CLAWS OUT FOR VOTING RIGHTS - LIVE RECORDING!

CLAWS OUT FOR VOTING RIGHTS - LIVE RECORDING!

Welcome to Catty Chats LIVE! The monthly LIVE episode of Cat Ladies for America’s weekly podcast Catty Chats.  This month's Live panel of experts is talking all things voting rights in the wake of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the U.S. Supreme Court this spring.  We discuss the practical on the ground ramifications, some long and shorter term strategies to reverse all the harm that's been done, and how Team Democracy can still WIN in these mid-terms by being on top of the changes and standing up to the tricks they may yet pull this year and beyond. THEN as we'll will with all Catty Chats Live, everyone on the livestream takes a couple quick group actions based on the information and tips from the panelists we've heard from, and vow to take one more action from our "choose your own adventure" list and check in about it before the next CCLive on Sunday, June 28! PANELISTS: DAVANTE LEWIS is a Louisiana Public Service Commissioner - an elected state constitutional office that oversees the state’s independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers. DARA JOHNSON is an Associate Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Maryland.  She supports a range of efforts, including litigating against voting rights attacks, lead the organization’s push to enact the Maryland Voting Rights Act. She is also a verified cat lady. KATE BARR is founder of CAN’T WIN VICTORY FUND, which runs real candidates in serious campaigns for races they’re supposed to lose - often due to extreme, intentional  gerrymandering. When Democrats don’t show up, voters don’t engage, infrastructure disappears, and nothing changes.   Sign up for our Substack to get the notes, links and calls to action from the livestream: https://substack.com/@catladiesforamerica [https://substack.com/@catladiesforamerica] Wanna start or join a chapter? Visit https://catladiesforamerica.com/how-to-get-involved [https://catladiesforamerica.com/how-to-get-involved] CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION RIGHT MEOW! https://www.vote411.org [https://www.vote411.org] OR https://www.rockthevote.org [https://www.rockthevote.org] Other Voting & Election Resources https://www.ACLU-MD.ORG [https://www.aclu-md.org] https://www.CANTWINVICTORYFUND.COM [https://www.cantwinvictoryfund.com] https://www.TINYURL.COM/YallVoteTheSouth [https://www.tinyurl.com/YallVoteTheSouth] https://catladiesforamerica.com [https://catladiesforamerica.com] https://www.aclu.org [https://www.aclu.org] https://www.aclu.org/affiliates [https://www.aclu.org/affiliates] https://www.AllRoadsLeadtotheSouth.com [https://www.AllRoadsLeadtotheSouth.com] https://www.brennancenter.org [https://www.brennancenter.org] https://www.lwv.org [https://www.lwv.org] https://bvmcapacitybuilding.org [https://bvmcapacitybuilding.org] https://naacp.org [https://naacp.org]

THIS SH*T ACTUALLY HAPPENED with FUBAR PAC

This week's guest in the catio is Jack Inicker, founder of FUBAR PAC. Their mission: political messaging & community outreach with no permission, no focus groups, no deference - just effectiveness. The Core Problems: * Democratic politics stuck in outdated strategies. * Repetition of the same mistakes despite clear evidence they don’t work. * Grassroots energy is often co-opted or sidelined. * And also, they're not as funny as Jack.   His short videos explainer series including "Hello" and headline summary series "This SH*T Actually Happened" don't scream at our current political insanity and gaslighting, but instead calmly recount exactly what is said and done so it can stand in sharp relief to our normal mundane lives. Without all the background noise, the ridiculousness clearly and easily reveals itself as the insanity it is. The FUBAR Approach: - Operate outside traditional party structures. - Use attention as a weapon: bold stunts, aggressive digital content, simple messaging. - Focus on outcomes, not approval. OH, and go heavy on the eyeliner if you're playing the role of JD Vance.  (And YES we do have a make up lesson at the end)

REV. STAR TREK RUNS FOR SENATE

This week on the podcast, Blaire sits down with Reverend Stephen Tillett, Democratic candidate for Maryland State Senate in District 32, pastor, Air Force veteran, former NAACP leader, and possibly the only politician willing to discuss public policy, Star Trek, and cottage homes in the same conversation.  Pastor T talks about growing up in Washington, DC, serving congregations across Maryland for decades, and why he says this political moment calls for people focused on service, not climbing the career ladder in Annapolis. The conversation dives into skyrocketing utility bills, housing affordability, tiny homes, healthcare access, corporate influence in politics, and why “policy is a choice.”  Blaire and Pastor T also get into Maryland redistricting fights, political courage (or the noticeable lack of it), ICE and immigration policy, environmental concerns around data centers, the criminal legal system, and why poverty in America can feel like “quicksand.” There’s also an unexpectedly passionate discussion about shower niches, luxury apartments nobody can afford, and the fact that poor people are often working harder than everybody else.  The episode closes with Pastor T’s call to “resist, rebel, and rebuild,” plus the now sacred Cat Ladies for America tradition: “Claws out. Meow.” And yes, he actually did the meow.  Find Pastor T’s campaign at FriendsOfStephenTillett.com. Links to activism resources, representatives, and ways to get involved are in our bio.

HOW TO GET EJECTED IN 3 MINUTES with TAJ SMITH

This week's guest is TAJ SMITH, the president of the Washington County Maryland NAACP Chapter. https://www.instagram.com/washconaacp7030b/ On March 17, 2026, Taj was kicked out of the Washington County Board of County Commissioners' legally required public comment meeting because she had the nerve to mention the infrastructure impact and lack of tax revenue caused by ICE/DHS buying an enormous warehouse to use as a detention center is going to have ripple effects across the budget of the community. Click for audio and video from that day: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV_uuq... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbFdxeFN5blhLYXU1alVJNVA3ajVzRDBZamM2UXxBQ3Jtc0tsakhjZExfUFgzRzlmUHdvTl9hdl9YQUxQR21QOXF6c3N2TkRHZUx1T3JIZE1DRkNPNjF2cHZhN1Q2NHAyOHRlNTV3dW5rLVZMYjJaMm9Ic1lwLWJ3eWlKZFhmWXFUU0JzNWRXc0dqZzlPT2pkZ0xpZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FDV_uuqxEWXg%2F%3Futm_source%3Dig_web_copy_link%26igsh%3DMzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D&v=Vgs00-K53-0] In February the same BOCC passed a unanimous "we think ICE and detention centers rock!" statement, after weeks earlier it was discovered that the country had made a glide path for DHS/ICE to buy the detention center despite a lack of legally required impact tests on local water, sewage, roadway and other infrastructure and more.  The community does not share the enthusiasm of the BOCC for ICE, which may be why they've been quite secretive about how this deal came to pass, their role in facilitating it, why certain laws weren't abiding by and more. Taj is now running as an Independent candidate for the Washington County Board of County Commissioners to bring more transparency and focus on the citizens to her home.  https://washco4tajsmith.com/meet-taj-smith REMEMBER TO LIKE! SHARE! LEAVE A NICE REVIEW! Follow us on socials at @catladiesforamerica & go to www.catladiesforamerica.com to start or join a local chapter, join our monthly CATTY CHAT LIVE! episodes, sign up for the next CATLADYPALOOZA on Sept. 13, 2026 and more! (it's all FREE!!!)

CATLADYPALOOZA! LIVE!

🚨THIS IS NOT A DRILL ‼️ They want us scared, powerless and alone. Too bad — we’ve got cats. Cat Ladies for America fur-vently invites you to our virtual 2026 learning, lean-in and scratch back virtual event: CATLADYPALOOZA! LIVE on YouTube — Sunday, April 19 7p, National Cat Lady Day. We’re activating cat ladies, cat daddies, cat folks & un-catted allies around the country so they’re ready to both take care of each other now, and come out scratching into the midterms with an event separated into four equal parts: 1st Amendment, Due Process & voting rights training (LEGAL) mutual aid education & community organizing (ACTION) protecting each other under the DHS (ICE) using comedy, art and absurdity as resistance (CATTINESS) Confirmed participants include: Amanda McGonigal - founder of Cats On a Couch social media  @catsonacouch [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC_hrellqZZxkgHmvHoQUUlw] Eliza Orlins: NYC Public Defender, legal content creator, “Survivor,” “Greatest Race” alum (Legal)  @eorlins [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCM8NXaprjxUonj-phITMdjw] Robby Roadsteamer: musical comedy activist  @robbyroadsteamer [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCBixP5I_c96LX1N4jvyV04Q] Dara Jones: lawyer, Maryland ACLU  @ACLUMaryland [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC-Qdy1QvQOhU8WJeV-6F-vg] Anne, Smitten Kitten MN: Minneapolis adult store and mass mutual aid & other action hub during ICE occupation (& for years prior) (ACTION)  @smittenkittenmn [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCjZNwKeSikCVVLoCej49mCg] Bre Gurosko: Co-Founder Project Saltbox (ICE) Mohini Tangri: Civil & Immigrant Rights Attorney, legal content creator/activist (Legal) Eva Chavez Lopez: First Mexican American elected to Salt Lake City Council, progressive candidate for U.S. House of Representatives (ICE) Zachary Mallory: Award Winning advocate for mental health and suicide prevention; founder of Rise Above Justice Movement. (ACTION)  @RiseAboveJusticeMovement [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCe3a-8u46oSToG0H-NfFVug] GriefCat: Musical comedy duo (Cattiness)  @griefcat [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCR52EsOXMQViURRS1JXlz1Q] Comrade Tripp: Minneapolis comedian, host of The Performative Mayor Pageant (Cattiness)  @comradetrippcomedy [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCRHqdyUyjAYfnMoQ6aLkhYw]  Gemma Smith: Our Hiss-tress of Cere-meow-nies, creator of NYC Cat-baret Variety Show (Host)