Kalere Payton visits the cafe from Iceland to tell a tale of racial trauma and healing.

Payton speaks to what her mother's story has to teach about perseverance, about what it means to be an ally and to use whatever privilege you have to address injustice.

She talks about raising children who will stand in the gap, particularly in a time when there is so much hurt in the world.

Visit https://www.thefaithofthedreamerfilm.com for more information about the documentary directed by Payton's brother Khary Payton. Follow @thefaithofthedreamer for news about when it will be available to screen.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

Rachel made a new friend at the inaugural Crooken Con. Christian Ortega dives into what it was like to attend.

The conversation ranges from Obama's surprise appearance and feeling startstruck by the speakers and panelists; to billionaires; AI; corporate overlords; notable points made by conference speakers such as Simone Snaders Townsend, Hasan Piker, and Lina Khan; and what it's like to feel seen.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

Andrea Miller and Judith Bolker from the Center for Common Ground give an on-the-ground picture of working to educate and empower voters of color in voter suprpession states.

Based in Virginia, Andrea talks ensuring that t information reaches people whose circumstances don't give them access, and that people understand why voting makes a difference.

Based in the U.K,, Judith talks about Andrea's inspirational leadership, and shares some concrete examples. Andrea offers a poignant reason for why it doesn't matter where in the world your phonebanking call comes from.

F ind the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

Photographer and videographer Liana Miuccio (https://www.lianamiuccio.com/) talks about practicing art as activism, and describes some of her projects focusing on migration, identity, and memory.

She speaks about her family's history in Rome, Sicily, and New York, and her distress at shifts in immigration policies.

The conversation touches on the photographs everyone has on their phones standing in as video diaries, and how the phone camera is an important tool for activism.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

Erica Gibson and David Morse, chair and vice chair of Democrats Abroad Norway talk about their new radio show, U.S. Politics in Plain English.

https://www.drammenunlimitedradio.com/

They share tales about the world's shittiest secretary, Mary Lou Retton's father-in-law, the contrast between Lincoln's oratory and Trump's, how David Morse contributed to Biden's decision not to run for a second term (https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/07/14/an-arrogant-old-man-wont-stop-joe-biden-must-learn-jack-javits-lesson-and-step-away/), and their "Do Something" campaign.

Tips for dealing with fruit flies, and a selection of songs to pair with talking about American politics.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

When Stewart Johnson staged a one-man No Kings Day protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Estonia, his image went viral.

Stewart tells the story, and paints a picture of the country he's fallen in love with.

He also discusses government by oligarchs, the Singing Revolution, humor as an educational tool, and spins tales of being the first person to ever do stand-up comedy in a country.

The creator of Estonia's first cancer comedy and first movie in English ("The Chuck Band Show"), Stewart is also the author of the book Tales from Estonia.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

Robin Roberts (https://www.yourtherapistabroad.com/) shares insights from her ten years of practice as an American therapist living abroad.

Noting an increase in anxiety and depression among her clients, she discusses how to deal with the consequences of living in these challenging times, how to draw boundaries, and deal with family you don't agree with--or family you do agree with but who live far away.

With a little discussion of Canadian Thanksgiving, typical Amsterdam fare, and Dutch culture.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

What do you need to know when you cross the border into the U.S.?

Attorney Natasha Esponda answers many of the questions that are on the minds of Americans living outside the country--about where searches and seizures can take place, when warrants are required, where your phone can and cannot be searched, and the rights of non-citizen family members.

With nods to a favorite criminal procedures professor and the ACLU, and to joy as an act of resistance.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

Pulitzer prize--winning biographer and historian T.J. Stiles offers his view of where we are now, as he speaks about the dismantling of institutions, what a post-Trump world might look like, the daunting fiscal challenges ahead, the factors that lead to violence, and on what might happen rather than Civil War.

Plus a brief rant against the fool who stepped on the butterfly and sent us into this timeline.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.

The guest in the Café is Benjamin Gorman, publisher at Not a Pipe Publishing, and author of Dear America, a Break-up Letter.

Benjamin relates the dramatic story of his family's flight from the U.S. in the wake of Donald Trump's 2024 electoral victory, describes the craziness of some of the hatred directed at him and Not a Pipe, discusses the messaging received by young cis white men, and outlines how fascists exploit anger within the electorate, and why they never make people's lives better.

Find the full audio library of Blue Vote Café episodes at http://bluevotecafe.com.

Register and request your ballot every year at votefromabroad.org.