Blue 812 News Issue 54 - February 1

President Donald Trump’s team keeps finding creative new ways to make the crisis in Minnesota even worse. His latest outrage: Locking up journalists, apparently for checks notes… doing journalism. Federal authorities arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon and local journalist Georgia Fort on Thursday evening after he reported on a protest earlier this month at a Minnesota church, where the pastor is an ICE agent. It’s the latest example of Trump using the Department of Justice as a political weapon to attack his foes, shield his allies, and target anyone who steps into the path of his immigration rampage. Lemon was charged under the FACE Act, which historically has been used against those who block access to abortion clinics but can also apply to houses of worship.

The DOJ’s original complaint against Lemon was rejected by a judge. The department’s appeal was also rejected, by a famously conservative judge who wrote that Lemon and his producer “were not protestors at all; instead, they were a journalist and his producer. There is no evidence that those two engaged in any criminal behavior or conspired to do so.” But AG Bondi kept pressing until she got her indictment.

Abbe Lowell, Lemon’s attorney, called the arrest “an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment” in a social media post on Friday. Lowell also said Lemon will “fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.” Leita Walker, an attorney for Fort, told the Columbia Journalism Review that her client “will be vigorously defending herself against these charges.”

As you’ve likely heard, the Senate voted down the six-bill minibus package that passed the House late last week. This is the bill that contained not just the DHS funding but five other funding bills. Democrats have been urging Senator Thune to separate out the DHS bill from these other five, and now that’s exactly what happened. Democrats agreed to is passing the five other funding bills and then passing a two-week Continuing Resolution (or CR) to keep DHS funded at current levels while they negotiate new guardrails on ICE. Remember that DHS doesn’t just fund ICE—it covers the Coast Guard, FEMA, and TSA, among other services.

Since the bill has split, it has to go back to the House. It is unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson has enough GOP support to advance the Senate-passed bill. All Democrats are expected to vote against it, and Johnson can’t afford to lose more than a handful of GOP votes. Jeffries listed Democrats’ demands to rein in DHS, including requirements that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials wear body cameras and remove their masks, end roving patrols, and tighten parameters around warrants for searches and arrests, as requirements for any votes from his caucus.

Johnny Cash was the first American to hear of Stalin’s death. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The DOJ dropped three million pages of Epstein files Friday, including more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. Donald Trump’s name appears in at least 3,200 documents, according to the New York Times.

Many of those mentions appear to be from tipsters who called investigators, mentions in the news, or deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein musing about Trump’s 2016 presidential run. Reporters and the public are still hunting for fresh details about Trump’s involvement with Epstein in the new files, which were released a month after a congressionally-mandated deadline, signed into law by Trump. The White House had “no oversight and they did not tell this department how to do our review and what to look for and what to redact or not redact,” Deputy AG Blanche told reporters today. Sure, Jan.

But the documents did include some strange new stuff, including Epstein’s conversations with tech freak Elon Musk, who asked to visit the financier’s infamous island. “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?” Musk wrote in an email. Commerce Secretary Howard Luntick planned to travel to Epstein’s island in 2012… despite having previously said that he cut off ties with Epstein in 2005. Weird!

House Democrats accused the DOJ of not releasing all the files, due to the fact that they understand math. According to congressman Ro Khanna, “The DOJ said it identified over 6m potentially responsive pages but is releasing only about 3.5m after review and redactions,” he said. “This raises questions as to why the rest are being withheld.” Trump and his team “have made it clear that they intend to withhold roughly 50% of the Epstein files, while claiming to have fully complied with the law,” Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said in a statement. “This is outrageous and incredibly concerning.”

ReCenter Indiana researched more than 300 Indiana adults aged 18-24 who registered to vote but never cast a ballot in the 2024 General Election. Despite negative feelings toward the government, Jocelyn Vare, ReCenter Indiana executive director, said non-voters are not apathetic. “They really care,” Vare said, “But they are distrustful of government, disappointed by politics and impeded by Election Day barriers.” Eighty percent said they do not trust the federal government, and 65 percent said they do not trust the state government. Those surveyed also felt their votes wouldn’t make a change. When asked how their votes influence the government’s actions, 71 percent said “not much” or “not at all.”

Most respondents said voting was convenient, though some felt work and voting hours and locations were barriers. Despite negative views on the government and politics, the majority hadn’t written off casting a ballot in 2026. Only 16 percent said they will not vote.

We’re now in the second half of the legislative session! This is called “crossover.” Remaining House bills will go to the Senate, and Senate bills will go to the House. See, they are ‘crossing over’ to the other chamber. Cute.

This upcoming week will be a busy one for committees, as is the only time the public can testify on bills in front of the legislators. It’s an excellent opportunity to publicly address your concerns with specific bills. Use MADVoters’ Bill Tracker to see which bills are scheduled for hearings (updated daily!), contact lawmakers with your comments, and see the latest updates.

Looking to catch up on the first half of the session? Check out a comprehensive midpoint review of the 2026 Indiana General Assembly session with MADVoters Director of Advocacy Kaitie Rector, or the Legislative Halftime Briefing from Citizen’s Action Coalition.

Starting off with some GOOD NEWS: Two bills focused on medical debt protections, SB 85 (health care costs and debt) and SB 197 (garnishment) passed the senate last week. Help keep up the momentum by sending a message to your elected officials!

A pro-consumer bill - HB 1002 - has survived so far. This bill includes multiple components of the Citizen’s Action Coalition and Indiana Conservation Voters’ Ratepayer Relief Plan, including:

While there is lots of room for improvement, HB1002 is a good start to begin addressing the utility affordability crisis happening in Indiana right now. Contact Sen. Goode to encourage his support for this bill with this webform.

We can be cautiously optimistic about HB 1119, which would make execution by firing squad one of two ways in which an inmate is put to death. On Jan. 28, the supermajority-Republican House couldn’t garner the constitutional majority needed for it to pass, despite a vote tally 48-46 in favor of the bill. It needed at least 51 yes votes to pass. However, since the bill failed in this particular manner, it could still be called up for another vote before the deadline to pass House bills on Monday.

In less good news, however, SB 285 passed on the Senate floor. This bill creates multiple points where individuals experiencing homelessness can quickly slip into the justice system with a Class C Misdemeanor. SB 285 will also remove the ability for counties and cities in Indiana to address homelessness with locally grounded solutions, forcing them into a narrow pathway of engagement for those unhoused, and threatening legal actions for localities perceived to not follow the specific pathway outlined in SB 285. Use this webform to contact your representative to vote against this harmful and costly bill!

In another blow, SB 76 was referred to the House. This proposed bill would mandate that Indiana law enforcement must cooperate with ICE agents, and further intensifies prohibitions on state and local entities — including public colleges and universities — ability to restrict the enforcement of federal immigration law, regardless of whether that enforcement is conducted by local or federal officials. SB-76 also introduces provisions which would increase enforcement against employers who are found to have knowingly hired “unauthorized workers.” SB 76 is set to be heard by the Indiana House of Representatives Monday, so we need to contact our legislators NOW and tell them to vote NO on SB-76. Hoosier Asian American Power has a comprehensive document with script to follow when contacting your legislators.

SB 236, which criminalizes the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs like Mifepristone and Misoprostol into Indiana, and enables private citizens to file wrongful death and qui tam lawsuits against people or organizations that provide abortion pills, has officially passed in the Indiana House, but we still have a chance to stop it in the Senate. Click here to contact your legislators and tell them to vote NO on SB-236.

This past Monday, HB 1086 went up for discussion before the House Education Committee. In Committee, an amendment to the bill was passed which rewrote the bill to say that, while a copy of the 10 Commandments does not need to be hung in every school library and classroom, a copy must be maintained in the school library. The amendment proposed the addition of the 10 Commandments to be part of the protected writings list (alongside historical documents like the Constitution), and would enable a teacher or principal, if they so chose, to post an excerpt of the 10 Commandments, it just wouldn't be required by law for them to do so. The amendment passed, and HB 1086 moved to the Senate with the adopted amendment. An official, finalized version will be prepared for the third reading and final vote.

SB 182 passed in the Senate and moved into the House. One of the most extreme anti-trans bills Indiana has ever seen, SB-182 codifies definitions of “female,” “male,” “gender,” and “sex” within Indiana statutes, establishing that “sex” refers to biological sex at birth. It mandates that the Department of Correction assign offenders to facilities or programs based on their sex at birth, and that local health officers record an individual’s sex as male or female on birth certificates, plus more restrictive actions To use Indiana Youth Group’s webform to contact your legislator and tell them to vote NO on SB-182, click here.

Billtrackers:

As promised, President Donald Trump is adding his two cents to Indiana Statehouse races in which an incumbent opposed his push for mid-decade redistricting. Trump has posted to Truth Social several endorsements of Republican primary challengers. Each has a boilerplate template, with nearly identical language: The person is running against a "RINO" and "America Last" incumbent who, "for whatever reason," voted against redistricting; on the contrary, this primary challenger will "fight tirelessly to protect Hoosier values" and a list of Trump's other top issues, from the border to the Second Amendment.

Trump wrote Tuesday he will be endorsing Vigo County “Commissioner” Brenda Wilson, whom he called a “Successful Family Farmer, and Highly Respected Vigo County Commissioner, who will be a strong and effective Voice for our amazing Farmers and Indiana Agriculture.” Wilson is actually a member of the Vigo County Council.

The first election board meeting of the year in Vigo County took place on Friday, focusing on voting center locations. The board approved 17 voting centers for this election year, with the Hulman Center being a new addition, replacing the ISU Student Union. The Haute City Center and Vigo County Annex building will again be the 28-day early voting options. The full list of locations can be found at everyvotevigocounty.com

There are only a few days left to file to run for office in 2026! Don’t have a lot of time? You can make a One-Day Impact: Both parties need State Delegates. It’s a one-day commitment this summer (6/6 for Democrats and 6/20 for Republicans) to vote on who runs for State Treasurer, Auditor, and Secretary of State. You get to spend an energized day with like-minded Hoosiers.

Looking for more? Precinct Chair is a four-year term, but the commitment is needed most around elections.

You don't even need a printer. Just take your ID to your local election board, and they will help you file. Statehouse offices get filed in Indy at the statehouse. Have questions or concerns? MADVoters is here to support you. Let's get your name on the ballot!

The West Central Indiana Partnership is building a stronger, more connected West Central Indiana region, and we need your help to do it! By completing the Regional Census, you’re helping local leaders understand what matters most to you.

WFYI has published a comprehensive list of your rights as a protestor in Indiana. This timely guide includes up-to-date information on everything you need to comply with current laws and regulations, so we don’t see your name in the news. Curious about rules around protesting as a student? Your rights to film or carry a firearm? Bookmark this page for future reference.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Tuesday, February 3rd at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street

Thursday, February 5th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Thursday, February 5th at 7pm: 2026 Indiana Democratic Party Platform Input Tour - Join us on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 PM ET for the IDP Platform Input Tour on Zoom! You will get a link to sign up to your email. Register here. You can submit suggestions in advance of the meeting here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/OxS_6rYOJEadeQ-NLWc0Ug2

Thursday, February 5th at 7:30pm: Community Safety Training run by Indy Rapid Response. This training will instruct attendees on how how to effectively communicate about possible ICE sightings, how to identify ICE, and how to share that information with others.

Tuesday, February 10th 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.

Tuesday, February 10th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street

Thursday, February 12th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Saturday, February 14th at 10am: Legislative Crackerbarrel at the Vigo County Public Library main branch 10 am - 12 pm in the lower-level meeting rooms. Hear from Vigo County’s state legislators about the committees they serve on, the bills they have sponsored or plan to sponsor, and the impact upcoming laws will have on your business, civic, and social priorities. Bring your questions regarding your legislators’ 2026 initiatives for respectful discussion with the panel during the audience question and answer session.

Thursday, February 19 at 11am: Indiana Reproductive Health Lobby Day from 11-1pm at the Indiana Statehouse, 2nd Floor South Atrium. Let’s show up strong to advocate for reproductive freedom, patient privacy, and health equity. Together, we can protect access and push back against harmful legislation.

Next No Kings rally - Saturday, March 28th:

Bruce Springsteen’s new anti-Trump anthem is already at the top of the iTunes charts — in 19 countries.

Israel said that it plans to open the Gaza border crossing into Egypt on Sunday, in a sign that the ceasefire is progressing.

Luigi Mangione, the suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, won’t face the death penalty after a judge threw out two charges against him — including murder through use of a firearm. Mangione is still facing a life sentence without possibility of parole.

Democrat Christian Menefee, a former Harris County Attorney, won the special election runoff in Texas’ 18th Congressional District, ending a long vacancy and narrowing Speaker Mike Johnson’s razor-thin majority in the US House.

In further TX election news, Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a reliably Republican state Senate district in Texas in Saturday’s special election, continuing a string of surprise victories for Democrats across the U.S. This one’s in a district Trump won by 17 points in 2024. With almost all votes counted, Rehmet was leading by more than 14 percentage points — a more than 30-point difference.

Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, asylum seekers who were detained by ICE last week and sent to Texas, arrived back in Minneapolis on Sunday after a judge ordered the government to release them.

The Department of Justice dropped its effort to obtain personal and medical information for transgender patients at a Los Angeles children’s hospital.

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