Mar 23, 2025
NATIONAL NUTCASERY
America’s midlife constitutional crisis
In the last week, Trump lawyers have made narrow arguments in court that the administration didn't intentionally violate the order by US Circuit Judge Boasberg to halt the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members, refused to turn over information Boasberg requested, and petitioned a higher court to have him removed from the case, and Texas Rep. Brandon Gill filed a bill calling for Judge Boasberg’s impeachment. This led to a rare rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.” Any attempts to impeach the judge are almost certain to fail.
However, President Trump is trying a new tactic, as he told reporters Friday evening that actually, he didn’t sign the proclamation that set that legal process in motion.
When asked when he signed the proclamation invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, by which Trump claimed that Venezuela is invading the United States by sending alleged gang members over the border, Trump answered: “I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it.” Trump was on his way to his golf club in New Jersey, and seemed to be handing off responsibility for the declaration to someone else, perhaps Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Other people handled it,” he said. “But Marco Rubio’s done a great job. And he wanted them out, and we go along with that. We want to get criminals out of our country.”
school’s out forever
Last week, Donald Trump signed a long-teased executive order aimed at realizing the Republican dream of eliminating the Department of Education and funneling more money to corporate schools. Gov. Mike Braun was a featured guest for Trump's signing of the Executive Order. Indiana's Republican lawmakers appear to strongly back the move, despite the fact that Indiana relies on $1.88 billion in federal dollars to fund education.
This is all to ‘give it back to the states’, which we’ve heard before, and who are the same entities that caused the creation of the department in the first place. Anyway, here’s a great explainer of the Executive Order by Mrs. Frazzled
The Education Department is in charge of implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and managing the huge portfolio of federal student loans. Even though Trump later said the Small Business Administration would manage student loans and Health and Human Services would oversee the Individuals with Disabilities Act (at least, what we think he means by ‘handling special needs’), there will be plenty of chaos and ultimately fewer resources, less accountability, and less support making it to the kids who really need it – and likely massive cuts to federal aid for schools portrayed as “block grants.”
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messmer missing; sees commissioners, not constituents
Mark Messmer visited the 8th district during the current Congressional recess, but not to meet with constituents; it was to schmooze with the all-Republican Vigo County Council. I called his office last week to find out about local events and was told there were none on the schedule. Another community member reached out to his Evansville office and reported being told:
Any and all meetings for the public scheduled with Mr. Messmer or his staff have been “indefinitely postponed” - no reason was given
there are no plans to [re]open a local office in Terre Haute. Reason: people are not inconvenienced by driving 120 miles roundtrip to go to Evansville to see him/staff
there are no plans to hold a Town Hall - no reason given.
Messmer’s outreach staff member Mr. Rubinacci previously announced he would be available to constituents the second Friday of each month in Terre Haute, but this too has been “indefinitely postponed”.
jim banks desperately wants trump to think he’s cool
Sens. Todd Young and Jim Banks also decided not to hold their own town halls to meet with voters, which led to an ‘empty-chair’ town hall hosted by Indivisible Northeast Indiana on Friday in Ft. Wayne.
State Rep. Kyle Miller, D-Fort Wayne; House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne; and Purdue Fort Wayne Professor Noor O’Neill sat onstage. Beside them were three empty chairs, one each for Banks, Young, and 3rd district Rep. Marlin Stutzman. Banks responded:
… and then bragged on social media Saturday that he trolled a meeting of angry voters in his state with a delivery of donuts to a town hall event Democrats convened to object to him. In the three-minute video shared by Banks, voters were furious at both his absence and with the breakfast delivery.
STATEWIDE SHENANIGANS
right to refuse
A viral video posted online recently has sparked controversy, even being shared by far-right Lt. Gov Beckwith. The clip shows a woman being asked to leave the Chatterbox Jazz Club in Indianapolis for being a Trump supporter. In the roughly 40-second video (second slide), a woman wearing a Trump hat can be heard asking two people standing behind the bar why they are asking her to leave. According to a statement from the bar, the group came into Chatterbox harassing and misgendering employees there. This was before the group started recording the video, according to the bar. Just a reminder that while small businesses are open to the public, they are still private property and can ask you to leave at any time. Next time you’re in Indy, stop by Chatterbox and give them your business, then check this list for other Hoosier spots to spend your money. Read more on this story at Indiana Public Media
Sen Goode on education
Terre Haute State Senator Goode participated in the taping of Indiana Lawmakers along with State Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond) and State Reps. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) and Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) last Wednesday, discussing higher education in Indiana.
BILLWATCH 2025
We are almost three-quarters of the way through the legislative session! Here’s some of what happened last week:
The House Education Committee met on Wednesday and passed SB 146, which raises the minimum teacher salary to $45,000 and requires schools to allocate at least 65% of their state funding to teacher pay. As promised last week, the committee added back in a requirement for school districts to provide at least 20 days of paid parental leave for full-time teachers. SB 146 passed out of committee 13 – 0 and now moves to be heard by the House Ways and Means Committee as early as next week.
The committee also passed SB 249, which allows school districts to withhold some funds from collective bargaining to provide supplemental pay. This bill was improved by requiring school boards to pass a resolution before initiating the process, ensuring local control and input from teachers and the community. The bill passed out of committee 8 – 4.
In floor action this week, the House heard SB 287 on 2nd reading. The bill would give school board candidates the option to declare a party affiliation, run as an independent or remain nonpartisan. The House approved an amendment on Thursday that would clarify that a non-partisan candidate would have a blank space next to their name on the ballot, in lieu of any other party identifier. The bill is eligible for a final vote next week. It’s important to continue to oppose efforts to inject partisanship into school board elections. School boards should focus on students, not party politics. Call Rep. Pfaff at 317-232-9600 and ask that she oppose SB 287.
More coming up next week:
Monday, March 24:
HB 1679: Various elections matters (oppose) will have a hearing with the Senate Elections Committee. Contact chairman Sen. Mike Gaskill. HB 1679 outlines several changes to election and voting laws - one that would require a county voter registration office to conduct a "voter list maintenance program" at least once every 30 days. These programs can be unreliable and can flag and purge actual eligible voters, in addition to failing to protect data privacy. Pair this with the federal SAVE act, we have disenfranchisement-city.
SB 143: Parental rights (oppose) will have a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee. Contact chairman Rep. Chris Jeter. SB 143 claims that it will "protect children" by prohibiting a governmental entity from: (1) advising, directing, or coercing a child to withhold certain information from the child's parent; or (2) denying a child's parent access to certain information. However, this bill could risk children's safety and prioritizes parental control over a child's health and wellness, in addition to being an overly broad bill at risk of government overreach.
HB 1348: Nonaccredited nonpublic schools (oppose) has its second reading with the Senate, where it may be amended. Contact Senator Goode. HB 1348 makes no distinction between diplomas issued by accredited schools and homeschools. Homeschools are exempt from all accountability requirements required of public schools; permitting them to issue the same diploma as accredited schools would make accreditation meaningless, and could lower the bar for quality education.
HB 1167: Exceptions to paraphernalia statutes (support) has its third reading with the Senate, where it will be voted on. Contact Senator Goode. HB 1167 provides that fentanyl test strips are not illegal to possess. Test strips allow people to test for potentially dangerous additives, which could help reduce overdoses. Hoosiers for harm reduction!
HB 1393: Immigration notice (oppose) has its third reading with the Senate, where it will be voted on. Contact Senator Goode. HB 1393 requires a law enforcement officer to provide the name, address, and other identifying information to ICE after arresting or issuing a summons to an individual suspected of not being lawfully present in the United States. Undoubtedly, this bill will lead to increased racial profiling.
Tuesday, March 25:
HB 1413: Rape kits (support) will have a hearing with the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee. Contact chairman Sen. Aaron Freeman. HB 1413 creates a fund to help law enforcement and testing labs reduce the backlog of untested rape kits. Indiana has the nation's 2nd highest number of untested rape kits; data collected per this bill would inform on best practices to address the backlog, and empower and support victims as they seek justice.
Predatory lenders are back in the statehouse asking for an incredible array of new loans that violate our criminal loansharking law and will shackle Hoosiers to long-term, damaging debt. Urge your elected officials to vote NO on HB 1174.
from Common Cause Indiana:
The House Elections Committee was supposed to meet this week to vote on SB10 – the bad bill that will stop public university students from being able to use their student ID as a voting ID – but the meeting was cancelled. That may be a good sign that the thousands of calls and emails we’ve generated against SB10 are working and have caused some committee members to consider amendments to address our concerns.
But here’s the thing. No amendment will make this unnecessary bill palatable. There is absolutely no legitimate reason to stop allowing public university students from using their student ID to vote. There have been no cases of voting fraud involving a student using their university ID and no proof that these IDs are less reliable and secure than a driver’s license.
The intent of this bill is to make it more difficult for college students to vote in Indiana, period. In a state that ranks at the bottom for voter turnout, this is the last thing our legislature should be doing.
You can help stop SB10 by contacting the Chairman of the House Elections Committee today. Tell Chairman Tim Wesco that SB10 is unnecessary and based on a false premise that student IDs are less secure than state-issued IDs. Tell him we need to encourage young people to vote, not put unneeded barriers in place that will discourage some from participating.LOCAL FOCUS
county council spending spree
The Vigo County Council voted on 14 measures Tuesday evening, with half being unanimous 6-0 decisions (councilman Brad Anderson was absent) and the other half being passed despite a no vote from District 4’s Republican Randy Gentry, who was caucused into the council in January.
Gentry’s no votes were frequently due to his conviction that the costs were too high or were being paid for from an inappropriate funding source, or that spending money on dubious projects could open the spigots to further requests for money that could be better spent elsewhere.
He voted no to using $5,000 from the opioid settlement fund to help pay for a Circles of Change conference; revamping the employees of the county’s Homes for Children group home program’s scheduling and salary structures; spending $110,000 to upgrade the Courthouse’s security camera system, including installing a number of cameras around the grounds surrounding the building; and against against two measures redefining and expanding Health Department employee positions and contracts, as well as Vigo County Sheriff Derek Fell’s request to fund the salaries for the three additional deputies the Council granted him in January. Read more at Yahoo News, who publishes TribStar stories without the paywall!
gem of vigo county - the parks!
The mayor has released three conceptual designs for the Deming Park pool, with costs ranging from $3.5 million to $4.3 million. The Parks Board and full-time staff will review these designs in-depth and provide feedback. The public is welcome to comment on this Facebook post. Though the Mayor’s Office post stated “Funding from this project will come from the American Rescue Plan Act, EDIT, and gaming revenue,” Conservative “radio host” Rob Kendall doesn’t understand how city budgets work and got his fee-fees hurt in the comments. He talked about it on his radio show, but I don’t care enough to figure out which episode.
In other Parks Department developments:
The Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department has announced two new disc golf courses coming to Terre Haute. The first course, set to open this spring, is currently undergoing construction in Prairie Creek Park. The second course, designed by world-renowned course designer, John Houck, will be in Fowler Park. The course will be set up for all skill levels to enjoy and will likely rank in the top 20 in the country. The Chamber of Commerce optimistically expects the course will bring professional-level tournaments and attract around 30,000 visitors per year. Read more at mywabashvalley.
Construction is well underway at Rea Park’s historic 1925 clubhouse. This multi-million dollar project will be done in two phases consisting of a complete renovation of the clubhouse, a bar area, patio seating, new cart storage, new tennis and pickleball courts, expanding parking, a new driving range, and much more. The park plans to open the clubhouse and begin phase two in spring 2026. Read more at mywabashvalley.
GOOD TROUBLE/RESOURCE CENTER
Ursula Wolf-Rocco of LearningforJustice.org
Here are some resources I know of that can help you to unravel the cloth. They are QUICK EASY actions - follow as many or as few as you can handle - do the actions WHEN YOU CAN
Chop Wood, Carry Water - daily political activism newsletter that comes out 5 days a week. Subscribe and you’ll receive a short, encouraging email in your inbox each weekday (except Wednesday) telling you how you can make a difference by taking 5-7 minutes worth of EASY actions. You’ll receive an additional Sunday newsletter bursting with hopeful news
Rogan’s list - a daily, thoroughly vetted action list for people who want to become more politically involved, but do not have time for the research
5 minutes for democracy - Attempting to protect democracy between wiping butts and playing cars. Providing easy action steps so you can, too.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 24th: Vigo County School Board meeting at 6pm. Regular Meetings are usually held in the Administration Building Board Room at 501 W. Olive St., West Terre Haute, IN and are open to the public. @mrs.frazzled posted a guide for showing up to school board meetings and how to prepare.
March 25: Vigo County School Corporation will conduct two additional community forums on funding infrastructure improvements. One will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the North Vigo High School Auditorium. The second will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the South Vigo High School auditorium. During last Monday’s presentation at West Vigo School, Superintendent Himsel said consolidation can’t be ruled out as the Vigo County School Board considers options for the future of facilities A similar presentation was made during the March 3 board meeting, which can be viewed on the district’s YouTube channel.
March 27th: Nasty Women of Vigo County. 5-7pm in meeting room C, VCPL Main Branch. Pamphlet Club reading assignment is the Precinct Committee Chair Handbook
March 27th: Democratic Indiana State Representative Tonya Pfaff, who serves District 43, and Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun, also a Democrat, will hold a joint town hall at 6:30 p.m. at Local Laborers 204. Constituents are invited to come and hear about public policy and the work being done for the community at the Statehouse and the mayor’s office, as well as share any thoughts, concerns, or questions about key issues that impact the city and the state.
April 5th: Hands Off! Terre Haute Fights Back Nationwide Day of Action at the Vigo County Courthouse 1-3pm. Organized by 50501, Indivisible, and other national partners. Check out handsoff2025.com for more information.
END ON A HIGH NOTE
A federal judge in Maryland determined that Musk overseeing the Trump administration’s attempted takeover of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) “likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways.”
A federal judge has denied the DOJ’s attempt to apply Trump’s blanket pardon for members of the Jan. 6 mob at the Capitol to one defendant’s conviction for possessing illegal guns hundreds of miles away, at his Kentucky home.
A judge blocked Trump’s attack on transgender military members.
The astronauts who were stuck in space about 278 days longer than they intended have finally made their journey back to Earth.
Trump's time in the White House runs out in:
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