For Your Misinformation

This week Katie is crowdsourcing stories from listeners about their local political scenes and more - submit yours HERE! Other topics include the January 6th commission, abortion bans, and exciting bills moving through the Illinois legislature.    Check out our Linktree 

Big yikes! Liz Cheney won’t get on board with Trump’s Big Lie so Republicans voted her out of leadership. Is it possible to bring the conspiracy theorists in our lives back to reality before anyone is further radicalized? The key is seeking to understand their view and speaking with respect so it’s easier for them to change their minds in the future. Otherwise we’re heading towards more voter suppression and Tucker Carlson 2024. 

Katie and Morgan are back to talk about the future of democracy in American through the metaphor of a tropical boat ride, because we’re fun and breezy.  Live in Illinois? Our legislative session ends May 31. Find your local elected officials and ask them to support SB 2190/HB 1797. Decades of research and experience show that forced parental involvement laws hurt young people and serve no valid purpose. Protect youth, repeal parental notice of abortion.

Accountability is good, but it’s not a substitute for policy changes. Could it be that training armed agents of the state to view certain communities as war zones and giving them military-grade equipment isn’t actually keeping us safe? For 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant and the hundreds of other Americans murdered by police in 2021 we’ll keep fighting to shift funding away from bloated police budgets towards evidence-based community services in order to make policing obsolete. Pass the Breathe Act.

On April 19, 1995 Army veteran Timothy McVeigh detonated two tons of explosives planted in a truck outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  Radicalized by the tragic events at Ruby Ridge and Waco, McVeigh hoped to inspire Americans to rise up against what he saw as government tyranny in the form of income taxes, environmental restrictions, and gun control legislation.  Donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center or visit linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation for more resources

This week we’re covering current events and how they fit into the larger scheme of American history and democracy. Topics include DC Statehood, Matt Gaetz, the filibuster, Ulysses S Grant, FDR, LBJ, anti-trans bills, voter ID laws, Amazon’s anti-union push, Ryan Lochte, and the foster kitten. Because why not? P.s. If you’re reading this you’d make a better Senator than Joe Manchin P.p.s. Visit https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation for resources

This week we’re sharing an important conversation about vaccine hesitancy from the podcast Shelter in Place. COVID-19 cases are dropping as more people get vaccinated — so why isn't everyone pro-vaccine? These are questions about who we trust, where we get our information, how we make decisions — and what is our duty to society.   Visit our Linktree for resources

I have a wacky idea - what if stopped electing religious extremists who are deeply threatened by girls who f*ck?   If Roe v. Wade falls (and it might!) it won’t end abortion, but it will turn some states into abortion havens and others into abortion wastelands. You can really choose your own dystopian adventure of conservative male power and control! Links here: https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation

My body, my choice, right? This week we’re demystifying sex work with comedian and stripper Irene Fagan Merrow. Irene explains why full decriminalization of consentual adult sex work is the goal, and how earning a fat wad of cash in one night is actually VERY empowering, thank you very much.    Subscribe to Irene’s newsletter! You can also listen to her podcast and find her on Twitter, Instagram and Onlyfans   Sign up for bystander intervention training and more at our Linktree

Most people know Hedy Lamarr as a stunningly beautiful Hollywood actress, but did you know she also invented the technology behind WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth? Jaki Silver of Give Our Take is here for Women’s History Month to give us a glimpse into Hedy’s fascinating life.  Visit our LinkTree for more resources

This week we’re joined by Tyler St. Clair of Common Cause Illinois to talk about their non-partisan focus on accountability, transparency, and good governance. Tyler explains how it is up to us, as political junkies, to let our networks know when we should be worried, when we should be excited, and when we need to act. Plus, tips for writing a Letter to the Editor!    Click here for more resources

How do you decide which communities deserve drinkable water? Morgan explains how the government failed the residents of Flint, Michigan by putting profits over public health in this classic example of environmental racism.   Top priority: Call your reps and demand they vote YES on HR 1, or text “sign PGPFDU” to 50409 and Resistbot will do it for you Visit our LinkTree for more ideas and resources

The erasure of missing and murdered Indigenous women is where true crime, white supremacy, and public policy intersect. This week we’re joined by our first Canadian guest to shine a light on this human-rights crisis that disproportionately affects Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States.    Click here for Texas Mutual Aid organizations accepting donations, learn more about the Sovereign Bodies Institute, or visit our LinkTree 

The modern Republican party is basically your friend’s boyfriend you were always suspicious of, and who got caught cheating on her. It’s long past time for the more moderate Republicans to distance themselves from the Trump wing, but why is it taking so long? History has its eyes on them, and so do we.  Donate early money to unseat the 20 Republican Senators up in 2022, or visit our LinkTree for more ways to get involved.

Katie's guest this week is a former Elizabeth Warren intern, Harvard student, and program associate at Impactual. Maya Jenkins discusses what she learned growing up as the granddaughter of two civil rights activists, solving big problems like low voter turnout, and how coming from a place of respect and love for yourself allows you to harness tools to advocate for what you deserve.    Use this script to call your Senator to tell them to convict & disqualify Trump from future office   LinkTree  

t’s Black History Month, so let’s look at America’s painfully predictable pattern of progress followed by white backlash. Fellow white people, repeat after me: racial justice is our problem, too. That’s the secret to the American experiment, and the only way to move past the wave of hate we’re in to continue making America into the truly multiracial democracy we know she can be.  Donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, or visit our LinkTree for other ways to make an impact.

Nick, our favorite local organizer, is back to talk about the short window we have to use our Democratic trifecta to save our democracy and transform our harmful systems. We defeated Trump, and now we have to defeat the forces that allowed him to rise. Plus, romance novel recommendations and Bachelor takes.  Visit our LinkTree for scripts with demands for your elected officials.

Katie and Morgan react to the January 6th riot at the Capitol. While tragic, it was ultimately a bump in the road towards MLK Jr.’s vision of a multiracial democracy that cares about every person’s civil and human rights. To get there we'll need to hold the people involved accountable, find the truth, and only then begin reconciliation.  Donate to Amy Burrell’s campaign HERE, or visit our LinkTree for more resources.

Katie is joined by Amy Burrell who is running for Village of Orland Park Trustee in the April 2021 suburban election.    Sign up to volunteer with #OneOrland: https://www.oneorland.com/volunteer

Georgia is on our minds. If the thought of human-turtle hybrid Mitch McConnell controlling the Senate for the next two years makes you want to vom (same), there’s still time to shut it down! Sign up to phonebank with us and Gaslit Nation at 3:00pm or Fated Mates at 5:00pm CT today. If that’s not your thing you can also send Pizza to the Polls for Georgians waiting in long lines to cast their votes.    For other ideas, visit our LinkTree. 

Hey! Not sure if you heard, but we have a new president getting sworn in next month. Let’s talk about Joe Biden’s cabinet choices so far, and our favorites for those that haven’t been announced yet. Sign up to phonebank with us on January 4th! There’s still time to flip the Senate and start the new year off right. Check out our LinkTree for other ways to volunteer and places to donate.

Katie reveals how she really feels about the shitty coup and lays out the authoritarian playbook, which we’ll all need to be on the lookout for to spot smarter fascists in the future.    Ways to get involved this week: join Indivisible, join DSA, take the 30-day challenge to decide if you should run for office, phonebank, or donate to help with the GA Senate run-off. Visit our LinkTree for more ideas.

Katie and Morgan finish last week’s conversation with things they wish they’d understood in high school. Our main takeaway? Don’t fuck Republicans. Plus, fun new ideas for self care and a foster kitten update.  Take care of yourselves, and visit our LinkTree for plenty of ways to help with the critical January 5th Georgia runoff election that will determine control of the US Senate.

Americans are having a hard time agreeing on facts lately but here are some: girls f*ck, and purity culture is dangerous. Also, fundamentally women have a right to their own bodies, whether that control be related to rape or birth control or abortion. It’s 2020 why do we even have to say this? Donate or volunteer at our LinkTree

We will all leave 2020 a little traumatized, but what does that really mean? Morgan and Katie talk about trauma as a public health crisis in America, including the effects of childhood trauma on adult behaviors. The good news is, we can fix it with strong social welfare policies, a representative congress, and uprooting the systems that got us here in the first place. For that, we’ll need the Senate.   Click here to write postcards to Georgia voters.  For other resources visit our LinkTree.

Morgan and Katie are joined by our resident Emergency Preparedness expert to discuss the latest vaccine updates and plans for distribution. Plus, Katie gets into the Kushner family’s dirt and explains why it’s dangerous that this entitled brat has been enabling Trump for the last four years. Write Postcards to Georgia Voters and check out Friends Vote Together for places to volunteer your time and money for the GA Senate races.  Click here for more resources.

Katie is joined by Chris Crisanti of Prairie State Policy to discuss the aftermath of Illinois' failed Fair Tax Amendment as well as an overview of contemporary fiscal and monetary policy. How do wages, GDP, progressive tax structures, and the stock market impact everyday Americans? Plus, Georgia needs our help! Donate to local grassroots organizations or volunteer with Friends Vote Together to help with the Senate runoffs in January.    Visit our LinkTree!

WE DID IT! Thank you to every single person who helped make Trump an impeached one-term president. None of this happens on its own, it all depends on each of us accepting the responsibility of citizenship. The forces of white supremacy and plutocracy have deep roots in our country, and it’s going to take more than one election cycle to defeat them. This week we rest, next week we get back to helping Stacey Abrams and other Black organizers win those Senate seats in Georgia!   

Today Katie is joined by Meaghan, another Indivisible member and activist who explains what Protect the Results is and why it’s important. Find an event near you on November 4th so you can be ready to mobilize if Trump undermines the results of the 2020 presidential election. Our demand is simple: count every vote.  Visit our LinkTree

Nobody knows! So let’s set some expectations for possible scenarios. Things might get scary fast, but the more prepared you are the more quickly you can react where you’re needed. Don’t forget, you can still join Katie all day Monday and Tuesday to phonebank for Sara Gideon in Maine to make sure we flip the Senate! Sign up here.  Visit our LinkTree

Morgan talks all about our favorite VP candidate who honestly would deserve the job on the merits of making Brett Kavanaugh cry alone. Sometimes harshly critiqued for her past record, Senator Harris has an incredible legislative record and is a great example of what it looks like to learn, grow, and update your opinions over time. Sign up for our Halloween phonebank or any of these other opportunities - we need you! Visit our LinkTree

Today Katie is joined by the hilarious Delanie Fischer to talk about her California ballot propositions and what to consider when making these important choices. Visit Ballotpedia or use their My Vote app to fill out your sample ballot if you’re voting in person, and check to see if your local League of Women Voters has a judicial election guide to find out which of your judges are corrupt and should not be retained. Oh, and phonebank for Sara Gideon with us this week!   More resources HERE

What’s up! We were too sad to do research for a topic this week, so today’s episode is a firsthand account of the process of living kidney donation with Dava, the wife of Katie’s donor recipient. As always, Morgan and Katie also discuss their weekly acts to save our Democracy. Join us this week to phonebank with Indivisible or Planned Parenthood Votes! Look out for our ballot recommendations for Illinois and California next week.  Visit our LinkTree

This week Katie is joined by Nick, a local organizer who lays out EXACTLY what we need to be doing these last few weeks before the election in order to flip the Senate, keep the House, and take back the presidency. We also talk more about QAnon and all the very bad and stupid ways it reminds us of Satanic Panic. Join us phonebanking this week! Sign up to phonebank HERE or at our Linktree

Remember when Mitch McConnell stole a Supreme Court seat from President Obama? Yeah. Us too. Well, he’s about to steal another one if we don’t do something - now. The path is narrow and uphill, but what choice do we have? Oh, and John Roberts sucks - don’t you forget it.  Sign up to make calls to flip the senate, or visit our Linktree for other actions.  

Let’s try something new. What if we can get ahead of the lies Trump will likely try to spread between now and the election? This week Morgan and Katie get into what that misinformation might be and how to counter it with the truth. With the media showing signs that it hasn’t learned from its 2016 election coverage failures, we have to be particularly critical consumers who don’t fall for ‘both sides’ arguments. Also, we officially have a Youtube channel!   Check out our Linktree: @ForYourMisinformation 

Today we are joined by the hilarious Lyz Lenz to talk about her new book Belabored: A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women. Lyz has a simple, urgent call for everyone to trust women and let us choose what happens to our own bodies.   *** VOLUNTEER for Sara Gideon ***   

In this week's minisode we are focusing on ACTION! We are joined by the wonderful Mary and Max of Planned Parenthood Votes to discuss all the different ways we can volunteer to help flip the Senate by electing Sara Gideon in Maine. Susan Collins' recent voting record, including her vote to confirm sext pest Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court despite the protestation of her constituents and sexual assault survivors all around the country, puts our nations’ access to health care and abortion rights at risk. It’s time for a new senator in Maine: Sara Gideon. Chicagoland listeners - volunteer for a shift with Mary or Max this week and you'll be entered to win one Katie's favorite propagated house plants! Follow us on Instagram @FYMIpod for pictures and more information. Fill out one of the volunteer forms at the links below to get connected!  Click here to get involved with Mary Click here to get involved with Max

Bonus episode! Rachel, our resident phone banking expert, joins from Colorado to answer all our questions and concerns. Just like with most things, it appears that phone banking is not as scary as it seems and we’re excited to give it a try next week. We also discuss political issues in Colorado and the need to get John Hickenlooper elected to flip the Senate.  Check out our Linktree: @ForYourMisinformation

Katie is joined by internal medicine resident Mark Spencer to talk about the cruelty and inhumanity of the uniquely American Prison Industrial Complex. Mark explains how Medicare for All would be an important leap forward, establishing healthcare as a human right during a time when incremental change is simply not enough to meet this moment. What’s stopping us from using the Covid-19 crisis as an opportunity to abolish the racist systems we currently have and build equitable ones in their place? Let’s leverage a humane healthcare system to play a role in making policing AND prisons obsolete.   All the links you need: @ForYourMisinformation

Former police officer Joseph DeAngelo, better known as the Golden State Killer, will officially spend the rest of his life in prison. Between 1973 and 1986 DeAngelo murdered 13 people, raped more than 50 women, and committed over 125 fetish burglaries throughout California. Morgan and Katie talk about how his experience as a cop, hatred of women, and toxic masculinity combined with a culture of silence allowed these cases to go unsolved for decades. Through hard work and scientific advancements a small, dedicated group of people finally used familial DNA to identify him in 2018. Stick around for a text-banking update, some much needed self-care, and an update on Katie’s five tiny new foster kittens.   https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation

How is everything somehow dumber AND more dangerous than we realized? This week Katie and Morgan discuss the QAnon conspiracy theory labeled as a potential domestic terrorism threat by the FBI, and explain the Wayfair drama from a few weeks ago. Also, a QAnon supporter became the Republican nominee in her very safe red district in Georgia and is almost certainly going to congress in November! Is 2020 over yet?   All the links you need: https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation

Bonus episode! What if we made voting an agent of equality, not inequality? Mike Monetta joins today to talk about the urgent need to get money out of politics and Wolf-PAC's plan to do just that with a 28th amendment. Since the Supreme Court has taken a wrecking ball to the wall of separation between wealth and state, and Congress has been complicit, this may be the last chance to get our country back from corrupt special interest groups. If our episode about Dark Money made you particularly anxious, getting involved in this effort is the perfect antidote!    https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation

Morgan and Katie are joined by Billie Winner-Davis, mother of Reality Winner, an early whistleblower in the Trump administration. While working as a contractor for the NSA Reality shared a document detailing a Russian spear-phishing operation to influence the 2016 US election. After being prosecuted under the Espionage Act she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 64 months in a federal prison, the harshest sentence ever for her crime. She remains behind bars in a Texas prison where she recently tested positive for Covid-19.    All the links you need: https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation

Part two is here! Katie and Morgan talk about Jeffrey Epstein’s ability to get away with seemingly anything through a combination of bribery, intimidation, and blackmail. We also cover all the suspicious activity leading up to his death last summer, as well as the targeting of federal judge Esther Salas’ family days after she was assigned the Epstein/Deutche Bank case. Welcome to our mafia state, fingers crossed Ghislaine lives long enough for us to hear what she has to say!    https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation

Let’s get this out of the way - no we don’t think Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide. However, we do know that he & Ghislaine Maxwell ran a molestation pyramid scheme for decades, dozens of people enabled it, and hundreds of girls were trafficked. But also holy shit these survivors are so inspiring. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss part 2 next week!   https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation  

Oh good, religion is screwing up our government again. This week Morgan and Katie are joined by Kyle Plant Emoji to talk about what life was like growing up as an Evangelical Christian, Veggietales, and his favorite Bible stories that conservatives interpret all wrong. Then they get into America’s non-profit industrial complex, biased philanthropic giving, and the need for churches to pay taxes. As it is now, church finances aren’t getting enough oversight and are ripe for abuse, and our government isn’t doing its job, leaving churches and other philanthropies to do the brunt of social-service work for our citizens.

What about the good apples? From ‘08-’09 Adrian Schoolcraft secretly recorded his supervisors at the New York Police Department instructing officers to manipulate crime statistics and make illegal arrests. Shortly after he brought evidence of this corruption to internal affairs, he was dragged from his home and held in a psychiatric ward against his will for six days. This is not an institution that can be reformed. Black Lives Matter, defund the police. 

Let’s talk about decriminalization and legalization! A lot of people don’t realize that many of the problems we associate with drug use are actually caused by the War on Drugs. We need to shift the way we think about people with substance use issues; they’re members of our community who are sick and we want them back and healthy. The way to do that is with harm reduction, and by electing people who are compassionate and scientifically literate.

Finally! To understand how we got to the current disaster of police brutality and mass incarceration in this country, we need to talk about the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs refers to a racist government-led initiative that theoretically aims to stop illegal drug use, distribution, and trade. In reality it resulted in a 300% increase in drug use in the US and prisons disproportionately full of Black Americans, even though all races use and sell drugs at similar rates. On Monday we’ll go over examples of other countries that have successfully dealt with their drug problems. 

Morgan and Katie share their personal experiences with the police and lessons they’ve taken away from those encounters. Morgan dated a police officer for 18 months and Katie went on a police ride-along in January 2017. In short, we remain unimpressed. https://linktr.ee/ForYourMisinformation