Blue 812 News Issue 51 - December 21

Dec 21, 2025

programming note: Blue812News will be on break next week to celebrate the holidays with family. We will be back again on January 4th

The Epstein files are here! Sort of. Donald Trump’s team just published a huge batch of files — but missed the deadline to release them all. Democrats are fuming. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche reprised his former role as Trump’s personal lawyer on Friday, arguing that actually, the Department of Justice doesn’t have to release all of its Epstein files on time, even though Trump signed a law requiring the DOJ to do so. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche instead informed Fox News they’ll send a partial batch to Congress now and several hundred thousand more over the course of the coming weeks. While Blanche argued they need more time to redact names and identifying information about witnesses, they are clearly failing to comply with an unambiguous deadline.

The DOJ had weeks to prepare for this moment. “My goodness, what is in the Epstein files?” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tweeted, after news broke of the delay. “Release all the files. It’s literally the law.” I mean, the Queen’s favorite son lost his titles over it, so it’s probably not anything good! The top House Democrats on the Oversight and Judiciary committees said that they’re “exploring all legal options” to hold the Trump administration accountable for allegedly breaking federal law.

Journalists and the general public have already begun digging through thousands of documents and photographs that were released on Friday, but we’ve already seen (and can never unsee) a picture of former President Bill Clinton lounging in a hot tub, as well as new photos of formerly-known-as-Prince Andrew, Michael Jackson, and Mick Jagger. Here’s the link if you are into documents!

The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed the House 427-1 and the Senate by unanimous consent, and we’re not represented by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), so our elected officials should be furious. Let’s reach out to their offices and ask what they are doing to hold the Justice Department accountable for not following the law.

Sen. Jim Banks | Sen. Todd Young | Rep. Mark Messmer| Find your sen | Find your rep

Furthermore, we can ask what steps they plan to take to ensure we receive the full files, without any references to Trump or regime allies scrubbed.

Congress once again punted on keeping health insurance affordable for millions of people. The Senate failed to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that help lower premiums. The bill failed by just a margin of one vote, 204-203, meaning that a single vote by any of the seven Indiana Republicans in Congress could’ve passed the tax credits.

In the House, despite a group of moderate Republicans crossing party lines to force a petition for a straight extension, they were rebuffed by leadership and told no real votes will happen until January, when lawmakers return from recess. Republicans instead passed a broader health care bill that doesn’t renew those subsidies and won’t prevent the sharp premium increases coming January 1 for people who buy their own insurance, leaving families staring at higher costs while politicians head home for the holidays. After the four Republicans flipped, Mike Johnson denied he had “lost control of the House,” which is definitely something you say when you’ve lost control of the House.

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So, news that Americans are disappointed about the economy must have gotten back to our President. On Wednesday, he delivered a 9 pm speech from the White House that cut into the 3-hour finale of Survivor. Networks giving the president primetime airtime is no small matter; it costs them money and disrupts schedules and the viewing experience. Typically, the White House must make a real case to the networks about the importance of the speech — a response to a national tragedy, a military attack, or the beginning of a war. The fact that Trump was giving the speech, and that the networks had granted the time, led many to believe he was about to announce war with Venezuela.

But he didn’t. Nor did the speech have any of the news value or importance of previous presidential addresses. Instead, the speech was Trump’s last-ditch effort to end the year on a high note after a series of embarrassing gaffes, searing losses, and pitiful poll numbers. It was a slightly slimmer, but equally incoherent version of the rally speech he gave in Pennsylvania last week.

Highlights from the speech:

The Indiana General Assembly is scheduled to reconvene Jan. 5 for a speedy eight-week session. While lawmakers can meet until mid-March during a non-budget year, they plan to adjourn early to account for the two weeks they spent on their failed partisan redistricting proposal. Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston has promised to wrap up before the end of February.

This year’s Senate Bill 1 — the majority caucus’ top priority — “will look at aligning Indiana statutes with what passed at the federal level,” Sen. Crider (R-Greenfield) said, including changes to work requirements for Medicaid and the anti-hunger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Legislation to support hard-hit child care providers and parents is also expected.

Widespread outcry over rising utility bills is expected to prompt action, too. House Republicans will consider performance-based ratemaking, while their Democratic counterparts seek to eliminate the 7% sales tax on utility service. In the Senate, Yoder’s caucus wants to bar utilities from charging ratepayers for lobbying, litigation and more, and ban summertime shutoffs to low-income customers.

Thursday, the State Budget Committee received a revised revenue forecast showing Indiana will collect $2.4 billion more than projected in April 2025. This change does not reflect a stronger economy, but a revised interpretation of economic uncertainty. Earlier projections led to severe cuts to critical programs, including child care, On My Way to Pre-K, Medicaid, public health, and public education.

With this update, the state surplus is now projected to grow from $2.5 billion to $5 billion by the end of state fiscal year 2027. These funds exist while Hoosiers continue to face rising costs for food, housing, child care, health care, and utilities.

Despite this apparent windfall, Republicans in the General Assembly are not interested in spending any of the money on social services they slashed last year. Therefore, the waitlists for waiver services (like assisted living and childcare) are not going away “anytime soon”.

What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Is it to get more involved in your community? The Terre Haute City Council has opened applications to the following boards and commissions:

Information Technology Advisory Board

Redevelopment Commission

THRIVE Steering Committee

Applications close on 1/2/2026 at 4:00pm. More information can be found here

According to the New York Times, The Democratic National Committee is killing its autopsy of the 2024 election: “Ken Martin, the chairman of the D.N.C., said on Thursday that he had decided not to publish a report that he ordered months ago into what went wrong for the Democratic Party last year. Party officials have conducted more than 300 interviews with Democrats in all 50 states to create a document that Mr. Martin had once pitched as crucial to charting a path forward.”

The DNC had been working on this report for almost a year to determine why Democrats lost to a convicted felon in 2024, and give recommendations on how to prevent thatin the future. It was good for the DNC to study the loss led by experienced professionals completing a rigorous review. Refusing to release the report is a terrible decision, suggesting the party may not have any learned lessons from the past.

Let’s write to DNC Chair Ken Martin and urge him to reverse his decision to not release the DNC’s 2024 autopsy report. His email address is [email protected]

Sample letter from Chop Wood, Carry Water:

Chair Martin,

I’m writing as a Democratic voter and volunteer to respectfully ask you to reverse your decision to not release the DNC 2024 autopsy report. How are Democrats going to learn from our mistakes if we don’t have any concept of their depth and breadth? Showing fearlessness, transparency, and a willingness to admit where we’ve gone wrong is how we win voters back! Continuing to retreat from accountability is how we ensure that we keep losing them.

As we finish out the holiday season, while making your last-minute purchases and spending what Santa brought you, consider continuing to boycott large companies complicit with the current administration - Amazon, Home Depot, Target to name a few. Also, consider shopping with “blue” companies, and of course, when you can, buy local! Here is a selection of tools from Women Forward to help you rethink your shopping:

Last week, we told you about an environmental conservation group that is suing to keep a picture of Donald Trump’s face out of the 2026 national parks pass, citing “aesthetic harm.” While this makes its way through the courts, a true patriot has found a solution to this problem: a sticker to cover up that mug with some cute critters and real American majesty. The stickers are $6 from the Sage Leaf Studio, and every dollar goes to the National Park Foundation to support our nation’s greatest treasures.

Nasty Women calendar | Indivisible Wabash Valley calendar |HoosiersRise calendar

All City Hall Departments will be closed from Wednesday, 12/24, through Friday, 12/26 for Christmas. City Hall will reopen on Monday (12/29) at 8 AM. If you have a municipal issue to report during the closure, please contact 311 by texting (812) 645 -6811 or emailing [email protected].

Thursday, January 8th at 5:30pm: Terre Haute Cty Council Reorganization Meeting at City Hall

Thursday, January 8th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Regular Meeting at City Hall

The City of Terre Haute’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration & Panel Discussion, hosted by the Human Relations Commission in partnership with the Vigo County History Center and the NAACP will be Monday, Jan. 19th at 6:00 PM at the Vigo County History Center Auditorium

This meaningful evening will feature a community panel discussion reflecting on Dr. King’s legacy and his enduring call to speak out against injustice. Join us for an evening of reflection, conversation, and community as we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Learn more: https://buff.ly/Fa9kFXg

Another one to add to your calendar - note the time change from previous years:

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino will be leaving his position at the White House.

Former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers yes, he’d charge Trump again, if he had to do it all over, according to the Associated Press. He said investigators “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump’s team criminally conspired to overturn the 2020 election. Smith said he would “prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether the president was a Republican or Democrat.”

Australia saw a horrific mass shooting last weekend, but their government is already in action, preparing a special session in which they will tighten their gun laws. The prime minister said one of the proposed reforms would be to limit the number of firearms someone could have and an audit of existing licences: “People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalized over time. Licences should not be in perpetuity.”

The statue of a Black teen who fought segregation replaced one of a Confederate general in the US Capitol. Barbara Rose Johns led a Virginia high school walkout in 1951 against segregation, in a flashpoint that eventually became part of the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

We had another huge electoral overperformance in Kentucky on Tuesday! Democrat Gary Clemons won a special election in Jefferson County to fill a vacant state Senate seat. Harris won this district by 5 points; he won it by 48!!

A US judge ruled that Trump cannot ban lawmakers’ surprise visits to ICE facilities.

In a first for the nation, North Dakota is set to provide high-speed internet access to the entire state by 2028. (This is due to President Biden’s Infrastructure Act, by the way. Thanks, Joe Biden!)

The Trump administration suffered a rare defeat at the Supreme Court, as the justices turned down an emergency request to halt a lawsuit over the government’s effort to bar immigration judges from speaking publicly about their work.

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

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