By: Hell Cats · Produced by Public Square Media in partnership with VALOR Media Network.
Brought to you by Meidas Defense.
July 31, 2026
This week on Hell Cats, the series reaches its finale, and Maura Sullivan and Rebecca Bennett use it to answer the question that should sit underneath every political fight right now: what are we actually fighting for? As Kris Goldsmith puts it in the open, resistance by itself is not a vision for the country, so this one turns fully toward what comes next.
They don’t skip the stakes: a war with Iran that has killed eighteen service members with no defined mission and no vote from Congress, and an economy squeezing families and small businesses. But the heart of the episode is the vision, what America could look like if we actually governed around the lives people are trying to build.
Key Takeaways & Critical Insights
Resistance by itself isn’t a vision. People are exhausted by hearing only what we’re against, both hosts argue, and what’s missing is a clear picture of what we’re for. The whole finale is built to answer that.
A war with no plan, and a Congress that won’t own it. The war with Iran has now killed eighteen service members and wounded more than five hundred. The House passed a resolution to end it and the Senate let it die; the president still hasn’t defined the mission, victory, or the day-after; and the Pentagon won’t even be straight about the wounded. Both hosts frame it as Congress abdicating its most basic duty: the decision to send people to war is theirs to make, and they won’t make it.
Trade policy that punishes the people it claims to protect. The new tariffs on Canada and the EU hit hardest in a border state like New Hampshire, where Canada is the largest trading partner. Small businesses can’t plan (a Conway senior center that runs on imported Canadian aluminum, tourism down as much as 30%), and allies are quietly cutting deals with China instead.
What a stronger America could look like. Paid family leave (the U.S. is the only wealthy nation with none), affordable housing (prices up ~78% since 2018), affordable education, and healthcare that doesn’t bankrupt families, plus an economy that out-innovates competitors like China, which is training roughly ten times the engineers, with AI and high-speed rail, done faster and with less bureaucracy.
The two fixes both would make with a magic wand. End partisan gerrymandering and overturn Citizens United. Their point: there’s around 80% support for common-sense gun laws that still can’t pass, because the system is built to answer to safe seats and unlimited money rather than to people.
Rebuilding trust means changing who’s in the room. Elect new leadership, ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, kill corporate PAC money, close the revolving door, and make Congress actually conduct oversight again.
Leadership comes down to making everyone matter. Maura’s high school track coach kept her on the team through an injury and put a medal around her neck with “we win together, we lose together, every member of this team is just as important,” the same spirit as the NASA janitor who told JFK he was helping put a man on the moon. Rebecca’s first startup boss lived by “we all clean the toilets.” Lead by example, and, as Kris frames it, that’s true of citizenship too.
Hope is ordinary people showing up. From neighbors and community events to the people who choose to spend their careers caring for veterans, and a Margaret Mead close: a small number of thoughtful, committed citizens is the only thing that ever changes the world.
The End of the First Run
This is the finale of the first six-episode run. The hosts close by thanking everyone who tuned in, and by asking where the show should go next, so drop your thoughts in the comments. Subscribe so you don’t miss whatever comes after this.
Actionable Takeaways for Listeners
Ask where your representatives stand on the war. A decision to keep troops in combat is Congress’s to make. Ask yours whether they’ll vote, and why.
Pick the fix you care about and push for it. Paid family leave, affordable housing, real oversight, whatever it is, tell your representatives it’s what you want them governing around.
Back the structural repairs. Ending partisan gerrymandering and getting money out of politics is what makes the rest possible. Support the reforms and the people fighting for them.
Find something you care about and get involved. A nonprofit, an AmeriCorps program, a campaign whose values you share. As the hosts put it, none of this future is guaranteed; we have to build it.
Mentioned in This Episode
The war with Iran and Congress’s Article I war-powers role
The House resolution to end the war
The new tariffs on Canada and the EU
Paid family leave and the U.S. standing among wealthy nations
Partisan gerrymandering and Citizens United
AmeriCorps and national service
The JFK “everyone at NASA is helping put a man on the moon” story
The Margaret Mead quote on committed citizens
Where to Follow the Hosts
Watch Hell Cats here and on Meidas Defense YouTube, where you’ll also find shorter clips and highlights from each episode, and listen to full episodes on Substack. Follow the hosts on their own Substacks, Maura Sullivan and Rebecca Bennett. Hell Cats is executive produced by Kris Goldsmith and produced by Lauren Hust at Public Square Media, in partnership with Valor Media Network.
Production
Hell Cats is a production of Public Square Media in partnership with VALOR Media Network.
Executive Producer: Kristofer Goldsmith
Producer: Lauren Hust
Brought to you by Meidas Defense.
Editorial Note
Hell Cats is an independent production of Public Square Media in partnership with VALOR Media Network, created for journalistic, educational, and public-interest purposes.
Public Square Media and VALOR Media Network exercise sole editorial control over the program’s content, production, and distribution. While some hosts or guests may be candidates for public office, Hell Cats is not produced by, authorized by, requested by, or coordinated with any political campaign or candidate committee. Participation in the program does not constitute an endorsement by Public Square Media or VALOR Media Network.
