Blue 812 News Issue 75 - June 28

follow blue812news: facebook | instagram | bluesky | blue812.news

On Tuesday, eight anti-ICE protesters in Texas were sentenced to between 30 and 100 years in federal prison in connection with a July 4th demonstration outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado. Federal prosecutors labeled them a "North Texas antifa terror cell." Benjamin Song, a former Marine reservist, received 100 years after shooting and wounding a police officer during the protest. He said he fired because the officer had his weapon drawn and pointed at the back of a fleeing protester. Five others received 50 years each on riot, material support, and explosives charges. Maricela Rueda got 70 years. Daniel Sanchez-Estrada, who wasn't even at the protest, received 30 years for moving leftwing zines and other materials at his wife's request after she was arrested. The judge stacked every count consecutively instead of concurrently, a choice former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade called unusual, saying she would have expected 15 to 25 years. For comparison, Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy for the January 6 Capitol attack, received 22 years. Every January 6 defendant has since been pardoned or had their sentence commuted by Trump. Acting AG Todd Blanche called the Prairieland sentences "swift and uncompromising justice." All defendants plan to appeal, but yikes. For a deep dive into the case and sentencing with a real -life lawyer, I’m going to direct you to the latest episode of Opening Arguments podcast.

10 of the 12 largest high school gymnasiums in the US are in Indiana. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

We have arrived at the moment in June when this captured Supreme Court releases its final opinions of the term, and we find out just how many lives they’re going to ruin to serve the right wing and oligarch agendas.

On Tuesday, the Court ruled in Blanche v. Lau that immigration officers can deny green card holders readmission to the U.S. based on mere suspicion of a crime. Not a conviction, not a trial, just an accusation. The case involved a man who'd been a lawful permanent resident for years. He traveled briefly, and when he came back through JFK, border agents saw a pending charge on his record. They revoked his status on the spot. He hadn't been found guilty of anything. Justice Jackson's dissent pointed out that the government stripped his status first and justified it after the fact, meaning he was treated as guilty before guilt was ever proven.

In a 6 to 3 (aka, good vs. evil) ruling in Wolford v. Lopez, the Court said Hawaii cannot require concealed carry permit holders to get an owner’s permission before bringing guns onto private property that is open to the public, places like gas stations, restaurants and shops. Justice Alito wrote that the restriction "hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives." While Justice Jackson countered in dissent that the case was really about property rights. Similar rules in New York, California and Maryland had already been blocked, so this effectively settles the question nationwide.

On Thursday, the Court ruled in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that the government can cap how many people are allowed to apply for asylum at ports of entry per day, effectively letting border agents ration a legal right. Later that day, by another 6 to 3 vote, the justices ruled that the president has nearly unreviewable power to end Temporary Protected Status, the program that lets fully vetted migrants live and work here legally when their home countries are too dangerous to return to. The ruling directly affects thousands of Haitians in Indiana and impacts their larger community of an estimated 50,000 people, including a sizable population in Logansport. Also, it’s likely to hit the healthcare system hard because many Haitian immigrants work in hospitals and as home health aides. Even Republican Mike Lawler warned of a “crisis in our hospitals.”

In a 7 to 2 decision in Monsanto v. Durnell, the justices held that federal pesticide law blocks people from suing over the lack of a cancer warning on Roundup’s label, because the EPA has not required one. The ruling could shut down failure-to-warn claims in thousands of pending lawsuits brought by people who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. MAHA is pissed.

In another decision along the usual ”good vs evil” lines, SCOTUS issued a ruling allowing the Trump administration to turn away immigrants seeking asylum at the southern border. They determined that if an immigrant’s foot hadn’t reached the US, they hadn’t arrived. So dumb, and I’m glad the liberal justices agree. In the words of Justice Sonia Sotomayor: “The majority ignores the statutory context and history, not to mention the longstanding position of the Executive Branch, all of which show that any noncitizen arriving at our doorstep and seeking admission must be inspected and allowed to apply for asylum, regardless of whether her foot has crossed the threshold.”

The most consequential case on immigration, deciding the fate of birthright citizenship, is still to come. Federal judges have blocked Trump’s executive order that would end the law that allows people born in the U.S. to automatically receive citizenship. A decision could come as soon as Monday.

The Trump administration has renewed an emergency order to keep two aging Indiana coal plants operational through mid-September. Administration officials argue the orders, renewed for the third time last Thursday, are necessary to minimize energy costs and prevent blackouts at peak summer demand — despite two of the units being taken offline for maintenance and objections from an energy executive who called the plant “inefficient” and “unreliable.”

The U.S. Department of Energy first issued the orders in December — days before CenterPoint Energy and the Northern Indiana Public Service Company, or NIPSCO, were set to retire the coal-powered F.B. Culley and R.M. Schahfer generating stations in Indiana. In a February letter urging the administration not to renew the order, CenterPoint Indiana Region President Michael Roeder described the coal-fired Culley plant as an “inefficient and increasingly unreliable asset,” accounting for less than 1% (103 megawatts of electricity) of the region’s installed electric capacity. The following month, NIPSCO and CenterPoint executives told the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission that the fuel, chemicals, staffing and upgrades needed to keep the units operational are costly. An analysis from the Sierra Club, which filed a lawsuit challenging the emergency orders, estimates it could cost consumers a net of $174,000 a day to keep NIPSCO’s Schahfer plant online, while CenterPoint’s Culley plant could cost consumers $21,000 a day.

More than 160 bills got past the finish line during the legislative session, with dozens of them taking effect in July.

Were you worried the Vigo County School Board didn’t have enough options for the future? Because they have another one now, focused west of the river. The proposal, presented by Gibraltar Design, would call for the following grade reconfigurations:

Officials say the junior/senior high concept would mean cost savings for shared programming, in maximizing existing square footage, and it could result in an additional $30 million in savings over the next 15 to 20 years as school facilities are modernized. The board took no action on the proposal Monday.

Currently, the school facilities plan endorsed by the school board calls for a renovated high school, grades 9-12; conversion of Sugar Creek Consolidated Elementary into a middle school with grades 5-8; and Fayette Elementary would serve elementary students west of the river, grades pre-K through 4. In developing the overall facilities plan, the school board has had to factor in declining enrollment, fewer anticipated property tax dollars and state funding that is not keeping up with inflation.

Mark Elliott, oversight board president, said the oversight board hopes to vote July 14 on a recommendation that will address potential county funding for high school facilities. Once the oversight board votes, it will present its recommendation to county commissioners. Ultimately, it would be up to the Vigo County Council to approve any funding for a VCSC high school facility.

As you may know, the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a proposed rule earlier this month that would erect barriers to mail voting. The League of Women Voters is encouraging people to submit comments opposing the USPS’s proposal regarding the transmission of mail-in or absentee ballots for federal elections.

The USPS’s proposed amendments would create unnecessary barriers to voting, preventing eligible voters from receiving and returning their ballots and could even disenfranchising eligible voters who are unable to vote in person. Under the amendments, USPS would need to verify that mailed ballots are only being sent to approved voters on a list supplied by states.

A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked federal agencies from implementing Trump’s attack on mail voting and his attempt to create a national voter registration list - for now.

Everyone agrees that election mail should be secure. But these new federal requirements will create barriers that could prevent eligible voters from receiving and returning their mail-in and absentee ballots in time to be counted.

Voting is a fundamental right for citizens that must be guaranteed. Voting by mail is part of that right and is a critical part of the election process throughout the United States.

The USPS comment period is open until July 2, 2026, at 5PM ET. Use this form to file your comment today!

The Vigo County Democratic Party has revealed a new website: vigodems.com. Check it out - you can find out about upcoming events, and learn about the current candidates.

Pros:

Cons:

Hopefully this can be kept up, expanded and improved, because it is the best VigoDems resource we have right now.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Tuesday, June 30th at 5:30pm: An Evening with Mary at Ladybird Cafe. Join Mary for a special evening at Ladybird Cafe with appetizers and a cash bar. Suggested donation of $50. Get your tickets here.

Wednesday, July 1st at 6pm: Mile with the Mayor at Coy Park. A 1-mile walk with the mayor.

Tuesday, July 7th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street

Tuesday, July 7th at 6pm: Indiana Public Media Community Listening Sessions at Vigo County Public Library. IPM is hosting a series of Community Listening Sessions to to know what matters most in the community. What challenges deserve more attention? What opportunities are being overlooked? What stories should more people know about? Each session will include a short, five-question survey, but ultimately, the goal is open-ended conversation. There is also a short survey for anyone who would like to share their thoughts online: ipm.org/yourvoice

Wednesday, July 8th at 5:30pm: Summer Showcase feat. 4th district candidate Mark Minnick at the Vigo County Fairgrounds. Join in at the Democrat pavilion next to the grandstands RSVP & more info here.

Thursday, July 9th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

The journalist Katie Phang sued Acting Attorney General Blanche, and Thursday U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered him to produce documents from the Epstein files that the Department of Justice has withheld, noting that Blanche had “conceded” he was in violation of the law.

Elon Musk is no longer a trillionaire — for now. He lost the title after shares in his biggest companies, SpaceX and Tesla, tumbled this week.

A federal judge permanently barred the Trump administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote.​

The CEO of Snapchat, along with his wife, just announced a partnership to relieve $550 million in medical debt for an estimated 261,000 Californians and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a second round of medical debt forgiveness, eliminating more than $74 million in debt for nearly 72,000 Michiganders.

The US military is again requiring recruits to get flu shots after a huge Air Force outbreak.

A judge blocked Trump’s rule limiting federal student loans for certain grad school borrowers. This is great news!

After huge pressure from the dairy industry, the Trump administration opened a new legal pathway for migrant farm workers.

A federal judge in California blocked the federal government from making arrests at immigration courts nationwide.

Cleopatra was born chronologically closer to space flight than the construction of the pyramids. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.