Blue 812 News Issue 49 - December 7

Dec 07, 2025

The fallout continues from the Washington Post’s reporting on a live drone feed from the first of the administration’s boat attacks on September 2nd, showing two survivors from an original crew of 11 clinging to the wreckage of their boat after an initial missile attack.

In an important acknowledgment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that a second strike targeting the two survivors took place. But on behalf of the president she threw Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, commander of the Special Operations command, under the bus for the double-tap Seal Team 6 strike, while still insisting that he was “within his authority and the law.”

In a social media post, Hegseth similarly underbussed Bradley by wrapping him in a bear hug of blame: “Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since.”

The precise contours of the Trump administration’s defense of the president and Pentagon chief are still emerging, but it appears to ride on a fine distinction between the general order Hegseth gave for the attack and the specific order Bradley gave for the second strike that killed the survivors of the first strike. CNN and the Washington Post each have ticktocks on shifting explanations the Trump administration has offered on the double-tap strike and the lethal boat strike campaign more generally. Who knows if the facts support such a distinction or if the distinction changes the legal analysis that both strikes were unlawful.

In the classified briefing he gave to Congress, Admiral Frank Bradley both stressed that Hegseth did not give a verbal order to “kill them all,” which was a key element of the WaPo story that sparked the furor; and said that Hegseth didn’t give a direct order for the second strike. But after watching a video of the strike, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) told reporters: “What I saw in that room is one of the most troubling scenes I’ve seen in my time in public service.”

Another ironic twist: Trump has pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of taking part in a scheme to bring more than 500 tons of cocaine into the U.S. over two decades. So, does he care about drug trafficking or not? How the hell did the former president of Honduras secure a pardon from Donald Trump? He sucked up to him in a personal letter, and former Trump aide Roger Stone lobbied on the ex-president’s behalf, according to Axios. “Your resilience in the face of relentless political persecution has inspired me deeply,” wrote the former prez, Juan Orlando Hernandez. “Like you, I was recklessly attacked by radical leftist forces.” It’s sad that it’s this easy to manipulate our nation’s leader.

Meanwhile, Signalgate is wrapping up in dramatic fashion. Hegseth “created a risk” for American troops in the Middle East by sharing private war plans in a Signal group chat using his personal cell phone, according to a DOD Inspector General report released last week. Sounds pretty damning, right? Apparently not, if you’re the secretary. “No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed,” Hegseth tweeted - but the report did anything but exonerate him. In fact, it says Hegseth stonewalled the investigation, refusing to provide his phone so the IG could probe other uses of Signal and to sit down for an interview with the IG.

Additionally, Hegseth is now at the center of a major lawsuit. The New York Times and one of its star reporters are suing the DOD, accusing it of violating their free speech and due process rights by blocking reporters from accessing the Pentagon. “Journalists… face loss of their press credentials for doing nothing more than bringing facts to light on behalf of the public,” the Times said in a statement. The DOD vowed to battle it out in court.

Even in Trump’s orbit, some are starting to voice doubts about Hegseth’s future. “There’s only so many times that you can stand next to the president and label everything as fake news and deny everything,” a former senior Trump administration official told Politico. “It’s worn out.”

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The Supreme Court cleared the way for Texas to use new congressional maps that favor Republicans in the 2026 midterms, dropping an unsigned order a few days before the filing deadline like they hoped no one would notice. A lower court had blocked the maps after finding they were likely drawn to dilute the voting power of Black and Latino communities. The justices stepped in anyway through the shadow docket, which is Supreme Court code for “Um yeah, we’re not going to explain ourselves.” It is a clean win for the Trump administration’s plan to lock in partisan maps across key states, and a reminder that this Court is very comfortable making democracy-defining decisions from behind the curtain.

In clearing the way for Texas to use its unlawful race-based redistricting map for the 2026 midterm elections, the Roberts Court held true to form in a myriad of familiar ways. This court is not just producing bad outcomes in the sense of preferencing conservative political goals over progressive ones; it’s having to wreck its own procedures, precedents, rules, and traditions to get there, creating all sorts of unpredictable and messy downstream effects. It’s a decidedly radical — not conservative — approach to judging. And if all that weren’t bad enough, the six-justice majority continues to gaslight (I can’t think of a better word) district judges by flaming them for abiding by the Supreme Court’s own past guidance.

While SCOTUS’s decision to let Texas use its mid-decade gerrymander for next year’s midterms comes as a devastating blow for minority voters in Texas, it could also make it harder for the GOP and the Department of Justice to block California’s voter-approved Prop 50 map.

This past week, Indiana’s House Republicans voted to advance the redistricting bill, HB 1032. This incredibly complex undertaking was pushed through in just 5 days. Here’s a the short version:

Monday: The map is publicly revealed to both lawmakers and the public. The House convened, and it was revealed that House Republicans failed to consult with the leader of the minority party in deciding to convene early, breaking House rules. Despite impassioned testimony from Rep. Ed Delaney and other Democrats urging their colleagues on the other side of the aisle to follow their own Rules, House Republicans decided to advance HB 1032 anyway.

Under the new map, Terre Haute would remain in District 8 along with Evansville, with Bloomington moving into the district, for a R+18 score. The Purdue area is split into two districts, and Marion County is divided into 4, merging the interests of the US’s 16th-largest city with rural counties that stretch to the state borders.

Tuesday: The House Elections Committee heard testimony from 43 individuals. with 41 of those individuals opposing redistricting. During the hearing, bill author Rep. Ben Smaltz stated over two dozen times that the “maps are entirely focused on creating political advantage for Republicans in the coming Congressional election.” What was that quote about protesting too much? The Committee rejected an amendment that would have required public hearings and an amendment to create a nonpartisan commission to redistrict, Despite clear community opposition, they voted to advance HB 1032.

Thursday: House Republicans rejected over a dozen Democrat amendments offered on HB 1032, including amendments that would have created a nonpartisan redistricting commission, required public hearings, prohibited partisan gerrymandering, required a data analysis of potential maps to ensure they were nondiscriminatory and comply with the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution, added redistricting as a public question on the ballot, funded redistricting expenses, mandated disclosure of who was involved with the creation of the new map, and a cost analysis of the new map.

Friday: By a vote of 57-41, House Republicans passed HB 1032. A dozen Republicans voted against the measure alongside all Democrats. Check out IndyStar’s liveblog of the whole affair here.

This fight is not over. HB 1032 heads to the Senate next.

Redrawing district maps is not a priority for Hoosiers. With the announcement that no new childcare vouchers will be issued until 2027, rising utility costs, and the ongoing near-total abortion ban, unfair and partisan redistricting is not what Hoosiers need. What we need is for the legislators we elected to represent the will of the people, and as has been demonstrated, the people do not support mid-cycle redistricting.

1.Call your Senator at 317-232-9400, and tell them NO REDISTRICTING. You can also use this online action form: MADVoters.org/no-cheaters.

2. Pack the Statehouse on Monday 12/8. The redistricting bill will be presented to the Senate Elections Committee at 1:30. You can submit your testimony at MADVoters.org/testifynow or using Women4Change’s webform. You can also sign-up to testify in person before the committee. Testimony sign-up kiosks will be available starting at 8:30 am outside the Senate chambers on Monday. Email [email protected] if you want to testify in person for more information.

Terre Haute State Sen. Greg Goode has filed a bill that would allow school districts to work with local government to repurpose school buildings slated for closure before those buildings must be offered to charter schools for $1.

Senate Bill 77 would give a school board that decides to close a school one year to sell the building to a county or municipal government at a mutually agreed-upon price before the school must be made available for lease or purchase to a charter school or state educational institution. The bill would apply to a school corporation located in a county with a population of less than 150,000, a category that would include Vigo County.

Earlier this year, Goode said that the dollar law “has long puzzled me. ... This calendar year, I have been quietly reaching out to people in my district and across the state to hear different perspectives, and I think it is fair to re-evaluate this law.” On Friday, Goode stated that the overarching concern he hears from districts “relates to the idea that an entity can so easily and cheaply purchase a taxpayer-funded asset.” Some opponents of the $1 law have argued that if a district is trying to be more efficient and cut costs by consolidating and closing schools, the law can create a disincentive to do so.

Upgrading electronics for the holidays? Recycle the old ones! Vigo County Solid Waste accepts:

Drop-Off Hours: Tuesday and Wednesdays from 9am-3pm

Location: Vigo County Solid Waste District 3230 E Haythorne Ave, Terre Haute, IN 47805

To exercise our rights, we have to know our rights! I came across this video teaching the first 10 amendments (aka the Bill of Rights) with helpful mnemonic finger signs. Check it out here!

HoosiersRise has released their webzine for the month with listings of protests, community events, political meetings, and more! Check it out here!

Nasty Women calendar | Indivisible Wabash Valley calendar |HoosiersRise calendar

Tuesday, December 9th at 3pm: Mingle with the Mayor at Grand Traverse Pie Co. At this informal and relaxed gathering, various topics will be covered each month with opportunities to ask questions and voice concerns. Free pie and coffee will be served courtesy of Clinton Gardens.

Thursday, December 11th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council meeting at City Hall (rescheduled from last week)

Some recent flyers have been wearing pajamas to the airport in protest of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s recent “civility” campaign, in which he urged people to dress nicer for air travel. “Civility starts with being a good human and leading by example,” one resistance hero told the Washington Post. “And not with whether or not one wears pajama pants and slippers on a long-haul flight.”

A federal judge ruled that the U.S. must reinstate all federal grants to libraries and museums that Trump’s team terminated. You’re not allowed to Make America Stupid Again!

An appeals court disqualified former Trump personal lawyer Alina Habba from serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor. The decision likely marks the end of a drawn-out saga in which Trump’s team repeatedly attempted to keep Habba installed, even though her interim appointment expired and she hasn’t been confirmed by the Senate.

Starbucks settled a labor law dispute with workers in New York City, agreeing to pay more than $38 million to some 15,000 baristas. That comes out to about $2,500 each.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut Planned Parenthood out of federal family planning funds. The court said the administration likely broke the rules by skipping the required notice-and-comment period and may have violated due process… so, basically, the part where you’re supposed to follow the law. The ruling protects access to contraception, cancer screenings, and STI testing for millions of patients who rely on Planned Parenthood. It also signals that courts are side-eyeing the administration’s broader campaign to strip resources from abortion providers.

Democracy Forward secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from carrying out mass terminations of federal workers in violation of legislation passed to end the recent government shutdown.

A Missouri appeals court ordered new wording for a ballot measure seeking to roll back abortion rights, ruling that voters must be told it would repeal reproductive healthcare rights approved in 2024.

In a humiliating setback, the Justice Department failed to secure an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The IRS Math Act has passed. Now, if you make a mistake on your taxes, the IRS has to tell you what it was and how to fix it. Wild that it is just now a law…

The Department of Education appears to have resumed processing student loan forgiveness for borrowers in income-driven repayment plans, following a brief hiatus due to the government shutdown. Hurry up and get to mine, please.

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

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