Blue 812 News Issue 68 - May 10

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Last week SCOTUS killed Section 2 of the VRA, and Republican legislatures are lining up to exploit that. First, the day after the Callais ruling, Trump called Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. Lee called a special session the next morning. By Thursday, the legislature had passed a new congressional map splitting Memphis, the state’s only majority-Black district, into three pieces, effectively guaranteeing Republicans all nine House seats. State Sen. London Lamar, who is Black, put it plainly: “You cannot take a majority-Black city, fracture its voting power, and then tell us race has nothing to do with it. Racism does not become less racist because it’s called partisan.” Protesters flooded the Capitol gallery chanting “Hands off Memphis!” and unfurled a banner reading “NO JIM CROW 2.0.” Rep. Justin Pearson’s brother was arrested. A Republican senator said the quiet part out loud: “This bill represents Tennessee’s attempt to maximize our partisan advantage.”

Tornado sirens and flooding in Alabama’s state Capitol building couldn’t stop Republican lawmakers from forcing through two redistricting bills in their state legislature Wednesday - even though voters have already begun casting absentee ballots. House Bill 1 would allow for a new special election if federal courts lift an injunction and allow the state to redraw its congressional districts before 2030, while Senate Bill 1 would redraw two state Senate districts. Alabama is currently bound by a legal agreement to use its court-ordered congressional map until 2030, and it can only implement the redistricting legislation if federal courts lift the injunction. State officials have filed multiple requests with federal courts asking that the injunctions be lifted immediately so the state can use congressional and state senate maps that were previously struck down for violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Then on Friday, the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the congressional redistricting just approved by voters in April. Responding to a lawsuit brought by Republicans, the Virginia high court found that the Democratic-led legislature violated the multistep process for putting constitutional amendments on the ballot and that the “constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy.” To place an amendment on the ballot in Virginia, the legislature is required to vote on it twice in separate special sessions with an election in between. Lawyers for the Republicans argued that the first vote was in a special session that had been called for other topics long before. The court split four to three to say not enough time had passed between the first vote and the “intervening” election a few days later.

State redistricting battles are intensifying in Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Carolina. We can expect court filings and special legislative sessions as Republican states rush to redraw maps before the 2026 filing deadlines close. Democrats are already mapping out legal counter-strategies, but time (and historical commitment to pluralism) may get in the way. One positive: while Republicans have gerrymandered themselves about an 11 seat advantage when all is said and done, Trump is a historically unpopular president. Presidents with low approval ratings don’t just lose 12 seats; they often lose a multiple of that. Trump in 2018 lost more than 40 House seats. Barack Obama in 2010 lost more than 60. George W. Bush in 2006 lost about 30. All 435 House seats are up for re-election in November.

while we wait to vote, let’s contact our current congresspeople:

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

Hi, I’m [your name], a constituent calling from [zip].

First, I am furious about the racist gerrymanders being enacted by Republicans in Tennessee, Alabama, and elsewhere. We need legislation to make all redistricting non-partisan, and we need to pass the Freedom to Vote Act at the earliest opportunity. I am sick and tired of watching voters of color be disenfranchised.

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U.S. and Iranian military forces exchanged fire Thursday, in fighting that threatens to upend the ceasefire, according to people who understand the meaning of the word ‘ceasefire’. The U.S. said it “targeted Iranian military facilities” after intercepting three Iranian attacks on Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Navy destroyers had been traveling in the strait when the attacks occurred, according to U.S. Central Command. (Trump described the strikes as “just a love tap.” Gross.) Even so, Iranian officials have been discussing a plan to reopen the strait and cease fighting for 30 days, according to the New York Times.

The CIA thinks Iran can withstand Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for as long as four months before the country sees more severe economic hardship, according to an intelligence analysis detailed in the Washington Post. That news came as Iran reportedly created a new agency to tax ships that pass through the strait. A grift Trump can’t get in on? He’s gonna hate that…

The U.S. military attacked and disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers Friday as they headed toward an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. of conducting “a reckless military adventure.” So…. how’s that ceasefire doing? Earlier today, Trump accused Tehran of “playing games” and called Iran’s response to a US proposal “totally unacceptable,” as the two sides struggle to reach a long-term peace deal.

With Trump's endorsement and $13.5 million in ad spending from outside groups, including two prominent ones affiliated with US Sen. Jim Banks, challengers achieved wild margins of 50 points, 29 points, 23 points in Tuesday’s Republican primary. Five of the seven Trump candidates won their races last week. Currently, Sen. Spencer Deery, the West Lafayette Republican targeted by Trump and his allies, leads by just four votes over Paula Copenhaver, though both candidates have already claimed victory. The Fountain County Election Board meets Monday to debate the provisional ballots that could tip the race in either direction.

Trump can still punish wayward Republicans in red places, especially when his allies pour money into obscure primaries that definitely couldn’t be spent anywhere else. These state Senate contests were largely in uncompetitive legislative districts that normally do not attract national attention. Every Trump-targeted senator represented a district Trump carried in 2024, mostly by at least 20 points. Trump's allies spent at least $8.3 million on advertising in Indiana races that rarely draw Washington's eyes or money; dividing $8.3 million by 65,646 votes cast in six targeted Republican primaries (not counting Deery’s race) with readily available public vote totals produces about $126 per primary vote. They spent about $68 per vote in the 2024 Presidential election. Yikes. Doesn’t seem like a great ROI.

Secretary of State Diego Morales lost his state delegate race, a bad sign for his prospects, at least in Indianapolis, ahead of a contested convention. On Tuesday, Diego Morales placed 12th out of 18 in the state delegate race in his district, where only the top 6 won a spot to vote in the convention. If he can’t win a delegate race, can he get the Republican SoS nod?

Lee Lawmaster, a Monroe County resident, posted “86” to the Facebook pages of Indiana officials. Then came a knock at the door. It was Kurt Spivey, Director of Investigations for the Indiana Attorney General, who told Lawmaster to “tone down the rhetoric” or face indictment in a conversation caught on Lawmaster’s door camera.

Now Lawmaster and the ACLU of Indiana are suing Spivey for allegedly violating his First Amendment rights, seeking damages and an injunction to block Spivey from intimidating Hoosiers. “86” has long been shorthand for “get rid of,” but since former FBI Director James Comey used it in an Instagram post apparently referring to President Trump, critics have pointed to a less common secondary definition, “to kill.” It served as the basis for two indictments against the former official.

Two downtown Designated Outdoor Refreshments Areas, or DORAs, were approved at Thursday’s Terre Haute City Council meeting. DORAs allow restaurant patrons to take alcoholic beverages outside of restaurants. Restaurants in DORAs can choose to participate in the practice or not.

The first zone runs along Wabash Avenue between 4th and 9th 1/2 Streets. This area covers popular downtown spots like the Copper Bar, the Terminal and the Saratoga. The second zone runs along 9th Street from Poplar to Crawford Streets, and includes the Terre Haute Brewing Company and Afterburner Brewing, aka ‘the Brewery District’. People can buy and carry alcoholic drinks between businesses within each zone from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The DORAs will go into effect pending approval by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Now that the city has Council approval, it will submit its application to the ATC on Monday. Generally, ATC approval takes between 30 and 60 days, but can take as long as 180 days.

The Area Planning Department for Vigo County gave favorable ratings to a dozen different projects Wednesday evening at the Annex, but one in particular brought out more than a dozen people to speak for more than an hour about it, and generally against the plan. The Terre Vista Glen project has brought many homes to the east side just off Poplar Street in Phases 1 and 2, but Phase 3 was taken up by another developer, who announced plans to expand the original project from 49 houses to 60. Lot sizes would be smaller than those for homes constructed in Phases 1 and 2, which would be “inconsistent with the neighborhood’s quality,” one resident said.

It turned out that the 60 new homes figure was somewhat exaggerated — the developer’s plans actually call for building 54 homes during the project. Commission member John Hanley felt that the uproar over five additional houses was an overreaction on the neighbors’ behalf. All of the commission members voted in favor of the proposal except one.

Vigo County Circuit Court Clerk LeAnna Moore’s office is blaming human error for underreporting the vote totals on primary election night, according to the Terre Haute Tribune-Star. The TribStar published a story to its website on Friday, reporting the election night totals were off by nearly 2,000 votes. In a Friday afternoon interview with the Tribune-Star, Chief Deputy Clerk Elizabeth Stiverson said all the votes were counted on primary day. “Where the human error took place was in the results report,” Stiverson told the newspaper. “The report didn’t accurately show everything that we counted. The mistake was with the reporting, not with the counting itself; the counting was done correctly and we have a record of that.”

“For whatever the reason is, I’m disappointed,” City Council member Tammy Boland said in her statement. “I think that given the current state of politics, there is a distrust there anyway. I think we have to do everything we can to gain that trust back with the voters.” Mayor Sakbun told the Tribune-Star he would like more answers for why the ballots were not initially counted and some assurances this will not happen again. “I hope that systems and processes are evaluated and changed… I’m confident no malicious intent is involved in this situation. But we should all acknowledge that this situation requires some changes to regain the trust of our community.”

Tuesday’s primary elections had improved turnout from prior years! While we still have lots of room to grow, it’s certainly worth celebrating.

Looking at Vigo County results, Mary Allen won over 67% of the vote and will face current US Rep. Mark Messmer in the Fall. See below for an opportunity to get involved with her campaign!

At the Statehouse level, Greg Goode prevailed over both Wilsons, and longtime district 45 rep and Elvis impersonator Bruce Borders was uprooted from his seat in a bit of schadenfreude I am relishing, though Bob Heaton won his primary so he may still be haunting the library cracker barrels yet.

Mark Clinkenbeard will face off against Lynn Morales for a Commissioner seat, while David Thompson will face off against my former elementary-school teacher Kim Curley for Council Council district 1. I am shocked that Devan Allen did not prevail here for the Dems; he was a well-informed candidate, while I didn’t see any campaigning from the other side. Hope he runs again!

In another unfortunate loss, local journalist Vicki Weger was able to best Trevor Dreher along with other district 3 candidates. Trevor would have been a great voice to have on the council and I hope he runs again, too!

Dusty Havens and Mark Minnick will vie for the district 4 seat, and the Sheriff matchup for Fall is Derek Fell vs Steve “Top Guns” Ellis. Full election results, including the mysterious precinct committeperson and state delegate races, can be found here.

Did you know that in Indiana, tampons are taxed, but Twix bars are not? Popsicles and pudding are tax-free, but not pads.

It’s time to change that. This upcoming week is Period Poverty Awareness Week, and there is a campaign across the state to demand tax-free period products.

Sign this petition to show your support for making period products tax-free in Indiana! Your response will be shared with state lawmakers.

Let's Party! the Mary Allen campaign is planning something big and needs your help. To celebrate the wonderful volunteers and supporters who were part of the primary win AND kick off the second half of this campaign, the campaign is hosting four parties in four different cities before the end of May! The Terre Haute party is May 22nd.

To pull this off, the campaign needs people who love parties, party planning, party work, and partying. Are you good at any of these? If not, they also need people for the following tasks: button making, serving ice cream, working the temporary tattoo station, selling merch, connecting with volunteers, recording videos of partygoers… If you're interested at all, please join a Google Meet this Monday, May 11th at 7PM Central. Here's the link: https://meet.google.com/wms-ogad-zpg

Union Health will be hosting free health clinics throughout the year through its Family Medicine Residency program. Running for the past four years, these clinics provide services such as HIV screenings, eye exams, vaccinations, haircuts and care for both physical and mental health issues. Health officials stress the importance of early detection and treatment, encouraging people not to avoid medical care. Clinics will be held at various locations throughout Vigo County as part of ongoing efforts to improve community health.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Tuesday, May 12th at 3pm: Mingle with the Mayor at the Grand Traverse Pie Company. 3-4pm. 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, May 12th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street

Thursday, May 14th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Saturday, May 16th at 1pm: End ICE Detention: Statewide Day of Action at Clay County Courthouse (603 E National Ave Brazil, IN 47834) from 1-3pm. This statewide, coordinated campaign is being organized by our friends at the Indiana Organizing Project. Join at one of many locations in Indiana on May 16 in a coordinated protest of ICE Detention at the Miami Correctional Facility. Register & more info here.

A federal judge ruled that DOGE acted unconstitutionally when it cut more than $100 million in congressionally-approved funds to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown won a Pulitzer Prize for her groundbreaking and impactful investigation into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and Palestinian photographer Saher Alghorra won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in breaking news photography for his documentation of the toll of Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick has refused to back down after the FBI launched a leak investigation into her reporting about Kash Patel. In fact, she dropped another bombshell piece about him instead!

Lebanon, IN residents and organizers stopped a wastewater plant from encroaching on a beloved local park, and the Indianapolis City-County Council unanimously passed a resolution that calls for a pause on data center development there.

A panel of federal judges found Trump had violated the law when he imposed a 10 percent tariff on most U.S. imports, dealing yet another legal setback to the White House in its efforts to wage a trade war without the express permission of Congress.

The Trump administration has withdrawn its nominee to lead the National Park Service, Scott Socha. Socha had no government experience and a clear financial interest in developing national parks for personal gain at the expense of nature.

Scottish Parliamentary elections happened this week, and JK Rowling is now represented by a trans person. Perfection.

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