Show Notes
This episode is brought to you by Ground News. Subscribe for 40% off their vantage plan at groundnews.com/tables When I scheduled this talk with Odessa, one of Nashvilles staunchest activists, I had no idea what was about to unfold in Minneapolis with the shooting of Alex Pretti just 5 days after we recorded this session. I think this conversation could not have landed on a more relevant time if I had tried.
Odessa Kelly is a Nashville native, organizer, and political activist focused on racial, economic, and social justice. She was born and raised on the East Side of Nashville in a working-class community facing poverty, substance abuse, and gun violence. Kelly graduated from Tennessee State University with a degree in Business Administration and later earned a Master’s in Public Service from Cumberland University. She spent nearly 14 years working as a civil servant for Metro Nashville’s Parks & Recreation Department, including leading the Napier Community Center, where she worked directly with youth and families. Witnessing systemic inequities and the impact of policy decisions on her community pushed her toward broader community organizing work. In 2016, Kelly co-founded Stand Up Nashville, a grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to fighting for economic equity, affordable housing, workers’ rights, and community benefits from local development. Under her leadership, the group won Nashville’s first community benefits agreement with a major soccer stadium project, securing commitments on living wages, affordable housing, and childcare supports. Kelly has been honored with several awards, including the National Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Award, a National Courage Award, and Nashville Scenes Activist of the Year for her work advancing justice for working people and marginalized communities. As a mother of two and a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church, she has also run for public office. In 2022, Kelly was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, campaigning on expanding economic opportunity, housing justice, and representation for working families. Her activism and platform emphasize lived experience, community empowerment, and challenging systems that leave working-class people behind. And now she meets with us to tell us how to carry that legacy forward.
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Sources: On This Day: Federal Reserve History — Stock Market Crash of 1987 | Library of Congress — Black Monday Sanctions waiver: CNBC — Trump waives broad new Russia sanctions | ABC News — Order waiving Graham Act sanctions | France 24 — Rubio: 60 days to analyze | RFE/RL — Ukrainian officials slam waiver | The Hill — Zelensky denounces waiver | White House — Implementing the Graham Act | Debevoise — Graham Act explainer Starshield: Kyiv Post — Rubio: Ukraine lacks access to Starshield | Newsweek — Rubio denies ordered slowdown | CBS News — Ukraine still unable to intercept drones | CNBC — Musk: “ultimately POTUS” Dmitriev: TASS — UK, EU “sabotage” peace efforts | TASS — “Checkmate” | Gazeta do Povo — AI image of U.S. and Russia facing Europe | CNN — Dmitriev praises waiver Bend: CBS News — 3 children, teacher killed | PBS — Shooter attacked special-education classroom | NBC News — Bystander identified | Central Oregon Daily — Teacher threw phone, fought shooter | OPB — Survivors remain hospitalized Wichita: CBS News — Boy among 2 killed, 11 injured | ABC News — Truck drives through soccer game Measles: Al Jazeera — 4,410 cases | CDC — Cases and outbreaks | Contagion Live — October 16 update Omar: The Hill — Obama: probe is a political attack | Yahoo/Fox — Obama’s statement | Fox News — Homan on denaturalization | Arolsen Archives — The expatriation card file | JTA — Thomas Mann’s citizenship cancelled (1936) | Jewish Museum Berlin — 1933 revocation of naturalization UTSA: ESPN — Service member died from fall | TPR — Airman dies in rappelling accident | KSAT — Air Force statement Vance: Daily Beast — Blindsided by grieving husband | Yahoo — Minnesota widower demands answers | IBTimes — Vance: “huge mistake” BBC suit: Forbes — Judge threatens sanctions | Bloomberg — Judge threatens Trump with sanctions | TheWrap — Bailing on deposition Zacharia / East Potomac: CNN — Why Trump fired Zacharia after five days | NPR — Zacharia out | Washington Post — Photos obscuring what appears to be map of East Potomac | CNN — Administration seeks to remove judge | CNN — Work to start mid-November | Washington Post — Satellite images of tree removal France: Al Jazeera — Hundreds of thousands protest | CBS News — 1,800 arrested | France 24 — “Like we had a war” Meta / No Kings: TheWrap — Instagram account disappears | Common Dreams — Censorship fears | Raw Story — “We demand answers” | TPR — No Kings draws crowds with early-voting focus | Arizona Mirror — Crowds channel anger into early votes Norte Fire: ABC News/AP — Blaze burned 6 homes, 16,000 evacuated | FOX Weather — First Santa Ana event Good news: Physics World — Optogenetic therapy shows promise | Technology Networks — Gene therapy helps patients detect objects | NPR — Nobel for optogenetics
Reminder: I will be in Scotland for my birthday next week! Libras UNITE! Yesterday's news will still be coming out leading into midterms, but the time of day may change slightly, I will have a few days that I take off completely from being online, but I will announce those. SOURCES On This Day: JFK Library — October 16, 1962 | Office of the Historian — Cuban Missile Crisis
Sources: On This Day: History.com — Shot in the chest, Roosevelt kept talking | WPR — Shot in Milwaukee, 1912 Youngstown rally: CNN — Trump holds raucous Ohio rally | NBC News — Live blog | AOL — Protester punched in face as Trump calls her "fat guy" | Raw Story — "They're scum" | WFMJ — Live notes | The Vindicator — Trump stumps for Husted, Ramaswamy Musk: CNBC — $276 million, biggest known donor | CNN — Top booster for Republicans | MPR/AP — Quietly becomes biggest donor | The Hill — $366 million cycle total Grassley: BizPac Review — Files for reelection; would be 101 | Townhall — Files for 2028 bid Voting rules: Washington Times/AP — GOP states impose new voting rules | Mississippi Today/AP — Same | CNN — Ohio early voting shift Bankruptcies: Newsweek — Bankruptcies surge | Epoch Times — Filings up 11 percent | Time News — Small trucking fleets file Tariffs: Globe and Mail/AP — Trump sticks with tariffs despite disapproval | CP24/AP — Voters turn against tariffs | CNN — Author of tariff statute says tariffs are illegal | GBQ — Section 301 tariffs on 60 economies Ukraine: CNBC — Zelenskyy accuses Russia of violating ceasefire | Euronews — Russia ignored ceasefire | PBS — Strikes continue despite claim | Axios — Trump announces ceasefire Houston: CNN — Man struck by ICE vehicle broke both legs | Click2Houston — Parra undergoes surgery, family allegations | Houston Chronicle — ICE vehicle hits man Pike: CNN — Emergency help delayed by confusion | CBS News — 911 calls | NBC News — Calls highlight confusion Mamdani: NY1 — Review after teen's death | Yahoo/CNN — Department-wide review | CNN — Marble Hill ICE shooting AI center: U.S. News/Reuters — Officials to move to White House | Crypto Briefing — CAISI under White House oversight Good news: Billboard — Musgraves fires back at Noem | Hollywood Reporter — Dig about killing her dog | TheWrap — Snarky clapback
Misspoke: There is a podcast episode this week, not next week. Sources: On This Day: History.com — Chilean miners rescued after 69 days | TechCrunch — Most-watched Ustream event ever