https://progressiveindiana.net
In a timely appearance ahead of Indiana’s primary season, Indiana’s 7th District Congressman Andre Carson joined Rev. Tony Alexander and Pastor David W. Greene on the Concerned Clergy Radio Show for a substantive hour covering the partial government shutdown, TSA worker pay, ICE reform, the state of the Democratic resistance under Trump’s second term, data centers and rising utility bills, IPS school governance, and gun violence prevention. After Carson’s departure, the hosts took calls — including one asking whether there is any legal recourse against on-air defamation of Black leaders — and pivoted to a call to civic action, urging listeners to attend upcoming No Kings rallies and Souls to the Polls events across Indiana on Saturday, with voter registration closing April 6.
WHAT’S INSIDE
0:01:06 — OPENING PRAYER
Rev. Alexander leads prayer.
0:01:50 — INTRODUCTION OF CONGRESSMAN CARSON
Rev. Alexander introduces Carson as representative of Indiana’s 7th Congressional District.
0:02:06 — CARSON WELCOME / PLEASANTRIES
Brief exchange. Rev. Alexander notes Carson is in the middle of a primary campaign and that Pastor Greene is on assignment and may join later.
0:03:03 — WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON?
Rev. Alexander asks Carson to break down the current moment in D.C. — particularly the intelligence/national security landscape — from his perspective.
0:03:35 — CARSON OPENS: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN / TSA / ICE / PROJECT 2025
Carson’s extended opening statement:
- Democrats are holding firm in a partial government shutdown over ICE funding
- Proposes separating ICE from DHS so TSA can function and airports remain open
- Filed an amendment to ban ICE agents from wearing masks/face coverings in public
- Connects Project 2025 to TSA privatization proposals, DEI elimination, healthcare cuts
0:06:28 — TSA PAY, ICE BONUSES — REV. ALEXANDER PRESSES
Rev. Alexander notes TSA workers aren’t getting paid while ICE agents are receiving $50,000 recruitment bonuses. Asks Carson to clarify the political blame dynamics.
0:07:44 — CARSON: TSA MORALE, ATTRITION, AND FIFA CONCERNS
- 400+ TSA agents have quit since the partial shutdown began
- Record wait times at airports
- Expresses concern that staffing levels won’t recover in time for the FIFA World Cup
0:09:13 — IS A DEAL POSSIBLE?
Rev. Alexander asks whether there’s any hope of a resolution or if it’s a stalemate.
0:09:32 — CARSON ON SHUTDOWN NEGOTIATIONS
- Says Schumer has put forward a “good faith proposal”
- Democrats pushing for ICE reform as a condition; Republicans offering only to exclude ICE deportation funding, which Carson calls insufficient
- Notes Senator Thune says a deal is not close
- Says Trump could end the TSA delays immediately by accepting a deal — and has chosen not to
0:11:55 — “ARE DEMOCRATS READY TO FIGHT?”
Rev. Alexander voices frustration shared by many in the community: Democrats appear to be getting “punched in the face” without fighting back. Asks Carson directly if the party is ready to fight differently.
0:13:23 — CARSON: THE FIGHT IS HAPPENING — BUT THE TOOLS HAVE CHANGED
Key segment. Carson argues:
- Democrats can’t use the same playbook in a new environment
- Traditional media, terrestrial radio, church appearances alone aren’t enough
- Black voters are doing “a la carte” voting — they won’t automatically follow the party
- Social media and influencers now make or break elections
- The Black faith community, Black elected officials, creatives, and influencers must work collectively
- A progressive from San Francisco operates differently than one from Indianapolis — same goals, different methods
0:16:45 — CALLERS / TRANSITION
Rev. Alexander acknowledges callers and brings in Pastor Greene.
0:17:06 — PASTOR GREENE JOINS: OBAMA COALITION / JAMES BALDWIN / WHITE VOTER DEMOGRAPHICS
Pastor Greene calls in and raises a demographic argument:
- Black voters are 14% of the population vs. 34 million Latino registered voters
- Obama built a winning coalition across Asian, Latino, Jewish, and Arab-American voters — that coalition has fractured
- Invokes James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and MLK: the Democratic Party is still predominantly moderate-white, and laying the blame for losses on Black turnout misses the structural picture
- The real question is why 65-70 million moderate white voters haven’t held the line
0:19:15 — CALLER JOYCE: PERSONAL GRIEVANCES / SENIOR CITIZEN ISSUES
Joyce, a retired government worker and senior citizen, describes what she characterizes as a pattern of harassment — frozen bank account, mail not being delivered, a gun pulled on her, being locked up in June, and her passport being flagged since 2017.
0:20:52 — REV. ALEXANDER: “HOW DO WE GET RID OF PROJECT 2025?” (Chat question)
Aggregates listener questions and hands back to Carson.
0:21:10 — CARSON: DATA CENTERS AND UTILITY BILLS
Carson pivots to a local issue he’s watching closely:
- Data centers are largely under state jurisdiction but he’s exploring federal options
- There’s a tier system — some data centers claim to be self-contained; others want to pass infrastructure costs onto consumers and municipalities
- “They should pay their fair share of the bill, not neighborhoods”
- Cites a personal dispute with AES over his own utility bill
- References Google scrapping its Franklin Township data center after community pushback
- Notes Bernie Sanders has proposed a federal moratorium on data centers — says he’s open to it
0:23:53 — CARSON: IPS / ILEA SCHOOL GOVERNANCE
Carson addresses ongoing discussion about restructuring Indianapolis Public Schools governance:
- Any changes must center students, teachers, families, and community voices
- Elected school boards are “a cornerstone of our democracy” — wary of shifting to appointed bodies
- Education decisions in Indianapolis must reflect and protect Black and brown families and working-class communities
- Supports both charter and traditional public schools — but with equity, accountability, and transparency
- Notes his own IPS background (St. Rita) and the students he grew up with who were misplaced in classes despite demonstrable intelligence
0:27:31 — CARSON: VIOLENCE, GUNS, JOBS
- References a “nexus to the Mexico-Chicago drug pipeline” (declines to go deeper)
- Introduced the Gun Safety Incentive Act to encourage safe firearm storage
- Hosts annual youth and adult job fairs with Ivy Tech — calls them personal passion projects outside congressional duties
- Notes violence historically spikes in summer; urges collective responsibility
0:29:06 — CARSON RESPONDS TO PASTOR GREENE: MALCOLM X ON LIBERALS
Carson directly engages Pastor Greene’s Baldwin/Malcolm X point:
- While a proud progressive, Malcolm X warned about certain liberals who “smile and say the right things” while pursuing agendas as destructive as overt racists
- Calls out the assumption that Black leadership should always “play second fiddle”
- Describes directly asking corporations (Eli Lilly, AES) about Black executives, contracting with Black-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses
- “What use of it is to have a position if you aren’t going to leverage it on behalf of your people?”
0:31:00 — REV. ALEXANDER: DEI LANGUAGE BEING SCRUBBED
Notes that the words “equity,” “diversity,” and “inclusion” are being AI-filtered out of contracts. Urges changing the language to preserve the substance of the initiatives.
0:31:39 — CARSON WRAPS / CAMPAIGN INFO
AndreCarson.com | 317-226-9400
Campaign is canvassing, phone banking, and compensating volunteers. Carson urges anyone who wants to get involved in politics to join a campaign that shares their values.
0:35:58 — SEND-OFF
Rev. Alexander thanks Carson. Viewer Gloria thanks Carson via chat.
0:36:44 — BREAK
0:37:29 — BACK FROM BREAK: REV. ALEXANDER AND PASTOR GREENE CONTINUE
0:37:59 — CALLER “MAYHEM”: DEFAMATION OF CARSON AND HIS GRANDMOTHER’S LEGACY
Caller asks whether there is any legal remedy for on-air personalities — specifically one described as fired from Urban One — who are defaming Carson and his grandmother Julia Carson’s legacy on the radio without factual basis.
0:39:32 — HOSTS DISCUSS: IS THERE A LEGAL ANSWER?
Rev. Alexander and Pastor Greene agree there probably isn’t a satisfying legal remedy. Pastor Greene ties the climate of disinformation to top-down normalization from Trump, saying people feel “empowered to say and almost do anything without facts.”
0:41:13 — DOUBLE STANDARD: CHARLIE KIRK, JESSE JACKSON, ROBERT MUELLER
Rev. Alexander raises the asymmetry: criticizing Charlie Kirk (even ideologically) was treated as off-limits, while figures like Jesse Jackson and Robert Mueller — who served the country — are freely maligned. Pastor Greene adds that Trump saying “I’m glad he’s dead” about Mueller is “out of bounds” and sets a permission structure that trickles down.
0:42:29 — CALL TO ACTION: SOULS TO THE POLLS / NO KINGS RALLIES
Rev. Alexander previews upcoming weekend events:
- Souls to the Polls — Saturday
- No Kings rallies — Saturday, at locations across Indiana
- Voter registration deadline: April 6
0:43:16 — PASTOR GREENE: WHY THESE EVENTS MATTER
Argues this is not a time for silence. No Kings rallies signal to the Republican Party that the opposition is watching and mobilizing. Low turnout at protests will be read as permission to keep going.
0:45:44 — REV. ALEXANDER: 60+ INDIANA CITIES HOSTING NO KINGS EVENTS
Per the Indianapolis Star, over 60 Indiana cities will have No Kings rally locations Saturday. Names Carmel, Lebanon, and Norah (east side) as central Indiana options. Says you don’t have to go downtown to participate.
0:47:00 — PASTOR GREENE: IRAN / WAR / MISPLACED PRIORITIES
Brief pivot: raises concern about the U.S. sending ground troops toward Iran. “We don’t have money for healthcare and other things, but we got money to go do this.” Notes sardonically that Trump’s sons won’t be among those heading to the front.
0:48:05 — REV. ALEXANDER: WEST PALM BEACH DEMOCRAT WIN / REGISTER TO VOTE
References a recent Democratic win in Palm Beach, Florida — right in Trump’s backyard — as proof that change is possible. Reiterates voter registration deadline of April 6.
0:49:18 — PIKE TOWNSHIP DEMOCRAT CLUB FORUM — TOMORROW
Primary election candidate forum
March 26, 6:00 PM
Lincoln Middle School
5353 West 71st Street, Indianapolis
0:49:50 — CLOSING REMARKS
Rev. Alexander closes out. Thanks Carson, Pastor Greene, and all listeners.
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