Blue 812 News Issue 89 - October 11

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

have you reviewed your sample ballot?

There aren’t many countries that routinely stage public executions these days. In fact, there are only two: Afghanistan and Iran. Saudi Arabia and North Korea have done so more sporadically (and Saudi Arabia seems to have stopped in 2019). Now, however, the Trump administration appears determined to add America’s name to that tiny list of countries that still engage in a practice widely shunned as barbaric and inhumane, as they announced plans Thursday to livestream the firing-squad execution of the wheelchair-bound terrorist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death after fatally shooting 13 people and injuring 32 others at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009. An American-born Muslim, Hasan was working as a U.S. Army psychiatrist in Fort Hood when he decided that America was at war with the Islamic world, and that he would switch sides.

Hegseth’s pledge to livestream his execution has enraged even some people in Trumpworld — because of what it says about the United States, and the message it sends to America’s enemies. A public execution by firing squad would be a “propaganda win” for ISIS and al-Qaida, said Joe Kent, who served as Trump’s former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. “Videos and images from the execution will be used to drive recruitment for those organizations.” Terrorist groups “will likely use the optics of the U.S. killing a Muslim man in a wheelchair and clips of American leaders glorifying that we are livestreaming it,” Kent said. “It will tie into [the] narrative that the American people are legit military targets because the American people chose their leaders, who in turn inflict death and destruction on Muslims.”

Airing the firing squad death for the world to see would be tantamount to torture, according to the United Nations. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) described the idea as a “barbaric spectacle.” Journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out that only the most repressive countries carry out public executions. Jamelle Bouie wrote on Bluesky, “a livestreamed execution is just a lynching.”

Of course, this news comes as the botched execution of Christa Pike by lethal injection in Tennessee has reignited a debate over the death penalty in the United States. Brenner Fissell, a professor at Villanova Law and vice president of the National Institute of Military Justice, told the Associated Press, “Firing squads can be a quicker, cleaner, more precise way to execute a prisoner… I don’t think that’s what’s motivating this. There’s a perceived masculinity and military-ness to firing squads that is part of the aura Hegseth is trying to emphasize — the ‘lethality culture.’” I suppose it’s reassuring that I still have the capacity to be shocked by this administration.

It takes roughly 540 peanuts to make a jar of peanut butter. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Few people in Trump’s orbit have received a swankier assignment than Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former Fox News host who was once engaged to Trump’s son. She went on to score the U.S. ambassadorship to sunny Greece despite her lack of diplomatic experience. Turns out, days before her confirmation hearing for that sweet gig, Guilfoyle sent a series of texts to a wealthy Trump donor asking him to pay off her $100,000 credit card bill, according to the Wall Street Journal. “It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” Guilfoyle texted the donor. “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today.” The donor never sent the money because he said it would ruin his marriage. Hahaha, does she think if something is done electronically, there won’t be a paper trail?

A lawyer for Guilfoyle disputed the authenticity of the texts to the Journal, without providing specifics. He said that she was owed money for traveling to events to speak. A U.S. embassy official defended Guilfoyle in a statement to the outlet, saying that her career has been “guided by deep and abiding values.” Trump’s gang now has to spend precious time and energy — which could’ve gone toward midterm messaging — putting out fires started by their own side.

An alleged rape of a female student at a Cornell University fraternity house has grabbed national headlines, not only for the lurid details of the case but also for the university’s muted response and a New York law that in many cases voluntary intoxication cannot be used to establish lack of consent. Well, guess what! Indiana has a similar law on the books, as do 17 other states.

Although New York and Indiana have voluntary intoxication laws, Jody Madeira, a professor at the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University, said there’s a difference between the law on the books and the way it’s applied. “That statute doesn’t really define what mentally disabled or deficient means,” Madeira said. “If the statute doesn’t say what mentally disabled or deficient means, then cases will.” One example of that is the 2024 case Montgomery v. Indiana, where a defendant attempted to use the state’s voluntary intoxication law to avoid sentencing for rape. In this case, the court ruled against him since although the victim willingly consumed alcohol, she was so intoxicated that it qualified as mental disability.

The Terre Haute City Council has unanimously approved the proposed $142 million city budget for 2027. City officials said the $142 million budget is a 4.6% increase from the 2026 budget, the majority of which came from surplus funds in the city's 2024 and 2025 EDIT and Gaming Revenue budgets.

According to a news release, the budget will focus on three improvement categories — infrastructure, quality of life and public safety.

A public hearing regarding a proposed ordinance about adding battery energy storage systems as a special exception was scheduled for today, Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the Vigo County Area Plan Commission, but it has been postponed. A battery energy storage system, often called a BESS, can be a strategic precursor or a fast-track bridge to a data center before electrical infrastructure exists. “We have a draft ordinance for stand-alone battery electric storage systems pending,” said Jared Bayler, Executive Director of the Vigo County Area Plan Commission. “Our office is not and has not been in contact with any developers wishing to locate a data center in Vigo County. There is not any current consideration for data centers before the [Board of Zoning Appeals] or APC [Area Plan Commission].”

One element that is leading to wariness surrounding data centers is companies constructing them having local officials sign NDAs to prevent information from getting out regarding their operations. Asked if he knew of anyone who had signed an NDA, Bayler responded, “If I or anyone else had signed an NDA, could they even tell you that they had signed one?” Some inside the Area Plan Commission expect a data center company to apply to come to Vigo County, perhaps soon and perhaps to set up shop in the Industrial Park, but Bayler said, “Without a letter of determination from the BZA, I can’t say where a data center could be developed. As it is not currently permitted by right in any district, it would either require a PUD (planned unit development zoning) or the BZA would have to determine where it would be permitted.”

The second secretary of state debate is in the books. This may have been the last time all four candidates could debate together: FOX59/CBS3 is hosting a third debate Oct. 22, but Lauri Shillings didn’t make the cutoff (usually, Nexstar sets a some kind of threshold for candidates to participate in their debates, such as polling or fundraising).

In August’s debate, the four secretary of state candidates seemed to agree on almost everything. This time, Engling took the opportunity to distinguish himself with some conservative cues and shorthand — ramping up the rhetoric on “election integrity,” emphasizing his family and Christian faith and bringing the debate up a notch by initiating the first major squabble. He also framed himself as the “only candidate” to do something about Morales’ conduct (by running against him at convention - lol what?) and to commit to verify that only U.S. citizens are voting. Bayh brought Indiana AG Todd Rokita into it, saying Engling and his “buddy” should investigate the 21 cases of non-citizen voting that a federal review of Indiana elections found last year.

Bayh brought up the $60,000 illegal campaign contribution to the Engling campaign from Hoosier Leadership for America, the dark money group aligned with US Sen. Jim Banks. The Engling campaign returned the donation, (corporations, whether nonprofit or for-profit, are limited to giving statewide candidates $5,000 a year.), though Bayh accused Engling of doing so only “because you got caught,” and referenced a South Bend Tribune article in which Engling was quoted as saying he wanted to “see if there’s another way we could receive that money in another way.” Engling took a rebuttal to say that the donation was in a gray area, and the funds were returned after being flagged during a compliance review.

Candidates shared a number of concrete policy ideas during the debate, like curbside voting for people with mobility issues (Shillings), and registering 17-year-olds in high school (Ballard). They also named legislative policy changes they would support: Bayh repeatedly called for ending straight-ticket voting and enabling citizen-led ballot initiatives. Ballard wants both the Indiana Election Commission and the recount commission to be made nonpartisan. In order to ensure non-citizens aren’t voting, Engling suggested the state change the color on the background of state IDs.

No need to belabor the point: winning an election in 2026 requires reaching people on social media, where they get a still-growing amount of their information. As much as we need volunteers to knock doors, make calls and make the case to folks who already know and trust them, we also need to ensure sure our messages and candidates are showing up on TikTok For You pages and Instagram feeds… and not just for people who are highly engaged in politics, either.

This fall, Swing Left is trying to apply new and improved strategies to this work, and they’re running social banks every Thursday at 7pm starting this week to organize activists to put them to use. They’ll be talking through their new playbook and effective algorithm strategy, and coming together to boost pro-democracy content on Instagram and TikTok. If you want your time on the Internet to have a concrete impact, sign up here.

IN Tech for Progress, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis, has updated its website – voteINtime.org – to help you find the shortest wait time to cast your ballot so you can still do whatever else you need to do that day. This user-powered page shows each voting center with the estimated time Hoosiers will have to wait in line to get their ballot. IN Tech does not collect, share or sell any data on individual voters who use the site. In the past, the nonprofit provided aggregated data to some legislators who had questions about vote centers.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Tuesday, October 13th 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.

Thursday, October 15th at 10am: Vigo County Council School Funding Committee meeting in the Vigo County Commissioners boardroom. *Paid subscribers receive my comprehensive recaps!

Thursday, October 15th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in City Hall. *Paid subscribers receive my comprehensive recaps!

Thursday, October 15th at 6:30pm: Mary Allen Town Hall Terre Haute - Wabash Valley Hoosiers, Mary wants to hear from you! She is hosting town halls across the 8th District to listen to you. Join her to discuss the issues that matter to you most, share your perspective, and make sure your voice is heard. 6:30 - 7:30pm at the Vigo County Public Library.

Thursday, October 15th at 7:30pm: Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Understanding Public Question #1 Join Indiana Voices and Votes, Count Us Indiana, and Common Cause Indiana as they discuss Public Question 1 (which changes the Indiana Constitution’s language regarding who is eligible for bail), its likely impact if passed, and what all Hoosiers should consider before voting on this measure.

Saturday, October 17th at 12:30pm: No Kings: Vote Early - No Kings is back, and this time it's a nationwide early voting party. Join neighbors, friends, and kids to rally together, get voting info, and make a plan to cast your ballot. 12:30pm - Walk from Gilbert Park (14th & Wabash) to Courthouse; 1-2:30pm - Gathering at the Vigo County Courthouse

Tuesday, October 20st at 6pm: Indivisible CommUnity meeting. Every big change starts with a local conversation. Whether you want to share a new concept, listen in, or find ways to get involved locally, there is a place at the table for you! Vigo County Public Library (Rooms AB&C) 6-7:30PM

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from pursuing border wall construction in the Big Bend region in Texas.

Ohio, which raises money for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library by selling license plates bearing her image, sold twice as many license plates in the month after Parton’s death as the previous eight months combined. The money raised will cover a year’s worth of books for over a thousand children. brb, registering my car in Ohio.

An appeals court ruled that Trump’s name can’t be carved into the Institute of Peace building.

The States Project has expanded their map to include four final states where they believe their expertise and targeted investment could unlock and shore up governing power this November: Indiana, Missouri, Maine, and Texas!

The USS Abraham Lincoln docked in San Diego Thursday, wrapping up a harrowing 322 days at sea. There were more than 50 babies waiting for their fathers to step off the ship.

Eighty-six percent of Americans disapprove of the Trump administration using taxpayer dollars to fund its new campaign-style ads ahead of the midterms, according to a new poll. That includes four out of five Republicans. While Trump said he would start paying for the campaign ads, he did not commit to reimbursing the government for the nearly $12 million worth of ads that have already aired.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay, a human rights lawyer, mocked Donald Trump while accepting the award Friday: “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” she joked to an applauding audience.

Donald Trump’s plans to build a massive arch is facing a new lawsuit from Arlington County, Virginia, which opposes the construction. The rushed construction process “appears to be a pretext designed to shore up justifications for building the Arch in accordance with the President’s repeated marching orders,” the lawsuit reads.

Countries with more cats are happier. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.