This week on "We're Still Here", Simon and Julie join John to talk about the 149th anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn—not as Custer’s Last Stand, but as a rare Native victory against invasion, where Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors defended their homelands and won. They also dig into the Trump administration’s latest move to strip protections from 58 million acres of national forest -- land that includes sacred sites, ancestral territories, and climate-critical ecosystems. Plus, Julie shares thoughts from her latest Substack, Tobacco Is a Sacred Medicine—a reflection on ceremony, colonization, and reclaiming Indigenous relationships with plants and power. They received some fantastic calls from listeners who reminded us why it's important to have these conversations.

Simon Moya-Smith - instagram.com/simonsaidtakeapic threads.com/@simonsaidtakeapic

Julie’s Substack “The Fire I Keep” https://substack.com/@juliefrancella?r=1u83jb&utm_medium=ios

Check out Julie's artwork on her website - juliefrancella.com

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John discusses the Supreme Court striking a deadly blow to healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, ruling that states are entitled to withhold funding from the org and Medicare recipients do not have a right to choose them as a provider. He also talks about Trump holding a pep rally at the White House for his budget bill, which has been handed nearly daily defeats from the Senate Parliamentarian. Then, he interviews Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids. She is the first openly LGBTQ Native American elected to congress, the first openly LGBTQ elected to congress from Kansas, and one of the first two Native American women (alongside Deb Haaland) elected to congress. They talk about her triumphs and struggles being a Democrat in a deeply red State. And then he speaks with author Lawrence C Ross Jr. on his new social media site for creative people who are looking community and inspiration called The Metaphor Club.

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John discusses the big win for progressive politics in New York as Zohran Mamdani stormed the first round of ranked choice voting, forcing Andrew Cuomo into a concession speech that now makes Mamdani the presumptive Democratic nominee for Mayor. Zohran will face off against a Republican challenger in November, plus whatever superPAC dark money is aligned against him by sore-loser centrists. Then, he chats with Bob Cesca about the latest news and pop culture. And finally, the God Squad returns to trash the evils of Christian Nationalists.

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