Blue 812 News Issue 61 - March 22

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Will Donald Trump put American boots on Iranian soil as the next stage of his escalating war? It looks increasingly likely. “I’m not putting troops anywhere,” Trump told reporters yesterday, after deploying another 2,500 Marines to the Middle East.

Trump is weighing plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island (where Iran processes 90% of its oil) to starve the regime of its oil revenue. The operation, however, could require a sizable and risky invasion that puts U.S. soldiers in harm’s way. Invading Kharg Island, which is 15 miles off Iran’s shore, has a lot of risks — which explains why the US has never tried this before.

First, troops would likely have to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, which may be strewn with Iranian mines, to launch an operation. Second, Iran could lob missiles and drones at troops on the island; American forces would have to figure out how to defend themselves. Third, Iran might just keep attacking ships in the strait, even if the mission is a success.

Those dangerous scenarios are now staring America in the face, and it’s increasingly unclear whether Trump can TACO his way out of the war. Trump’s top officials still can’t explain what this war is all about, why it started or where it’s going, but they are sure it’s going to cost a lot of money. The Pentagon is asking Congress for $200 billion to keep the fight going, suggesting that Trump is preparing for a long-term presence in the Middle East… or at least, a very expensive one. War Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a very compelling reason for the bold ask: “Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday. Duh! The Pentagon hasn’t revealed what it would use the money for yet, but House Speaker Mike Johnson reassured the public that its definitely responsible adults are asking for the money: “I’m sure it’s not a random number,” he told reporters, without specifying what might be in the request.

Just for comparison and perspective on this outrageous sum: you could build 285 new Empire State Buildings across the United States for that $200 billion (at the original cost of the building, adjusted for inflation). According to Pod Save America, “It could restore Obamacare subsidies for 22 million people for six years, wipe out the majority of medical debt for Americans, fund food stamps for 42 million Americans for two years, or… five years of free school lunches for every kid in America,” Trump used to talk about supporting coal miners. Well, if Congress turned down this request, it could use that money instead to buy [beep boop beep calculator noises] TWENTY Lamborghinis for every coal miner in America.

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The Dow is back under 50,000, so I’m not sure why Pam Bondi has the courage to show up on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, our Attorney General popped into Congress for a closed-door briefing on the Epstein files, about 2.5 million of which still haven’t been released. According to Dems on the committee, Bondi refused to commit to complying with a subpoena to answer for the DOJ’s mishandling of the Epstein files. Bondi? Difficult with lawmakers? That’s so unlike her.

It got even more dramatic when Dems walked right out of the hearing. Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), for her part, asked Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) whether he would hold Bondi in contempt of Congress if she ignored the subpoena and refused to appear in April. In Lee’s words, “Instead of answering as an adult, he said that I was bitching, which is again, something that would not be allowed if we were operating under the rules of this committee, because engaging in personalities is actually something that we are not able to do.” “Engaging in personalities” might be the nicest euphemism I’ve ever heard for whatever it is….Congress does.

Pamela Jo wasn’t the only one to grace the hill last week, we also heard from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Here are some highlights:

Indiana attorneys are fighting a lawsuit to allow public university-issued student IDs  for voting ahead of the upcoming May 5 primary election.  The state banned using those IDs in elections last year under SEA 10.  After the state passed the ban, nonprofits Count Us IN and Women4Change Indiana added Indiana University Josh Montagne to a lawsuit in federal court, calling the ban unconstitutional, and claiming it is a “surgical attack” on young voters that creates an excessive burden.  State attorneys argued the ban on student IDs protects the “public confidence in the integrity of elections,” deters voting fraud, and simplifies election administration. I’m just going to put this graphic analysis of the Heritage Foundation’s own database here for no reason…

The fate of the Verve nightclub hangs in the balance following the Vigo County Alcoholic Beverage Board recommending its liquor license not be renewed by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, though the underlying reasoning to deny owner Connie Wrin a renewal wasn’t clear on Thursday afternoon. Brad Lutes, the excise officer on the board comprised of three members of the Vigo County Alcoholic Beverage Bureau and an Indiana State Excise Police officer, said, “I’d be happy to talk to you, but my department policy tells me I’m not allowed to.”

Wrin will go before the ATC to make her appeal on April 7, noting that she has long supported the local community with her annual blues festival which ran for more than 20 years and generated funds to buy schoolchildren musical instruments. In the meantime, Wrin has said the Verve will close down after Monday night’s jazz jam and remain out of business until the ATC makes its final decision.

Before the vote, board members noted that the Terre Haute Police Department had received 116 calls regarding incidents “inside or in the vicinity” of the Verve between January 2023 and April 2025. Richard Shagley, Wrin’s attorney, told the board that the Verve “was the victim of being the most visited place on the block,” citing its location near the corner of Wabash Avenue and 7th Street, a block with a number of eateries. Wrin noted that calls police have received have predominantly been for incidents that occurred outside the club. “The kids out on the street — that’s not my fault… Young guys who are in the bar and then go outside and get in a fight because of their testosterone — that’s not my fault. Wrin added, “I’ve been targeted for over a year… It’s pretty obvious they want me closed.”

The ATC previously ordered the Verve to execute a “corrective action plan” to reduce the number of violations in or near her establishment. As part of that plan, the Verve no longer announces last call, which was also moved earlier in the night, and anyone who causes trouble is ejected from the bar and not allowed to enter in the future. Wrin reported spending $25,000 annually for security, including police officers who serve as security guards on Fridays and Saturdays. Except for the hired security, she said, “Police haven’t been inside the building in a year.” “I’ve received no citations since I put those plans in place,” Wrin reported. “We have not had a fight inside the bar for well over a year.”

There was another candidate forum this week, this time for opposed county council races. In attendance were district 1 candidates Devan Allen (D), David Thompson (R - incumbent), and Johnny Norton (R); district 3 candidates Trevor Dreher (D), Kevin Southwood (D), and Vicki Weger (D-incumbent), and district 4 candidates Mark Minnick (D), Larry Thompson (D), Dustin Havens (R), and Chase Natkemper (R). I was pleased to see that the candidates must all be blue812news readers, because they came prepared with answers, or at least some information. All of them knew what data centers and carbon sequestration were, and none of them were fans. Even Dave Thompson and Vicki Weger, who both voted in favor of an abatement for the CO2 dump company, said they regret that vote.

The TribStar has a good round-up of some of the answers to other questions asked on homelessness, the community corrections facility, the oversight board, resource allocation and transparency.

The next forum — for candidates for the Indiana State Legislature — will take place on March 25 at 6 p.m. in the Vigo County Public Library, and you can watch the livestreamed video here. The next candidate forum, for Vigo County council candidates, will be Tuesday from 6 to 7:45 p.m., or watch live streamed on the library’s YouTube page.

Get your calendars out to follow along on this one: Alexandra Wilson’s lawyer, Samantha Dewester, filed a motion Monday asking for a new judge in the case, but didn’t give a reason for the request, which TH conservative attorney Jim Bopp criticized Tuesday as a delay tactic. Bopp filed his court case March 2, asking the judge for expedited action as county election offices due to the absentee ballot mailing deadline on Saturday. Clay County Circuit Court Judge David Thomas issued an order Wednesday directing the county clerks in Vigo, Clay and Sullivan counties to “immediately cease sending, mailing, or otherwise distributing absentee ballots” involving the Republican Senate District 38 race, but Judge Charles D. “Denny” Bridges lifted that stay on Friday, allowing ballots to be mailed over the weekend. On Thursday, Judge Charles D. Bridges of Putnam County was assigned as the special judge in the case, replacing Judge David O. Thomas, who recused himself.

Amanda’s Mild Takes, a creator who has quickly become a fave, did an interview with Blythe Potter, Indiana Secretary of State candidate, about what exactly that position entails, and why she would be great at it! This is a weird race, because the candidates aren’t decided in the primary, but at the party convention in June, by elected state delegates, so most readers won’t get to weigh in on Blythe vs. Beau.

FISA—the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act—is up for reauthorization, and Mike Johnson is rushing the vote to early next week. Currently, FISA has a loophole that lets the government buy your personal data from tech companies without a warrant. Kash Patel just confirmed Wednesday that the FBI is purchasing data that allows the agency to track people’s movement and location history, which “has led to some valuable intelligence for us.” Unnerving!

Under this rule, this administration needs no judge and no probable cause. That’s how Muslim Americans have been “legally” surveilled through a prayer app.

Now the Pentagon has cut a deal with OpenAI (owner of Chat GPT) for AI tools that can analyze all that data in real time. Experts warn this could let the government generate a list of everyone who disagrees with them.

The good news? A bipartisan coalition from Lauren Boebert to Elizabeth Warren is demanding FISA be amended to close the loophole. We have less than a week to pressure EVERYONE in Congress to close that loophole.

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

Indiana House Democrats offered 12 amendments to House Bill 1002 to keep our energy bills down, but House Republicans rejected all of them. Indiana House Republicans have failed to rein in our utility companies and give the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission the tools it needs to keep costs down.

This new utility profit calculator lets you see what percentage of your energy bill is going to pure company profit. For some of Indiana's utility companies, it's a LOT!

You can use this information as evidence during an upcoming utility rates town hall scheduled for April 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Terre Haute City Hall. Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Commissioner Andy Zay is on a listening tour of cities to hear people share their frustrations with rate increases.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Wednesday, March 25th at 3pm: Public Open House: Join TH Parks as they continue enhancing the city’s bicycle and pedestrian network. This open house is your chance to review recommendations for the new Bike & Pedestrian Plan and share your ideas for making our community more walkable and bikeable. 3-5pm at The Hub – 2nd Floor Conference Room 900 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute, IN 47807. More info here.

Wednesday, March 25th at 6pm: Vigo County Council Candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters. at the Vigo County Public Library, 6-7:45pm.

Thursday, March 26th at 5pm: Meet & Greet with Blythe Potter (Secretary or State candidate) at the Vigo County Public Library 5-7:30pm

Thursday, March 26th at 5:15pm: Vigo County Oversight Board meeting. 5:15-6:16 in the Vigo County Security Annex council chambers.

Saturday, March 28th at 12pm: Canvassing & Phone Banking for Mary Allen (US Rep candidate) 12-3pm at Vigo Dems Headquarters (2629 S 3rd Street).

Saturday, March 28th at 1pm: No Kings Rally at the Vigo County Courthouse 1-4pm. More info & register here. Interested in volunteering? Volunteer interest form here.

Saturday, March 28th at 6pm: Activist & author Robert Arnold with guests. An opportunity to hear from all four 8th district candidates at once, plus Secretary of State candidate Blythe Potter. at Red Skelton Performing Arts Center in Vincennes. The event is free to the public. More info here.

Sunday, March 29th at 4pm: ICE OUT with Indivisible Wabash Valley Clay County Detention Center 611 E. Jackson St, Brazil, IN Every Sunday 4–5PM

Thursday, April 2nd at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Thursday, April 2nd at 6pm: Nasty Women of Vigo County. 6 pm in meeting room C, VCPL Main Branch.

A jury sided with Afroman, the legendary rapper, against seven cops who sued him for defamation. The case stems from a police raid on Afroman’s house in 2022, which led the musician to create an album about the incident called “Lemon Pound Cake,” including the title track making fun of one of the sheriff’s deputies’ weight. This was a fascinating case, and you can hear more of the backstory in this podcast episode from Serious Inquiries Only.

Elon Musk’s X paid a fine worth $138 million to the European Union, after the platform was accused of deceiving users by adding blue check marks to paid users, rather than verified accounts.

A federal judge questioned top Trump administration lawyers on the legality of the White House ballroom construction, accusing the Department of Justice of “shifting” arguments. The White House has argued that the $400 million, 90,000-square-foot monstrosity doesn’t need congressional approval, and that lawmakers have set aside millions for alterations to the president’s residence. “I’m struggling to see this as an ‘alteration,’” the judge said.

A federal judge has struck down some of the Defense Department’s strict controls on how journalists with access to the Pentagon are allowed to report — ending a policy that caused many news outlets to leave the Pentagon. The ruling found the new Pentagon policy violated the First and Fifth Amendments and the due process provision of the Constitution.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico would defeat Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election, according to an internal campaign poll shared with Politico.

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration overreached when it deemed puberty blockers, hormone therapy and other medical care for transgender youth are unsafe. “The notion that ‘I will go forward and issue a declaration and see if we can get away with it’ is not a principle of governance that adheres to the overarching commitment to a democratic republic,” the judge said.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced a bill last week that aims to outlaw betting on war actions with prediction markets. The BETS OFF Act follows reports about anonymous gamblers making tons of money on the U.S. invasion of Venezuela and military actions during the Iran war.

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