Former Dem staffer. UCI, King's College London, Johns Hopkins. | INFINITE SKY (Bloomsbury 2026) + more | Many bylines. | AAJA/SCBWI | Rep: Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency (children's) Uwe Stender (adult nonfiction)
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Trump/RFK are decapitating our public health system, a pillar of American greatness. So Dem Govs should scour every corner of the law for creative new ways to defend their people from this madness. Dems should polarize this debate to the max. Thoughts on this here: newrepublic.com/article/1998...
The thing the mainstream media is not remembering about Hurricane Katrina is their own lethal, racist contribution to treating rumors as facts used to demonize the stranded in New Orleans, turning them from victims to be aided to enemies to be contained.
No, ty! Thanks for the nudge to think deeper about this!!
Thank you. I've been scouring her content and it's actually infuriating how much she's copied from me. 😐
Hey both - I know I mentioned yesterday that cost is a major issue for me (related to everything that happened in February), and it's going to be a little bit before things get better. But I made an Insta for the same content: www.instagram.com/candcsavedem...
Definitely hear you - as I mentioned to Amy Jo and Preeti, cost is a major issue for me right now. But I did make an Insta for the content too: www.instagram.com/candcsavedem...
Pro-democracy politicians will *fail* if they don't have space to form alliances with people who don't share our beliefs and room to blunt successful wedge issues. That sucks.
Important 🧵 ⬇️ There are going to be LOTS of ways to help save democracy in 2026–it starts here & now in California with the fight to pass Prop 50. This will push back against gerrymandering in TX. Phonebank for the redistricting ballot initiative. Sundays, starting September 7!
The phenomenon of white women stealing women of color’s ideas and/or copying their work is really frustrating.
If you see this post, please DO NOT share it. It makes claims about this Big Balls case that are NOT backed up in the article it links to. Just say no to disinfo.
P.S. I deleted my other thread on this, but: Please consider following my joint project on IG or Substack: IG: www.instagram.com/candcsavedem... Or my IG for call scripts: www.instagram.com/celestepewter/ Or the project Substack: substack.com/@candcsavede... Let's do the work.
Thank you! Will do that.
And here's our IG, for those who may not want to follow on Substack: www.instagram.com/candcsavedem...
Okay, with that being said: We're dealing w/ 3 major things to focus on right now: 1. RFK hearings re: CDC - we have to push for this, 2. Having members of Congress address the wrongful firings/targeted attacks (Lisa Cook, Adam Schiff, etc.) 3. Ongoing push back re: DC, Chicago takeovers.
They aren't for what we have planned + what we have the capacity to do, but I definitely appreciate you reaching out and voicing your concern!
Price and timing is a real concern for me right now, especially with everything that happened this year. Definitely happy to explore other options when I have more resources at hand!
And it's BAD merch too. 😅
RIGHT? And I think it's worse knowing they're selling merch based off of this.
Liz, I am just 😮💨! I actually blocked this influencer a year ago on IG, since I had a weird feeling they were stealing my work, but it's really weird seeing it live on their platforms. @alwayscoffee.bsky.social and I are comparing notes going wtf.
Scripts coming shortly.
Okay, with that being said: We're dealing w/ 3 major things to focus on right now: 1. RFK hearings re: CDC - we have to push for this, 2. Having members of Congress address the wrongful firings/targeted attacks (Lisa Cook, Adam Schiff, etc.) 3. Ongoing push back re: DC, Chicago takeovers.
I'm not going to call out names, since ultimately: I think the goal is the same, we want to save democracy. But it is pretty dispiriting to see someone take an idea I put online for free, and try and monetize through their platform with pledges and merch. Don't do that. Be better than that.
- And reposted it on her substack as a "new" idea for the 2026 midterms called, "online-adopt-a-race" while basically copying the core concepts. I've been talking about adopting candidates since the 2018 midterms, so no.
Okay, I normally don't take gripes like this to the internet: But if you're a white woman political influencer, please don't steal political engagement ideas I've been talking for years and rebrand them as your own. Someone pointed out that an influencer took my adopt-a-candidate idea -
I just want this ONE thing, Kate!
Feels a little ironic to be bumping this up right now, but there's still a lot of work to be done, including unwinding Project 2025.
Nah, he needs to post one of those pictures that they do on Reddit when someone does a AMA.
the thing is that most of them are replacement level evil, if you got rid of them they'd just sub another one in, but RFK is genuinely incredibly dangerous in his own right as a pusher of an ideology somewhat separate from the admin though equally bad.
The tariffs do seem to affect LEGO's whole supply chain though, they've had to increase prices of the new sets that came out this summer. So Trump is taking LEGO for sure.
Thank you for this! (Apologies for the delay in responding - long work day!)
BREAKING: Federal Circuit, 7-4, rejects Trump’s tariffs under the IEEPA, affirming the lower court’s decision against Trump. www.cafc.uscourts.gov/opinions-ord...
Thank you, I needed this laugh.
As a long-time Lego fan: there was something nice knowing that if the expensive set you bought was somehow missing a piece, Lego would immediately send you the right piece. It was brand dependability and reliability.
Trump take LEGO www.404media.co/lego-stops-s...
Will send to you tonight. 😊
Thank you! And yeah - we're both DC based too (him more so than me), so that's why we thought of this/are motivated to launch now!
Appreciate both of you looking out! Cost is a real factor for me at the moment, so Substack makes the most sense. Always open to revisiting later.
Thank you!!!!
THANK YOU!!!! :D Can send you the final version? :D
Thank you!!!
... and since the discourse of the Taylor Lorenz/Wired piece is still a thing (💀): Definitely not being paid for this. We're just two people who are frightened by what we're seeing, care deeply about good governance, and want better for the future of this country.
Our goal is straightforward: figure out how the hell we survive 2026 and 2028, and unwind Project 2025 in every way possible. I'm going to continue posting solo of course, but we both see people asking questions - e.g. where's the Dem equivalent of Project 2025? and want to push for answers.
Okay, we don't have anything on there yet, but wanted to share this again - I'm teaming up with another government writer/strategist for C&C Save Democracy (And Other Things Too). He's not on Bluesky. candcsavedemocracy.substack.com
Emergency hearing underway.
Intelligence background aside, I'm definitely not an expert in mass shootings. But I have seen the trickle-down effect of social media from other political events throughout the years, so I would just respectfully ask if everything REALLY needs to be instantly online... or if it can wait.
Understanding helps bring answers and clarity. But there are families still grieving. There are kids still in the hospital. I'm also personally concerned that this type of social media analysis helps contribute to the contagion effect. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
I say this w/ the upmost respect for people doing the work (since it IS needed): It might be worth rethinking posting real-time analysis done into the Minneapolis shooter's journal - something I just saw on here. Yes, the shooter needs to be investigated, and his background looked into.
Presumably this is not a done deal but .... I am... experiencing ....emotions... lotta great people have been shown the door at VF in recent months and... I'm... yeah ...I maybe need to stop talking maybe and just go outside and do this
!!! Right? I saw this and was thinking... they really lost Anthony's brilliant features for... her...?
Since everyone seems to be 😱 to Olivia's comeback, here you go. If I have to know this you have to know this too. (And I HATE that I know this, since I know one of the people laid off at Vanity Fair)
I HATE that I know this! And I'm friendly with Anthony Breznican, who was just laid off from VF.
I hate that I somehow know this! (And I know one of the writers who was laid off at VF, so I find this extra annoying)
HAH. I worded it like that on purpose.
😐
(Oops, ignore my typo!) And hah. Exactly. 😆
Yeahhhh. I'm clocked this when she willingly went to go hang out with Caroline in her spiral stage.
But that's also another debate. Tl;DR - don't give into Taylor Lorenz's desire for attention. I mean, she hung out with Caroline Calloway at the hate of Caroline's infamy for a reason. Check your news sources, and focus on what's on hand: protesting what happened at CDC and getting RFK out.
(That's why Olivia Nuzzi is apparently trying to make a comeback via Vanity Fair, but that's a whole other story.) Also: just to be 100% transparent - I do think there's a point on how you shouldn't be getting your news from folks like Aaron Parnas, since he aggregates everything + gets it wrong.
Given the state of the world (CDC, de minimis ending tomorrow, DC's continued occupation, RFK Jr. trying to kill all of us), please do the smart thing and don't give her oxygen. Just ignore her and let her fade into obscurity. We unfortunately live in a media eco system where controversy sells.
I don't know if she's doing it here or not - I honestly don't care to look - but Taylor Lorenz is crashing out on Threads over people criticizing her Wired story. Please remember that the more you criticize her (including directly at her), the more you're elevating her, even by default.
Thank you!!!!!
😃
Thank you!!!
Thank you!!!!
We went with a more optimistic title, because *I* needed to feel optimism, or I'd be a perpetual ball of 😐. But the writing is an extension of my #ICalledMyReps work, and we'll be focusing on serious analysis for what we need to do between now and 2028. So please follow!
Okay, all. In personal news: I'm working on a few adult NF projects with another writer who is NOT on Bluesky for @uwestenderphd.bsky.social 👀 But we're documenting our work along the way, so... please follow? candcsavedemocracy.substack.com
A personal announcement!
This is the most befuddling part of the new covid vax eligibility: “People under 65 with no underlying conditions aren’t eligible under the F.D.A. approval, even if they live with someone at high risk of severe illness.” It’s as though the head of HHS knows nothing about epidemiology. 🤷♂️
In a time where support for diverse books feels like it's waning, we wanted to bring back a way to create community & support. It's amazing to see so many rallying to participate in a pitch event far marginalized voices in trad pub! Marginalized creators, join us on 10.08.25 at #DVpit! #writersky
This is the most important thing you'll read today: "Democracy rarely dies in a single moment. It is chipped away via abdication: rationalizations and compromises as those with power and influence tell themselves that yielding just a little ground will keep them safe..."
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top Dem on the Senate health committee, on this evening's chaos at CDC: “We cannot let RFK Jr. burn what’s left of the CDC and our other critical health agencies to the ground—he must be fired."
All, be aware. The newly-confirmed CDC Director is being ousted.
Minnesota is heartbroken. From the officers responding, to the clergy and teachers providing comfort, to the hospital staff saving lives, we will get through this together. Hug your kids close.
I’ve been briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.
Local paper.
It's important to remember that families are trying to get information and get to their loved ones. It's only the third day of school for them.
All, with the news coming out of Minneapolis, please remember this.
Put another way: The fact that Trump is outright targeting people over and over again - e.g. him targeting Schiff - on false claims, is exactly what an authoritarian dictator does. He's learning from Putin and his BFF Bolsonaro, clearly.
It isn't the point whether she's lost her job or not. Yes, she's fighting it. But the fact Trump is trying to target people like Lisa Cook in a bid to install his own people, will have market ramifications. It puts into question the independence of the Fed, and also creates market uncertainty.
Statehood for DC / put Janeese in charge of the DC Guard
We went with a more optimistic title, because *I* needed to feel optimism, or I'd be a perpetual ball of 😐. But the writing is an extension of my #ICalledMyReps work, and we'll be focusing on serious analysis for what we need to do between now and 2028. So please follow!
Okay, all. In personal news: I'm working on a few adult NF projects with another writer who is NOT on Bluesky for @uwestenderphd.bsky.social 👀 But we're documenting our work along the way, so... please follow? candcsavedemocracy.substack.com
All, please please pay attention to this. I know there's a lot of news going on, but the impact of this is going to be felt.
If someone freelancing for a major donor did this during the Biden administration not only would Joe Biden have been impeached and removed from office but the person who did this and everyone who facilitated it would be facing +25 years in federal prison.
And DOGE workers endangering American workers by screwing up our social security info, per that NYT story. 😑
All, please pay attention to this. Axios breaks down why this is a significantly problematic move.
States can and should resist federal overreach when it comes to voter data!
@pabloreports.bsky.social ?
I would LOVE for a journalist to dig into this.
Yup. And as many others have already pointed out: 1. If workers are first, then what about everyone who lost their job in DOGE cuts? 2. If works are first, what about tariffs and the impact on American workers? 3. If workers are first, what about the shady trade deals he's making?
I'm sure the folks in those offices love the blackout curtain they have to look at every day 🙄
I thought it was implied by the wording of my (second) post, but I should recognize that people can't read my mind, hah. So yes, this. All of this. The decision to try and imply Trump is on par with Roosevelt is just equally gross of this administration and DOL leadership.
Yep. I thought it was implied by my post, but should recognize that people can't read my mind! I'll clarify that it's abhorrent that the Trump administration is making that type of comparison.
Fascist party HQ, Rome 1934
From April:
This. I was also thinking of the film adaptations of 1984.
Not pictured in the OG post - the Trump banner being paired with a Roosevelt banner:
my version of personalism is becoming president and hanging a gigantic banner displaying the full text of the Wagner Act
I didn't get a chance to watch it, but heard/read it was really well-done!