FREE DC!

FREE DC!

Hey, Gritty Kitties! Welcome to another episode of "Catty Chats" Today we are talking to Oye Owolewa who is running for a DC City Council at large seat. He first came to my attention because he was doing a lot of work protesting the new ICE headquarters that is slated to be constructed in the 8th Ward of Washington DC. The people of DC has been going through a lot of their own special struggles because they have fewer rights than other states, counties, or cities because they do not have voting representation in Congress which is connected to a myriad of other ways they are not allow to make their own decisions and control their own destiny. Just one example: The President of the United Statesis the head of the National Guard of Washington DC and you can remember perhaps how that is a problem when you have things that happen like say January 6th. We get into many of the nooks and crannies of how dangerous it is for ALL of us that the people of DC are singled out to have taxation without representation, despite states with smaller populations having at least one congressperson and two Senators - and that's the just the tip of the iceberg. Learn more about this pharmacist turned first Nigerian American elected to Federal Office and fighter for DC sovereignty & safety at https://www.vote4oye.com/ CLAWS OUT!

DELANEY HALL: IS ICE MOVING AMERICANS LEFT?

Hey gritty kitties - welcome to Catty Chats. We talk to people working to make things suck less in new and interesting ways. In this episode we're talking to Cori Herbig of Project Ninja and Morris County Rapid Response which are anti ice organizations in New Jersey. This episode was taped on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 - after the intense events of Memorial Day Weekend but before other developments. She's been on the ground with those groups and as an individual regularly including against the would be detention center in Roxbury New Jersey, and also outside Delaney Hall for weeks and months before things sort of boiled over around Memorial Day weekend. She has also worked closely with the immigrant rights organizations that are the core of the protest there including those who are working directly with the immigrant detainees. She brings a lot of behind the scenes knowledge and information from being on the ground outside Delaney at key moments even well before most of the people who were reporting on the situation there showed up. We get into the "main characters" who stepped up, who was a great disappointment and debunk lies so you know what's really been happening on the ground and how this is still a developing story. She's ALSO a pizza bagel Jersey girl cat lady like myself so she's also my new best friend whether she wants to be or not naturally sorry not sorry. There's heavy information in this episode but also I swear to god we laugh a lot it's really important to listen for both those reasons key here is to follow and support with donations if you can the organizations that she talks about.regularly throughout this episode. https://www.instagram.com/cosechanj [https://www.instagram.com/cosechanj] https://givebutter.com/commissaryfund [https://givebutter.com/commissaryfund] https://food4nj.org/ [https://food4nj.org/] https://givebutter.com/GroceryCards [https://givebutter.com/GroceryCards] https://www.instagram.com/paxchristinj/ [https://www.instagram.com/paxchristinj/]

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.