Hawaiʻi's primary ballots are due August 8, and Tina Marie sets the record straight on how the state's open primary actually works, from same-day registration to what happens if you vote outside your chosen party. Martina brings the national picture into focus too, with a look at Michigan's high-stakes Senate primary and the grassroots playbook Democrats are using to rebuild power state by state. Then the two dig into a healthcare staffing trend that has nurses bidding against each other for the lowest pay, and what that says about who companies actually work for. Plus, a happy update on a foster kitten named Akamai.

0:00 – Welcome & intro 

0:41 – A home for Akamai: kitty update 

1:55 – Hawaiʻi's primary basics & how to vote (mail, drop box, in-person, same-day registration) 

10:33 – From independent to Democrat: Tina Marie's 2016 turning point 

11:55 – Michigan's Senate primary & Mike Madrid on the shifting electorate 

14:58 – Wielding power: expanding the Supreme Court and term limits 

17:07 – Ben Wikler, Wisconsin's grassroots turnaround, and Heather Cox Richardson 

19:08 – UNC Health's "bid shift" staffing model for nurses 

20:46 – Pitting workers against each other: a hallmark of fascism 

21:57 – Capitalism vs. socialism, and AOC on the minimum wage 

24:11 – Soziale Marktwirtschaft: a German term for balancing markets and rights 

📋 Show Notes

🗳️ Hawaiʻi's 2026 primary ballot deadline: ballots must be received (not postmarked) by 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 8. Return by mail, secure drop box, or in person:https://elections.hawaii.gov/voting/absentee-voting/

🗳️ Voter service centers are open July 27 through August 8 (excluding Sundays) for in-person voting, same-day registration, and ballot replacement:https://elections.hawaii.gov/resources/cast-your-vote-in-comfort/

✍️ Vote once, mail or in person, not both. Duplicate votes invalidate both ballots.

🧠 Closed vs. open primaries, explained: in Hawaiʻi's closed primary, voters pick a party on the ballot itself (not at registration) and can only vote for that party's candidates in partisan races; in open primary states like California, any voter can choose any candidate and the top finishers advance to the general. : https://elections.hawaii.gov/elections-in-hawaii/

🏥 UNC Health's new "bid shift" staffing model, launching October 2, lets nurses bid down their own hourly pay to win shifts, part of a broader wave of gig-style shift-bidding apps in healthcare: Nurses Bid for Shifts on AI-Powered Gig Apps, Proof News

🗳️ Michigan's August 4 Democratic Senate primary between Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/michigan-senate-results

🎙️ Mike Madrid, a political strategist, discussing how the electorate is shifting: a former longtime Republican consultant who left the GOP in 2016, known for decades of research on the Latino vote:https://youtu.be/oEsm8H3W7H8?si=fooEx71U7ZNWEE7Z 

📖 Ben Wikler's book on rebuilding Democratic power through 2032, and his roadmap for the party: https://www.npr.org/2026/07/27/nx-s1-5813801/former-wisconsin-democratic-chair-says-u-s-political-system-must-changehttps://a.co/d/0iackarH

🎙️ Heather Cox Richardson's "Letters from an American," referenced for its reach and role in public political education:https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/

🎬 AOC's viral clip dismissing GOP "communism" warnings by pointing to the frozen federal minimum wage:https://www.commondreams.org/news/aoc-on-communism

🌍 Soziale Marktwirtschaft ("social market economy"), Martina's German lesson for capitalism paired with a strong social safety net, referenced as a model for balancing markets with human rights

Meet the Team: Co-Hosts: Martina Wing and Tina Marie Even

Editor: Savannah Maira

Producers: Martina Wing, Tina Marie Even, Savannah Maira

Sponsored by: VegaBlast —http://vegablast.com

Music from this episode: 

“Pacific Time” by Source: Bandcamp https://bluedotsessions.bandcamp.com/track/pacific-time

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

This week, Tina Marie and Martina zoom out to ask why the world is fighting more wars than ever and who actually profits when it does, then zoom all the way in to Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor race, where a super PAC has rebranded five times and a sitting governor is uneasy about being watched. Plus: manufactured conflict, a $1 trillion thought experiment, and a rescue kitten looking for a home. Ballots are due August 8 — here's everything you need before you vote.

Show Notes & Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Resist with Joy

00:48 – "We have to be silly" — resisting with joy in practice

01:39 – How many wars are happening right now?

10:22 – The Monopoly analogy: what "winning" actually leaves you with

15:30 – Lieutenant Governor race is heating up

22:29 – Keohokalole vs Case for Congressional District One

26:07 – Did Green's comments backfire?

27:47 – Rep. James McGovern calls the GOP fascist; Heather Cox Richardson picks it up

28:26 – We can still vote

28:49 – Special guest: a rescue kitten (available for adoption!)

29:55 – Sign-off — vote Della Belatti, vote Jarrett Keohokalole, aloha

Primary election ballots due: August 8

🗳️ Ballot deadline: August 8, 2026 — mail it back (no postage needed) or drop it in a secure drop box:https://elections.hawaii.gov/voter-service-centers-and-places-of-deposit/

✍️ Your signature has to match what's on file with your state ID or driver's license, or your ballot won't count

🏛️ Curious about the dark money law referenced this episode: Act 11 / SB2471, the "Sunshine Over Dark Money" bill —https://indivisiblehawaii.org/resources/how-hawaii-overrode-citizens-united/

🎙️ Governor Green's comments about Della Belatti:https://www.facebook.com/reel/3195992337264375

🏝️ What a Lieutenant Governor actually does:https://ltgov.hawaii.gov/role-of-the-lt-governor/

💵 More on the PRP super PAC backing Derek Kawakami:https://indivisiblehawaii.org/resources/kawakami-prp/

🎬 Rep. James McGovern calling the GOP fascist on the House floor:https://www.tiktok.com/@4thepeople_bythepeople/video/7665238870987934989?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Endorsements in this episode:

Jarrett Keohokalole — U.S. House, Hawai'i Congressional District 1 —https://indivisiblehawaii.org/2026-hawaii-state-primaries/

Della Au Belatti — Lieutenant Governor —https://indivisiblehawaii.org/resources/endorsement-della-au-belatti-for-lieutenant-governor/

Bottom line this week: vote in the primary (ballots due August 8), vote Della Belatti for Lt. Governor, vote Jarrett Keohokalole in CD1 — and keep asking who’s funding the people asking for your vote.

💬 Before You Go | Take our Visionaire Questionnaire.

Here at Resist with Joy, we take the future very seriously. So our research department spent their entire lives developing a highly sophisticated, scientifically calibrated system for understanding someone’s vision for our world ahead. After multiple peer reviews, revisions, and at least one whiteboard diagram that made us feel incredibly intelligent, we’ve discovered the perfect formula: a simple 5-question survey. We want to hear what concerns you, what gives you hope, and what joy looks like for you right now. Take the Visionaire Questionnaire here.

🎙️ About Resist with Joy

Resist with Joy is a podcast about civic education, grassroots organizing, and joyful resistance. Real voices, including engaged citizens, experts, and politicians, to help build the wall against authoritarianism, one joyful action at a time.

New episodes drop weekly. Interviews with neighbors doing the work are coming very soon. Subscribe, share, and if this episode moved you, leave us a review.

Subscribe | Like | Share

🌴 Aloha until next time.

Aloha, we're back! After a few weeks off, Tina Marie and Martina skip the news cycle to talk story: a chaotic candidate event at Old Airport, why asking politicians to sign a pledge caused internal drama, the psychology trick that lets "good" politicians get away with a lot, and a full walkthrough of what's in your Hawai'i primary ballot.Hear directly from the candidates who showed up: https://indivisiblehawaii.org/depository/candidates-interviews-hawaii-primary-2026/⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Intro & welcome back 

00:48 Show up, speak up: recapping the Old Airport event 

08:29 The pledge: holding candidates accountable 

16:18 Psychology corner: the halo effect (and horn effect) 

23.42 The parent analogy: why the Democratic brand is struggling 

26.33 Mail call: what's actually in your ballot envelope

32.17 Sign-off

📋 Show Notes

🗳️ Ballot deadline: August 8, 2026 — mail it back (no postage needed) or drop it in a secure drop box https://elections.hawaii.gov/voter-service-centers-and-places-of-deposit/

✍️ Your signature has to match what's on file with your state ID or driver's license, or your ballot won't count

📄 The KIND Pledge: read the full text and check candidate sign-on status

📄 The statewide pledge: check the Stonewall Caucus's Instagram for the full PDF of who signed and where they stand https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da0qN9lB-

🏛️ Curious about the dark money law referenced this episode: Act 11 / SB2471, the "Sunshine Over Dark Money" bill https://indivisiblehawaii.org/resources/how-hawaii-overrode-citizens-united/

🧠 The halo effect: a cognitive bias where an overall positive impression of someone — their charm, attractiveness, reputation, or past good deeds — causes people to also rate their unrelated traits and actions more favorably, making it easier to excuse or overlook their flaws. Read more: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-halo-effect-2795906

🎧 Podcast referenced: Shrinking Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDpEqHT-vNE&list=PLR585i0a0Ql30mDoIyCrDDg65PEcMJMj1

Endorsements in this episode:

Jarrett Keohokalole — U.S. House, Hawai'i Congressional District 1 https://indivisiblehawaii.org/2026-hawaii-state-primaries/

Della Au Belatti — Lieutenant Governorhttps://indivisiblehawaii.org/resources/endorsement-della-au-belatti-for-lieutenant-governor/

This week, we're doing something a little different. No guest — just Tina Marie, Martina, and Savannah sitting down for a Sunday strategy session as we head into primary season on the Big Island.We break down the July 12th candidate meet & greet at Old Airport Park in Kailua-Kona, how we built our endorsement criteria, what we're actually going to ask the candidates, and why the August primary is where your vote matters most. Plus: the Women's Caucus and Stonewall Caucus pledge, what happened at the state convention, and what trans Hawaiʻi Democrats are navigating right now.Come for the civic strategy. Stay for the blue hair and German accent.⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome & introducing our Sunday strategy session format

01:50 — How the July 12th meet & greet at Old Airport came together:

03:55 — Why the west side of Hawaiʻi needs its own political event

08:52 — Building the candidate invite list from the elections website

10:24 — Nonpartisan races, party registration, and the DINO problem

13:08 — Why the primaries matter more than November

18:28 — Taking back power: agency, the party as a vehicle, and you

19:34 — Kona Indivisible endorsement criteria: what we're looking for

35:05 — Wrapping up + how to find us on July 12th (blue hair, German accent, just look for us)

🌺Meet the Team: Co-Hosts: Martina Wing and Tina Marie Even

Editor: Savannah Maira

Producers: Martina Wing, Tina Marie Even, Savannah Maira

Sponsored by: VegaBlast — vegablast.com

🎵Music from this episode: 

“Pacific Time” by Source: Bandcamp

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Saturday night, June 27th, Tina Marie received a report that a pregnant woman, six weeks along, was picked up by ICE and taken to the Kona police station for holding. 🌺She gathered ten people and drove 50 minutes to get there.What they found was deeply troubling. The woman had an open immigration case and was in the process of applying for a visa to remain in the country. She was held for eight hours. And from the moment she requested to speak with a lawyer, with one standing in the lobby ready to help, she was whisked off the island within five to seven minutes.She was never allowed to speak with a lawyer.This is happening in our community. Right here in Kona.Tina Marie is calling on everyone to pay attention, to demand that ICE be decoupled from local police, and to end all MOUs between them.Know Your Rights resources linked in bio. We will keep sharing updates as we learn more. 💛#ResistWithJoy #ICE #Kona #Hawaii #ImmigrationRights #EndMOUs #CivicEngagement #Indivisible #Community

It's our 10th episode, and we are not slowing down.This week, Tina Marie and Martina tackle a news cycle that swung hard in both directions -- from moments of genuine, soul-lifting hope, to stories of racial injustice that stopped them cold. They get into Iran and oil reserves, Ukraine's drone warfare strategy, Ashley St. Clair's bombshell revelations about Elon Musk, what Lincoln Project polling is saying about the two-party system, and what Democrats absolutely must be running on if they want to be taken seriously in November.It was a heavy week. It was also, somehow, a hopeful one. Let’s dive right in.⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Welcome + intro

00:44 Obama Presidential Center opens

03:34 Obama brought out the best; the contrast with today

04:57 Juneteenth, history, and the roots of systematic racism

09:21 The White House reflecting pool -- and the swamp monster

10:33 Iran, Israel-Lebanon, and the Middle East situation

13:05 What a Kamala presidency would have continued

13:38 Ukraine-Russia war and drone technology

14:50 Ashley St. Clair, Turning Point USA, and Elon Musk

16:24 "The cracks are cracking"

17:53 Impeachment must be a top priority

21:38 The Knicks, the World Cup sidebar, and sports ball

22:44 Obama vs. Mamdani: what's possible when you have the tools

23:59 Keep smiling, keep pushing, keep resisting with joy

🔗 Links & Resources

🎥Obama Presidential Center opening https://www.youtube.com/live/A87ohdXcJtY

🎥 President Obama's speech at the Obama Presidential Center opening https://www.youtube.com/live/A87ohdXcJtY?t=9305s

🎥 Michelle Obama's speech at the Obama Presidential Center opening https://www.youtube.com/live/A87ohdXcJtY?t=6857s

🎥 Zohran Mamdani's speech at the Knicks NBA Championship celebration https://youtu.be/ciimC-cE_eI?si=Ke3iw0VdnGlt_JTa

✊🏽 Juneteenth History Lesson https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth

🎙️ Ashley St. Clair's two-part interview with Don Lemon https://youtu.be/MZK1Pyv-JcY?si=unSQPhLIvy88BkIl

🗳️ Lincoln Project -- polling and political analysis https://lincolnproject.us/

Meet the Team: Co-Hosts: Martina Wing and Tina Marie Even

Editor: Savannah Maira

Producers: Martina Wing, Tina Marie Even, Savannah Maira

Sponsored by: VegaBlast — vegablast.com

Music from this episode: 

“Pacific Time” by Source: Bandcamp

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Some weeks it feels like the news is trying to break you. This was one of those weeks. We had elite cluelessness, live-streamed government corruption, a World Cup referee turned away at the border, a six-hour Hawaiʻi commission meeting that had us equal parts popcorn emoji and hair-pulling, and hardest of all, a story about 500 babies in ICE detention whose brains, doctors say, will never be the same.We got through it. We're still here. Still resisting. Still finding the joy. Here's what you missed.🔗 Show Notes and Links

🛥️ Ivanka's Albanian island podcast clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhsiMd9ZFNk&t=122s

🏗️ Kennedy Center scaffolding live stream coverage: https://www.youtube.com/live/aAhm880quUg

🏀 Knicks series win and the Monday night booing: https://youtu.be/vUpMsb8z9Os?si=J2yH9rYOyQwy0kD-

⚽ Somali referee Omar Artan denied U.S. entry — CBS News: Somali World Cup referee denied entry into U.S. was talking to "some very bad people," White House official says

Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup task force, claimed Somali referee Omar Artan was "talking to some very bad people" before arriving in the U.S. — while offering no public evidence. FIFA spent three years vetting and selecting Artan. Days after being turned away, UEFA tapped him to officiate the European Super Cup final.

👶 500 babies in ICE detention — https://www.instagram.com/p/DZYfvLcmFiV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

🗳️ Hawaiʻi Elections Commission meeting — Civil Beat: The Elections Commission Is Struggling To Elect A New Leader

Civil Beat politics editor Chad Blair breaks down the chaos inside Hawaiʻi's most dysfunctional board: election deniers among the applicants, a six-hour Zoom meeting, a commissioner (Ralph Cushnie) rejected for the chair he applied for, and still no leader chosen heading into the 2026 primary season. The commission meets again June 24.

🗳️ Hawaiʻi Elections Commission meeting – Candidate information: https://elections.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026-06-10-EC-Supplemental-Meeting-Packet.pdf

🗳️ Hawaiʻi Elections Commission meeting – Written Summary: https://elections.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026-06-10-EC-Written-Summary.pdf

📸 IHSN on Instagram: instagram.com/p/DZYfvLcmFiV

✊ Volunteer as a Hawaiʻi election watcher — Office of Elections: elections.hawaii.gov/voting/volunteer

The Hawaiʻi Office of Elections needs volunteers at counting centers on every island for both the Primary (August 8) and General (November 3) elections. Open roles include:

Audit Team — hand-tallies results to confirm accuracy

Ballot Opening — removes and prepares ballots for counting

Duplication — tracks and recreates defective ballots

VBC Processing — controls counting, tabulation, and ballot security

Official Observers — the public's eyes and ears inside the counting center

Must be 16+ by June 30. Apply by island: Hawaiʻi Island | Maui | Kauaʻi | Oʻahu

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00🌺 Welcome and intro

0:43🍿 Ivanka's Albanian island podcast and Jared's Rothschild yacht

3:16🏀 The Knicks game, the booing, and the kind of leader worth celebrating

3:59🏗️ Kennedy Center scaffolding livestream

7:04⚽ World Cup soccer: Iran's team relocates to Tijuana, and a Somali referee is denied U.S. entry

11:05🗳️ The Hawaiʻi Election Commission Meeting

18:46👶 ICE detention of 500 infants and toddlers: developmental harm, contaminated water, zero accountability

25:21✊ Action item: sign up to be a Hawaiʻi election volunteer

Meet the Team: Co-Hosts: Martina Wing and Tina Marie Even

Editor: Savannah Maira

Producers: Martina Wing, Tina Marie Even, Savannah Maira

Sponsored by: VegaBlast — vegablast.com

Music from this episode: 

“Pacific Time” by Source: Bandcamp

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Something strange happened at the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi State Convention. And we were there to see it.Over 150 people showed up in matching shirts to vote for a candidate who sent one email the day before the election. Some of them admitted they were paid to be there. Some of them thought they were at the Republican convention.This week on Resist with Joy, Tina Marie, Martina, and Savannah break down everything that happened at the Hawaiʻi Democratic State Convention — the wins, the wake-up calls, and what comes next.We cover:MAGA infiltration inside the Democratic Party of HawaiʻiTina Marie's race for Party Chair: a full campaign in one week, and what she learnedTim Walz in person — and the recount question nobody else has asked himRanked choice voting and the military land use resolution that finally passedThe State Central Committee and the two-year strategy to turn the ship around"If they can put their person in charge, we can do the same. We just have to get organized." 🌺💛 Notes & Links

Roberts Rules of Order — robertsrules.com

Tina Holt — author of the military land use resolution that finally passed after years of trying

Jarrett Keohokalole — state senator, co-sponsor of SB 2471 (dark money campaign finance reform), challenging in CD1 https://indivisiblehawaii.org/resource/ihsn-endorses-jarrett-keohokalole-for-congress/

State Central Committee (SCC) — the governing body of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, approximately 80 delegates. This is where strategy has to start.

https://hawaiicountydemocrats.net/scc-reps

Indivisible Hawaiʻi — indivisiblehawaii.org

⏱️ Timestamps

[00:00] Welcome back — and why we skipped last week

[01:57] Robert's Rules of Order

[05:48] 🎉 The military land use resolution finally passes (thank you, Tina Holt)

[06:33] Ranked choice voting passes unanimously

[07:35] The highlight of the weekend: Tim Walz was there

[10:49] The question Tina Marie had been waiting to ask: why didn't we get a recount?

[12:00] Okay. Let's talk about the chair race.

[16:45] "The party is very disconnected from our voters"

[25:07] "There were people who didn't even know Tina Marie was running."

[26:38] Understanding the State Central Committee — where the real power lives

[34:40] "If they can put their person in charge, we can do the same." — The two-year plan

[36:10] Savannah: "They haven't heard the last of us."

[37:06] Ivanka Trump wants to buy an island. Albania has thoughts.

[38:16] Outro: interviews dropping soon, thank you for being here 🌺

Meet the Team: Co-Hosts: Martina Wing and Tina Marie Even

Editor: Savannah Maira

Producers: Martina Wing, Tina Marie Even, Savannah Maira

Sponsored by: VegaBlast — vegablast.com

Music from this episode: 

“Pacific Time” by Source: Bandcamp

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

This week's episode is a special one. With the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi State Convention on the horizon in Waikiki, co-host Martina sat down with Tina Marie to talk about something big: Tina Marie is running for Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi.

This isn't just a conversation about an election. It's a window into how party infrastructure actually works, why progressives need to do the unglamorous behind-the-scenes work, and what it really means to lead a "big tent" party in a state where nearly everyone is a Democrat but not everyone agrees on what that means.

Martina brings her perspective as someone who joined the party because of Tina Marie, and who comes from Germany, where much of what American progressives are asking for is simply... the center. The result is one of our most honest, educational, and fired-up conversations yet.

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 Welcome & intro — Tina Marie is running for Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Chair

1:20 The "Big Tent" question: how do you unify progressives, moderates, and DINOs?

2:15 Tina Marie on mapping the party's factions before attempting unity

4:50 Martina's perspective from Germany: what Americans call "progressive" is the center everywhere else

11:00 Tina Marie shares: some delegates flat-out told her they were recruited just to vote for her opponent

9:45 "Ruthless with Aloha" — doing the same strategic work as the right, with our values intact

11:49 Fundraising: the DNC is in debt, and Hawaiʻi has 100,000 registered Democrats

16:15 Martina on email marketing open rates and getting to that 10%

21:50 "Gavin Newsom has a podcast and he's a governor." — why communication is the strategy

23:12 What power does the chair actually have over legislators? An honest answer

29:39 The Stonewall Caucus endorsement — and what happened when Tina Marie's opponent read the pledge

31:24 Closing thoughts: fascism is here, joy is non-negotiable, and the party is worth fighting for

📋 Show Notes

The Convention The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi State Convention takes place next Saturday, May 30th, in Honolulu at the Hilton Waikiki. Delegates will vote on party leadership, including the Chair race between Tina Marie and her opponent. https://web.cvent.com/event/293f9941-913e-4f1b-bc1f-34f77c94732d/summary

Tina Marie's Campaign Instagram: @TinaMarie4Hawaii

Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi election website — Tina Marie's candidate statement is live. https://web.cvent.com/event/293f9941-913e-4f1b-bc1f-34f77c94732d/websitePage:f59326be-4ce9-4122-80f5-b1d86277030d?i=t_wyv6KbWke_vj_dPhGRlQ&locale=en-US

What Is a Party Chair? The Chair leads the state party's governing body. In Hawaiʻi, the party structure includes the Chair, Vice Chair, and two DNC National Committee Members who travel quarterly to national meetings. The Chair helps set the party platform, oversees communications and fundraising, and serves as a bridge between caucuses and elected legislators.

The Stonewall/Women's Caucus Pledge The Stonewall Caucus and Women's Caucus jointly issued a pledge to both Chair candidates covering support for LGBTQIA+ rights and women's rights. Tina Marie signed it. Her opponent did not, reportedly citing opposition to the trans-inclusive language. Tina Marie is the only candidate with an endorsement from the Stonewall Caucus. https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:209facce-b534-41d8-b9b1-8231d2fc42c4?x_api_client_id=chrome_extension_viewer&x_api_client_location=share

On the DNC Autopsy Report Martina references the Democratic National Committee's post-2024 election autopsy report — its release, partial non-fulfillment, and the ongoing debate within the party about accountability and direction. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-the-dncs-full-post-election-autopsy-for-the-2024-campaign

Further Resources on Trans Athletes & Sports Tina Marie references misinformation around trans athletes and mentions including resources in the show notes. For accurate, evidence-based information, visit:

ACLU: Myths & Facts About Transgender Student Athletes : https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked

Athlete Ally: Research on Trans Inclusion in Sports : https://www.athleteally.org/

Meet the Team: Co-Hosts: Martina Wing and Tina Marie Even

Editor: Savannah Maira

Producers: Martina Wing, Tina Marie Even, Savannah Maira

Sponsored by:VegaBlast 

There's a lot hitting the fan right now, but there's also a lot to celebrate. This week, Tina Marie and Martina dig into the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act and the powerful grassroots response in Selma, a landmark Hawaiʻi bill that just became law, a bill that could wipe out $90 million in medical debt for 50,000 Hawaiʻi residents, dispatches from inside Iran, and a major personal milestone: Tina Marie is running for Chair of the Hawaiʻi Democratic Party. This episode is exactly what we're here for: the hard stuff, the hopeful stuff, and everything in between.📌 Show Notes & Resources

Voting Rights Act - New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/us/selma-march-voting-rights-act-redistricting.html

SB 2471 (Dark Money Ban) — Signed into law in Hawaiʻi. First of its kind in the state. https://governor.hawaii.gov/newsroom/office-of-the-governor-news-release-governor-green-enacts-key-legislation/

SB 3025 (Medical Debt Relief) — Awaiting governor's signature. Would forgive ~$90M in debt for ~50,000 Hawaiʻi residents. https://legiscan.com/HI/bill/SB3025/2026

SB 3025 - Hawaii News Now https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/05/16/plan-erase-91m-medical-debt-hawaii-families-heads-governor/

Tina Marie's Campaign Instagram: @TinaMarie4Hawaii

Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi election website — Tina Marie's candidate statement is live. https://web.cvent.com/event/293f9941-913e-4f1b-bc1f-34f77c94732d/websitePage:f59326be-4ce9-4122-80f5-b1d86277030d?i=t_wyv6KbWke_vj_dPhGRlQ&locale=en-US

Matthew Cook — Recommended by Martina: a thinker building community around moving away from predatory social media models toward communication infrastructure that serves people. Worth searching. https://www.youtube.com/@MatthewCookeOfficial

Heather Cox Richardson — Referenced regarding the $50 trillion wealth shift over the past 50 years.  https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson

Invisible Hawaiʻi — The civic engagement group that helped pass SB 2471. Get involved.  https://indivisiblehawaii.org/

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Welcome & intro — Tina Marie and Martina dive in

00:39 Voting Rights Act — history, the April 29th Supreme Court decision, and the Selma march

03:48 SB 2471 signed into law — dark money banned in Hawaiʻi; what citizen organizing made possible

07:08 SB 3025 — Hawaiʻi's medical debt forgiveness bill explained

13:37 Voices from inside Iran — joy as survival and resistance

16:33 Martina on Matthew Cook and reimagining social media as public infrastructure

17:06 Tina Marie's run for Hawaiʻi Democratic Party Chair — the update

19:58 What a party chair actually does — and Tina Marie's vision for a legislative bills committee

24:58 Closing — keep showing up, resist with joy, aloha

Meet the Team: Co-Hosts: Martina Wing and Tina Marie EvenEditor: Savannah MairaProducers: Martina Wing, Tina Marie Even, Savannah MairaSponsored by: VegaBlast https://www.vegablast.com/

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Aloha. 🌺