Blue 812 News Issue 84 - September 6

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72% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the USPS. It’s the second-most popular government agency behind only the National Park Service, because people love getting mail - especially mail-in ballots! On Tuesday, a whistleblower report was published by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), alleging that Trump officials within the Postal Service are engaging in a “risky and haphazard” implementation of Trump’s executive order that could keep us from our favorite civic deliveries.

The whistleblower report says that the USPS system, known as the Federal Ballot Mail Portal, would serve as a database for voter information that could be used to reject ballots that appear invalid, and the sloppy, “slapdash,” overhaul could mean that “[p]otentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all.” This is because of a “zero-percent failure” policy for delivering mail-in ballots to voters, according to the anonymous federal official cited in the report. Under this newly-adopted policy, state officials send the Postal Service ballots to distribute to voters. In recent months, the Postal Service built a new system to screen the ballots — and reject any that cannot be “verified,” the report reads. According to the whistle-blower report, “As presently designed, if even one bar code on one single ballot in a bulk-mailing of 10,000 ballots fails to properly scan during the verification process, the entire batch is rejected and sent back to the state — effectively stopping the ballots from being mailed to voters.”

The report also describes general confusion as USPS staff attempted to develop these systems without enough direction, in a very short time frame, and without proper communication, and said multiple employees called the situation a “shit show.” Which is also how future historians will refer to this period in textbooks. The order has already been blocked by the courts as it could lead to a “catastrophic failure” in the mail ballot system ahead of this year’s midterms… which are 58 days away. In a statement, the Postal Service confirmed that it has continued working on the portal while the legal battle goes on, but said it is in compliance with the courts. Sure, Jan.

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For a guy obsessed with winning the Nobel Peace Prize, President Trump seems notably uninterested in finding a way to end his war in Iran. Instead of winding down the months-long conflict, and thereby potentially lowering gas prices for Americans, the president is reportedly spending his time shopping for marble for his ballroom, installing gold drapes in the East Room of the White House, and constructing a 250-foot triumphal arch to transform the Washington D.C. skyline.

Reading the writing on the midterm wall, Trump’s lackeys are doing their damnedest to enact his priorities as quickly as possible: namely, tacky and useless construction projects. Last week, Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, announced, “After a very long wait (over 125 years!), we are preparing to start, over the next two-week period, the excavation work necessary for the Great Triumphal Arch.” Surprise, surprise, they actually do not have the approvals required to start the work. Judging by the model arch at the Great American State Fair, it’ll be… something to behold, I’m sure.

The New York Times really crystallized the argument, saying, “Mr. Burgum’s announcement suggests that the administration now feels empowered not just to disregard a lawsuit challenging the arch, but also legal requirements that it had previously committed to follow.” In other words, the administration is now openly flouting the law to build a monument to Trump’s ego that will cost American taxpayers somewhere between 15 and 100 million dollars. That’s on top of $400m for the ballroom, $250m for Kennedy Center renovations, $16m so far for the Reflecting Pool, $5m to gild statues, and much more. The New York Times has found that Trump’s DC renovations will cost at least $1.2 billion this year, most of it coming from taxpayers.

For the first time since the Trump administration began an aggressive effort to track down, detain and deport more immigrants, Hoosiers are seeing ICE officers mobilize in Indianapolis and surrounding areas at a scale and pace unlike before. It's unclear if the activity is part of a broad sweep or more targeted operations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not answered IndyStar questions about the immigration sweep, saying only that “ICE agents uphold our nation’s immigration laws in all 50 states, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”

Videos and photos shared on social media reflect a statewide sweep in cities throughout the state. Witnesses and IndyStar reporters have seen ICE officers stop motorists on roadways, detain individuals at shopping centers, and converge on apartment communities. Meanwhile, family members of those taken say they’ve gone to great lengths to track down their loved ones. It's unclear how many people have been detained across Indiana or where people are being taken. However, People over Papers, a crowdsource website where people share the locations, images and videos of ICE activity in their communities, has over logged more than 135 suspected sightings. Not all are confirmed.

Stuart Mora, executive director of the Indiana Organizing Project, said he first heard reports of increased ICE activity on Monday. Since that time, his organization and its network of partners confirmed reports of ICE encounters in Indianapolis, Bloomington and Seymour ― revealing that the sweep was more statewide in context. Indy Rapid Response, an online tip line for ICE sightings and activity, has documented a sharp increase in both confirmed and unconfirmed ICE encounters each day since.

The most recent MADVoters newsletter included a list of resources to explore that can help with preparation and response:

A court action that would have compelled the Vigo County Council to hear a recommendation on the county’s financial participation in a school building reorganization has been rendered moot, as the council spent about three hours on the matter Tuesday night. After the item was unilaterally removed from the meeting agenda by Council President Steve Ellis, Eddie Felling — a parent, lawyer and former city attorney for Terre Haute — filed a complaint seeking to compel the council to restore the matter to the agenda. Disagreements between county governmental bodies were worked out to the point Tuesday evening that Vigo County commissioners presented their pitch, and council members asked questions for a significant portion of the meeting. Tuesday was the discussion-only sunshine meeting. At this point, no vote is scheduled on the school funding issue.

Blue812News reader and local activist K. Yousif is back with another exploration into our local civic landscape, this this time, development & deregulation. It’s a well-researched and convincing investigation into where building more and regulating less is really the solution to the area’s problems. While zoning laws may be stifling needed housing in cities across the country - is that what is happening here? Check it out and subscribe here.

Following the recount process in Indiana State Senate District 23 − one of the districts Trump targeted on his redistricting revenge tour − has come with a ton of whiplash. At first, the victor was Sen. Spencer Deery with a three-vote win; now it’s his Trump-backed challenger Paula Copenhaver, who edged out Deery after the Indiana Recount Commission rejected ballots with administrative errors. However, it could be Deery again, should the Indiana Supreme Court rule in favor of his appeal. The court will hear oral arguments later this month, but first, it ruled Sept. 3 to halt ballot distribution in the six counties comprising the state Senate district until it makes its determination. Conservative SuperPAC Club for Growth, which spent millions ousting state senators opposed to redistricting in the primary election, filed a brief in opposition to Deery's appeal of the election outcome.

On August 22nd, Progressive Indiana Network served as official podcast partners at the Indiana Democratic Party’s 145th annual IDEA Conference at the historic French Lick Resort Hotel. HoosLeft host Scott Aaron Rogers anchored the coverage with Hold 'em Accountable’s Derrick Holder serving as his sidekick. The two interviewed eighteen candidates, party officials, and activists over nearly three hours live on the veranda. Two of those interviews were for candidates we will see on Vigo County ballots, so check them out!

From Rogan’s List: In 2024, more than 790,000 kids got early learning, meals, development screenings and health care thanks to Head Start – and more than a million parents rely on the program to look after their kids so they can go to work. It offers relief for areas with few child care options and saves working families almost $12,000 a year. Naturally, eliminating it was a plank of Project 2025, and the Trump regime is trying to quietly strangle the program.

Right now, they’re pushing an “overhaul,” putting more than 1400 regulatory provisions of this incredibly successful program on the chopping block. Their new proposed rule would eliminate staff-child ratio and child size requirements, remove limits on suspensions and expulsions, weaken the standards for health and mental health services, lower the qualification standards for teachers, weaken background checks, remove guidelines around supporting children with disabilities, and replace support for bilingual learning with an English instruction requirement for most programs.

The Department of Health and Human Services is accepting public comments on the proposal until October 6th. Let’s register our objections here – we can use this webform from the Coalition for Human Needs here. We can also urge our members of Congress to take action to protect Head Start using this call tool from Moms Rising here and an email tool from the National Campaign for Justice here.

Advancing progressive values and stopping the billionaires will take more than just victories at the top of the ticket this November. We need to be working up and down the ballot.

So, how do we learn more about the local and state candidates on our ballots? Where do we start? Down-ballot races are often the hardest to research because these candidates rarely have the budget for ads or expensive mailers, which makes it tough for voters to figure out whether our values actually align. This Tuesday from 7:30PM-8:30PM ET we can begin by taking Red, Wine and Blue’s Troublemaker Training: How to Be an Elections Sleuth. We’ll learn how to dig beyond campaign websites and uncover the real story using public records, campaign finance reports, voting history, and social media. They’ll show us how to “spill the tea” on candidates and share practical tips for finding credible, reliable information. We can sign up here.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Monday, September 7th at 11 am: Terre Haute Labor Day parade. Come walk with one of our amazing candidates or the Eugene V. Debs Museum! Lineup starts at 10am, parade begins at 11.

Monday, September 7th at 1pm: Mary Allen sign pickup. Need a Mary Allen sign? Stop by Democrat HQ to pick one up (other candidate signs also available).

Tuesday, September 8th 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, September 8th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street. Become a paid subscriber for meeting notes! They are very comprehensive and snarky!

Wednesday, September 9th at 4pm: Yard Sign Pick-Up & Distribution Day from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM at Vigo County Democratic Headquarters 817 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute

Wednesday, September 9th at 4:30pm: Your ballot this November will include Public Question One. In this month's online Changemaker Check-In, find out more about it and how it connects to reproductive justice in Indiana. Join Women4Change and our partners at Indiana Voices & Votes and Indiana Task Force for a timely conversation about the proposed expansion of pretrial detention and its potential impact. More info & register here.

Thursday, September 10th at 11am: Join the Women’s Foundation for a Women’s Listening Circle at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College from 11am-1pm. Share your experiences, elevate local ideas and resources, and help shape a statewide agenda focused on what Indiana women and girls need to thrive. This facilitated conversation is open to adults who identify as women or feel comfortable in women-centered spaces. Register here.

Thursday, September 10th at 5:30pm: City Council budget public meeting at City Hall.

Thursday, September 10th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Saturday, September 12th at 10am: Canvassing & phone-banking for Mary Allen. Meet at VigoDems Headquarters (817 Wabash) for canvassing/phone-banking. Continues weekly. More info & register here for canvassing. More info & register here for phonebanking.

Sunday, September 13th at 1:30pm: Backyard Bytes: Let’s Talk Hoosier Data Centers at Beechwood Park in Rockville, IN. Know your data center facts, work together to protect local resources, utility bills and communities. Rain or Shine, bring a chair. FREE More info & register here.

Tuesday, September 15th at 6pm: The League of Women Voters is hosting a candidate forum series at the Vigo County Public Library from 6-7:45pm. First up: State Legislature candidates.

SAVE THE DATE:
Secretary of State Debate October 7, 2026, 7pm ET

Live on WFYI Public Television, streamed on WFYI’s YouTube channel, and streamed at www.indianadebatecommission.com. Hoosiers may submit questions at www.indianadebatecommission.com/submit-a-question/ through September 25, 2026.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the state’s Republican gerrymandered congressional map from being used in the November election.

A federal judge has blocked Trump’s new order limiting birthright citizenship

The Indianapolis City-County Council approved a data center moratorium through December 2027. The City of Indianapolis joins Indiana municipalities of Charlestown, Ingalls, Jeffersonville, Merrillville, New Albany, and Valparaiso in enacting a data center moratorium. Warrick County and Washington County also each passed a moratorium on data centers.

A data rescue group called AidData republished a large collection of USAID evaluation reports, restoring decades of evidence about the efficacy of foreign aid programs previously lost in the shutdown of USAID.

The economy has spoken: stuff that’s AI-generated has almost zero value.

Germany has more castles than the United States has McDonald’s. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.