Blue 812 News Issue 76 - July 5

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In a story that stretched my thesaurus’ entry for ‘disgusting,’ according to a 927-page document released on Tuesday by the Office of Government Ethics, Trump made more than $2.2 billion last year, benefiting from a vast global network of businesses and investments (mostly crypto). A White House spokesperson said recently that Trump “acts in the best interests of the American public” and that “there are no conflicts of interest.” Yet Jimmy Carter’s peanut farm lies fallow.

But that’s not even the thievery I’m mad about today: Trump ate my birthday cake. OUR birthday cake. America’s 250th birthday is a big deal. That’s why Congress started planning for by creating a nonpartisan commission, named America250, an entire decade ago. But you wouldn’t know that based on the series of public embarrassments — and terrible vibes — surrounding the Trumpian celebrations.

How did it come to this? The Trump administration effectively hijacked America250 and replaced it with their own secretive commission, according to a new report from House Democrats released last week. The report describes the commission, known as Freedom 250, as “a shadow organization capable of infiltrating the celebrations.” America250 and Freedom 250 are weirdly similar names… which was the point. “It was confusion by design,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee said, alleging that the name allowed Trump’s team to deceive donors about how their money would be used. The report — titled “From Vanity To Insanity: How The White House Cheated The American People Out Of Their 250th Birthday” — is based on interviews with anonymous whistleblowers and media reports.

The report even alleges that donors may have been tricked into sending money to Freedom 250, even though they meant to support the congressionally chartered foundation. According to the report, some of America250’s intended donors were given Freedom 250’s banking information instead, meaning a “gift solicited in the name of the nation’s nonpartisan birthday commission could thus be redirected without the donor’s knowledge, by an entity created to serve the President’s priorities.”

The White House, in a statement to the Washington Post, said donors were not misled by its fundraising activities, and criticized Democrats over the report’s timing. “This so-called ‘report’ is nothing more than a partisan smear from politicians who would rather manufacture division than celebrate America’s 250th birthday alongside the rest of the country,” Freedom 250 spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez told the Post. Alvarez also criticized America250, saying the group had “nothing to show” for 10 years of planning. American national pride is the lowest it has been in 25 years, according to a new Gallup poll, which I’m sure is in no way related.

Maine and Rhode Island are the only two contiguous US states without rattlesnakes. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

On Tuesday, in likely the most-anticipated decision of the season, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s executive order seeking to deny citizenship to babies born on U.S. soil to undocumented or temporarily present parents. Chief Justice Roberts could have ended this months ago by saying out loud what he wrote in the majority opinion: “If Congress intended to limit American citizenship to the children of those domiciled in the United States, nothing in the succinct language of the Citizenship Clause conveyed that design.” The case, Trump v. Barbara, challenged an order Trump signed on his first day back in office. Every lower court that reviewed it blocked it. Now the Supreme Court has too. The result was 6-3, but the math is worth reading closely: Kavanaugh agreed the order was illegal, but only because it violated a federal statute, not the Constitution, showing Congress the path they could take to pass a law restricting birthright citizenship tomorrow. Alito dissented, calling the ruling “a serious mistake.” So yes, a massive win, but with a concurrence that reads less like a celebration and more like a save point.

But that wasn’t the only loose end SCOTUS tied up before adjourning for the summer. In another 6-3 decision (you can guess who was where), our nation’s highest court upheld state bans on trans girls in girls’ and women’s sports in the whopping twenty-seven states with such restrictions. Even though two separate lower court decisions blocked these bans, on the grounds that they violated Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in education, and the 14th Amendment. A federal law written to protect women and girls in education was just used to exclude one. This is a huge setback for the 120,000+ trans American teens, who have faced relentless bullying by this administration, and it could offer ammo to conservatives who want to pull funding from any school that doesn’t discriminate against trans kids.

In a win for mail-in voting, the court said that states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day, as long as they’re postmarked by Election Day, a rejection of Trump’s attacks on voting by mail. It was a 5-4 ruling with Justice Amy Coney Barrett writing the court’s majority opinion. Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the three liberal justices.

And one last highly significant decision: you know how spending on political campaigns has gotten out of control, increasing 28-fold from 2008 to 2024. Well, the court just exacerbated the problem by striking down federal limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with a federal candidate, allowing more money to flow into campaigns. As Elizabeth Warren wrote: “This decision supercharges the problem of money in politics. It’s the Republican plan: instead of winning over voters, Trump’s Supreme Court is letting the ultra-rich flood our elections to drown out the voices of everyday people.” In theory, the ruling equally benefits both parties in the midterms. In reality, it hurts Democrats, because the Democratic National Committee is broke: The organization has only $14 million cash on hand, while the RNC has $117 million.

the other decisions:

Trump v. Slaughter (6-3). The Court ruled the president can fire FTC commissioners at will, overruling what was left of 90-year-old Humphrey’s Executor (another blow for stare decisis on this court) and stripping for-cause protection from independent agencies across the government. This decision directly paves the way for Unitary Executive Theory - an idea Trump has been pushing that he alone control the entire executive branch. The heads of bodies like the FTC and NLRB now serve at the president’s pleasure, and the fight shifts to how fast the administration moves to clear them out.

Trump v. Cook (5-4). However, in what might seem a contradiction, the Supremes refused to let Trump remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, seemingly treating the Fed as a constitutional exception to the rule it had just announced in Slaughter. The mind-boggling split screen tells you something important about this conservative-packed Supreme Court: It’s willing to play guardian of the old order in a few selective places — when the fortunes of the rich and powerful are at stake. When it comes to America’s most vulnerable, however, the message is clear: You’re on your own.

Trump v. Carroll (cert denied). The justices closed the book on one of the term’s most-relisted orders, declining — with no noted dissent — to hear Trump’s appeal of the $5 million jury verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s sexual-abuse and defamation suit. The denial leaves the verdict, already upheld by the Second Circuit, fully intact, meaning he is now an adjudicated sexual assaulter for life who owes Carroll $5 million. Still coming: a separate appeal of the $83 million defamation verdict Carroll won against Trump in a second case, which the justices are expected to receive soon.

The court refused to revive Alan Dershowitz’s $300 million defamation lawsuit against CNN. Warms the heart to see Alan Dershowitz lose.

In Chatrie v. U.S., the court ruled in favor of the defendant that geofence warrants violated the Fourth Amendment, and held that a search had occurred when police acquired cell-phone data from a geofence warrant, but sent the case back to the appeals court to decide if the search was reasonable.

Oh, and a teaser for next season, so we all stay tuned (as if we could change the channel): The court granted six new cases to hear next term, including a major one on voting, another on parental rights related to gender-affirming care and a challenge to assault-weapons bans when they return in the fall. Can’t wait.

AND just one more tidbit of bizarre news: NPR published, then retracted, a story about Justice Sam Alito retiring. My guess is that he’s on his way out very soon (this is the time when they like to retire), which means everybody needs to get ready to fly their weird flags at half-mast.

A report this week showed that Governor Mike Braun is using over $2 million in money for agencies like the Family and Social Services Administration, Department of Natural Resources, and several others to pay for a myriad of staff positions, including his spokesperson. In fact, more than half of the 30-plus state employees reporting to Gov. Mike Braun’s office are paid by other state agencies, according to an Indiana Capital Chronicle review of State Personnel Department records and the Indiana Transparency Portal. That seems like… not the way budgets work?

Critics and those with critical thinking skills fear the arrangement creates confusion and conflicts. Braun’s administration, however, says it is simply continuing an established practice. “The Governor’s Office does work that spans across all agencies,” spokesman Griffin Reid (whose salary comes from the Family and Social Services Administration) said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle. “Rather than assess agencies a fee or charge back for this, like SPD or [the Indiana Office of Technology] do, the historical practice has been for certain staff within the Governor’s Office to be paid directly by the agencies themselves… This is a practice that has gone back decades (and) is well known within the Statehouse.” That’s actually because previous administrations had operations directors based in the governor’s office that worked with other agencies — and who were paid by one of them. Braun’s administration eliminated those positions in its reorganization of state government, but has continued the practice of requiring those agencies to pay his minions assigning head count to those other agencies, according to the governor’s office.

For example, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles pays Ava Hassel, an executive assistant to Chief of Staff Josh Kelley, and spokeswoman Megan Smaltz, who earns the third-highest salary in the BMV, and about $20,000 more annually than the actual BMV spokesman Greg Dunn. Adam Krupp previously directed the Department of Child Services, was hospitalized in January for an undisclosed medical event, spending more than three months out on medical leave before returning in April as a special adviser to the governor. He has continued to earn a $210,000 salary — paid by DCS — in the new role, which the governor’s office previously confirmed was created specifically for him. His pay is the highest in DCS, matching new DCS Director Jennifer Dorfmeyer.

“It’s all very confusing to me,” said outspoken skeptic Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis. “I think the governor needs to get a nice, clear line of communication from top to bottom. He has way too many … layers of authority, and now he’s confused their wallets.”

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun’s temporary suspension of the state’s gas tax has eased the burden of Hoosier motorists, but comes at the cost of local units of government who will be receiving less funding for road maintenance and paving services. Mayor Brandon Sakbun and Vigo County Commissioner Chris Switzer are in agreement in hoping the governor keeps his promise to maintain funding for local road infrastructure, but they are considering back-up plans. “I understand and appreciate the governor’s goal of providing relief to Hoosiers facing higher fuel costs,” Switzer said. “Every family is feeling the impact of inflation, and any effort to reduce those costs is meaningful.”

“The governor has publicly stated he intends to keep road funding fully funded,” Sakbun said, adding that local governments have not received official confirmation on the 2027 funding formula from the state. “I appreciate Governor Braun’s willingness to do that and publicly affirm a commitment to our local streets,” he added. “I understand the gas price increases are coming from geopolitical events outside of state government’s control. Maybe the money given to Iran from our federal government should have been used to fix infrastructure in the United States of America.”

In May, the governor suspended the state’s 36-cent per gallon excise gas tax. The tax holiday remains in effect until July 7, after which the governor could choose to extend it for another 30 days. After that, legislative action would be needed. According to the mayor, Motor Vehicle Highway revenues — what the city receives from the gas tax and associated fees — account for approximately two-thirds of the Terre Haute Street Department’s operating budget and 40% ($1.3 million) of the city’s paving budget.

The House Transportation Committee is pushing the BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year transportation bill that would lock in more highway spending and weaker support for public transit through 2031.

The bill cuts total transit funding to levels below those approved under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act while directing even more federal money toward highways. It also forces communities seeking major transit investments to contribute a larger local match than communities building new highways. That imbalance would mean more highway expansion, traffic, and pollution.

House Democrats have an immediate responsibility to stop this bill from reaching the floor. Congress must refuse to help enact a five-year transportation policy that sends more money toward highways while shortchanging transit.

Send a letter telling Congress to oppose the BUILD America 250 Act and invest in public transit, safer streets, and transportation people can afford.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

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: Democrat Headquarters new location open house. Join on 7/8 at 5:30pm at the new location at 817 Wabash Avenue to celebrate the opening of the new headquarters, Meet & Greet candidates, and help get the vote out in the fall by signing up to canvass for candidates.

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

Tuesday, July 14th 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, July 14th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street

Wednesday, July 15th 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.

U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush, is the 11th federal judge to dismiss a Trump lawsuit to obtain a state voter registration database, this time in New Hampshire. If you’re not keeping track, that’s 11 losses, zero wins.

The Michigan House unanimously passed a bill to let children run lemonade stands without permits or fees. Cute!

The World Bank and African Development Bank's $15 billion Mission 300 initiative has connected 50 million people across 40 African countries to electricity for the first time since launching in 2024. The program aims to cut the number of Africans without reliable power in half by 2030 through coordinated national energy plans and infrastructure investment.

A Tennessee conservation nonprofit has acquired a 600-acre tract bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, protecting one of the largest remaining privately owned parcels next to the park from future development. The land includes forests, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and historic ties to early settler John Oliver and Cades Cove. The Foothills Land Conservancy plans to transfer the property to the National Park Service after federal approval.

Southeast Asia has reduced malaria transmission by 67% since 2010, bringing countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos close to eliminating the disease.

Pineapples are fire resistant. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.