Blue 812 News Issue 19

May 04, 2025

Trump dismissed signal-chat participant and journalist-adder Mike Waltz as national security adviser, but then announced he is appointing Waltz to be UN Ambassador. This is a Senate-confirmed position. He can now, therefore, be grilled under oath about Signalgate by Democrats. Marco Rubio is getting Waltz’s old job on an interim basis, bringing Marco Rubio’s total number of jobs to four. In addition to being Secretary of State, he is also the acting administrator of the remains of USAID, as well as acting archivist of the National Archives and Records Administration. All of those are super easy, so I’m sure he’s doing amazing!

Speaking of Signal-gate, the Pentagon inspector general has expanded an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sharing of military plans to a second Signal chat that included his wife and brother.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., who was appointed by Trump during his first term, ruled that Trump’s use of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants is illegal. Judge Rodriguez issued a permanent injunction, which was the first such final order issued in the numerous challenges that have already been brought to the president’s Alien Enemies Act proclamation. This ruling bars deportations from the Southern District of Texas under the AEA. Though the Trump Administration is almost certain to appeal the decision, it still feels nice to read Judge Rodriguez clarifying “[T]he historical record renders clear that the President’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms.” You might call it a bench-slap. Read more at LawDork.

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After the success of the CHIPS Act, Indiana U.S. Sen. Todd Young is pushing for more American shipbuilding through the SHIPS Act. Young reintroduced the bipartisan legislation aimed at revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding and maritime industries last week.

The CHIPS Act brought significant investment to Indiana, including company SK hynix’s plans to build a $3.8 billion chip packaging facility in West Lafayette. While Indiana isn’t a coastal state, there could still be opportunities for investments in the Hoosier State. Indiana has ports to the south near the Ohio River and to the north on Lake Michigan, which international ships can access through the other Great Lakes.

At a press availability following an April 10 event in Bloomington, Young told reporters a key way Indiana might benefit from the SHIPS Act is by producing steel or other part-manufacturers that could add to shipbuilding efforts. More at IndyStar.

Todd Rokita’s podcast comments could land him in disciplinary hot water, a familiar place for the AG. Rokita, in an archived April 30 interview with conservative radio host Casey Hendrickson, said the bill "stalled" because "someone had a personal grudge against the language," naming Fort Wayne Sen. Liz Brown as the barrier. Brown denied the claim and went on to confirm that she'd filed an official grievance and request for an investigation into Rokita's comments with the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. More from Indiana Capitol Chronicle.

This comes on the heels of the State Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission upholding the latest ethics complaint against AG Rokita last Friday afternoon. Rokita attempted to have the complaint dismissed, but the Court’s commission rebuked him in a 47-page document that called Rokita's motion "procedurally improper" and "meritless." Adrienne Meiring, executive director of the disciplinary commission, repeatedly rejected Rokita's claims that three new charges filed against the Republican attorney general were politically motivated or an unconstitutional attack on free speech.

As to Rokita's free speech claims, Meiring further argued that "the First Amendment does not protect attorney speech that lies or misleads," and cited multiple state and federal precedents that permit disciplinary sanctions for dishonest conduct by attorneys. Here’s a great write-up from the Indiana Capitol Chronicle about the case.

It turns out Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith has strong views on the Three-Fifths compromise, calling the deal “a great move” and saying it helped lead to the end of slavery. That hasn’t gone over well with Democrats, the faith community, historians, and even Gov. Braun, who rebuked the remarks, saying “I definitely wouldn’t have used that characterization, and I don’t like it.” Read what else Braun said about his No. 2 here.

Meanwhile, we haven't forgotten about Beckwith’s $87,000 taxpayer-funded, top-trim Chevy Tahoe High Country. It started with a request for “all the bells and whistles.” Not to mention the no-bid contract with a Noblesville-based law firm closely affiliated with the church where Beckwith still serves as a pastor, a move that has raised red flags for ethics experts and lawmakers alike.

During the session, only about 20% of the 1,229 bills introduced by Indiana's 150 lawmakers passed the General Assembly.

Now that the session is over, Gov. Braun has waves of bills coming to his desk for him to either sign, veto, or take no action. IndyStar is tracking what he signs into law at their live blog here. Below are a few bills that became law this week.

About a week after releasing an updated riverfront plan, the City of Terre Haute has released an updated Community Plan. The plan features 5 key pillars that community leaders say will help grow Terre Haute and support long-term success in the region. It also outlines a plan to address population decline in the area, something Mayor Sakbun said will help them continue to grow the city of Terre Haute. The plan is supported by a planning grant from the Wabash Valley Community Foundation and has been developed through months of community engagement. For more information or to read the whole plan, visit www.terrehautecommunitydata.com/. More at Yahoo News.

The session’s over, but the budget’s still unsigned!

HB 1001 is en route to Gov. Braun's desk for his signature. We have deep concerns about this budget, which cuts funding for PreK, childcare, libraries, and services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, but pays for private religious education for even the wealthiest Hoosiers. Call the Governor and 317-232-4567 and urge him to veto HB 1001. Indiana deserves better than this inequitable budget. (From MADVoters Indiana)

It’s almost SCOTUS-season, so let’s gird our loins for their bad decisions. Keep up with the Supremes with the resources below:

***don’t forget to check out the Nasty Women events calendar!***

Indivisible Wabash Valley has launched a calendar for the Southern Indiana/Wabash Valley area

Tuesday, May 6th, 4:30 pm: Reception w/ Joe Donnelly at the Terminal. Suggested donation $100 to benefit Vigo Dems central committee

U.S. job growth remained strong last month, with employers adding 177,000 jobs, according to the Labor Department. That’s a hopeful sign that Donald Trump’s chaotic tariff policies may not actually destroy the entire economy, but only time will tell.

The Trump administration is restoring financial support for a landmark women’s health study, which was researching “factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, aging, cognition, frailty, resilience, and much, much more.”

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler had a rough town hall. I love these stories.

Mohsen Mahdawi has been released on bail.

The SAVE Act is officially “dead on arrival” in the Senate. Not a single Democratic Senator will support it.

Trump's time in the White House runs out in:

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