Kat Abughazaleh: Running for Congress, Fighting Against Fascism, & Mutual Aid

Summary

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Let's Give A Damn Podcast — Episode Summary

Guest: Kat Abughazaleh
Host: Nick Laparra
Episode Title: Kat Abughazaleh: Running for Congress, Fighting Against Fascism, & Mutual Aid
Date: March 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Nick Laparra welcomes Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old Palestinian American journalist and researcher who is running for Congress in Illinois’ 9th District. Their dynamic, deeply honest conversation covers Kat’s background, her campaign’s grassroots and mutual aid approach, the realities of U.S. and international politics (including the war in Palestine), anti-fascism, and what real solidarity looks like. Kat shares her vision for a politics grounded in actionable care and accountability—hopeful, clear-eyed, and radically community-first.

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Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Kat’s Story: From Texas Republican Roots to Anti-Fascist Candidate

[08:29–14:28]

• Kat introduces herself as a Palestinian American who grew up in a Republican household in Texas before moving to Tucson, Arizona, where exposure to economic injustice prompted her shift to the left.
• Early career focus: international security, extremism, and anti-genocide work (“My experience is in fighting Nazis. My experience is in fighting the very same people that run our government.” — Kat, [30:10])
• Work at Media Matters watching Fox News/Tucker Carlson, contributing to his firing
• Personal activism highlights: pushing for Palestinian rights, direct actions, sleeping outside the DNC to protest exclusion of Palestinian-American voices
• Motivation: “We got sick of waiting for someone to listen and I decided to run myself... We have been able to build a grassroots campaign... funded majority small dollar donations that uses our resources to help people.” — Kat, [13:18]

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2. The Reality of Genocide, and Lived Palestinian American Experience

[14:30–19:01]

• Clear discussion of the legal definition of genocide and its relevance to the ongoing suffering of Palestinians:
  “Genocide is a specific definition... It is not just the murder of a lot of people. It is actions taken with the intent to destroy a culture or a people...” — Kat, [14:56]
• Kat puts the ongoing Nakba into personal/family context, also noting the growing solidarity movement
• Nick and Kat both reflect on their backgrounds (Guatemala/Palestine) and how personal/family experiences of genocide or displacement shape their activism

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3. Mutual Aid and Campaign as Community Hub

[00:00], [19:56–25:58]

• Kat’s campaign office doubles as a mutual aid hub, providing winter coats, food, diapers, Narcan, and more to the local community
• “Don’t listen to what I say, watch what I do, and I mean it.” — Kat, [21:47]
• All campaign events are financially accessible; campaign staff paid $25/hr minimum
• “If we had spent a 10th... of what we spent in 2024 funding local clinics... stalking local food banks. I genuinely think it would have made a huge difference...” — Kat, [22:54]
• The office as a “third space,” reinforcing solidarity and direct care
• Nick lauds this as a model—“Mutual aid is everything... you doing that while you’re raising money and campaigning... gives me hope.” — Nick, [21:53]

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4. Age, Experience, and Congressional Diversity

[27:40–32:06]

• Kat responds to doubts about youth:
  “If the answer was more career politicians, then we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.” — Kat, [30:05]
• Calls for diversity of background, not just age/race/gender
• Explains how her lived experience (rent, student loans, social media skills, organizing) is different and necessary for fixing real-world problems
• “My experience is in fighting the right. That’s what I want to do.” — Kat, [32:06]

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5. Why Run for Congress? Burn It Down or Build Something Better?

[33:29–37:31]

• Nick asks why try to work within such a broken system
• Kat’s answer: “It’s really heart wrenching... but the forest was dying anyway, and we get to plant something and build something much better on its remains... I’m insisting on building it up differently.” — Kat, [35:16]
• She’s realistic about the limited short-term effect but sees value in “planting the seeds” for long-term change
• “Mutual aid is a stopgap... We deserve a state that actually works for us, that where we don’t need to do that because we have what we need.” — Kat, [37:31]

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6. Online Hate, Endorsements, and Communicating in the Fascist Internet Age

[39:37–45:45]

• Kat shares her “anti-endorsements” from figures like Elon Musk, Libs of TikTok, and Laura Loomer (“a Hamas Antifa Communist whore” — Laura Loomer, quoted by Kat, [41:19])
• Talks about how far-right social media ecosystems (Nick Shirley, Chaya Raichik/Libs of TikTok) create a toxic, fast-moving environment for misinformation, but also how she leverages her social media skills to respond quickly and directly
• “We are here with an outstretched hand for the people who want it... you just need that puncture... when they do, I’m here.” — Kat, [45:45]

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7. Why Faith, Community, and “Too Earnest” Politics Still Matter

[48:06–53:26]

• Both Kat and Nick reflect on growing up in faith communities and the double-edged legacy of organized religion (solidarity and direct action vs. exclusion and violence)
• “A lot of some of the most progressive leftist action, especially in communities of color, come from religious communities that actually live the teachings that they supposedly follow.” — Kat, [50:34]
• Kat calls for politics rooted in values, not cynicism: “Once again, don’t listen to what I say. Watch what I do.” — Kat, [53:26]

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8. Core Platform Issues — Kat’s Rapid-Fire Policy

[54:00–61:23]

Basic Existence

[54:00–54:52]

• “Everyone deserves to afford housing, groceries, and healthcare with money left over to save and spend, and equal rights... The government is not a business. Its role is to make sure people can exist..." — Kat, [54:00–54:52]

Free & Sovereign Palestine & Ending Antisemitism

[55:21–58:33]

• Refuses to treat these as opposites, discusses how the state of Israel tries to conflate its own crimes with Judaism (which increases antisemitism), and notes that many Jewish allies fight for Palestinian liberation
• “A free and sovereign Palestine doesn’t mean that Jewish people shouldn’t exist... Our lives and our futures are intertwined... Neither of us are safe until both of us are safe.” — Kat, [55:46]

Immigration

[59:27–61:23]

• “We need the abolition and prosecution of ICE and the dismantling of DHS... full amnesty and citizenship for any immigrant who has committed a nonviolent crime...” — Kat, [59:27]
• Calls for prosecuting ICE leadership, signing the Rome Statute to finally make the U.S. subject to international law
• Nick reflects on the endless delays faced by Dreamers and other immigrants

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On campaign values and mutual aid:
  “We try to make sure all our events are accessible to everyone, no matter their income… We are really trying to make sure we live out our values. Always tell people, don’t listen to what I say, watch what I do, and I mean it.” — Kat, [00:00, 21:47]

• On hope vs. despair:
  “There are a lot of people who feel helpless in the face of fascism… When we have really accessible things like park cleanups or knitting circles... they get to know that they’re making a difference.” — Kat, [24:00]

• On diversity in Congress:
  “The average age of Congress is 58. The average age of an American is 38. Half of Congress is worth a million dollars or more... We need diversity of background.” — Kat, [30:05]

• On anti-authoritarian activism:
  “My colleagues and I for years have been warning Democrats about this moment… about where the DEI CRT anti trans panic would lead. And they didn’t listen, so I got sick of waiting for someone to listen and I decided to run myself.” — Kat, [13:17]

• On building a better state:
  “Mutual aid is a stopgap… We deserve a state that actually works for us, that where we don’t need to do that because we have what we need. We can thrive, not just survive.” — Kat, [37:31]

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Key Timestamps

• Background / Origin Story: [08:29–14:28]
• Palestine & Genocide: [14:30–19:01]
• Grassroots & Mutual Aid Model: [00:00, 19:56–25:58]
• Youth & Experience in Politics: [27:40–32:06]
• Running in our Authoritarian Moment: [33:29–37:31]
• Handling Far-Right Online Hate: [39:37–45:45]
• Faith & Progressive Values: [48:06–53:26]
• Core Issues / Rapid-Fire Policy: [54:00–61:23]

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Final Words & Action Steps

Kat urges listeners to get involved:

“If anyone wants to support us, they can go to katforillinois.com… You can also phone bank or door knock for us… or join our discord server.” — Kat, [63:27]

Nick closes by announcing his hope for Kat’s victory and promising to mobilize his own network in Illinois.

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Tone & Language

Throughout, Kat and Nick are honest, plainspoken, sometimes irreverent, but always deeply principled and hopeful. The conversation is driven by a mix of righteous indignation, humor, and genuine personal warmth.

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Summary prepared for listeners who want a complete, nuanced, and inspiring digest of the episode’s content without missing key arguments, platform points, and memorable exchanges.

Transcript

[A]

And so our campaign office doubles as a mutual aid hub. People come in every single day to get what they need, whether that's winter coats, whether that's food, water, baby formula, diapers, Narcan books. We try to make sure all of our events are accessible to everyone, no matter their income. So whenever you see, like, a fundraiser that we're having, there's always a clause in there saying you can donate literally $1 and email us and we'll make sure that you're on the list if there's still room. So we are really trying to make sure that we live out our values. Always tell people, don't listen to what I say, watch what I do. And I mean, it's foreign.

[B]

Hey, friends and damn givers, Nick lapara here. And welcome to the let's Give a Damn podcast, a show where I have conversations with incredible artists, activists, and troublemakers. People who give a damn and who aim to leave the planet much better than they found it. Thank you so much for being here. A quick reminder, dear friends, that you can show your support for let's Give a Damn and in a variety of different ways. You can join our Patreon for the price of a cup of coffee per month. You can follow us on social media, engage with our content there. You can share this episode with your friends and enemies alike. You can buy some of our merch on our website, letsgivadam.com or maybe you're an organization or company that aligns with us and you'd like to sponsor some episodes. There are so many ways to support and I invite you to explore which ones are right for you. You can reach out to me with any questions at all at hello, let's Give a Damn dot com. Now, friends, tell me, why is it that every time I put out a new episode, a million new horrific things have happened in the world? Yes, incredible and hopeful things have happened as well. But my oh, my, the horrific and evil things feel like they are far outweighing the good. We are now at war with Iran. Have been for several days now. And it's not about freeing Iranians. We know that because on day one, the US bombed an elementary school, killed 165 kids and many adults. They killed the kids and then attacked again when their parents and teachers went in to try to rescue anyone still alive. And then the US lied for days and days and days about it. And now there is indiscriminate bombing at oil depots and civilian areas. You've seen the videos.

[A]

You.

[B]

You've seen the clips Israel, with the US is making moves to expand their reign of terror. Oh, and Israel is also bombing Lebanon and the genocide in Gaza continues and settler attacks continue in the West Bank. I could go on and on. I could also go on and on about what's happening here in the United States of Israel, AKA the United States of Fascism. I won't do that now, however, because my guest and I address many issues and many solutions in the forthcoming conversation. My guest today, Kat Abou Ghazali, is a 26 year old my guest today, Kat Abou Ghazali is a 26 year old Palestinian American who is running to represent the 9th district of Illinois in Congress and the Democratic primary is coming up on March 17th and this podcast releases on 3-3-13. I know we're cutting it close, but if you live in that district, please make sure you are not only voting and donating, but also doing everything you can. And if you don't live there, we're going to share many ways that you can get involved. Kat is running against 15 other Democrats, but there are really only two other actual contenders, one who has trailed behind and one who is barely ahead of her. And his lead has stagnated, which means Kat can and and, fingers crossed, will win. Kat is the only one in the race who has committed to not take AIPAC money and who has not met with AIPAC and never will meet with aipac. Kat has made AIPAC panic so badly that they have spent over a million dollars on ads against Kat, attack ads against Kat. She is within the margin of error to win, but she needs your help and our help. Please check out katforillinois.com that's K A T for illinois.com. you should donate. You can phone bank from anywhere and if you live in the 9th district of Illinois you can go door knocking. Also, on her website you can read more about the issues she cares about and will address like anti authoritarianism, basic existence needs, a free and sovereign Palestine, immigration, reproductive rights, and so much more. If you are disillusioned with our political system and politicians and you want to give up Kat Abu Ghazali will give you hope. This is an incredible conversation with a badass human and the next congressperson to lead the 9th district of Illinois. Fingers crossed. A true and real damn giver. Before we begin, a quick reminder as always that you can email me anytime and and for any reason at hello, let's Give a damn dot com. You can ask questions, recommend future guests tell me how much you love or hate the Show Anything goes. I just love hearing from you. And don't forget, if you prefer to watch your podcasts instead of listening to them, we're on YouTube as well. And now let's get right into my conversation with the incredible and inimitable Kat Abu Gazale. Let's go, Kat. Welcome to the let's Give a Damn podcast.

[A]

Thank you for having me.

[B]

I know this is an intense week for you, so I really appreciate you taking the time, taking an hour to join us, but this is very important. I mean, you represent so much of what our community is about and you have a really important primary coming up. And so again, thank you for taking some time. I see that you have a beverage ready. I've got my Return of the Jedi card coffee mug. Because. Because we are antifascist, anti imperialist, pro liberationist humans. So I thought it appropriate for this conversation. I also want to. This is super, like, not important, but it is. Thank you for having a nice mic and headphone setup. I mean, there are so many. I've interviewed lots and lots and lots of celebrities and sort of important people, authors, and it. It pains me to. To see so many people that need to really want to get a point across. They want to get very clear, and then they show up with their, like, Apple headphones. Or no headphones at all.

[A]

Or no headphones at all.

[B]

Yeah. And when we talk over each other, it cuts them out. In fact, I was just watching that, the video you did with Zateo with Mehdi and the two others that were on there, God bless them, but one of them sounded like he was in a fucking cave.

[A]

I was like, junaid, buddy. Yeah.

[B]

It's like. And mics are so affordable. I mean, we got. We have the, you know, the nice Shure SM7BS. But, like, they're such affordable options now. So.

[A]

Can I tell you about my mic?

[B]

Huh?

[A]

Can I tell you about my mic?

[B]

Please do.

[A]

So I was a researcher and journalist. I did a lot of video journalism and video explainers about the far right. And so I originally had, like, kind of a shitty mic, but it had a bunch of colors. It was fun. And then someone that followed my stuff was like, I am an audio engineer. And this is when I was a contributor at Cricket. So he found me in the Cricket discord and was like, I'm an audio engineer and I have a bunch of audio equipment. Would love to send it to you for free if you're comfortable giving me your address. And I was like, damn, I'm broken up. That. Hell, yeah. Man, here's my address. And he sent me this microphone, like, everything that I need for a full audio setup. And then every once in a while, he sends me something like a cover, because, like, our colors are orange and blue. And he made this little thing at the bottom. My cat on it.

[B]

Yes, yes, yes.

[A]

Which is really nice.

[B]

Well, God bless. May the gods bless that wonderful human. And it just gave me this idea. Maybe the. Maybe what we need to do is, like, pull some rich people money together and send audio equipment to. Not to celebrities and all that, but, like, to politicians. You know, like these.

[A]

They can afford it. They can buy their own mics with their kids.

[B]

Maybe. Maybe we just need to tell them to go ahead and do that.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Anyway, I appreciate that. We can all hear you super clearly. Kat, super huge fan of you and your work. Begin by telling those that don't know. Before we get into your campaign and what you stand for and all the things you're up against, what's your story? Tell us about the. Your people, your places, your things, those and everything that made you who you are today.

[A]

Wow. What a question. Well, first off, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my little cat, Heater. She is orange. It's Heater with an H, not Peter. Do not call her that. She is our campaign mascot, and I love her more than anything. I never pet a cat before I was 25 years old, and then I met her, and now she lives with me. This is a podcast about our cats, right?

[B]

Yeah. Oh, no, no. This is a cat.

[A]

This is a cat.

[B]

This is a cat cast.

[A]

Yeah, so. But I am a researcher and journalist who covers the far right. I'm a Palestinian American. I grew up actually in Texas. I grew up Republican, very Reagan Republican. I had a mom whose family was involved in Texas Republican politics and an immigrant dad who's really down with assimilation. So I grew up thinking Ronald Reagan was, like, the best guy in the world, but the values that I was raised with didn't line with, like, this party that we were a part of. I. You know, for my entire childhood, there wasn't a single day where I thought I couldn't do something just because I was a girl. Like, not once. My parents just didn't raise me that way. We really cared about other cultures. You know, I'm Palestinian. We made sure. My parents, when we would travel, made sure to not just have us in, like, you know, touristy areas. We really wanted to embrace cultures where we were and especially see the world through food, which is I always ask, like, all my icebreaker questions are about food. Um, but when I was about 15, we moved to Tucson, Arizona, and it's much less segregated by income than where I grew up in Dallas. And I had a friend who was much smarter than me who wanted to be a doctor so bad. She would have been an incredible doctor. And even with a full ride, she couldn't afford to go to college. And also for editing, do we want to take Ramiro off the stage?

[B]

I think unless I give him another link that puts him in the audience, he's going to show up. Even if he's off camera.

[A]

I'll.

[B]

I'll be able to. I'll. I'll just take the two of us and I'll make it work. But thank you for. Thank you for asking.

[A]

But even with a full ride, my friend couldn't afford to go to college. And it didn't make sense to me because she did all the things right, you know, bootstraps, all of that, but she had to take care of her family. And so I was like, maybe Ronald Reagan isn't right about everything, huh? And so that was right around when Trump announced his bid for presidency. And my. My parents and I did not like him from the start. We were like, maybe Marco Rubio is the answer. Which APAC actually quoted my high school newspaper op ed where I endorsed Marco Rubio Super Tuesday. Yeah, they put it in their AI generated ad because that's what they've got on me. And so by the time I went to college, I was a Democrat. And I started really thinking about the fact that I believed so much wrong information, like ignorance, the effects are negative, but itself is completely value neutral. And so I decided to devote my life to anti extremism. And I studied international affairs. I focused on security policy, really specifically atrocity, genocide, and extremism. I graduated in 2020 because originally I went to school. Either be a foreign service officer for our government or work for a legacy media outlet. And I was very disenchanted with both of those things because it was May 2020. So I started working at Media Matters, watching Fox News every night from 4pm to 11pm specifically Tucker Carlson. My team's work contributed to him getting fired from Fox News, which is still the best day of my life. And also how I met the love of my life, Ben, who is also an anti extremism report reporter. We were in a group chat for people who had been harassed by Tucker Carlson. And the first time he ever talked to me on the phone, he said, I Might get married one day, might have a kid. And I'm gonna say it's the best day of my life, but I'm fucking lying. Today is the best day of my life. And I moved in with him like three months later.

[B]

That's a love story. That's a love story right there.

[A]

It's the most like fucked up love story of our political.

[B]

Tucker Carlson brought us together.

[A]

No, no, no, not Tucker Carlson. The day Tucker Carlson got fired.

[B]

Well, yes, yes, correction.

[A]

But I got laid off about a year later after Elon Musk sued the non profit I worked at for accurate reporting. And so I, I freelanced, worked with Mother Jones, Ateo News. I did a one hour video explainer on the history of white Christian nationalism and Project 2025 for people for the American Way. And I did a lot of activism trying to push Kamala Harris to at least treat Palestinians like human beings. I was actually ended up sleeping on the concrete outside the DNC after Rua Roman, a Palestinian American elected official, was banned from endorsing Harris on stage. So we wasn't supposed to be a sit in, but turned into that. I was approached by the Harris campaign actually to lead Arab American outreach in swing states after that. And I by a pack associated with the Harris campaign. And I said I'd be happy to if I could just get 10 minutes on camera with her because nothing would convince my family more than that. And they said no, not really. That really made me just realize how lost the Democratic Party was.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

And I mean all of this has, everything of the past, you know, 30 years has, but that moment personally for me and when Trump was elected, I was like, well, someone's going to do something right. They're going to do something right. And then they didn't. They sat behind him when he was inaugurated, they clapped their hands, they voted for his appointees. And I got sick of waiting for someone to listen. My colleagues and I for years have been warning Democrats about this moment. We told them about, you know, January 6th before it happened, about where the DEI CRT anti trans panic would lead. And they didn't listen. And so I got sick of waiting for someone to listen and I decided to run myself. And over the past year, especially helped by my large platform which I built myself, but it's still such a privilege to have. We have been able to build a grassroots campaign funded majority small dollar donations that uses our resources to help people. Right now our office is a mutual aid hub. We've been able to shine a light on topics that aren't covered especially surrounding ice and pushed our entire race to the left. I've also gotten federally indicted, but that's a whole other thing. And election day is in seven days and we're going to win.

[B]

There's so much to respond to there, but I would be.

[A]

You told me to tell me.

[B]

No, you did. No, no, you did. And we have hours of cram into the next 49 minutes, but I want to pause because I would be remiss. You mentioned that you are Palestinian American. We are 885 days into a genocide. We're months into a fake ass ceasefire. And I want to ask, how are you? I mean all of us?

[A]

Not great. Yeah, not great. And I also think it's worth mentioning as this is the thing I studied. The genocide is a specific definition. It is not just the murder of a lot of people. And it was created after the Holocaust. You have a specific definition under international law and it's essentially actions taken with the intent to destroy a culture or a people, a race or ethnicity. And my family was exiled from Palestine in 1948. My father was born stateless. There are arguments that the actual genocide has been going on for much longer and I think that's important to mention, especially one of the three viable candidates in my race. I am the only one that will say genocide. I am the only one that doesn't sponsor that won't sponsor federal anti BDS legislation. I'm the only one that truly will not vote for aid to Israel because it needs to be conditioned. I'm not voting for a cent for defensive weapons if those weapons aren't used under international law. This is crazy. And on the other side of this though, for my entire life I have watched as Palestinians have been second class citizens in the entire world. It's not just Israel, by the way. In Middle Eastern countries after the Nakba, there were like second class citizenships for Palestinian people. It's part of the reason that my family came to Chicago in the first place. And over the past three years, I wish it didn't have to require so many deaths and so much gore on our screens. A live stream genocide. But I've never seen people care about Palestinian rights or see us as human for as long as they do now. And now I see people of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, religions wearing their keffiyeh on the street. And by the way, if you've been considering buying a keffiyah to anyone watching this and you're like, I don't want to appropriate culture, I'm giving You the Palestinian card. We love it when people get a keffiyeh. It is the most utilitarian piece of clothing you can have. Go buy one, go to the Hirbawi website and get one.

[B]

If everybody saw my full screen, I have two within view. One over here on my bed covering up my bedspread because keffiyeh is better. And then one up here and we wear them all the time.

[A]

No, they're really helpful. They could be a picnic blanket if you need it. Like it's utilitarian piece of clothing again.

[B]

Yeah. 77ish years into a genocide. Two and a half years into a genocide. You can't go anywhere without like people know what it stands for now. And so it is a very simple way if you're, if you don't know how to sort of speak up yet and you should, and you should be learning but like this is an easy way to tell people what the, what you believe, who you're standing with without ever saying anything. On the train. I live in New York, so on the train, you know, everywhere you go you see people look at it, your eyes connect sometimes eyes light up, they make a statement, you know, they say something. And so yes, get, get keffiyehs. Well, I've, I've dedicated most of the last 22 plus years to raise money for Gaza Relief with UNRE USA. I've done tours with Motez Aziza and with done events with Gabor Mate. I've done everything I can as a Guatemalan. Like I'm Guatemalan. We know genocide. We know go back to the 50s and 60s. We know US and Israel back genocide like that happened to us in different ways, but that happened to us a million plus Mayans. Just land grabbing and culture grabbing. And so it's like in my blood and I've been doing everything I can because this is the, you know, the event I did with Gabor Mate. Aaron Mate and I, we named it Palestine. The moral issue of our time, this is.

[A]

It doesn't mean that any other genocides are less than. I feel like there's especially an argument, especially from people who are very anti Palestine. Like, well, what about Sudan? That's also horrific and also paid for with our tax dollars by the way. In fact, doctors who are in Sudan say the only thing they have seen that's worse than Gaza is in Sudan.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Our actions in Iran, horrific. None of this negates those. But I feel like every time that's used it's always an argument to silence support for Palestine as opposed to Uplifting those who are also being persecuted.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. The unique thing about Palestine and about Gaza and about this is that like so many progressives in air quotes, please. They're for all the other things. They're for Sudan and Congo in Iran in Venezuela, and they're for everything, trans people. They're for all the right issues except Palestine. So that is why it is truly the key to unlocking, hopefully collective liberation for more people in the future. Lots of people, lots of politicians claim that they're. You mentioned earlier, but I would love, not for my sake, but just to sort of throw it in front of people's faces. Lots of politicians claim their campaigns are grassroots and most of the time it's bullshit. So just give us some numbers, like donors and the average donation, because I think it just helps people, you know, if they want to, if they're outside and they want to donate, or if they're in your district and they want to donate. Like, what is, what has the campaign been made up of?

[A]

Yeah, and I mean, we would, we really need donations right now, especially as AIPAC goes hard against us. We have over 60,000 donors. Our average donation, I believe, is now under $32. We have made a promise to not accept money from Republican funded PACs, like a pack corporate PACs or billionaires. We have, like I said, over 60,000 donors. And so one billionaire actually did slip through the cracks. And we made a promise that if that did happen, it was on our reports, we would donate that money to a local food bank. And so that's already done. We are also using our resources in a different way. I said I wanted to do politics differently, which I think everyone says, but no one actually does because the system is built for stagnation. It is built to keep you calcified. But we have been able to, with our platform and with my communication skills, able to kind of sidestep that. And so our campaign office doubles as a mutual aid hub. People come in every single day to get what they need, whether that's winter coats, whether that's food, water, baby formula, diapers, Narcan books. We try to make sure all of our events are accessible to everyone, no matter their income. So whenever you see like a fundraiser that we're having, there's always a clause in there saying you can donate literally one doll and email us and we'll make sure that you're on the list if there's still room. We are just trying our best to live our actions out. Also the way that we pay our staff, I believe the federal minimum wage should be $25 an hour. And so that is what we pay our staff. It means that payroll is our biggest expense. But anyone that works in politics knows that is not the usual. And we also are ensuring that no matter what happens on Tuesday, that we will be able to pay our staff through April. Because usually at the end of a campaign, if it's not successful, staff is just let go, let go right away. No security blanket. They have no continuation of their health insurance. So we are really trying to make sure that we live out our values. Always tell people, don't listen to what I say, watch what I do, and I mean it.

[B]

I love that so much. And I really loved the. You've brought it up multiple times. Keep bringing it up. Because I think you're, I think you are. You might be aware of sort of how you're trailblazing and leading the way as a 26 year old, but you, but you really are. Like the very fact that your campaign office doubles as a mutual aid hub. Mutual aid is everything. And white people, Americans and American white people don't. They don't. Black and brown communities have been doing mutual aid for, since the beginning of time. White people don't know how to do mutual aid. And we need to teach, we need to teach our, our fellow, our neighbors how to do mutual aid. And so you doing that while you're raising money and campaigning and trying to get into office is, is incredible. I hope you know that that is so appreciated for those of us that have, and we'll get into this later, like, have basically given up on, like, is it even worth investing in or running for a political position in this current infrastructure? Like, that gives me hope.

[A]

If I could talk a little bit more about it too. Please do. It's. This was really important to me for a bunch of reasons. First off, we are trying to put pressure. I very much believe that so many politicians have lost an understanding of how pressure works and how the bully pulpit works. And so we are trying to pressure other campaigns, other candidates, other races to do the same thing. If we had spent a 10th or even 5% of what we spent in 2024 funding local clinics and stuff, stalking local food banks. I genuinely think it would have made a huge difference because nothing would have made me become a Democrat faster than seeing actual action, especially when so many people are disillusioned with politics. And even if we had still lost, we would have helped so many people. And so there are 16 candidates in my race. There are three truly viable ones. But at least we know, no matter what, we have made a difference to the community. And if every single campaign in our race did the same thing, it would be a net win, win or lose, for all of us. Second, it's not just about the people that we help. Whenever I'm on a podcast that I know a lot of Democratic consultants listen to, I always try to frame it this way. I'm like, look, we have gotten even more volunteers and people that are interested in our campaign and that have bought into our campaign because of this initiative than the thousands of people that we have clothed and fed. Because a lot of people feel helpless in the face of fascism. And we don't want to doom scroll, but we have had all of our third spaces taken from us. We have an entire media and political ecosystem that exists to make us feel helpless. And so when we have really accessible things like park cleanups or, you know, knitting circles to make hats for people that need them because it's cold as fuck outside, people come and they get to be around like minded people and they get to know that they're making a difference. They get to see if they make that hat the second someone walks in and takes it and leaves. And our mutual aid hub, originally it served primarily the unhoused community. Then a lot of undocumented people came in. And this is the other thing that I wanted to mention when you talked about white people not knowing how to do mutual aid, I am very aware of how I look and I try to use it to, to, you know, push narratives, whether it's, you know, when I got thrown by ice, which, the one that went super viral was actually the third time they had done that. People weren't horrified because this is the first time ICE did it. They were horrified because they were like, oh, the state's not supposed to use violence against someone that looks like that. And so when we had undocumented folks coming in, I really tried to stress like, look, if something happens to our campaign office, it's going to be a national news story. But if ICE raids your local grocery store, maybe it will, maybe it won't. So at least you have that type of protection. And now we have a lot of low income families coming in to get what they need. And so it's just through word of mouth especially. We had at 1.3 different moms come in at the same time. None of them knew each other, but they knew that they could come to our office to get baby formula. And that's really fucking cool.

[B]

That's. That is really fucking cool. Indeed. And I love how you brought up that you, you are Palestinian, but you present a certain way, as do I as a Guatemalan who grew up in Guatemala. Like, I know that I, I had this big, you know, booming voice. I'm, you know, 5 11. Like, you know, I, I, I'm not tall, but I'm a big, no one

[A]

in my family is 5 11.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. I'm, I'm a big presence. And so I know that even though I'm Guatemalan, even though I grew up in a, in a very, there's lots of issues in Guatemala and you know, at the end of the 40 year war, that when I was growing up there, like, there's lots to discuss to, I didn't grow up here. I know how I come across. And so I'm trying to use, even though I've experienced suffering like I have, I'm trying to use how I look and how I come across for, for good. Because people are going to listen to me versus someone that is much darker, much browner, much whatever, you know, doesn't speak as articulately as I do. And so I really appreciate that you're using your, how you present to speak to the people that will, that will listen to you versus, you know, maybe a Palestinian woman in a hijab or whatever, you know, we see.

[A]

That's literally what I said to that PAC that asked me to lead Arab American outreach. I was like, look, if you want her to speak to a Palestinian person, Harris, it's shitty, but it's less risky to do it with me than my cousin and a hijab. And there's also this aspect where some people try and oftentimes they're actually, for me, I know they're not in my community at all. They're never Palestinian that tried to erase my identity. I'm not sure about your experience. And screw those people. I'm Palestinian. I'm proud of my family. I'm proud of my people. My brother looks much more what people would associate with Palestinians. But I've had to joke so many times during this campaign. Yes, Arabs can have blue eyes. Let me explain the Crusades to you.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Sit down. History lesson forthcoming. So you mentioned there are 16 people in the race. Oh, my God. But really only three viable candidates. Daniel Biss, still mayor of Evanston. He's current mayor. Right, Laura? Fine. And then, and then you and I will say that it's, you know, you speak, you communicate so well and you, you out communicate your contenders by a Factor of a lot. So I just love. I've. I sort of. As I was thinking about today, I just went and watched a bunch of. Of. Of clips and yeah, you, you take them to town, as it were.

[A]

I have had to make them invest in people to post on social media for them, which is fun.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Okay, so you were the one, the, one of the more interesting debates and clips was when you and the two others, Laura and Daniel, had the nope or yes sort of signs. Right. And you're answering, answering questions. And the. One of the bigger questions on the sort of viral clip is, you know, when, when they were talking, well, there were a few that. Will you take money from apac? Should Hakeem Jeffries. You know, will you support Hakeem Jeffries? And that question in particular, you had your sign up before the question was even over. So I want to get to some of those issues here in a minute, but just your. The age gap between you and the other two contenders. I mean, I assume that you have heard at 26 years old and a woman, I assume that at this point you've heard from many people, you're not going to make it. You're too young. What the hell does Kat know? You need to get experience first. Get out there, get a real job. I mean, I know Maxwell Frost faced it four years ago. They're a little older than you, but AOC Mamdani, like, I live in New York, so I mean, I saw the whole. All of the smearing of Mamdani. Not based on. I mean, he was. He's articulate as fuck. And so it's not against communication skills or anything. It's always so young, doesn't have experience. Go get a job and then come, come back in 20 years to run for this office. So what do you. How do you respond to Those that say Cat 26, not going to happen. We need to trust someone that's been mayor. We need to trust these more establishment folks that have experience under their belts. What do you say to them?

[A]

First off, if the answer was more career politicians, then we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I should also say that I, you know, when people are like, what's your experience? My experience is in fighting Nazis. My experience is in fighting the very same people that run our government. And I don't want to be in Congress forever. I wouldn't be running if it wasn't this exact moment. And in fact, I want to do what I'm good at. I want to help Others get some fascists out and then go back home to hanging out with my cat and then vote for the next Congressperson. But that's going to take a couple of terms that I promise not to serve more than five terms. But I'd also say that I don't think Congress should just be 26 year old journalists. I think that we need a diversity in Congress not just of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion or even diversity of age, which I think is important. We need diversity of background because it's really difficult to legislate on ideas that you don't have experience in. It is difficult, especially if you're not listening to the researchers who warn you about it, to know how to fight the far right if you don't have experience doing that. It is difficult to legislate on school shootings if you haven't had to live through a school shooting drill if, or even if your kids haven't. The average age of Congress is 58. The average age of an American is 38. Half of Congress is worth a million dollars or more. That is not the same for the American people. So I have my own experiences and backgrounds. And after we win on Tuesday, we're going to be using our resources and our platform to help get progressives elected all over the country. But it's, we need different people. We can't just keep doing the same thing over and over and over again. I mean so many older folks don't know how much rent is now, especially in a big city because they've owned their homes for 20, 30 years and that's great for them. Honestly, nothing against them. If I could have bought a home at those prices, I would have, but probably will never own a home. And so many people my age feel the same. And so my experience is in fighting the right. That's what I want to do.

[B]

Yeah, no, that's a great response actually because you brought up, you brought up the fact that you also don't want a Congress. Just are you full of just 26 year olds, 29 year olds, 30 year olds? Like not just diversity of age but diversity of experience. Like I look at our, the very few politicians that I do respect in Congress and in the Senate. Yeah, there is a wide variety from the, from the Ilhan Omar's to the Bernie Sanders and they've all disappointed me and they've all made me super like hopeful at times. Like you know, it's a mixed bag with everybody. But yeah, it is important to, for folks that feel the calling to bring what they have to the table, commit to not stay forever and just, you know, take these resources that they won't need someday to keep running for office and to, you know, stay in this job that pays. You know, it pays okay. You know, it's not everything, but it pays way more than the average American

[A]

finance system exists to make it difficult for working class candidates, almost impossible for working class candidates to run for office. I mean, for myself, I have depleted my savings entirely. I've gone into debt and my partner has been picking up my slack for me, which I'm so grateful for, but is unsustainable past, you know, couple months. And it's, and I'm in a good position. I don't understand how working class parents, or especially single parents can even run for office in the first place.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Okay, you've already addressed this sort of. But I want to ask it more directly here. The big question in my mind is why would anyone run for high level government, this high level government in this absolutely insane, authoritarian, fucked up, fascist country of ours? Because like, I'm like, I most of the time, you know, fall off the horse on the side of just burn it all down. The American experiment has utterly failed and we need to just burn it down and mutual aid ourselves to, you know, a better tomorrow. And then so there's that part of me that's like, don't, no, let's just, let's just do this stuff down here. Very grassroots, forget them, we'll do it ourselves. But the reality is, you know, unless we leave and go elsewhere, which isn't a bad idea most days, we do live in a capitalist country that will continue to be capitalists. We also live in a country that this government is going to continue. It might look much different in a few years, but it's going to continue. Like there will still be a Congress and a Senate and you know, it'll still look the way that it does. Yes. In, in a few years probably. So what's your argument for even getting as a Palestinian American, like most of those in government, not just don't care for air quotes, everybody for not watching, for those not watching the video. Your kind, but like they actually want you like out. They want you deported. You're going to be colleagues. Ish. With like the randy fines of the world. These, these absolute godless, moronic, you know, humans. Why would anyone, especially a young Palestinian American, get into government right now? Again, you've already talked about it, but like it's still going to be very hard to get anything done.

[A]

Well, I have some good news and bad news. First off, if you want to burn everything down, you don't have to do that. They're. They're already doing.

[B]

They're doing it themselves.

[A]

That's the thing is like, it's really heart wrenching and it's horrifying to watch our forest be burned to the ground, but the forest was dying anyways and we get to plant something and build something much better on its remains. I mean, burnt soil is more fertile. So they're insisting on tearing this down. I'm insisting on building it up differently. But also the bad news is we aren't going to get a lot done in the next two years. No matter whether I'm in Congress or not, my goal, I absolutely am down to negotiate and even compromise as long as we're not compromising on basic human rights. I think that there is a lot of bipartisan work to be done in AI legislation and tech regulation. There is so much room for that. Additionally, the Epstein files reversing Trump's tariffs. My personal vendetta in of like, smaller issues that I'm sure Miro is sick of hearing me talk about. We need to get rid of Daylight Savings Time, man, we would have the most popular Congress in the world if we could just pass the Sunshine Bill. So I think that there are things that we can work on, but it is our legal and moral obligation to stall this president's agenda wherever possible. We should not have caved on the shutdown. We should not be negotiating more ICE funding. ICE is already funded and we should be instead working to reappropriate those funds for education and health care at the first opportunity. We need to abolish and prosecute ice. We need to be doing everything we possibly can to stall this agenda. And so that means we aren't going to get as much as we can done, but we can plant the seeds to take over this government, to reclaim the state. Because frankly, yeah, it sounds great right now to do everything. Mutual aid, but that is a stopgap, right? We deserve a state that actually works for us, that where we don't need to do that because we have what we need. We can thrive and not just survive. That's my goal.

[B]

Yeah, I love that so much. That's really beautiful. You give me hope and that. And that is true because, like, at the same time that I, most of my work goes into teaching people how to be better neighbors with each other, like how to, like, how to build up mutual aid things, how to take care of each other. At the same time that I believe in that I'm a Marxist socialist. So, like, I do believe that the state should be providing these things. So at the same time that we should do it. I also, especially, especially the wealthiest country that the world has ever seen.

[A]

We should tax billionaires out of existence.

[B]

Tax them out of freaking existence.

[A]

And I've had someone ask me, so, like, what's the max that someone should have? And I'm like, honestly, I don't know. But I know it's not a billion and we can cross that bridge when we get there.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I get that question a lot too. As someone who hates billionaires with raging red hot fire passion is like, I don't know the number. But I do know that if you have, if you made $5,000 a day since the Declaration of Independence was signed, you still wouldn't have $1 billion. That's an ungodly amount of money. No one ever works. Nobody, nobody in the history of ever has created anything worth $1 billion. So if you have that you are stealing from.

[A]

Once we have the richest person in America with $999 million. $999,999. Then we could talk about the next steps. We have to get there first.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. Okay. On your website, you share some of the endorsements, as all politicians do, but you also have some anti endorsements, which I love. I also, on my podcast website, I have, you know, nice things that people have said about the podcast and then not so nice things people have said. As an outspoken, controversial Marxist, like, I get a lot of hate. I've had, obviously, as we both probably share this. I get death threats. People have threatened to find my children and rape them. Like that's the weirdest, most, like the dumbest threat ever. But I get lots of hate, right? And so I share some of those not so nice things. So my question is, who's your favorite endorser and why? Doesn't have to be one on the website. Just somebody that believes in your work that you sort of respect. And then who's your favorite hater and why?

[A]

I mean, like, I'm not gonna pick anyone on my website for endorsements because I don't want, I don't want anyone to feel like they're not loved. I'd say my favorite endorser is. I mean, it's a cop out to say my boyfriend Ben. So I'll say Brennan Lee Mulligan. I'm a huge DND nerd. He came on our stream. It was Like, I. My cheeks hurt afterwards because I was smiling so much. I admired him so much. And so it was really cool to have him on stream. So I'll say Bradley Mulligan for endorsers for our anti endorsements. We just had three on our original website. We have far more than that just in general, but that was how our original website was structured. So on our website you'll find Elon Musk, who deposed me. It was the dumbest, like six to eight hours of my life. Libs of TikTok, who inspires bomb threats at children's hospitals. She frequently posts about me. She just did. Most recently at the debate when I said that we should be granting amnesty and citizenship to every immigrant who has committed a violent crime. Posted how this is the great replacement theory in action, when really it's. There was a similar bipartisan proposal during the Bush administration. It's truly like giving candy to a baby. Thank you. And then Tucker Carlson, who, as I mentioned earlier, my team and I contributed to him getting fired. But I'd say my most dedicated hater right now, besides this one unhinged Republican candidate who keeps giving me gift bags for when I'm in prison is Laura Loomer. She has called me. What was it? It was a communist antifa Hamas or. No, a Hamas antifa. Communist whore.

[B]

Yeah. And put that on a shirt.

[A]

Well, I've also got to say, like, communist whore doesn't make a lot of sense. I feel like at that point you're doing it for the love of the game.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, that's right. You are just doing it for the love of the game. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

So, yeah, I mean, she's just. She's a delight. Definitely not crazy.

[B]

I think there's something really crazy. I mean, yes, Laura Loomer is just an absolute garbage human and I hope she repents of all of her wicked ways at some point. She won't. But like, I was also thinking about when I. When I saw Kaya Raichik on from Libs of Tick Tock on your website. I was thinking about this time that we're in where Kaya Raichik a not very bright. This is nothing about her. Like, I'm not shaming her for anything. She's not a smart person. Have you heard her talk in interviews? Like, she's so bad. And then you've got. You've got the.

[A]

She's really weird.

[B]

Yes. No, it's. There's something super off about her. She gets millions of followers and people follow her content, like religiously and Then you've got someone like Nick Shirley, kind of a new version of that, who, again, a very low iq, dumb human, that it now has millions of followers making all these, like, very low integrity, low value, you know, low budget sort of documentaries, exposing nothing really.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And we're in an interesting time because again, up until the last, like, even five, 10 years ago, this didn't exist in the way that it is now, where you have these people with. No. With low IQ and no, there's no reason they should be famous. We're definitely making the wrong people famous. And now they're helping. I mean, they are pulling. It used to be kind of backroom deals and whatever. And I guess maybe I'm appreciative that it's happening in public now, but how do you deal with, you know, you talk about these hate. You talk about Laura Loomer and you've got all these people that, again, they have no experience in this. They just, they, they at some point in time, their content or their whatever hit a certain moment in time and now they're famous for all the wrong reasons. But they can actually shift. They can change public outlook on you. And people that are for you, they're not going to be swayed. But like, people that are really wrestling through. Maybe a lot of conservatives that want to become progressive are feeling like, man, we've been tricked. But then they see this content that for them is super persuasive and they're just tricking them. How do you. Yeah, how have you navigated and your social media game is. Is on point? I mean, yeah, you talking about streaming and a lot of the quick responses to APAC ads, like, all that is like super spot on. But how are you dealing with sort of being a young politician in the age of Nick Shirley's and Kai Raichik, like, reigning the Internet?

[A]

I mean, first off, we. We left Twitter. Like, we just left Twitter. We were like, I garbage cesspool. It is a cesspool that is run by bots and will feed you white supremacist content at all hours of the day. And I just have no interest in contributing to that. I have never paid for a check mark. They gave me one against my will. But my opponents have, and a lot of them have advertised on there as well. Congrats on advertising to bots. So we just left Twitter entirely. I got a lot of heat for that, especially because we had such a large audience. But it's not worth it. Like I said, I believe in living out my values rather than just saying them. So separating myself from that has been really helpful. Second, I would say a lot of it is like letting them talk themselves into a hole. If someone is truly, truly motivated by everything libs of TikTok posts, then they are not ready for that switch. But we actually have a decent amount of Republicans that support us because in, especially in our district, in the more gerrymandered areas of it, who say, you know, I know my representative is going to be a Democrat and I might not agree with everything you believe, but I think you actually believe it. I know you actually believe it. And so I at least know that I'm going to get honesty from you. And especially as people's material needs aren't met as they continue to worsen under this administration, this is a prime time for radicalization, for people to realize that the power is with the working class. And it's not me against you, it's us versus a very small number of people that are controlling our wealth and pitting us against each other. So we are here with an outstretched hand for the people who want it and who are ready to take it. But you just need that puncture for your as someone that had my own, if you're a conservative, to start questioning things. And some people haven't had that puncture yet, but when they do, I'm here.

[B]

Yeah, I mean I've seen the puncture happen so many times and it gives me hope. I've seen so many people. I mean, I didn't even get into my story, but like I grew up in far right religious Christian communities, occult, and to. To see the changes that have happened in my life when those punctures happened and I had choices to like sort of meet the moment and see the truth and become a better person and leave my old ways. Thankfully, I've made the right decision so many times in my life to get to the point of like growing up in. In the kind of, you know, fundamentalist Baptist circles that where the church I grew up in had an Israeli flag on the stage along with the like. This is back in the, you know, 80s and 90s because they supported Israel so much because, you know, because the Baptist God told them to. And yeah, in the end, of course, this is all leading to the book of the book of Revelation, the one that we read verbatim even though it was a delirious dream that John had on an island. And so that's what I grew up in. And one interesting point that is a little close to home because we used to live in Minneapolis for four years. And, you know, a few weeks ago, January 18, that church that got air quotes again, invaded by those protesters. The church that had the ICE director as one of their pastors. Sixteen years ago, I started that church. I was one of the people that started that church.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yes. So we were leaving a very toxic religious environment, and we wanted to start a church that. The reason we called it, the name of the church is called Cities Church. The reason we called this because we live in the Twin Cities, and we wanted to be a church that would look at the community and say, like, what do you need from us? Like, we don't want to. We're not going to proselytize. We're not going to. What do you need from us as a Christian community trying to follow in the way of Jesus? Well, the three of us that started that idea of a church, we moved on to greener pastures. And then the guy that took over is the pastor that's in that viral clip. He's not the ICE guy, but he's the one who's screaming at the protesters. That was a good friend of mine, Jonathan Parnell. He's an absolutely horrific person. Now, obviously, he's never once addressed the fact that why they hired an ICE director as a pastor, but he keeps preaching and inviting people to, you know, convert to their ways. That, like, that was my old world, and I chose to, at those puncture moments, move forward to where I am now, 16 years later.

[A]

It's really important to remember for folks that have spent their entire lives in, like, liberal or progressive circles, that it is not fun to admit that not only have you been wrong, but also you've believed some kind of awful things, because that's the only thing you've been surrounded by. You don't know what you don't know. Like, that is the heart of ignorance. One example I always give is I grew up in Texas. I used to camp in Oklahoma. I had no idea about the Osage murders until I read Killers of the Flower Moon. And there was no way for me to be able to find out that that information existed, because I didn't even know it did. And additionally. So my parents. I grew up in, like, my dad was raised in kind of like a secular Muslim household. My mom was raised, like, secular Protestant. I went to Catholic school for some reason, and. But they never tried to push religion on my brother or I. We weren't baptized when we were babies. Like, they thought that was a very. Especially my father, who was displaced as a matter of religion and imperialism, wanted Us to make that decision for ourselves if we wanted to make it at all. And the first few schools I went to, with the exception of the one that I transferred to in Tucson, gave me a very fantastic exposure to religion. The first one was like an Episcopalian school where I still talk to the priest. He was like. He's told me. He's like, look, it's not about denomination. We just need to help people. Like, he's a very kind person, truly the embodiment of what these teachings tell you. The second school I went to was very Catholic, but I remember, like, a girl got pregnant, and they not only paid for, you know, they didn't want to get an abortion, which I don't support that perspective. If she wants that, that's her choice, but they also paid for her medical expenses and also made sure that she could go to college and have childcare, actually living out the values that they supposedly believed. And. But a lot of people don't have those experiences with religion. And so there's this view, especially, I feel like on the left of just denouncing all religion. And no matter what your perspective is, I really want to stress that if you've never had those positive experiences, I'm really sorry. Not in, like, a pity way, but, like, it just sucks that this is the way that our world works. But I also stress that this is where a lot of communities come from. And a lot of some of the most progressive leftist action, especially in communities of color, come from religious communities that actually live the teachings that they supposedly follow.

[B]

Yeah, I love that. I'm so glad you said that. I mean, that's the case for me. I. For years, after my ridiculous upbringing over the last decade, I tried to leave my Christian faith. I tried over and over again. I read books, I tried to, like, deprogram myself. And at the end, there was a small. Nine years ago. There is a small Anglican parish in Nashville. We lived there for a couple years before moving to New York. And I met a priest. And that priest has become one of my closest friends. And that priest, Danny Bryant at St. Mary of Bethany parish, taught me. That reminded me rather that the core of this faith and all faiths is love for neighbor. It is mutual aid. It is taking care of each other. It is trying to be better. It is following in the ways of our leaders and, you know, in Jesus in this case. And that's like, the core of it. Everything else is. Yeah, it's. It's imperialism. It's colonialism. It's using, like, so many things like so many times in the scriptures, in the Bible, in other, in other sacred texts, people that took advantage of the authority that they were given and they used it for, for ill. I just, I just interviewed yesterday, I just interviewed Julian Brave Noisecat, an author and a film director who is Native American. And his dad was born on one of the schools in Canada that the, the state paid for. And the Catholics ran where they literally were trying to get in there, in their words, trying to get rid of the Indian problem. And so they forced all these Native American kids to go to these schools and they were abused sexually, physically, emotionally. And his dad almost was literally in the trash pile about to go into the incinerator and some guy walking by heard the scream, rescued him. And now Julian is here all these years later because his dad was saved. But like, that's also the legacy, right, of these faiths. Horrible things have happened in the name of God. But yeah, I'm still part of a community of faith because I'm trying to get back to the heart of it. And that's also an argument for maybe getting into politics in this ridiculous age is like the heart of this is to serve people. And that's clear with your campaign.

[A]

Thank you. And you know, I don't identify with any particular faith now. I identify more with values. I think that a lot of faiths are. Reflect cultural reflections of the same ideas. But I just, I think that's really important. What you said about politics is absolutely right. I have had some people that are very doubtful and that have been swayed to join our campaign because I have been literally labeled too earnest. But it is, I get it. Like, I get being jaded and being like, you don't actually mean that or you mean that in this way, or you don't actually have this value. And so that's why I say, once again, don't listen to what I say. Watch what I do.

[B]

Watch what I do.

[A]

Except listen to that, because that's the only thing you have to listen to.

[B]

Only listen to when I say watch what I do.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

As we begin to wrap up, I want to be respectful of your time. We're not going to go through all of your issues, obviously, but I want to sort of in a, like a rapid fire kind of way. There's a few that I want to pick out and I'd just love to hear your immediate reaction elevator pitch for why this is one of the, you know, issues that you are advocating for in your campaign and in your forthcoming fingers crossed time in Congress. Number one, basic Existence.

[A]

Yes. So this is one of our top two issues. Their anti authoritarianism and basic existence. I framed it this way. It's the idea that everyone deserves to afford housing, groceries and healthcare with money left over to save and spend and equal rights. Very controversial, I know, but I framed it this way because they. Those all impact each other and we often treat them as individual issues and they are not. And that is our North Star. Like when I was talking about bipartisanship and compromise. We can argue about how we get there, but that needs to be where we're going. So basic existence. I also, in America, we treat people, we teach people that they don't deserve good things. We almost fetishize. Misery of struggle is like a virtue. It's not. We don't have to struggle nearly as much as we do. And the government is not a business. Its role is to make sure that people can exist. So we really just wanted to frame this as a basic human right.

[B]

I love that. I mean, we. I said I wasn't going to respond to these, but I'll be very quick. You know, HUD has told us that $20 billion to end homelessness in the country. And right now Trump is asking for 50 billion more for this horrific war that he has started on behalf of Israel in Iran. Like, look at those numbers. That's not what they've already spent. They're spending a billion dollars a day right now. They want 50 additional when we could end homelessness in our country for Americans for 20 billion. This, this idea.

[A]

And that's like the generous estimate, right? The more generous ones put it at 10.

[B]

That's why basic existence. I'm so glad that it's up there in your top two. The next one I want you to answer together and it's. It'll be obvious why a free and sovereign Palestine and ending anti Semitism. Please explain to people once again for the millionth time why it is not anti Semitic to advocate to, to fight against what Israel is doing and for Palestinian liberation.

[A]

Yeah. So this is something that also drives me crazy. I feel like there's this, this compulsion for people who didn't know where Gaza was before October 7th to immediately say that anti Semitism isn't a problem when it is, especially for all fascist regimes. Over the past hundred years, the first steps have been targeting educational institutions, visible minorities and queer people. And then in the west, particularly Jewish people. Every conspiracy theory in the west is rooted in anti Semitism. That's just a fact. That's what I cover for a living. From the Great replacement theory, which has inspired almost every mass shooting of the 21st century to this that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Is spewing. So it is very toxic. A lot of people don't realize how it permeates our culture, and it often is a gateway to extremism for others. And especially the way that Israel is committing crimes against humanity and trying to tie itself to Judaism means that more and more people are being radicalized against Jewish people. But truthfully, Jewish people have consistent, consistently been the greatest allies in the fight for Palestinian liberation and equal rights. Many people that are in our campaign, that are our supporters, that are my friends, have lost family and friends because they stand for what they believe their faith dictates. And that's never again that is pushing for dignity for all. A free and sovereign Palestine doesn't mean that Jewish people shouldn't exist. A free and sovereign Palestine means that no matter what solution there is. And I firmly believe it is not the United States place to dictate it if Israelis and Palestinians on the ground, because I also believe that further displacement, a second nakba, will just lead to more radicalization and more trauma. But any solution has to be made by the people that live there. And it has to involve full civil and legal rights for everybody, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion. It has to involve war criminals being held accountable. And that doesn't matter if they are. If it's Netanyahu or Hamas fighters that have committed war crimes like this is not controversial. Anyone that has committed war crimes should be held accountable, as well as reparations and right of return. And so these things are inextricable from each other. When people commit crimes against Jewish people, like when that guy set those old people on fire in Boulder in my name, it makes me want to vomit. And I know so many of my Jewish friends that feel the same way about Israel's genocide in Gaza. And so if we want Jewish safety, Palestinian safety, Jewish prosperity, and Palestinian prosperity, we have to recognize that our lives and our futures are intertwined. And we will. They are inextricable. And we can't. Neither of us are safe until both of us are safe.

[B]

Absolutely. A thousand times, Amen. Hashtag, Free Palestine, free everyone.

[A]

1.

[B]

Okay, the last one I will ask you about again. I could go through all of these, but immigration, this is obviously like an insane moment right now with ICE and with. Yeah, just this unhinged fucking administration right now, which, again, I'm not. I dislike the Democrats wildly, just like I dislike the. The Republican Party as well. I'm fully aware that Obama did this, Biden did this, they all, they've all done it. But it's so blatant right now and it's so in our faces and it's just something done so recklessly. Like Obama was just, he was nicer about it, right? And he didn't have photo ops and didn't have his, his heads like parading around in cowboy hats and you know, multimillion dollar TV ads, but they still did the same thing. How are you going to talk in this moment, how are you going to talk about immigration and immigrants?

[A]

So I feel like there's always like this vagueness around immigration policy. A lot of it talks about like a pathway to citizenship, but there' like no other specifics. So first off, we need the abolition and prosecution of ICE and the dismantling of DHS. We return DHS's responsibilities to the departments like Justice, Transportation, treasury that were originally, that originally belonged to those departments. We need to have a full immigration service with more federal workers. So that way the immigration process actually runs smoothly. One thing that I also believe in is we need a new new deal. We need to be having a complete whole government approach with massive investment in every single part of our country except the military and federal and law enforcement. They have a lot of money already. Second, we need to also ensure that all DACA recipients get full and immediate citizenship. Right now, so many people have been held on, have been treated like a just they, they're strung along year after year, almost used as a piggy bank to pay specific lawyers and to pay our country just for the right to stay in the only place that they know. We need full amnesty and citizenship for any immigrant who has committed a nonviolent crime. This is, I frankly don't think is controversial. And if we want America to be able to thrive economically, culturally, just as a country, we need to be welcoming immigrants and making this process easier and not just saying what we've been saying for the last 20 years of pathway to citizenship, full amnesty and citizenship for any immigrant who has committed a non violent crime. We also need restitution for ICE's actions in our communities. This means trying ICE agents. This means trying Greg Bovino, Christy Noem, Tom Homan. It also means that we need to sign on to the Rome Statute. So we are also beholden to international law. I truly believe that Kristi Noem and Tom Holman, Greg Bovino, and now Mark Wayne Mullen should be tried at the Hague.

[B]

Thank you for, thank you for all of that. As, as the son of Someone who, you know, came to this country very young and again, we moved back to Guatemala for all of my childhood, but, like, what they went through and a lot of my friends, 15, 16, 17 years doing everything right. 17 years. That's a lot of life waiting for something that you're going to get eventually that they know they're going to give you. Maybe, maybe. But the point is it shouldn't take so fucking long. And so I love everything you shared, including that you started out, it wasn't even about immigrants. It was about holding those that are tormenting and kidnapping and murdering immigrants accountable. Because we can't. Yes. You have just spineless, just gutless humans like Cory Booker, for lots of reasons, saying we need to give them cameras. And I'm like, give the murder.

[A]

Could have been murdered with two hands instead of one. Because he filmed the entire thing.

[B]

Yes, yes. And so we could, like see it from one, one more angle that they're unhinged, uneducated boys dressing up as men with, like daddy problems all over themselves. Like, it's insane that that is what our, again, our principled, you know, politicians are advocating versus what you just said, which is like, yes, let's, let's expedite all of these kinds of ways of citizenship for, for everybody from DACA to everyone else. But yes, we must. This is going to happen again unless we hold those accountable that are currently murdering, kidnapping, tormenting, amazing humans that have come here looking for a better life for one reason or another.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

Kat, I am so thrilled we got to do this. I'm so excited. For a week from now when you, fingers crossed, crush your opponents and win the primary and move toward November, I will do everything I can between now and then to make sure everybody I know that's in your voting area, which is a lot of people, just to make sure that they know that they know what's up. Hopefully we get to.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

We'll do this later on once you've won and closer to the election. I would love to, like, keep the conversation going.

[A]

Absolutely. And if anyone wants to support us, they can go to katforillinois.com that's k a t f o r illinois dot com. You can also phone bank or door knock for us@cat for illinois.com events or join our discord server at discord gg cat for illinois.

[B]

I'm going to send the links. I'll go find them to door knock and volunteer. To all my friends in your district, I have like a couple dozen that live around you. So I'll make sure that they're on that this week. Put all the links in the show notes. Kat, you're amazing. Peace. Talk to you soon. Friends, thank you so much for showing up and for spending some time with Kat and me today to find links for everything mentioned in today's conversation and to keep up with all things let's Give a damn. Visit LetsGivaDam.com Please share this episode with a friend. Friend, please leave us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And please show up next week. We have many more incredible conversations coming your way. Again, you can reach out anytime for any reason@hello letsgivadam.com Keep giving a damn. I love you all. Bye for now.