Kat O’Brien
@lavidagata.bsky.social
Iowa-born, NYC-influenced, Spain living. Former sports journalist launching a sports tourism company, Gata Sports Tours. Runner, traveler, pro-democracy, love to read. My own opinions. Signal @Democracy.23
Pinned
Kat O’Brien
@lavidagata.bsky.social
· Oct 12
I’m thrilled to announce - ahead of this week’s World Football Summit - that I am launching a business of sports tourism in Spain: Gata Sports Tours. This combines a few of my great loves: sports, España, travel, storytelling and helping people love España almost as much as I do. 1/
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
This is my response to every argument along the lines of "don't fight unless you have good reason to be confident you'll win that specific fight."
Don't fold in advance, make the regime beat you. If you lose, so be it. The govt is powerful. But tying up any of its resources weakens it.
It adds up.
Don't fold in advance, make the regime beat you. If you lose, so be it. The govt is powerful. But tying up any of its resources weakens it.
It adds up.
The Trump regime's desire for authoritarian dominance is bottomless, but its capacity is not. Tying up the regime's limited resources means less capacity for malfeasance elsewhere.
Even if the murderous ICE agent beats a prosecution, occupying the agency and its lawyers' time would be a positive.
Even if the murderous ICE agent beats a prosecution, occupying the agency and its lawyers' time would be a positive.
January 7, 2026 at 7:49 PM
This is my response to every argument along the lines of "don't fight unless you have good reason to be confident you'll win that specific fight."
Don't fold in advance, make the regime beat you. If you lose, so be it. The govt is powerful. But tying up any of its resources weakens it.
It adds up.
Don't fold in advance, make the regime beat you. If you lose, so be it. The govt is powerful. But tying up any of its resources weakens it.
It adds up.
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
Last week, we published a story detailing ICE's strategy for recruiting new officers, including targeting "gun rights" supporters and geo-fencing ads around gun shows.
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
January 7, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Last week, we published a story detailing ICE's strategy for recruiting new officers, including targeting "gun rights" supporters and geo-fencing ads around gun shows.
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
Ex-ICE director told me: “That mentality you’re fostering tends to inculcate in people a certain aggressiveness"
wapo.st/3Ngmo9C
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
Democrats need to understand that they can just say “It’s insane to threaten Greenland” and “I don’t think ICE should murder Americans in the street” and you don’t need to pretend to link it to the affordability crisis.
Say bad things are bad.
Say bad things are bad.
January 7, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Democrats need to understand that they can just say “It’s insane to threaten Greenland” and “I don’t think ICE should murder Americans in the street” and you don’t need to pretend to link it to the affordability crisis.
Say bad things are bad.
Say bad things are bad.
Goals by Ferrán & Fermín in an 8-minute span for Barça put them up 2-0 over Athletic Bilbao in the Supercopa. Played 😒 in Saudi Arabia when it could & should be in 🇪🇸.
January 7, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Goals by Ferrán & Fermín in an 8-minute span for Barça put them up 2-0 over Athletic Bilbao in the Supercopa. Played 😒 in Saudi Arabia when it could & should be in 🇪🇸.
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
surrounding them after they just killed somebody and shouting “you can’t kill us all, nazis” is legitimate “ready to run through a wall” inspirational
January 7, 2026 at 6:31 PM
surrounding them after they just killed somebody and shouting “you can’t kill us all, nazis” is legitimate “ready to run through a wall” inspirational
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
With alt text
January 7, 2026 at 5:53 PM
With alt text
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
I like how trump keeps saying Maduro is an authoritarian who endorses torture, kills hundreds of thousands of people, and works to rig elections, as if those aren’t Trump’s openly preferred policies
January 7, 2026 at 3:58 PM
I like how trump keeps saying Maduro is an authoritarian who endorses torture, kills hundreds of thousands of people, and works to rig elections, as if those aren’t Trump’s openly preferred policies
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
/2 Trumpian America is like that. If other countries — or domestic organizations do business with the U.S., it should not be under a delusion that America will abide by a treaty or agreement or international law or even It’s own law. Trump America is “fuck you, we do what we want.”
January 7, 2026 at 3:59 PM
/2 Trumpian America is like that. If other countries — or domestic organizations do business with the U.S., it should not be under a delusion that America will abide by a treaty or agreement or international law or even It’s own law. Trump America is “fuck you, we do what we want.”
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
Someone who claims to have witnessed the incident says
- car was blocking ice
- they told them to move
- "something happened'
- ICE shot into the car as it was driving away
- passenger got out of the car covered away and said friend was dead
There is video and I have seen it
- car was blocking ice
- they told them to move
- "something happened'
- ICE shot into the car as it was driving away
- passenger got out of the car covered away and said friend was dead
There is video and I have seen it
January 7, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Someone who claims to have witnessed the incident says
- car was blocking ice
- they told them to move
- "something happened'
- ICE shot into the car as it was driving away
- passenger got out of the car covered away and said friend was dead
There is video and I have seen it
- car was blocking ice
- they told them to move
- "something happened'
- ICE shot into the car as it was driving away
- passenger got out of the car covered away and said friend was dead
There is video and I have seen it
I think even crazier to me than that Grok the company is doing this - I mean, we all know Elon Musk is a nasty person with no regard for women or norms - is that there are thousands of people, overwhelmingly men, just posting these requests on main under their actual identities. 😳
Grok has put a bikini on one of the dead victims of the recent Swiss fire !
It's probably the most appalling thing I've seen... 🤬
It's probably the most appalling thing I've seen... 🤬
January 7, 2026 at 3:58 PM
I think even crazier to me than that Grok the company is doing this - I mean, we all know Elon Musk is a nasty person with no regard for women or norms - is that there are thousands of people, overwhelmingly men, just posting these requests on main under their actual identities. 😳
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
“In August, ICE guards found 32-year-old Chaofeng Ge hanging in a shower stall at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pa. Although investigators ruled Ge’s death a suicide, the autopsy report stated that he was found with his hands and feet tied behind his back.”
“The five deaths of Asian nationals in ICE custody in 2025 are not just isolated tragedies. They reveal a system that has expanded faster than oversight can follow.” www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Contributor: Deaths of Asian immigrants in ICE custody reveal a community under threat
A 2025 survey reported that 63% of Asian immigrants now feel unsafe in America because of their race.
www.latimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:16 PM
“In August, ICE guards found 32-year-old Chaofeng Ge hanging in a shower stall at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pa. Although investigators ruled Ge’s death a suicide, the autopsy report stated that he was found with his hands and feet tied behind his back.”
That they publish these pictures with nary a word that the president is clearly deeply unwell and not of sound mind is a disgrace to journalism.
January 7, 2026 at 12:44 PM
That they publish these pictures with nary a word that the president is clearly deeply unwell and not of sound mind is a disgrace to journalism.
The cover of Germany’s taz die tageszeitung - story in center below the picture: “The end of Europe.”
That’s what it says it means if the U.S. invades Greenland.
That’s what it says it means if the U.S. invades Greenland.
January 7, 2026 at 12:42 PM
The cover of Germany’s taz die tageszeitung - story in center below the picture: “The end of Europe.”
That’s what it says it means if the U.S. invades Greenland.
That’s what it says it means if the U.S. invades Greenland.
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
btw for those who don't know why Americans with chronic illness got like 75% more stressed on Jan 1st, it is not just because all the insurance rates blew up.
On 1/1, deductibles reset. which means you have to spend some amount of money (up to $10k sometimes) before your insurance COVERS ANYTHING
On 1/1, deductibles reset. which means you have to spend some amount of money (up to $10k sometimes) before your insurance COVERS ANYTHING
January 7, 2026 at 2:28 AM
btw for those who don't know why Americans with chronic illness got like 75% more stressed on Jan 1st, it is not just because all the insurance rates blew up.
On 1/1, deductibles reset. which means you have to spend some amount of money (up to $10k sometimes) before your insurance COVERS ANYTHING
On 1/1, deductibles reset. which means you have to spend some amount of money (up to $10k sometimes) before your insurance COVERS ANYTHING
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
So just remember as brown and black people are being snatched up by ICE, that whiteness is not going to save you because authoritarians come after everyone eventually whether you bend the knee or not.
January 7, 2026 at 2:22 AM
So just remember as brown and black people are being snatched up by ICE, that whiteness is not going to save you because authoritarians come after everyone eventually whether you bend the knee or not.
Very proud of my name, Kat. ✊🏼
Which when I started going by that as a teenager rather than full name, I knew no other Kat’s.
Which when I started going by that as a teenager rather than full name, I knew no other Kat’s.
Wait, so Chicago has an indicted, ICE-protesting political candidate named Kat and also an indicted, ICE-protesting political candidate named Cat??
'A decision I needed to make': Cook County Board candidate suspends campaign to fight Midway Blitz indictment
From @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
From @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
January 7, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Very proud of my name, Kat. ✊🏼
Which when I started going by that as a teenager rather than full name, I knew no other Kat’s.
Which when I started going by that as a teenager rather than full name, I knew no other Kat’s.
Can we get universal health care?
No.
Can we restrict access to machine guns?
Pfff, no.
Can we forgive student loans?
Girl, please.
Can we invade Venezuela & kidnap its presiden, taking the oil for profit of US President & oil companies, while threatening to invade Greenland?
Now you’re talking. 🫠
No.
Can we restrict access to machine guns?
Pfff, no.
Can we forgive student loans?
Girl, please.
Can we invade Venezuela & kidnap its presiden, taking the oil for profit of US President & oil companies, while threatening to invade Greenland?
Now you’re talking. 🫠
Starting tomorrow, the Trump administration is set to send notices to 1,000 student loan borrowers (first round) noticing them of an intent to garnish their wages for student loan debt.
This is cruel and unnecessary.
Join the meeting below to get educated and fight back.
This is cruel and unnecessary.
Join the meeting below to get educated and fight back.
If you have questions or want more information, join us at our next call about Student Debt Default on Jan 8th at 3PM ET.
RSVP Here:
debtcollective.org/event/monthl...
RSVP Here:
debtcollective.org/event/monthl...
January 7, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Can we get universal health care?
No.
Can we restrict access to machine guns?
Pfff, no.
Can we forgive student loans?
Girl, please.
Can we invade Venezuela & kidnap its presiden, taking the oil for profit of US President & oil companies, while threatening to invade Greenland?
Now you’re talking. 🫠
No.
Can we restrict access to machine guns?
Pfff, no.
Can we forgive student loans?
Girl, please.
Can we invade Venezuela & kidnap its presiden, taking the oil for profit of US President & oil companies, while threatening to invade Greenland?
Now you’re talking. 🫠
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
What a f-ing second - the President will use money extorted from a foreign government to fund spending without any congressional approval? Forget the impact on Venezuela, this is full-blown dictatorship in the USA.
January 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
What a f-ing second - the President will use money extorted from a foreign government to fund spending without any congressional approval? Forget the impact on Venezuela, this is full-blown dictatorship in the USA.
This post popped up thatI made on Facebook 5 years ago after the insurrection (I’m sure I posted extensively on Twitter, but I deleted my account there in 2024). I have to say it all held up very well and none of what I said needed to happen happened.
And now we no longer have a democracy.
And now we no longer have a democracy.
January 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM
This post popped up thatI made on Facebook 5 years ago after the insurrection (I’m sure I posted extensively on Twitter, but I deleted my account there in 2024). I have to say it all held up very well and none of what I said needed to happen happened.
And now we no longer have a democracy.
And now we no longer have a democracy.
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
I just counted more than 20 posts asking Grok to put various women, many of whom are Jewish, in a "swastika bikini"
January 7, 2026 at 12:07 AM
I just counted more than 20 posts asking Grok to put various women, many of whom are Jewish, in a "swastika bikini"
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
I think also, you seen the sharp downturn in literacy from 2017 until now. Which aligns quite well with Trump’s presidency.
January 6, 2026 at 11:42 PM
I think also, you seen the sharp downturn in literacy from 2017 until now. Which aligns quite well with Trump’s presidency.
Y para terminar Reyes (aunque ya pasó la medianoche), os dejo este artículo muy bonico sobre una inmigrante en Barcelona quien tenía su vida salvada por el sistema sanitario - público.
Comenta que habría muerto en mi país natal.
www.lavanguardia.com/opinion/2026...
Comenta que habría muerto en mi país natal.
www.lavanguardia.com/opinion/2026...
Reyes Magos en el CAP Gòtic, por Albert Montagut
Los Reyes Magos no llegaron anoche a Barcelona. Hace un par de semanas adelantaron su viaje, sigilosamente y sin que nadie se enterara, para hacer un regalo muy especial.
www.lavanguardia.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Y para terminar Reyes (aunque ya pasó la medianoche), os dejo este artículo muy bonico sobre una inmigrante en Barcelona quien tenía su vida salvada por el sistema sanitario - público.
Comenta que habría muerto en mi país natal.
www.lavanguardia.com/opinion/2026...
Comenta que habría muerto en mi país natal.
www.lavanguardia.com/opinion/2026...
Reposted by Kat O’Brien
