CATTY CHATS LIVE!

We were so excited to welcome Angie Nixon Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Abiola Agoro, Matt Gordon & Sara Wiles to a special edition Cat Ladies for America’s weekly “Catty Chats” livestream: “CLAWS OUT FOR ANGIE NIXON”.

These days immediately before the election are feeling fraught with more than just the standard election jitters about who will win or lose certain races. It feels like more is on the line -- our democracy, even. And the administration appears willing to do just about anything to keep control of the House and Senate.

If we want candidates like Angie Nixon, who aren't working for billionaires and special interests, but for voters, please consider donating as little as $5 to her campaign through our grassroots fundraising campaign. All donations go directly to Angie's campaign: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/clawsoutforangie

And fun fact: while Sen. Van Hollen long ago endorsed Angie and has vocally supported her throughout her campaign, this was his first appearance with Angie Nixon since she became the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate from Florida!

We learned about what’s happening on the ground in Florida and elsewhere, the issues hitting Floridians & all Americans hardest right now, what we can do to start to fix them even with Trump still in office if Dems take back the Senate, what to watch for around attempts of the administration to meddle in the election, and what will get worse if we DON’T get the Senate back.

Thank you Stacy💫🧿♓️, CatLadyCori.CLFA, Nancy Louise Knapp, catlady4politics, Margaret M. (Flint) Weir, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

What do you do when government officials lie to their constituents?

You dig deep to the bottom of the box and expose them.

In New Jersey, ICE wasn’t supposed to be detaining people at a vacant warehouse in Roxbury – by court order. But when two activists with Morris ICE Rapid Response saw increased activity at the warehouse, they sprang into action, collecting photos and video. Thanks to the activists’ work, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office began looking into the report that a person detained by ICE on Sept. 4 was held at the Roxbury warehouse before being transferred elsewhere.

Hagerstown Rapid Response in Maryland has been reporting on the lies told by members of the Washington County Commissioners for months, first about a proposed 1,500-bed ICE detention center near Williamsport. Now, they’re exposing collusion (and a sketchy non-disclosure agreement) between the commission and a data center developer. What has the commission told the public about the detention center and data centers? Not much.

Activists from both organizations joined us this Sunday, Oct. 18, on Catty Chats Live to update us on the fight where they live and to inspire us to speak up and claw back in our own hometowns. Watch Catty Chats Live every Sunday at 7p eastern on Substack, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram and Facebook, catch the reply on those platforms or audio version wherever you get podcasts.

NEXT WEEK: CLAWS OUT FOR ANGIE NIXON!

Our virtual, LIVE rally begins at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST on Sunday, Oct. 25 on YouTube, Substack, and Instagram. Angie and CLFA Founder Blaire Postman will be joined by special guests including Sara Wiles, The Conscious Lee, and more!

The rally is the culmination of our month-long fundraiser to support Angie’s people-powered campaign in these last critical weeks before the midterm elections. Learn more at https://catladiesforamerica.com/claws-out-for-angie, and donate to Angie’s campaign at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/clawsoutforangie.

For reminders and more information, sign up on Mobilize. Bring your whole clowder!

ANGIE NIXON RSVP

Join Cat Ladies for America and Claw Back!

Cat Ladies for America is a network of cat ladies and their allies across the country. Through in-person and virtual chapters, individual actions, on-the-ground reporting, and livestreamed interviews with people trying to make things suck less, CLFA is connecting people (and their cats) and giving them the tools to make a difference in their communities. Because “Cat Lady” is a state of mind, our clowder includes cat ladies, cat daddies, cat folks and our un-catted allies who vibe with us.

Cat ladies can’t run on rage, catnip, and caffeine alone! Your subscription helps pay for the tools that our volunteers use to claw back.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE AND SHARE! Claws Out!

JANAI NORMAN USED TO DO THE NEWS. NOW SHE REPORTS UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS.

Ears Up. Claws Out. It's time for another CATTY CHATS LIVE, where we talk to people trying to make things suck less.  

If you like our weekly catty chats, please like, review and follow the pod here!

If you’re like us, you’re a media cat who takes in a lot of media from mainstream and independent sources. But can you read between the lines?

Every week on Catty Chats Live, we talk to people trying to make things suck less. Janai Norman does that by teaching us how choices about the words, facts, or framing are used to tell a story change how you understand it – and even what you believe.

Janai spent more than 15 years with ABC, many of them as an anchor on Good Morning America Weekend. Now, she’s using her social media platform to educate us all in media literacy, lifting the curtain on the ways the news is written and reported.

In her series “Facts & Uncomfortable Truths,” Janai shows viewers how to look for story framing, word choices, questions asked (and unasked), and more. She outlines how spotting these uncomfortable truths can help media consumers figure out patterns, giving them the tools to evaluate the media they watch and read.

Janai also uses her platform to highlight mental health, especially among Black women. In January, her memoir, “Breaking: News, Barriers, Stigmas” will be published, telling the story of her media career, the mental health episode that changed her life forever, and how she began to live in a way that honors her whole self.

We can’t wait to talk to Janai this Sunday, Oct. 11, on Catty Chats Live. Bring your questions and join us at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST on YouTube, Substack, and Facebook! Sign up on Mobilize for all the details and to get a reminder.

Learn more about Janai at her website, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

________

Join Cat Ladies for America and Claw Back!

Cat Ladies for America is a network of cat ladies and their allies across the country. Through in-person and virtual chapters, individual actions, on-the-ground reporting and livestreamed interviews with people trying to make things suck less, CLFA is connecting people (and their cats) and giving them the tools to make a difference in their communities. Because “Cat Lady” is a state of mind, our clowder includes cat ladies, cat daddies, cat folks and our un-catted allies who vibe with us.

SUPPORT our reporting, interviews, live events and local chapter & national activism by donating on our website  - https://www.catladiesforamerica.com - becoming a paid subscriber to our Substack, or purrr-chasing some of our merch at https://store.catladiesforamerica.com/

THANKS FOR BEING HERE! Please like, share and leave a comment! It helps us grow and get out the messages from people workingto make things suck less more than you know!
_____________________________________________
Author Lu Chekowsky was once haunted by couches.

You know how it goes: You’re considering buying a new sofa, so you poke around online to see what’s out there.

Then, like a JD Vance fever dream, couches are everywhere when you go online. Each ad shows you a new style, a new color, a new furniture store.

Annoying, right? Lu says this is all part of advertisers’ plan.

As a former creative director for Facebook, Comedy Central, and MTV, Lu knows how this works. In fact, she throws back the curtain on modern advertising practices in her new memoir, “Don’t Buy What I’m Selling: On Breaking Up with Advertising and Finally Learning to Love My Whole, Fat Self.”

We spoke to Lu on Sunday, Oct. 4, when she joined Cat Ladies for America on Catty Chats Live to dish about her book, the “toxic nature of advertising” (her words), and learning to love the body she lives in.

We spoke to Lu about how she ignored the little voice in her head during her advertising career, why she decided to leave it all behind, and what the rest of us can do to scratch back against the onslaught of ads we see everywhere, everyday.

You’ll probably find a little bit of yourself, too.

Follow Lu online: Website | Instagram | TikTok

You can also find this episode of CATTY CHATS LIVE on YouTube and all audio pod platforms include Apple podcasts.

Join Cat Ladies for America and Claw Back!

Cat Ladies for America is a network of cat ladies and their allies across the country. Through in-person and virtual chapters, individual actions, on-the-ground reporting and livestreamed interviews with people trying to make things suck less, CLFA is connecting people (and their cats) and giving them the tools to make a difference in their communities. Because “Cat Lady” is a state of mind, our clowder includes cat ladies, cat daddies, cat folks and our un-catted allies who vibe with us. Get involved today!

HEY GRITTY KITTIES! Welcome to Catty Chats Live!  The weekly livestream and podcast where we talk to people who are working to make things suck less.

Today we are talking to three more candidates ahead of the 2026 mid term elections:

Cat Ladies for America is an all volunteer grassroots organization, but our reporting, events and activism still incur bills.  

You can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to our Substack, or buying some of our purr-fect merch!

SPECIAL EVENT ALERT! We’re spearheading a month-long online fundraiser with some of the your favorite creators, new media journalists, and notables for Angie Nixon (CLICK HERE TO DONATE) in partnership with her campaign called CLAWS OUT FOR ANGIE, culminating in a FREE livestream rally with the woman herself and some exciting friends on SUNDAY, Oct. 25 - click here to RSVP!

You can find more info and links at our website CATLADIESFORAMERICA.COM

CLAWS OUT!

Ash Esposito

Ashley "Ash" Esposito is the proud mother of a City Schools student and a Southwest Baltimore resident. Ash's primary focus is on children who fall through the cracks of the educational system, specifically those with high dropout rates or low graduation rates. 

Having had personal experience in the foster care system, learning disabilities, and a challenging education experience, Ash deeply understands the need for early intervention and addressing barriers to participation in the classroom. She is also very committed to civic engagement, vocational educational opportunities, pathways to tech, accessible arts education, and building community trust.   

Esposito holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Software Development and Security and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Professionally, Ash is a nonprofit leader and a multidisciplinary artist. She is a steering committee member for Local Progress, a member of the Education/Social Workforce Development Committee for the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, a School Board Partner Fellow, and an Ashé Leaders Fellow with Big Picture Learning, advocating for equitable education systems.

Follow Ash Esposito: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Tim Hayes

Tim Hayes has been serving the people of his native Bucks County, Pennsylvania, since he was a teenager, enlisting in the PA National Guard at 17. In 2019, at 21, he was elected to the Dublin Borough Council, the youngest elected official in the county at the time. The once solidly Republican board flipped to a Democratic majority, and in 2023, he was elected president of the council.

Now, Tim is running to be the PA state representative for District 143, which covers the upper part of Bucks County. His work as state policy manager for an environmental advocacy group has given him experience in the way the state capitol works. His campaign is focusing on affordability, conservation, public safety, access to healthcare, and raising the minimum wage.

Follow Tim Hayes: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Claiborne Linvill

The 3rd House District in South Carolina represents the area of the state that includes Clemson, and Claiborne Linvill has lived and worked in that area for more than 20 years. She is currently in the last year of a four-year term on the Pickens County Council; she was elected in 2022, the second woman ever elected to the council.

Claiborne is a mom and communications and marketing professional who has focused her time on the county council on family issues like access to childcare, smart development planning, supporting libraries, expanding recreation funding, and more. In her run for state office, Claiborne is focusing on affordability, education, and fixing local infrastructure. Her political philosophy is simple: She went into elected office to make people’s lives better. She believes that culture wars distract and divide people and that elected officials should be productive in their activities, not performative.

Follow Claiborne Linvill: Website | Facebook | Instagram

CATLADYPALOOZA TWOO-ZA: ASSES KICKED, NAMES TAKEN 

Voting Rights Experts, Activists in the Business of Resistance & First Amendment Fighters have us ready to scratch back at the mid-terms.

We’re less than 50 days from the midterm elections. How ya feeling, gritty kitties?

We got a dose of inspiration and a swift kick in the ass this week at our second CatLadyPalooza event. Our a-meow-zing panelists wowed us with their knowledge and passion for democracy, voting rights, and the First Amendment.

We talked to LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter Fund (and so much more!) Jacqueline De León of the Native American Rights Fund about how efforts to restrict voting affect the Black and Native American communities. LaTosha even graced us with a few bars of a song.

Then, our fierce business owners shared how they resist fascism and hate with their storefronts. Musician Gwen Levey, Trevor Silva of My Cluck Hut soaps, Yesenia Prieto of Piñata Design Studio, and Marique Moss of Mashkiki Studios made us laugh and cry.

Finally, The Washington Post’s Karen Attiah, independent journalist and lawyer Katie Phang, Cats on a Couch’s Amanda McGonigle, and Under the Desk News’ V Spehar discussed threats to the First Amendment and how they are fighting back every day. (Lawsuits, anyone?)

We’re feeling inspired and ready to get to work for the next 50 days – and beyond.  Here are key links and handles so you can follow them AND follow up on their advice!

Follow our panelists to help keep it going and support the good guys!

Karen Attiah

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenattiah/

Substack: https://karenattiah.substack.com

Artemis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artemisthebirman/

LaTosha Brown and Black Voters Matter Fund

Black Voters Matter Fund on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackvotersmtr/

LaTosha Brown on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mslatoshabrown

Black Voters Matter Fund Website: https://blackvotersmatterfund.org

Jacqueline De León and Native American Rights Fund

Native American Rights Fund Website: https://vote.narf.org

NARF on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativeamericanrightsfund/

Gwen Levey

Website: https://www.gwenleveyandthebreakdown.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwenleveymusic/

Rise Above Justice Movement on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riseabovejusticemovement/

Amanda McGonigle and Cats on a Couch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsonacouch_/

Marique Moss and Mashkiki Studios

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeycombhidatsa_/

Mashkiki Studios Website: https://www.mashkikistudios.co

Katie Phang

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiephang/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiephangnews

Yesenia Prieto and Piñata Design Studio

Piñata Design Studio Website: https://www.pinatadesignstudio.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinata.design.studio

Trevor Silva and My Cluck Hut

My Cluck Hut Website: https://mycluckhut.com

My Cluck Hut on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycluckhut/

Gemma Smith

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gemmasmithnyc/

Catbaret on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catbaretshow/

V Spehar and Under the Desk News

Website: https://underthedesknews.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underthedesknews/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@underthedesknews

Important Cat Ladies for America Links

• Website: https://catladiesforamerica.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatLadiesforAmerica
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catladiesforamerica
• Catty Chats Podcast/Vodcast: https://catladiesforamerica.com/catty-chats-vod-%26-podcast
• Our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CatLadiesForAmerica
• Our Substack: https://catladiesforamerica.substack.com
• Sign up for the Action Cat mailing list: https://catladiesforamerica.com/how-to-get-involved
• Learn more about getting involved in Cat Ladies for America: https://catladiesforamerica.com/how-to-get-involved
• Support our work with a donation: https://catladiesforamerica.com/catladypalooza
• Shop Cat Ladies for America and CatLadyPalooza merch! https://store.catladiesforamerica.com

Support Kilkenny Cat Art, the artist who designed our CatLadyPalooza logo!

• Kilkenny Cat Art Website: https://kilkennycat.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Kilkennycat_art/

Check Your Voter Registration

And find out where and when to vote in your district.

In this special episode, we'll get the first hand account of Tatiana from Indivisible Frederick Forward about the 36+ hour siege of a small corner of a neighborhood of Frederick Maryland.  

We discuss why they may have selected this unassuming corner of the state to try out new tactics that resulted in zero arrests due to their lack of judicial warrant and the commitment of neighborhood observers, and the over the top and pointless violence against citizens carrying nothing but cell phones.  As well as what next steps for accountability of elected officials might be this November.

HEY Gritty Kitties! Welcome to another episode of "Catty Chats" where we talk to people trying to make things suck less in new and interesting ways.

In this episode, we've got another Catty Chats LIVE featuring candidates running for the US House of representatives around the country
who we need to support so we can bring back accountability and a government that works for the people.

Tessa Lynn Hodge is running to represent California's 23rd House District in the US Congress,
and Teresa Benitez Thompson is running to represent Nevada's 2nd House District in the US Congress.

Now there were a couple of things that we didn't know ahead of time that they have in common. First they are both social workers. And second,
they are both cat ladies!

Our next Catty Chats live featuring candidates will be August 30th: REGISTER FOR FREE HERE?

And CATLADYPALOOZA number twoo-za is coming at you Sunday, September 13th with such an amazing lineup!

• independent journalist and attorney, Katie Phang
• La Tosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter
• V Sephar of Under the Desk News
• Amanda McGonigle of Cats on the Couch
• Trevor Silva of My Cluck Hut
• Gwen Levey award winning country music artist & co-founder of Rise Above Justice Movement
  ... and so much more fun stuff

Go to CATLADYPALOOZA.COM to sign up - it is free free to sign up and join us! But you have to register in advance and get that link.

Please like and share this episode as well as the social media clips so we can help promote these two amazing women
working to flip red seats in the US House of representatives and bring back a little sanity.

CLAWS OUT!

Welcome to another episode of Catty Chats where we talk to people making things suck less in new and interesting ways.

We are still on a brief summer hiatus as we reconfigure and relaunch for Season Two. We've got a lot of exciting things coming up

and really interesting guests.

But while we are on this reorganization track (and frankly

a little bit of a vacation) we are still gonna have some special catty chat extras like this chat with  ⁨@AnaliliaForNJ⁩ (Re. Analilia Mejia).

This shorter interview took place while we were out in Detroit campaigning for Abdul El-Sayed embedding in that campaign.

We have a lot of fun with our "9 vibes" questions (and a cameo from  ⁨@repsummerlee⁩ !)

But we also talked to her about Delaney Hall all the civil rights violations human rights violations and just horrific conditions there, and how it might be stopped.

HOWEVER, this interview took few days before three people died in a week at Delaney Hall, which is why we don't explicitly discuss those sad and pointless losses of life here.

CLAWS OUT.

Hey Gritty Kitties. Welcome to another episode of Catty Chats

My name is Blaire Postman, founder of Cat Ladies for America and your host.

We are gonna do a short little special episode of Catty Chats. We are on a bit of a summer hiatus as we get ready for season 2.

We're booking guests we're working on new formats. We're gonna have a lot of exciting new twists for when we come back in mid to late August with full episodes every week but we're also on the road a bit this campaign season.

And this episode is a short interview that I got to have with Abdul El-Sayed who is running for the democratic nomination for the US Senate from Michigan.

As well as some of the comments that he made at a rally that I was able to attend when I was visiting back in July

Now this rally had all kinds of folks: It had AOC. It had Bernie Sanders. It had the president of the UAW, Shawn Fain. It had all kinds of folks there supporting him

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And what I really noticed was just how practical everything that they were talking about that they were supporting to me.

And how strange it was that from the outside when I would see critics or hear critics of Abdul El-Sayed so often they were calling him dangerous which didn't make any sense to me because as someone who has health insurance from my day job it still has gotten so much worse.

It sort of sucks. And I'm lucky enough to have it. So Medicare for all doesn't seem crazy

The idea that we want accountability for ICE and for the Department of Defense, and explaining where they are spending their billions of dollars when they are cutting aid for food and security when they are cutting aid for all sorts of benefit programs that help people who are trying to get on their feet and stay there it just seemed really practical to me

And I look at my own senator Senator Chris Van Hollen and he and Abdul El-Sayed seem to agree on all kinds of things.

They agree on eradicating ice and doing immigration in a different way.

They agree on accountability for the people who are in power and where they are spending our tax dollars.

They agree that the enrichment of the current members of the administration and their families seeming to make deals for themselves at the expense of the US government all that is wrong that we should have basic freedoms and support the First Amendment.

I don't hear people regularly calling Chris Van Hollen a radical or dangerous in the mainstream media.

And so I guess I don't understand what makes Abdul El-Sayed radical or dangerous if Chris Van Hollen is not also considered radical or dangerous.

We're also going to be going out there for election night. So we'll have a dispatch from there as well as some other possible races

Make sure you tune in on August 9th. We'll still be having our CATTY CHATS LIVE! with two candidates and sergeant candidates who are trying to flip red seats in different states across the country.

If you missed our first one from back in July you can find that on YouTube Substack and wherever get your audio podcasts.

And of course RSVP for CATLADYPALOOZA number Twoo-za Sunday, September 13th 7pm eastern.

We're gonna be focusing on the First Amendment ice and of course voting rights voting rights voting rights voting voting voting for the midterms with some amazing speakers that we're gonna be announcing starting this week.

So you can go to our website and find all of that information.

And in the meantime enjoy this interview with Abdul El-Sayed!

And check your voter registration everybody! Claws out - meow!