Blue 812 News Issue 92 - November 1

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Pope Leo has voted, have you??

After months of proclaiming support for the Democratic ticket, Rep. Haley Stevens has endorsed GOP Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers over her former primary rival Abdul El-Sayed, less than 48 hours before Election Day. October surprises are supposed to happen in October! Right after the primary, Stevens endorsed El-Sayed and pledged to campaign for the whole ticket because she thought Donald Trump was an existential threat to the country. For the past year, Stevens fashioned herself as one of Mike Rogers’ fiercest critics as she vied to compete against him for Michigan’s open seat. “Mike Rogers will be another rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda,” she wrote in an August post on X. “MAGA Mike is wrong for Michigan,” she wrote in a separate post from April. Rogers has “no clue what working Michiganders go through,” she wrote in another post in August.

Then today, Stevens made a surprise appearance with Rogers at a church in Detroit, and followed the visit by releasing this statement: "As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he's right," Stevens said in a video she posted to social media."And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate today." Booooooo! Stevens’ comments reference a different church event in Detroit today that she was originally scheduled to attend alongside El-Sayed and Rep. James Clyburn (D- SC). The planned joint appearance was meant to be a unifying event for the party ahead of the election. However, on Friday, Stevens set a condition for her participation in the event — that El-Sayed reject a recent ad by Cenk Uygur, of Young Turks, that blamed Israel for high grocery prices in the United States and apologize for rhetoric she considered to be inflammatory and offensive. El-Sayed’s campaign had said he had nothing to do with the ad and criticized its contents on Saturday.

Stevens’ announcement has sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Democratic National Committee head Ken Martin calling it a “betrayal.” Nancy Pelosi had a similar feeling, writing on X, “Haley Stevens has chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future with her horrific endorsement of Mike Rogers. @AbdulElSayed must win — because Michigan and our country deserve better.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)encouraged people to support El-Sayed. “Vote [El-Sayed] in Michigan!” Jeffries said (on X), without mentioning Stevens. Jeffries rarely weighs in on Senate races, but his post underscored the extent of the backlash to Stevens’ decision to back Rogers. Even the Michigan Democratic Party chair weighed in, saying, “Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.” Ouch. In an example of voting with your feet, well over half of the congressional staff to Rep. Stevens have quit in the last few hours in direct protest of the a surprise announcement. One person, speaking on condition of anonymity because of concerns over future job security, described it as a “mass resignation.” The exact number of congressional aides to Stevens who resigned was not clear.

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No matter how hard The New York Times tries to frame Mary Peltola campaign’s recruitment of retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan to the ballot as sinister, they cannot get me to be mad about it. I think it’s a very funny bit, and I think it’s nice to see Democrats engaging in a bit of good old-fashioned political chicanery for a change. On Wednesday, the Times published an exclusive saying that Dan Sullivan, currently at the center of the federal lawsuit attempting to block certification of the Alaska Senate election should Democrat Mary Peltola win, was recruited by the Peltola campaign. This is not illegal, and actually would make me like Mary Peltola more if true! She should do an ad with every single Dan Sullivan in the state of Alaska! To be clear, Peltola has denied knowledge of this, telling a crowd in Juneau on Thursday, “I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters.”

“It’s hard to believe that she can even be allowed to run,” Trump told reporters Thursday, referring to Peltola. “It’s so unfair,” added the president (who has been frantically laying the groundwork to rig the midterms). Trump also called for Peltola to be criminally prosecuted. Alaska’s Supreme Court previously ruled that Teacher Dan could appear on the ballot. Meanwhile, Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) cast doubt on whether the state would certify the election if Peltola wins, and now the Justice Department is actually citing the Times reporting in their ill-fated lawsuit (while also taking jabs at the publication), writing in their suit, “Although what the New York Times reports is not always true, its reporting here aligns with what the United States has been alleging.”

Well, now a federal judge has thrown out this highly unusual attempt by the Trump administration. US District Judge Sharon Gleason found the federal government does not have the ability to bring this lawsuit, which cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act and asked the judge to stop state officials from certifying election results to allow for an investigation into whether voters were confused by having two similarly named Senate candidates appear on Alaska’s ranked-choice ballot. Judge Gleason concluded that such a court order would likely violate Alaskan voters’ right to a secret ballot, saying, “The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling.”

Immigration detainees held at Indiana’s Miami Correctional Facility are suing state and federal agencies for what they say are inhumane and unconstitutional conditions. The 72-page court filing details medical neglect, cells flooded with human waste, and abusive punishments detainees claim to have experienced at the maximum security prison used by the Trump administration for its immigration enforcement policies.

The lawsuit comes after continued reports from detainees, lawyers and advocates about the conditions at the prison. This summer Gov. Mike Braun called for an audit to review the private healthcare provider the state contracts to work in the facilities after reports from the IndyStar on delays in medical care for detainees. Indiana began housing ICE detainees at Miami Correctional last October through a two-year contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Miami Correctional is a maximum security facility for men. Since detainees began to arrive, there have been two reported deaths. The plaintiffs are asking for the court to declare the facility’s medical and mental health care and conditions inadequate and in violation of the the Fifth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment due process clause because the detainees are civil detainees, not under criminal convictions, and are facing punitive punishments like lockdowns and solitary confinement.

What even is this elected body? On Monday, we saw the councty council surprisingly pass the 2027 budget during a joint budget workshop with the commissioners, giving every county employee a $4000 raise. This was immediately met with legal action, with former city attorney Eddie Felling filing a request for a public hearing witht he auditor. There were also questions about the advertised budget, which was less than the budget that was passed. As of Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) says it has not made a final decision on Vigo County’s 2027 budget and is reviewing whether the Vigo County Council followed the law when it voted to approve the budget Oct. 26. A lot of good questions are answered in this WTHI interview with DLGF, though.

Then later Wednesday, as the Tribune Star put it (they are being really snarky about the county council right now and I am here for it!), “The wandering target of a valid Vigo County Council vote on the 2027 budget has moved again.” “There will be [a meeting] on Monday now,” council President Steve Ellis wrote in a text. According to Vigo County Auditor Larry Hutchings, the correct form and updated budget did not get to the DLGF in time for the county to approve a budget Thursday evening. In an email, Auditor Larry said, “…when the lawyer for the council and the council president wait until the 11th hour to get the auditors office the information on whether we go tomorrow, next week or just revert back to the 2026 budget, of course it was not updated.” Additionally, Hutchings wrote, “Anything that the council approves or has approved after the budget was read on 9/1/26 will need to be an additional appropriation that will be the responsibility of the next 2027 Vigo County Council in February 2027. This irresponsibility and lack of transparency is why people do not trust those in government.” Yikes.

On Friday, things changed again. Trib-Star nails it again with: “For a moment, it appeared the Vigo County Council schedule for 2027 budget adoption, the council’s next Sunshine meeting and its next voting session were clear. The appearance was false.” In a surprising announcement Friday evening, Auditor Larry told the Tribune-Star the following:

In an email apparently originally sent to council members and subsequently shared by the auditor, Hutchings wrote, “We had some issues uploading the Additional Appropriations… because our computers were not working properly. Those items were to be discussed on Wed. 11/4/26 at the Sunshine Meeting. I missed it by 1 day. In addition to that, Resolution 2026-2 (The Recommendation From The Oversight Committee) was mistakenly sent out without Council President Steve Ellis’ permission… It’s been a tough month for all of us. I am recommending that we do a reset.”

The Nov. 4 meeting (now Nov. 16th) had a substantial agenda. Among the items was a resolution that would prohibit the Vigo County Council from providing any financial assistance to data centers will be on the November council agenda. “It’s to stop tax abatements from being granted for data centers,” Council President Steve Ellis said earlier Friday. The resolution before the council reads in part, “Data center developments may require substantial investments in electrical infrastructure, water and sewer systems, road improvements, emergency services and other public facilities.” It adds, “Discretionary public subsidies for privately operated data centers are not a fiscal priority of Vigo County.” Ellis, in that same Facebook video, mentioned two other ordinances that may be on the November agendas — one stating that the council will not work with negotiators or consultants who are also representing parties that the county is in negotiations with, and the other banning county funding of Automated License Plate Readers like the Flock cameras, which are currently used in the county and the city.

Resolution 2026-2, the Vigo County Oversight Board’s recommendation that Vigo County contribute $15 million up front and $6 million per year over the life of a bond issue, will be taken up in the November meetings as well. While the Board of Commissioners and the Oversight Board sought passage starting in August, four of the seven council members said or voted to act on the county’s 2027 budget first. Trib-Star goes in one more time, saying, “Through choices or missteps, that four-member majority has pushed the budget vote to Monday, Nov. 2, the last possible moment before the county must submit its 2027 budget to the state.” Tell me how you really feel! The deadline for a county to submit its 2027 budget to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance is Monday, Nov. 2, since the ordinary deadline, Oct. 31, fell on the weekend.

Though improbable in my opinion, the Trib-Star holds out hope by saying “it’s not impossible Vigo County still will financially participate in the VCSC facilities reorganization in some fashion. Some members of the four-member majority bloc have said they can envision Vigo County taking part — although perhaps not to the $135 million degree and perhaps not in the plan as now drawn.” Sure, Jan!

Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini predicts that most states will see some sort of shift left compared to the 2024 election - except Indiana and Vermont, which he predicts will shift right. His analysis is based off of whether Democrats are outpacing their 2024 early voting numbers or not.

Ruffini’s firm, Echelon Insights, could not be reached for more information, though Indiana’s outlier status certainly runs counter to what other polls and political analysts have found. Notably, Ruffini also considers Indiana one of the hardest states to reach strong Republicans in his firm’s polls.

If you’re the kind of person who soothes your anxiety by becoming an expert in election certification procedure, Talking Points Memo put together a very helpful guide on how Republicans could challenge election certifications in every Senate swing state.

visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events

Tuesday, November 3rd at 6am: Election day! Polls open at 6am and close at 6pm.

Thursday, November 5th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Thursday, November 5th at 6pm: Nasty Women of Vigo County meeting in Room A of the Vigo County Public Library from 6-7:30pm.

Monday, November 9th 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

Tuesday, November 10th 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, November 12th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.

Political analysts shifted their rating of the Indiana secretary of state's race from "toss-up" to "leans Democratic."

A grand jury in Houston indicted an ICE agent who hit a guy with his car! We love to see it (the indictment, not the car-hitting).

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to stop California from counting 20,000 ballots in the midterms, saying that the effort could disenfranchise thousands of people and infringe upon states’ rights to conduct their own elections.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the 80-year-old incumbent Workers’ Party candidate beat Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro (who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to do a coup). I do think one thing we can learn from Brazil is that it’s a good idea to have a second “you sure about that???” election a few weeks after an initial test vote.

A judge ruled Monday morning that the Trump administration broke the law when it fired Maureen Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, from her job as a federal prosecutor last year. The judge said that DOJ’s argument about the powers that Article II of the Constitution gives the president “flies in the face of nearly two centuries of Supreme Court precedent.” I love it when judges get down and dirty.

A Minnesota prosecutor charged conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and influencer Cam Higby with felony counts of unlawful voting and identity theft after they showed up at polling places in August using the names of registered voters. We see which side is doing the voter-frauding.

Sen. Chris Murphy is expected to fully recover from his stroke.

Vivek Ramaswamy finally pulled his gross ad. Probably because he is plummeting in the polls.

Barbados has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

A US judge dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal with prejudice, according to a court filing, bringing an end to his legal challenge over the newspaper’s reporting on his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. I was really hoping to see the discovery on this one!

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