Christian nationalism and
just the history and the rootsof it and white woman's role in
(53:26):
that.
And so we really do, in order tounderstand that, have to go
back.
We have to go way back.
But I think that is what this isand we have to be able to trace
that back.
So I think that's just going tobe once we get through the
lineup, the closet of women, aswe said this last time we, once
(53:49):
we get through the cabinet andother high level women in
Trump's administration, I thinkwe just.
Get in our Wayback Machine andwe start at the roots of white
Christian nationalism where thisall comes from and the
incredibly important andpowerful role that white women
have played both as agents ofthat and as the justification
(54:10):
for that movement.
So that's what's next.
Mandy (54:13):
That sounds good.
Sounds terrible.
Sounds great.
Katy (54:17):
Oh man.
Good to see you and we'll talksoon.
Thanks for listening, everybody.
Bye.
Mandy (54:23):
See you later.
Okay.
Bye.
Hi, this is Mandy Griffin andI'm Katie Swalwell and welcome
to our dirty laundry stories ofwhite ladies making a mess of
things and how we need to cleanup our act.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (00:14):
Hello, it's us.
Good to see
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (00:18):
Good to see you too.
We're live.
We are functioning.
Mandy just asked me how I wasdoing, and the way I've been
answering that question is tosay within my locus of control,
things are either, likerelatively good or sometimes
even great, like in my verysmall locus of control.
Everything else is just like awildly, unpredictably shitty
(00:42):
nightmare.
I was eating breakfast thismorning with a friend of mine
who describes himself as a queerblack fat man.
And he's so if I'm Okay, theneverybody else needs to pull it
together because he lives inIowa, which is as I've in this
podcast, a show.
(01:03):
So I, and I was reflecting onhow the least despairing people
that I keep talking to in thelast month, the last six weeks
are people with multiplemarginalized identities, I
think.
And we were, I was actuallytalking about that with my
friend this morning and justthinking through.
They're like why that would bethe case and my friend's
(01:26):
frustration with people hecalled hen the hand ringers Like
pearl clutching hand wringingkind of people, you know who
like think what's happening isterrible but just can't do
anything but like panic and Ithink there is something to
looking at communities that havealways been vulnerable who've
(01:48):
always been targeted and who'veLong found ways to engage in
mutual aid and ways to find joyand be creative, even when they
are so targeted.
And I think there is somethingthere for white women who the
(02:08):
podcast that we make is by andfor, even though I know we have
a lot of other people listening,that.
It's just a reminder that thoseconnections to each other,
connections to ancestors, and arefusal to look for affirmation
from the state or formalinstitutions.
These are also the people who Ithink have been the most
(02:31):
dedicated to fighting forjustice.
So I'm not saying that they'relike, checked out and figured
out a way to not care.
It's like they, they, these arefolks that care.
So deeply and their existence isactivism in a lot of ways like
they, they are going and goingstrong and connected to each
(02:54):
other and fueled by somethingthat's so much deeper than I
think the knee jerk reactionthat I fall into a lot of times,
which is like panic, or despair.
And so just remembering thatthose are not helpful emotions
and.
Again, when the most vulnerablepeople are continuing to find
(03:16):
ways to care for themselves,each other, and engage in
activism, it's pull it fuckingtogether, Katie.
That's what I tell myself, ifthat makes sense.
That's how I'm doing.
That was very long answer to ashort question.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (03:28):
It's good.
I think always have a knee jerkreaction.
Against positivity.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (03:38):
Just in general, no matter how things
are going.
Yeah.
Even on the best ofcircumstances, how's Mandy
doing?
Not great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (03:45):
but I think it's like it's the
reaction to like Toxicpositivity, as
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (03:51):
Yeah.
Oh, for sure.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (03:52):
just the whole ignoring the horrors
of the world and covering themwith trite, happiness and
cliches and, frivolity that Ifind so.
Absolutely infuriating.
So that my initial reaction isalways to be like, no, no
(04:12):
happiness.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (04:15):
I crush you.
I see you and I crush you.
Okay.
Here's,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (04:18):
But
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (04:19):
actually, I think toxic positivity is the
other side of the coin I wasjust describing.
It's like panic, like spiralingpanic and despair is the flip
side of toxic positivity.
Both are like rootless, nothelpful, like un, Connect like
(04:40):
disconnected not in communityemotions to have that are not
anchored in any sort of likereality or Community, so that
makes sense to me.
They're actually like my senseis that people who?
Exhibit one in somecircumstances would likely
exhibit the other that's myhypothesis
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (04:59):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I like the thought of being incommunity being the antidote to
those things.
I think, any sort of eitherpositivity or despair that is
not rooted in connection andaction is not helpful, I think,
(05:19):
is what I would say.
And I think there's that littlephrase I think that's been going
around in some meme.
It says the horrors persist, but
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (05:28):
Yeah yes
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (05:31):
think that's where we're at right now,
like we are still persisting, weare still trying, we're still
fighting back about this.
I think some of us, I do, here'sanother like tangent to go off
on that I was irritated aboutthis week.
I'm irritated at the Democrats.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (05:46):
Oh yeah, we
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2025 (05:47):
a long time.
We have discussed this fuck theDemocrats and their inability to
do anything meaningful.
But Pete Buttigieg was onColbert this week and Colbert
was asking him, basically, Whatare the Democrats doing?
And he was asking him in thecontext specifically of a Trump
tweet that was the anti protesttweet he put out about how they
(06:11):
were going to like on collegecampuses, they would arrest
people participating in quote,illegal protest, whatever the
fuck that means.
And stating that it would beillegal for protesters to wear
masks.
Because he doesn't want peopleto be able to hide their
identity and about deporting anystudents who protest who are
here on student visas oranything.
(06:31):
This is the tweet he put out.
Then Colbert was saying, what isAmerica if we're illegalizing
protests?
What is an illegal protest?
What are you even fuckingtalking about?
First Amendment rights here?
Are we just getting rid of that?
And he was saying, what are theDemocrats doing about this?
And Buttigieg's answer was, Likepeople, all freedom loving
(06:54):
people should join togetheragainst this.
This is an assault on all of ourrights.
This is we need conservativeswho love freedom to support us.
We need libertarians to get onboard.
We need everyone to fightagainst this, Because it affects
all of us.
And people in the comments underthis post were like, I love Pete
Buttigieg, like Buttigieg forpresident.
(07:14):
We need Pete.
And my response, quite frankly,was fuck Pete Buttigieg.
He just dodged the motherfuckingquestion.
The question is what areDemocrats he's like pussy
footing.
And being like, we needeverybody.
No, quit this.
No, forget those people.
They do not care about us.
(07:35):
They are not on our side.
They do not want to fight withus.
They are beyond repair.
Like just.
Go to the grassroots of thepeople who want fucking change
and actually like I'll green itYou know stand up and scream in
the middle of the speech.
Don't hold up your paddles Don'tdo this other bullshit Like I'm
(07:57):
just so infuriated at that sortof response and that people
liking that sort of response
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (08:02):
I I wonder if it's like too, so
how I, when I listened to thatstory, so I feel like I both
agree and disagree, like on theone hand, it's absolutely Dodge.
I absolutely share yourfrustration.
Yes, I need to know what are youdoing?
Like I'm asking you as not you,but like you Pete, you know
what, like the Opposition partyhas a role to play and has
(08:24):
things that they can and shouldbe doing.
That is a fair question and itdeserves a direct answer.
So that, I share thatfrustration.
And as his answer to a differentquestion, I do think that having
a way for people to find shared,Concerns across all different
(08:46):
kinds of groups is superimportant and is essential to
building something different.
And I don't think it's possibleto build a necessary coalition
with contempt as part of it.
I think, and this is a wholeconversation for another day.
(09:07):
I'd like to unpack how coalitionbuilding could work, should
work, etc.
And I'm definitely not theexpert to figure that out, but I
keep thinking about it.
So I don't.
I don't think like I thinkthere's something in his answer
that I understand why peoplewould be responding to but it's
not the answer to that questionand it's not and I actually
(09:31):
think it falls back in on itselflike I actually think where his
answer does connect to thatquestion is if my take is that
if The Democrats were more clearvoiced and taking direct action
and focused on like actualpopulism and the actual root of
(09:54):
the problem and taking moreradical aggressive stances on
things.
I think that actually would bewhat would build a bigger
coalition.
So I think that coalitionbuilding is important.
I think the Democrats doingthings are important, and I
actually think that them doingmore and clear, direct actions
(10:16):
would be what actually connectswith people because a lot of the
people who are disaffected andare hurt right now are people
that were drawn to the idea thatthis the system of government is
broken fundamentally and is notworking for us, and they're not
wrong about that.
So Yeah, anyway, we could get awhole other conversation about
(10:39):
that, but I am also frustrated.
And I think that's why I willalways vote.
I think that's really important.
It's just something personallythat I've decided I will always
commit to doing.
I will help get out the vote,but I don't put all my eggs in
that basket.
And I also really want to focuson local mutual aid and
community action and all ofthat.
(10:59):
But I don't like, and people wholisten to this podcast know our
hot take, not even hot take, butour stance on.
Capitalism and white supremacyand how they're connected and
just, I don't know, it's justit's frustrating to not have a
clear, strong oppositional partyleadership, but at the end of
(11:19):
the day, maybe there's, this isme being toxically positive,
probably like something that Ifear that can happen so easily
is people just rallying aroundlike another cult of
personality.
And I don't think that's helpfuleither.
Okay.
I think it's helpful in theshort term as like a shortcut to
stuff, but it doesn't, I don'tthink that's a great long term
(11:44):
solution, so I don't that isprobably me trying to put like
sprinkles on a pile of shit, butthere you go.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (11:53):
Oh, yeah
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (11:55):
A doily! That's right.
We put doilies on shit piles.
That's what white women arereally good at doing.
Tell me, so you prepared morefor additional people that had
been nominated.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (12:06):
yeah, I'm just an yeah, and I wanted
to do an update on the lastcouple that we talked about,
just because a couple of thingshave happened.
That are pertinent to thatdiscussion.
So our last little mini sode wasabout Linda McMahon for
education secretary and BrookeRawlins.
For agriculture both of whomhave been confirmed now and are
(12:32):
underway in their, dismantlingof their whole entire programs.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (12:38):
Yep.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (12:39):
so specifically, I was going to
address like Linda McMahon'sconfirmation and the just
absolutely bonkers fact that inher confirmation as the head of
this department.
She endorsed dismantling theapartment, the
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (12:58):
Mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (13:00):
So I'm like how do you position
yourself as being the bestperson for a job?
That you don't want to existlike this is just I don't
understand I don't understandthe mental gymnastics of
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (13:19):
Like why why even have any other
questions at that point?
That's really the only questionthat matters is do you want to
dismantle this department?
And if the answer is yes, whichof course it is because that is
the whole reason she's gettingnominated, then who fucking
cares, to be perfectly honest,what you think about Title IX,
or what you think about IDEA, orwhat you think who cares what
(13:40):
you think about literally any ofthe other responsibilities the
department has had?
Who cares?
Because if you don't want it toexist, and that will be your
priority is to dismantle it,then what do I care what you
think about students withdisabilities?
It doesn't matter.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-0 (13:56):
because you're just getting rid of all
of this.
Anyway, yeah, and so that washer answer whether she thought
the department it, whether theUnited States needs the
department of education.
And she said, no, we
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (14:09):
There you go.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (14:11):
So wild.
And I'm so infuriated about thisbecause we knew from the
campaign trail that Trump wantedto dismantle the department
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (14:21):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (14:22):
And then all of the people who were
like it doesn't matter that hesays that cause he can't do it.
And it's what do you mean?
He can't do it.
I don't think there's anything.
That Trump gives a shit aboutcan or cannot, like he's going
to do it and then he will makethe legal battle happen to fight
(14:45):
against it.
And then we all know that thereare judges in place that once it
gets pushed to the very end ofwhatever court cases there are,
they're on his side.
So there is no, he can't do
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (14:59):
and I think that,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2025 (15:00):
I don't get that
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (15:01):
I don't I have found it helpful to
read about, and I just sent youthat video that was about ways
that things have been blocked.
So I, and even at the SupremeCourt level, that things have
been blocked in maybe surprisingsorts of ways.
But I think even if thingsthat's great.
I appreciate those blocks.
Great.
But the fact is that even, it'sall such a distraction and it's
(15:25):
all such a massive suck ofresources.
And, as so many institutions ofpublic education, whether it's K
12 or higher education, I'veheard from so many colleagues in
many different institutionsacross the country, what is
happening in their school ortheir campus, and how the
(15:47):
leadership is often just cavingand overly complying and
complying in advance and makingall these huge changes.
So that even if it does getblocked, like the reassembly of
anything or the, Rebuilding ofany, it just is so destructive.
So even if it doesn't getdestroyed, there is still so
much destruction damage.
(16:09):
Exactly.
Yeah, it's I did.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (16:12):
Yeah, and apparently like it's it
takes a Congress has to approveclosing the department.
It takes a majority of congressto do that.
They don't have the numbers Todo that right now.
Supposedly, although I don'ttrust any of that.
But you're right.
Like they still like thefunding, the, allocation of jobs
(16:33):
and programs and all of that arestill going to be affected
because their plan.
The plan, when they say, so ifyou shut down education, then
what happens?
And of course the answer is, itall goes to the states.
Then the states have morefreedom.
This whole state's bullshitthing.
And really it's all justdeployed for like voucher
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (16:55):
Right
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (16:57):
and.
Letting states give money topeople who are already
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (17:02):
and supporting discrimination.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-0 (17:04):
wealthy
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (17:04):
That's what it ultimately boils down to
this.
I was there's like a mom's groupthat I'm a part of.
And we were talking about this.
And I think this is in the weedsthat people don't always know if
they're not in the field ofeducation, public schooling is
constitutionally a state'sresponsibility.
So it's not, I think there'ssometimes the idea that like,
Oh, the, I don't, the departmentof ed is like how we have
(17:25):
schools.
And that's actually not true.
The department of ed is actuallypretty recent.
Invention in a cabinet position,but part of the reason that it
got created was to enforceagainst the discriminatory
practice, enforce the laws thatwere being passed to make sure
students who were beingdiscriminated against had rights
(17:46):
and protections.
So that piece of it like that.
That's a reason to want somesort of federal Intervention in
things is to make sure thatstudents rights, the rights of
all young people to an educationthat's free and equal, that
(18:06):
there has to be some nationaloversight that makes sure that
happens because a state can'tjust like we know what happens
when Supreme Court justices aresupposed to check themselves
Like we that's not a greatsystem, you know It's a to say
to Clarence Thomas like if youneed to recuse yourself, we'll
trust you so I think especiallyliving in a state like Iowa
(18:28):
where I live where it has likethe most batshit far right
legislation you could Possiblyimagine like I think I don't
know if I told you about this,but there's a bill right now It
failed in one house, but it likeone branch, but it's coming
through another branch tocriminalize anyone who
administers an MRNA vaccine.
(18:49):
So that's a
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (18:50):
Yes,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (18:51):
plan.
But that's a medical bill, butwe have just a million horrible
schooling bills.
So it's like at that point, thenit's not like things shift so
much in terms of who's had,who's borne the responsibility
for public schooling.
But there is also.
Funding that comes along at thefederal level.
(19:12):
And even though it's not themajority of any one district or
universities funding, it's asignificant percentage so that
to lose it would be incrediblydamaging.
That is a problem.
So they're holding that over theheads of districts that don't
want to comply with things likemy home district that they don't
(19:32):
want to comply with certainthings.
But then they're beingthreatened with not having
federal funding if they haveaffinity groups for staff or if
they do any sort of DEA,anything, et cetera.
It's not like our state wantsthat either.
But I think that black, like ifthat funding were to go away,
either because districts aren'tcomplying or it just goes away
because they just cut itentirely.
It's super, super damaging.
(19:52):
So yeah but to your point, itonly benefits the people who
want to privatize education,which allows them to have all
kinds of like really deeplydisturbing ideological lessons
taught to students in schools.
And it.
Absolutely allows schools justto kick kids out for whatever
(20:16):
reason because they don't followwhatever rules they've set forth
or they don't feel like they canquote serve them.
mandy---she-her-_1_03- (20:22):
required to many
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (20:23):
Yeah, exactly.
So just thinking about like whyagain, why there are services
that just need to be public andcommonly shared as a collective
responsibility schooling is oneof those, especially in a
democracy.
And it's really infuriating tojust see it being so attacked.
(20:44):
But, anyway.
That's my
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (20:47):
Yeah.
And then the other things likethe Department of Education also
administers financial aid andstudent loan programs and their
answer for that is To either putit into the small business
associations purview or I can'tremember the other place they
said that we go.
I'll look it up, but I don'tlike.
(21:08):
Giving control over student loanprograms, again, to mostly
privatized entities.
If you end up letting just bankshandle all of that, the amount
of like corruption anddiscrimination and predatory
lending behaviors, because wealready know that happens.
Like I just don't see where theonly people that's good for are
(21:33):
wealthy people.
Which is what all the decisionsof this administration are made
for is for further enriching thewealthiest people in this
country and world.
Yeah, and then there, so there's4, 200 people that are under the
Department of Education that areemployees and McMahon's.
Answer to what would happen tothese employees was, she said
(21:56):
that workers would be providedoff ramps, including an offer of
severance payments up to 25, 000woohoo.
Like how long,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (22:06):
Right.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (22:07):
how long does that last?
Anyone?
And then early retirementpackages for qualifying workers.
And she also pointed out thatthere were 7.
6 million job openingsnationwide.
They should just go do any ofthose things, yeah, just any of
those jobs.
And this, the article that Ilooked at said she did not
(22:28):
mention the recent signs of theslowing U.
S.
economy, including 172, 000layoffs in the month of
February, which is the highesttotal for a month since 2009.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (22:40):
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (22:42):
You know, that job market out there
is just great.
I also follow this woman thatlike helps do career coaching
for people and finding jobs forpeople and resume work and all
of this.
And she said on average, likethe statistics right now that
are for every 100 jobs, a personsends their resume into their
hearing back from one employer.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (23:04):
mm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (23:05):
So this idea that there's just all
these jobs out there that, wecan just let go of these people
and they're just going to gofind something and it'll be fine
is ludicrous.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-20 (23:16):
Thanks, Linda.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (23:17):
that's education.
Thanks, Linda.
It's great.
We're all feeling a lot better.
That's
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (23:23):
Maybe they can all join the World
Wrestling Federation and justbe, like, a new ring of people
with different characters.
Yeah, yep, that's great.
We'll just boost wrestlingticket sales.
I think that sounds fantastic.
Okay, who is the
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (23:41):
Oh, okay.
So then we were also talkingabout Brooke Rollins and the
agriculture stuff coming up withall of these tariffs and then
deportations of.
agricultural workers.
So I was looking a little bit atwhere that was at because
honestly I see all these clipsand hear all the little news
(24:02):
things about Mexico and Canadaand they're back and forth and
tariffs are in and tariffs areout and what are we changing?
And so I was like, what?
I don't even know what'sactually
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (24:12):
I don't think anybody knows what's
actually,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (24:14):
right now.
No.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (24:15):
it's, that's what
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (24:17):
the people
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2 (24:17):
Exactly.
I don't, yeah,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (24:19):
It just seems like we're just
messing around.
Tariffs were supposed to go intoeffect.
Some of them have, but thegeneral ones, the biggest ones
that we all know about areCanada and Mexico, and there's
like a 25 percent tariff thatthey are Going to have under
Trump's new rules, but then thatwas supposedly rolled back was
(24:41):
the headline of things thatthere had been negotiations and
they're rolling back thosetariffs, but they're actually
only rolled back for a month.
So they're just postponed.
They're still supposed to gointo effect in April.
And then not only on Canada andMexico, are they supposed to go
into effect, but we've raisedChina tariffs were 10%.
(25:02):
They raised another 10%.
So now they're effectively 20%.
And then Trump was talking abouthow.
That he's just wants to enforcethese on a bunch of European
countries too.
So tariffs on European importscould be up to 25%.
So he's basically just startinga gigantic Across the entire
(25:22):
world, really.
And then when he does this, allof these countries then
retaliatorily impose tariffs onus.
So they're like, okay, you wanta tariff here.
Now here's our tariffs.
And the people who pay for allof these are the end consumers.
It's just us.
Like we're just the people whoare going to end up having the
(25:44):
increased costs for all of thesegoods.
It doesn't actually do anything,but.
I don't know, be used as somesort of pawn for whatever the
hell
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (25:54):
is going on.
I know, right,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (25:57):
it's just so wild.
Although I do say I do have tosay, I love like.
One of Canada's tariffs thatthey imposed because you can
make these very targeted onanything from like specific
products like
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (26:09):
Mm hmm, mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (26:10):
things that we're imposing tariffs on
or specific agriculturalproducts, but Canada imposed a
100 percent tariff on Teslavehicles.
Which
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (26:22):
Chef's kiss, tip of the hat.
Canada.
Yes.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (26:26):
Thank you, Canada.
You're amazing.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (26:30):
I think that people need to just
troll them harder.
I love that.
I think that is fantastic.
Yeah, great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (26:37):
Just bring out the pettiness.
Let's
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (26:40):
What about like that pillow guy
that's so into Trump?
Put a tariff on pillows.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (26:44):
Put a tariff on those frickin
pillows.
Yeah.
All of it.
200 percent on the pillows.
Oh my gosh.
Okay.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (26:53):
got
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (26:54):
So there's that.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (26:55):
of them are now in Ag Secretary and
Department of Ag Secretary.
Okay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:01):
Yeah.
Huh.
And Brooke Rollins recentlyrolled out a five point proposal
to defeat the bird flu and makeeggs cheaper.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (27:12):
is it?
I'm fascinated because all ofthe points I would put on the
list are things that are beingdismantled.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:19):
Yeah, it's a one billion dollar
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (27:21):
B.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (27:22):
to fight the avian flu.
B.
One.
Billion.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (27:28):
Yeah, that'll go through.
That seems like in line with theeffort to cut government
funding.
Sure.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:36):
Yeah, and some of these are great.
So the people who actually knowjack shit about bird flu and
eggs are like, cool, but here'swhy this plan is not going
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (27:47):
Yeah.
I'm shocked by the way, but yes.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (27:49):
Yeah, so the step one is to have
better biosecurity spending upto 500 million.
So half of the budget to beef upbiosecurity measures at egg
laying facilities.
So policies and physicalinfrastructure aimed at
preventing avian flu fromreaching the egg farms in the
(28:11):
first place, specificallyexpanding a Biden.
Era program which involvessending staff to chicken farms
to
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (28:20):
What staff?
I'm sorry.
What staff
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (28:22):
yeah,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-20 (28:23):
There's staff.
Okay.
Okay.
Yep.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (28:27):
So they go to the farms and they
try to identify ways that wildbirds are infiltrating the egg
laying facilities, which this tome, there's some sort of like
hysterical cartoonish movie thatcomes into my mind.
Of wild spy birds infiltratingwith their avian
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (28:49):
for sure.
I'm also just imagining like youare an anti science
administration.
So when you like defund allscience institutions, what tools
do people have to do this?
So I'm, in my head, I'm alsopicturing Them with just like
two big sticks that they're justlike clapping together to scare
(29:10):
away pigeons from Farms, likewhat are you leaving people with
or
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (29:17):
Yeah.
And the thing is you're like, itdoesn't really work.
The theory is that the avian fluis transmitted to chickens from
wild birds, but in order tolike, stop that from happening,
you actually have to have thiswhole Very complex, very
expensive, very resource richprogram to monitor wildlife,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (29:42):
also just being decimated,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (29:46):
Yeah, and these like these biosecurity
assessments by this program.
They're not doing that They'relike a one time thing where the
staff goes into a poultry placesees where the wild birds could
be getting in and then You knowgive them their recommendations
based on that But they're notlooking at ways that like the
threats
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (30:05):
right
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (30:06):
over time or like what's happening in
the wildlife population like
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (30:10):
Like it's not gonna just be people
noticing like holes in the roofand putting duct tape on them
and now we're good
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (30:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And they said they're sayingwhat they're doing what this
program is doing isn't a badthing.
It's just not a complete thing.
It's just like a spot In thewhole system.
It's not actually.
Addressing all of the otherproblems that are surrounding
it.
And they don't really Captureany of the data, so they're not
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (30:38):
Data is gay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (30:39):
in order to have Yeah, we don't
want it because data could tellus things that we don't
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (30:47):
I call it gata,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (30:49):
and so if we don't
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (30:50):
knowledge is
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (30:51):
If we don't keep it We just put it
in the
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (30:54):
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (30:56):
back in the
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (30:57):
Yeah, if we know things, then people
think things, and that can't begood for anyone.
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (31:05):
Yeah.
So there's no data collection orstorage with this program to
then find out if it's eveneffective.
If you don't collect data, howdo you know if there's
improvements?
How do you know what's helpingand what's not helping?
And the USDA is we're not goingto spend money on that.
Okay, that's, so that's notreally going to work.
(31:26):
The step two, increasingfinancial relief for chicken
farmers.
So one of the strategies in thiswhole avian flu is that if there
is determined to be avian flu ina poultry stock, then the
farmers are paid essentially tokill off their entire
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (31:44):
right,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (31:45):
so that it doesn't get passed on.
But these payouts are like inand of themselves expensive.
And it doesn't necessarily coverall of the losses that these
poultry farmers are taking evenwhen they get them.
And then there's a lag betweenwhen they can get back to
(32:05):
production as well.
And so it's not really clearhow.
That really makes up
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (32:15):
And again, that costs money, which
comes from
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (32:18):
yeah, and it's a cost.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (32:19):
Step three,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (32:20):
Yes.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (32:21):
ban
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (32:21):
Oh, you're gonna love step three
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (32:23):
number
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (32:24):
step three is my No more fancy
feathers for you ladies
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (32:29):
Have you seen hens this, they are out
of control.
They are.
We no more fancy chickens.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (32:39):
No You can't do it.
No step three is actually
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (32:43):
Oh good.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (32:43):
It's actually my favorite step
because step three is fundingfor Vaccine research to
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (32:54):
But what happens to all the
mandy---she-her-_1_03-0 (32:56):
against the avian flu.
I can't like, I'm like, whoeverwrote that step in that
admission had to be choking ontheir own tongue as they were
trying
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (33:09):
that step makes sense.
It does not make sense relativeto anything else you're doing at
all actually.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (33:15):
not for
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (33:16):
Great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2 (33:17):
Like you are anti vaccines in every
way, except for when it comes tothe bird flu.
Let's vaccinate the birds.
Another problem with that isthat most countries, won't
import vaccinated So then ifyou're trying to do something
like sell those chickensafterwards, it can't be.
(33:39):
Used I don't know.
Interesting.
Also on vaccine, that justreminds me of the flu and the
flu vaccine, the meeting thatthey do yearly to decide on
which strains to put in theannual flu vaccine at the CDC
was canceled last week.
As far as human flu goes, no, 1knows what's going to happen
about us having a vaccine forthe next flu season.
(34:01):
So that's going to be.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (34:02):
Mhm.
Mhm.
So what I'm
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (34:05):
in the ER this flu season where
there have been vaccines andit's been one of the most
fucking awful flu seasons we'vehad in years and years, if we
don't even have a vaccine, weare fucked and that is like not
even an understatement.
It's going to be insanity.
So anyway, that's great.
Bird vaccines.
(34:26):
Okay, step four deregulationbecause you know how much we
hate regulating anything exceptfor the first
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (34:34):
I was, you just made my mind bleed
a little bit because all ofthose first three steps would
require regulation if I'munderstanding those steps
correctly.
But I also have to admit thatwhen you say step one and step
two immediately in my head Istart singing Dick in a Box and
so that has just been playing inmy head this whole time.
(34:54):
So I might just be a littledistracted.
But,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (34:56):
yeah.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (34:56):
Okay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (34:57):
Oh my gosh.
Oh my gosh.
Okay
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_ (35:00):
step four, erase steps one through
three.
Step five, come and die with me.
Okay, great.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (35:10):
No, but this is on.
Regulations that restrictchicken ownership.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (35:15):
Oh, so just like more chicken
owners.
You get
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (35:20):
So basically any, everyone can just
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2 (35:22):
chicken.
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (35:27):
My sister Katie was trying to talk
me into why we should getchickens and have some chickens
in our yard and I was like, thecost, ridiculous, we'd have to
pay for so many 12 dozens ofeggs in order to justify paying
for chickens and their feed andtheir, Like houses and their
whatever especially in Las Vegasbecause it's so frickin hot and
(35:47):
these chickens will just dieoutside But there are I was like
can we sell the eggs fromchickens?
We had the answer is actually nobecause if you like home owned
Chickens, I guess where we liveyou're not allowed to sell those
eggs for a profit.
You could give them away Youcan't sell them.
Anyway, this is supposedly oneof those things that they're
(36:09):
looking at.
But there's the funniest quotein this article by this person
they're asking aboutderegulation for chicken owners.
He says, probably won't makemuch of a difference.
This guy says, I'm sure thereare rules, but I've never seen
chicken police out enforcingthem.
So I'm not
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (36:28):
Oh my
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (36:30):
about.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (36:31):
Yeah,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (36:33):
So that's the thing.
If you have rules, you have tohave people that enforce them
and no one enforces thesefucking
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (36:39):
I will have to say the reason that
we don't have chickens isn'tbecause I looked into the
chicken ordinance and felt likeit was too cumbersome.
I don't have chickens because Idon't want to deal with
chickens.
So that is why.
And I, my guess is that mostpeople aren't.
living by the letter of chickenlaw.
Oh my god, this makes me thinkof did you ever watch It's
(37:00):
Always Sunny in Philadelphia?
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (37:02):
yeah.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-20 (37:02):
Charlie is an expert in bird law.
The more that show is makingsense, like it's concerning.
Yes.
Okay, so that's step four iseverybody gets chickens and then
you just
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (37:15):
Yeah.
Everyone,
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (37:16):
apartment or house or wherever you live.
You will have your own eggs.
mandy---she-her-_1_03 (37:19):
problems.
There will be no problems.
And then the last step is toExpand imports and restrict
exports of eggs, so that we'rebringing more
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (37:33):
in a trade war, super good
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (37:35):
yeah,
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (37:36):
mmhmm, mmhmm, mmhmm.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (37:37):
great.
Problem being, the U.
S.
doesn't export very many eggs tobegin with.
Apparently, like the data from2002, only 1.
7%.
Of all U.
S.
produced eggs were exported toother countries.
So keeping those not really ahuge effect and the same goes
(37:58):
for imports.
It says that did you do that?
The plan was to import between70 and 100, 000, 000, 000 eggs
over the next few months, whichmight sound like a lot, but the
U.
S.
produces.
to nine billion eggsdomestically every month.
(38:20):
So bringing in a hundredmillion.
When you produce nine billion
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (38:26):
Right.
I'm sure there are
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-2025 (38:28):
a whole
kms-guest529_1_03-08- (38:29):
listening to us who are like, here's a
solution, just don't eat eggs.
That's another option.
I
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (38:35):
Cake.
Have you guys heard of cake?
I've had your vegan cake.
It's not that good.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (38:39):
I can't eat gluten, so I'm already
eating shitty cake.
So it's fine.
I know.
It's my, it's very sad.
Here's, here is the one note ofgrace I will give for these
cabinet secretaries.
Like in all fairness, what arethey supposed to come up with as
a solution when their boss istaking away all the funding and
(39:01):
tools?
They honestly like they, theyshould just say, Oh, our plan is
not our problem.
Because that is the that is thestance of this president, is not
our responsibility, not ourproblem.
So I don't even know why they'retrying to come up with a plan at
all, to be honest.
But, okay.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (39:20):
The bottom line of this article,
which I also love, like thisarticle is a little bit petty
and I like it a lot
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (39:26):
If there was a petty news network
like PNN, you would be the mostavid fan.
Yeah,
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (39:33):
CEO
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (39:33):
would be like, yes.
You would love that.
Yes.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-202 (39:37):
In charge of pettiness.
But it says ultimately the onlyreason egg prices are a matter
of national concern is becauseAmericans want to keep eating
eggs.
Despite the fact that the modernpoultry industry has essentially
remade the animal population onthe planet and been a disaster
for animal welfare, the averageAmerican eats around, guess how
(39:57):
many eggs a year?
How many eggs a year do youthink the average American
needs?
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_1 (40:01):
Mm.
Um, 300.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08- (40:07):
Yeah.
280 eggs a year.
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025 (40:10):
Yeah.
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08 (40:11):
That's so many eggs.
I don't eat that many eggs.
I mean I, I do eat
kms-guest529_1_03-08-202 (40:15):
we're, I'm out in our family.
We all eat eggs every morning,but my neighbor does have
chickens.
So now I'm like, Oh, maybe Ishould just make a little like
neighborhood chicken co op andsee if they're, cause I don't
want chickens.
I don't want to, I have takencare of these chickens.
For my neighbors.
mandy---she-her-_1_03- (40:30):
Chickens are
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_134 (40:31):
I told you what
mandy---she-her-_1_03-08-20 (40:32):
and they're gross animals.
They eat each
kms-guest529_1_03-08-2025_13 (40:34):
Oh my god.
Okay my poor, I adore myneighbors so much.
I'm pretty sure that they loveus too.
But they like, They will neveragain ask me to watch their
chickens because on my watch, somany of their chickens have lost
their lives when I've been askedto take care of them when
they're out of town.
And I feel really terrible aboutthat.
(40:55):
So I there was one Morning.
Have I told you the story aboutthe chickens?
I have so many, but this is one.
So one morning, it was like myresponsibility to take care of
the chickens and this we'reeating breakfast at our house.
And our back door is like allglass all the way down.
Katy (41:12):
So we're eating breakfast and we look in the back door and
we hear this tapping sound.
Look over.
There's a chicken knocking onour back door with its beak.
As in at first it was like, Oh,that's funny.
It's like, I was too early inthe morning for me to register
that there's a chicken knockingat our back door.
And I was like, Oh my God.
So, and then I put two and twotogether.
(41:34):
Like, Oh no, if there's achicken at our back door,
Something has gone terriblywrong with the neighbor's
chicken coop that I amresponsible for right now.
So, I am super panicked and thischicken, I swear to God, came
for help.
Like, Lassie style came to help.
There was a massacre ofchickens.
(41:57):
Next door, this, there had beena storm and like a, the door to
the chicken coop, they have thisreally fabulous chicken coop,
but some predator animal wasable to punch in the window of
the door to the chicken coop,and then had just ransacked the
place it was awful, and thenother chickens had gotten loose
(42:19):
and fled the scene, and so therewere, it was just like, chicken,
Mandy (42:24):
it happens.
This is how the wild animals
Katy (42:27):
my god.
It was awful.
And so then he, this my husbandis like running around trying to
chase these chickens.
We'd put out an APB in theneighborhood for like people to
locate the missing chickens.
And then when I went over there,I noticed like there were
carcasses of chickens, you know?
And so there was one inparticular that I was like, Oh,
(42:47):
we got to clean up and I didn'thave any gloves.
And so I say to my husband, canyou?
Like I had to go do somethingelse.
Could you go grab this chicken?
So he goes next door.
He's there was no carcass.
I don't know what you're talkingabout.
Those fucking chickens that werestill alive, dragged that
carcass of their little cousinin and packed it to nothingness.
(43:11):
Like they, it was like, like achicken skeleton in the corner
and the other chickens were justlike packing away.
It was, I was so horrified.
I felt so terrible.
It was.
Such a mess and I felt reallybad and I Like and my neighbor
like loves her chickens.
They have names They like and Ihad gone into the house to get
(43:32):
some cleaning supplies and I waslike, They're just chickens and
I'll just get them new chicken,like just trying to make it less
traumatic and it was like ahorror movie where I look around
my neighbor's kitchen and Idon't know why I never noticed
this before but it was likeevery corner I turned my head to
look there was chicken art likechicken knickknacks and I was
like oh no no no like you I havemade a terrible mistake.
(43:57):
So all of this is
Mandy (43:59):
Yeah, no.
We don't
Katy (44:00):
I understand why they don't want me taking care of
their chickens anymore.
And this is, it just reinforcedmy desire to not be the person
in charge of chickens.
Okay.
That's
Mandy (44:10):
that, on a scale of
Katy (44:11):
a national scale, right?
Okay.
Yep.
There we go.
Okay.
Mandy (44:16):
chickens.
Okay, so last point on theagriculture stuff that we had
covered.
And then maybe we
Katy (44:23):
we have time for a nominee.
Mandy (44:24):
Maybe you could.
Okay.
Okay.
We can talk about one.
So the other thing we weretalking about with agriculture
was how all of these massdeportations were going to
affect the agricultural industrybecause 40 percent of
agricultural workers areundocumented.
Katy (44:40):
That'll just be Department of Ed people will get those
jobs.
That's right.
Mandy (44:44):
Oh, that's the jobs they should be going to get.
Yep, they're going to go fromworking in the Department of Ed
to picking strawberries.
They'll be fine, I'm sure.
It'll pay comparably too.
There have been stories about,people just not showing up, like
all these farms just don't haveworkers because they're afraid
of ice coming and raiding them,so they're just not coming.
But the thing that's That Trumpis mad about with the
(45:07):
immigration stuff is the newsthat has come out recently that
he is actually deporting Lesspeople since he took office Then
we're being deported on averageunder the last nine months of
Biden's
Katy (45:21):
Yeah.
I don't wanna pretend that likepeople were safe under by that's
not
Mandy (45:25):
No, but it's not the mass.
Like we're going to send all ofthese people out of here within,
days of coming in that heclaimed it was going to be, and
that makes him very upset, he'snot a happy boy about that.
He is arresting more people.
And detaining more people, butit turns out the whole process
of actually deporting them ishard.
(45:47):
Because there are laws, andthere are processes you have to
go through.
And those also involve federalworkers, and judges, and
bureaucracy, and all of thethings that they are trying to
dismantle.
It's not going so well.
The deportations.
I've also seen like a couple ofTikToks and reels that I find
highly entertaining of peoplewho have been deported then
(46:09):
filming themselves coming backinto the country, which is
hysterical.
This one guy was on the beach inMexico saying, Oh, I got
deported.
Here I am.
Like, I'll see you again nextweek America and then he has a
video of himself wrapped in aMexican flag in front of the
Trump the Trump Hotel here inVegas like giving the middle
finger to it and I'm all forthat kind of puttiness as well.
(46:32):
So
Katy (46:32):
Again, you need to launch the Paddy News Network.
I think it would do very well.
That
Mandy (46:37):
I'm gonna talk to Kendrick Lamar
Katy (46:39):
look.
Mandy (46:40):
and he and I
Katy (46:43):
That would be
Mandy (46:43):
get on it.
Katy (46:44):
Yep.
Mandy (46:46):
Yeah.
So that's not going so well.
I don't know.
I have not seen any actual dataon how it is impacting
agriculture at this point or ifit's gotten to the point where
we can see that on the economicside.
But in general, these massdeportations are not happening
the way that good old TrumpsterWanted them to happen.
Katy (47:08):
Hmm.
Mandy (47:10):
that?
Okay.
We do have a couple more peoplethat we're gonna talk about, but
Katy (47:14):
me all about them.
Yes.
Mandy (47:17):
Today and then maybe we can do one more episode where we
can wrap up the rest of them Butlet's do a quick one Trump's
nominee.
Surgeon general is JeanetteNeshewat.
I don't see any news on wherethis nomination is at since he
announced that he was going tonominate her in November or
(47:37):
December, so I have no ideawhere that is and I don't see
anything on an upcoming schedulefor her confirmation but just a
little bit of information onher.
So her background is as a familymedicine doctor.
And she owns a franchise ofUrgent Cares
Katy (47:55):
honestly the fact that she's got professional some
alignment that is light yearsahead of most of these other
nominees so I'll give her that.
Mandy (48:06):
But it's also not lost on me that she's not any sort of
like research or academic
Katy (48:11):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mm
Mandy (48:13):
she's a business doctor.
She owns an Urgent
Katy (48:16):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mandy (48:18):
Also tracks for the kind of person that Trump would
surround himself by.
She was, she came onto thenational scene as a contributor
to Fox News during COVID.
And she, are we shocked?
She was a promoter ofhydroxychloroquine for the
treatment of COVID
Katy (48:38):
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Mandy (48:39):
She is not against vaccines.
She is supportive of vaccines,but she's against mandates on
vaccines.
Katy (48:47):
Right, because vaccines work if we just pick and
Mandy (48:51):
Let people do whatever.
Yeah.
Is anti transgender affirmingcare,
Katy (48:56):
Mm hmm.
Mandy (48:58):
Her sister is married to a Florida congressman named
Michael Walls.
And then her sister also workedas a Homeland Security Advisor
in Trump's first administration.
So there's some family.
Family things going on herebecause that's how we do things.
That's no D.
E.
I.
You must be qualified through
Katy (49:17):
Merit.
Yeah.
Merit, which is synonymous with,are you friends with us somehow,
then you merit
Mandy (49:25):
money that you can give
Katy (49:27):
Right.
Mandy (49:27):
Yeah.
But here's one of the mostinteresting things that I think
is in her background.
And there's not a lot of detailon who knows what actually
happened to this.
It's actually really terrifying.
Horrible.
Story because one of the thingsthe Surgeon General in the past
has been active in is discussionof gun control.
Katy (49:50):
I the only thing I think about Surgeon General is Surgeon
General's warning, smoking isbad for you, or Surgeon General
warning, don't let your kidshave much screen time, like just
general health advisories, andgun safety kinds of things.
Mandy (50:05):
yeah.
So at least in democraticcontrolled administrations,
people have been, pro guncontrol and gun control being
part of public health, whichsome people are like, it has
nothing to do with health.
It shouldn't be.
We shouldn't have a
Katy (50:21):
I wish it didn't,
Mandy (50:23):
Yeah.
Right.
Except for that.
kills people.
So that's pretty integral to ourhealth.
So the interesting thing fromher childhood is that she was
actually involved in anaccidental shooting in her home
as a 13 year old that killed herfather.
Katy (50:39):
my god.
Mandy (50:40):
Yeah.
Katy (50:41):
Oh my god.
Mandy (50:45):
The story, so I tried to look into details of this, like
how did this happen?
And the story that I found wasthat her dad was sleeping in his
room, in some room in the house,and she went to try to get
something out of a box that wason a shelf in that room.
(51:07):
And there was a loaded gun inthat box.
And when she took it from theshelf.
The box fell and the gun wentoff and shot her dad in the head
and he died.
Katy (51:18):
my god.
What?
How?
Mandy (51:23):
the craziest story I've ever heard.
And apparently it's not a storythat she has not told.
She said that is why she decidedshe wanted to get into medicine.
The details are vague on the
Katy (51:35):
But she's anti gun safety?
Mandy (51:38):
She's anti it being part of a public health initiative.
Katy (51:42):
my god.
This is, that's one of thoseexamples where you are hopeful
that reality helps peopleconnect the dots and then you
just know that it does notalways do that.
Oy yoy.
What a
Mandy (51:59):
Isn't that?
Katy (52:00):
Wow.
That's a dark and tragic note toend the episode on.
Mandy (52:05):
It's pretty pretty wild.
I don't know.
Katy (52:09):
Who are we going to learn about next time?
Mandy (52:11):
So we're going to finish up with the ones we have left on
list.
Tulsi
Katy (52:16):
Oh yeah.
Mandy (52:16):
for national intelligence and I think then not a cabinet
position, but Trump's chief ofstaff, Susie
Katy (52:27):
Oh yeah, I am very curious about her.
Okay.
Yeah.
Mandy (52:31):
secretary, Lori Chavez de Rummer.
And then Elise Stefanik for UN.
So
Katy (52:39):
Yeah.
Mandy (52:40):
those are,
Katy (52:40):
let's pack
Mandy (52:41):
The ones
Katy (52:42):
the next
Mandy (52:42):
Yeah.
To the next
Katy (52:43):
And then what I am proposing, like way back before
the presidential election, wehad started to launch a season
looking at the history of likesettler colonialism and just
like the, that the kind of rootsof the United States and white
women's role in that.
And I think.
(53:04):
I want just given everythingthat's happening and given the
agenda of this administrationand the very clear directive
that they're giving statelegislatures, et cetera.
Not that those people need adirective.
I feel like they're verymotivated to do their own
bullshit.
But I really want to look atwhite Christian nationalism and
just the history and the rootsof it and white woman's role in
(53:26):
that.
And so we really do, in order tounderstand that, have to go
back.
We have to go way back.
But I think that is what this isand we have to be able to trace
that back.
So I think that's just going tobe once we get through the
lineup, the closet of women, aswe said this last time we, once
(53:49):
we get through the cabinet andother high level women in
Trump's administration, I thinkwe just.
Get in our Wayback Machine andwe start at the roots of white
Christian nationalism where thisall comes from and the
incredibly important andpowerful role that white women
have played both as agents ofthat and as the justification
(54:10):
for that movement.
So that's what's next.
Mandy (54:13):
That sounds good.
Sounds terrible.
Sounds great.
Katy (54:17):
Oh man.
Good to see you and we'll talksoon.
Thanks for listening, everybody.
Bye.
Mandy (54:23):
See you later.
Okay.
Bye.
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