Just Politics

This week on Just Politics, host Joan Neal returns to the interview chair for something that is becoming less and less common: an honest political conversation with someone who has strongly different views. Joan interviews prominent political figure and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who currently serves as an MSNBC political analyst.

This episode highlights the diversity within the Catholic world on political issues: Both Neal and Steele are Black Catholics with similar backgrounds who have nevertheless arrived at vastly different perspectives on government, economics, and Catholic social teaching.

Steele shares his personal journey navigating the often tumultuous landscape, where belief systems and political ideologies collide, and explains how his Catholic faith has shaped his political career, influenced his decisions, and guided him through challenges.

Despite stark differences, both engage in constructive dialogue, demonstrating that meaningful conversation across political divides remains possible. As Joan notes, "We will never move forward on our vision of establishing a more perfect union until we can move past this extreme division."

Join us for this insightful conversation that explores the power of conviction and the role of faith in shaping political landscapes, offering practical wisdom for navigating our polarized moment.

LINKS:

https://networklobby.org/economy-for-all-agenda/

This week on Just Politics, Giovana Oaxaca, the senior government relations advocate for immigration with NETWORK, joins hosts Colin and Eilis to discuss the escalating immigration crisis facing communities nationwide.

This episode was recorded in the immediate aftermath of the budget reconciliation bill's passage, which Oaxaca calls a "deportation bill," one that will also decimate the social safety net programs many people rely on.

The conversation tackles harsh realities, from detention camps in the Florida Everglades to terrorizing enforcement raids in Los Angeles. But Oaxaca also highlights stories of hope: organizers building solidarity in unlikely places, pastors providing sanctuary, and transformative conversations across political divides.

Inspired by Pope Leo XIV's call to be "leaven of unity in a fractured world," Oaxaca challenges us to move beyond fear toward authentic engagement, emphasizing finding common ground through shared values of human dignity.

LINKS:

https://networklobby.org/issues/immigration/

https://networklobby.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/An-Economy-for-All-One-pager.pdf

This week on Just Politics, Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould—political director at Faith in Action—joins us to talk about her journey from corporate America to the front lines of faith-based justice work.

Rooted in her family's legacy of civil rights activism, Gould reflects on how her childhood in Alabama and Missouri shaped her understanding of racial injustice, poverty, and power. She shares how her experience in finance led her to see the devastating impact of deregulation and predatory lending on working-class communities and why she couldn't stay silent.

In this conversation, she challenges faith leaders to "come off mute" and speak truth to power, moving beyond charity to working for real structural change. The hosts and Gould talk about grassroots organizing, how policy decisions affect people's daily lives, and what it means to build spiritual practices that sustain long-term activism. The discussion concludes with a call to action for individuals disrupt the silence surrounding social injustices.

LINKS:

https://faithinaction.org/

https://www.networkadvocates.org/#!

This week on Just Politics, the hosts revisit a powerful conversation from last season that feels more urgent than ever. Kristen Whitney Daniels—a disability advocate, diabetes educator, and associate director of the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph—joins us to talk about the moral and social consequences of stripping people of access to health care.

As budget negotiations in Washington put Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act on the chopping block, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that, by 2034, millions of people across the country risk losing the coverage that keeps them and their families secure. In this episode, Whitney Daniels shares her personal experience navigating a complicated health care system with chronic illness and reflects on why Catholics and other people of faith must demand a system rooted in dignity, justice, and the common good.

LINKS:

Report on how many people risk losing their health insurance under the budget reconciliation bill: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/06/29/congressional-budget-office-confirms-senate-republican-reconciliation-bills-medicaid-cuts-are-more-draconian-than-the-house-passed-bill/

More on Kristen Whitney Daniels: https://cssjfed.org/about-us/staff-and-leadership/

NETWORK's issue page on health care advocacy: https://www.networkadvocates.org/issues/health-care/

This episode of Just Politics sounds a little different—and that's the point.

Rather than diving into our usual policy discussion, hosts Colin and Eilis pass the mic to a group of young men wrestling with one of the most pervasive forces shaping our political and cultural moment: toxic masculinity. These college students are all part of NETWORK's Carroll Coston Fellowship, a leadership program named after Sister Carol Coston, one of NETWORK's founding sisters and its first executive director.

Together, they explore what it means to be a man in 2025, especially in the wake of the 2024 election, where the "manosphere" made headlines and MAGA bravado showed up in force on college campuses. These young leaders speak candidly about gender norms they've inherited, what they've had to unlearn, and how they're trying to show up differently not just for themselves, but for the people around them.

You'll hear from:

• Steven, a student at Barry University in South Florida, reflecting on faith and masculinity in a culturally complex environment

• JC, a student from Atlanta studying in rural Pennsylvania, who talks about online influence and its impact on young Black men

• Ben, who grew up in Kentucky and shares his evolving understanding of privilege, power, and accountability

• Jack, a social work student offering a powerful reflection on "collectivist masculinity"

• Jonathan, a business student at Marquette learning to speak up as one of the only students of color in the room

• Aaron, an international student athlete from Canada who reflects on masculinity in immigrant households and team culture

The conversation closes with where they're finding hope and what examples of healthy, authentic masculinity they're carrying with them into the future.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, organizer, or someone thinking about how culture is shaping politics, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

LINKS:

https://uscatholic.org/articles/202505/how-a-faulty-vision-of-christian-masculinity-harms-us-all/

https://uscatholic.org/articles/202505/toxic-masculinity-clashes-with-actual-catholic-teaching/

https://www.networkadvocates.org/vote-our-future/yall/

What does it mean to belong to a church—and a country—that doesn't always welcome you?

In this episode, Colin Martinez Longmore sits down with Yunuen Trujillo for an open conversation about identity, faith, fear, and belonging. Trujillo is an immigration attorney, LGBTQ+ Catholic advocate, and lay minister. As an immigrant and a queer person who is both a practicing immigration lawyer and faithful Catholic, she shares her perspective on the emotional toll our current political moment takes on communities and individuals and what it takes to create spaces of healing and justice when institutions are often part of the harm.

Trujillo speaks to the fear that is often manufactured and weaponized by political leaders and the way that fear can infiltrate even faith communities, turning people against one another rather than toward solidarity. But she also shares her commitment to a hope rooted in community, resistance, and a belief that change is possible, even within institutions that feel resistant to it.

This episode explores her involvement with LGBTQ+ Catholic ministry, including her work in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and her founding of @lgbtcatholics Instagram page, a grassroots effort to build inclusive Catholic communities. She also highlights the essential role of allies, especially parents and grandparents, in shifting the church from within.

Whether you're navigating your own place within religious or political systems or simply seeking to be a better ally and community builder, this episode offers clarity, strength, and the reminder that hope is not naive—it's necessary.

For more on supporting immigrant communities and LGBTQ+ Catholics:

An immigration attorney on the Los Angeles protests https://uscatholic.org/articles/202506/immigration-attorney-los-angeles-protests/

Yes, pride is a sin. But it's also a virtue. https://uscatholic.org/articles/202408/yes-pride-is-a-sin-but-its-also-a-virtue/

All love enriches our church https://uscatholic.org/articles/202403/all-love-enriches-our-church/

Solidarity with immigrants: How Catholics can stand up https://uscatholic.org/articles/2023/solidarity-with-immigrants-how-catholics-can-stand-up/

LGBTQ+ Catholics: A Guide to Inclusive Ministry https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/5577-4/lgbtq-catholics.aspx

@lgbtcatholics on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lgbtcatholics/?hl=en

What do you get when 800 billionaires hoard more wealth than half the U.S. population combined? A rigged tax system and a society that leaves millions behind.

In this episode, longtime tax and budget expert Sarah Christopherson joins us to expose the political and moral cost of extreme wealth inequality. She explains how billionaires use loopholes, lobbying, and misleading populist messaging to avoid paying taxes and how those choices fuel poverty, hunger, housing shortages, and underfunded schools.

We also explore why promises like "no tax on tips" often do more harm than good and how slick messaging masks a dangerous reality: Tax cuts for the rich are often paid for by service cuts for the rest of us.

Alongside Sarah, we're joined by Jarrett Smith, Senior Tax Lobbyist at NETWORK, who adds key context on upcoming legislation, policy threats, and what advocates need to know right now.

If you've ever wondered why billionaires pay less in taxes than you—or why it feels like everything is underfunded except for corporations—this conversation is for you.

Learn more and take action at networklobby.org. Follow us @NETWORKLobby on social media and join the movement for tax justice.

To learn more:

Sarah Christopherson's website: https://www.scgchristopherson.com/

Tax Justice Calculator: https://networklobby.org/taxjusticecalculator/

Patriotic Millionaires: https://patrioticmillionaires.org/

Families over Billionaires: https://www.familiesoverbillionaires.org/

During a time when ICE raids tear families apart, current administration policies criminalize asylum seekers, and cruelty has become policy, how do people of faith respond?

This is the question we ask in this episode of Just Politics. Our guest is Sister of St. Joseph Janet Kinney, the executive director of the Long Island Immigration Clinic, whose ministry with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood has become a lifeline for immigrants and asylum seekers facing increasingly hostile conditions.

From the rise of authoritarian immigration policies to the alarming normalization of deportations and detention centers, Kinney doesn't flinch. She shares how the Clinic stands firm, offering accompaniment and legal support even when the political tides are brutal.

Kinney also reflects on the shifting landscape of immigration in the United States—from rising fear in immigrant communities to the moral failures of our current political leadership—and how her team provides legal support, safety planning, and community-building to those who need it most.

What makes this conversation powerful isn't just Kinney's honesty about the stakes; it's her unshakable commitment to hope. We talk about where she finds it, how she sustains it, and why Catholic social teaching demands both prayer and action.

This episode is a reminder that bravery is contagious and that even when the horrors persist, so do we.

Tune in on June 3rd, 2025 for the return of your favorite Catholic social justice podcast: Just Politics, a project of NETWORK Lobby and U.S. Catholic magazine.

"Well, what a summer it's been!" says Joan Neal at the start of this week's episode. And August only just began!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind in U.S. politics. A shooting targeting former president Trump left many injured and two people, including the shooter, dead. Coming off a debate performance that raised concerns about his age, President Biden withdrew his bid for reelection and quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman in U.S. history to be the presumptive nominee of a major party. And just this past week, Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate—with only 85 days left until the 2024 election.

To make sense of all this, Laura Peralta-Schulte joins Just Politics this week. Peralta-Schulte is the senior director of public policy and government relations at NETWORK.

"While the media likes to focus on the horse races ... what we're really talking about is who is going to represent us that will pass paid leave, make sure kids are not hungry, make sure that everybody has access to affordable healthcare," Peralta-Schulte says.

Sometimes, hearing from policy wonks can leave us feeling like things are actually worse than we thought. But Peralta-Schulte offers a hopeful read of this election season, pointing to the many people already engaging with energy, inspiration, and solidarity. "It's not Pentecost," she says, "but it seems like it sometimes when you have folks going to their parishes and doing voter education and voter registration in places like Cleveland."

Peralta-Schulte points to NETWORK's online resources and tools that anyone can use to get informed on the issues, find voter registration and polling place information, and take action. And she offers an invitation to NETWORK's Nuns on the Bus & Friends tour, hitting the road this fall.

Learn more about what's going on, what you can do, and why we remain hopeful and engaged on this week's episode of the Just Politics podcast.

NETWORK Advocates is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing the principles of Catholic social justice and does not endorse or oppose any candidate or party in the upcoming election.

Additional Resources:

NETWORK's 2024 Election Resource Page http://networkadvocates.org/be-a-voter

NETWORK's Equally Sacred Checklist https://networkadvocates.org/equally-sacred-multi-issue-voter-checklist/

Nuns on the Bus & Friends "Vote Our Future" Tour http://nunsonthebus.org/