SUMMARY:
HOOSLEFT THIS WEEK — June 7, 2026
Show Notes
On this week’s edition of HoosLeft This Week, Scott Aaron Rogers is joined by Samantha Douglas (The Black Briefing) and Brandon Clark (Social Society) for a sprawling two-hour tour through a week that felt like a month. The panel opens on the Iran war — a ceasefire in name only, with U.S. and Iranian forces continuing to exchange fire across the region while Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the conflict “over” and the House passed a war powers resolution — before drilling into the Indiana economic fallout, including Governor Mike Braun’s 30-day gas tax holiday costing the state $140 million a month it claims not to have for childcare. From there the show covers Braun’s Pride-baiting “Nuclear Family Month” proclamation and the Christian nationalist circus at the Pentagon under Pete Hegseth, including his Great Replacement-themed D-Day speech in France; the nomination of wholly unqualified Bill Pulte as DNI; and the Indiana Democratic state convention’s selection of Beau Bayh as Secretary of State nominee — a result the panel dissects at length, with both Douglas and Rogers signaling they may vote for Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard in protest. The back half of the show takes on Tuesday’s multi-state primaries and the hit-job rollout against Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner; the Epstein file saga, Pam Bondi’s non-sworn congressional testimony, and Trump’s appointment of Leon Black’s son to run the government’s largest overseas investment firm; the death of the anti-weaponization slush fund and the Stephen Buyer pardon; the privatized horror show of ICE detention at Delaney Hall; Indiana’s childcare crisis and a deep dive on trickle-down economic failure; public health threats from coal subsidies to Ebola to screwworms to Google’s mosquito-sterilization gambit; the data center fight in Shelbyville and Indianapolis; the firing of Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes by Bari Weiss; and the Chicago Bears’ advancing plans to relocate to Hammond, Indiana — a stadium deal Scott, a Bears fan, calls an unconscionable giveaway of public funds.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00:34 — Intro: Welcome, Housekeeping & Guest Introductions
00:03:41 — The Iran “Ceasefire”: Fire, Bombings, and the War Powers Resolution
00:12:18 — Nuclear Family Month, Andy Ogles, and Christian Nationalist Bigotry
00:18:19 — Hegseth’s Pentagon: D-Day Speech, DEI Purge, and Press Ban
00:26:22 — Bill Pulte and the Weaponization of National Intelligence
00:32:38 — Indiana Electoral Politics: The Secretary of State Race and the Bayh Convention
00:48:51 — Tuesday’s Primaries: New Jersey, Iowa, New Mexico, Montana, and California
00:55:46 — Maine Senate Preview: The Platner Controversy
01:02:03 — Epstein Update: Bondi Testimony, Blanche, and the Ben Black Appointment
01:08:28 — A Miasma of Corruption: Buyer Pardon, Weaponization Fund, and Diego Morales
01:15:10 — Immigration Enforcement, ICE Detention, and the GEO Group
01:21:21 — Indiana Childcare Crisis and the Economics of Trickle-Down Failure
01:28:36 — Public Health: Coal, Ebola, Screwworms, and Google’s Mosquito Gambit
01:37:56 — Data Centers, Shelbyville, and Organized Labor’s Shortsighted Bet
01:44:13 — CBS, Bari Weiss, Scott Pelley, and the Myth of the Liberal Media
01:50:08 — Bears to Hammond? Public Stadium Subsidies and the Indiana Sweetheart Deal
01:55:05 — Outro: Plugs, Upcoming Shows, and Sign-Off
IN DEPTH:
Iran War
‘A shock to all Lebanese’: Israel sends a message as it takes ancient fort (Guardian)
Israel seized Beaufort Castle on Sunday — a thousand-year-old hilltop fortress in south Lebanon — for the first time in 26 years, raising the Israeli flag and the Golani Brigade flag over a site that symbolizes Lebanese resistance and the memory of Israel’s 18-year occupation.
Israeli soldiers used white phosphorus as a smoke screen for the advance, then shared footage of themselves walking the castle’s ramparts set to a Fairuz song — a deliberate psychological message to the Lebanese people.
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday that Israel would resume striking Beirut, sending residents who had just returned home six weeks ago fleeing again — highways choked with cars, WhatsApp chats full of “here we go again.”
The city of Tyre was hammered with airstrikes Sunday, leaving smoking craters where residential buildings stood; civil defense was ordered to evacuate before the bombing began.
“You’re fucking crazy”: Trump fumes at Netanyahu in call on Lebanon (Axios)
Trump exploded at Netanyahu in an expletive-laden phone call Monday, telling him “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
The blowup was driven by Netanyahu’s Lebanon escalation threatening to torpedo the Iran negotiations — Iran had already warned it would abandon talks over Israel’s actions in Lebanon.
Trump also objected specifically to Israel knocking down entire buildings to take out a single Hezbollah commander and killing large numbers of civilians in the process.
After being “steamrolled” according to US officials, Netanyahu publicly released a statement saying Israel’s position “remains the same” — but Israel quietly dropped its plans to strike Beirut.
One of Trump’s worst calls with Netanyahu since returning to office, per US officials — though the two have had tense calls before while still coordinating closely on Iran.
Monday - US bombs Iranian military sites, then downs missiles Tehran fired at troops in Kuwait (AP)
The US bombed radar and drone sites in Iran over the weekend after Tehran shot down an American MQ-1 drone; Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at US troops in Kuwait, which the US shot down — no Americans hurt.
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed to 36 ships in the past week, down from 130+ per day before the war; the closure is now threatening global food supplies, since the Gulf produces 30% of the world’s traded chemical fertilizers.
Trump claimed Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to scale back their fighting — then moments later Israel warned its northern residents to take cover from incoming missile launches from Lebanon.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson summed up the state of negotiations bluntly: “We are negotiating in an atmosphere of mistrust.”
Tue: U.S., Iran Trade Heavy Fire in Persian Gulf, Testing Fragile Ceasefire (WSJ)
The US disabled an oil tanker called the Lexi with a Hellfire missile to its engine room as it attempted to breach the blockade and load Iranian crude at Kharg Island — triggering the most intense exchange of fire in months.
Iran responded with drone attacks on civilian mariners in the Persian Gulf, then fired ballistic missiles at US bases in both Kuwait and Bahrain; all were intercepted or fell short, with no American casualties.
Despite the exchanges, CENTCOM maintained the ceasefire is technically still “ongoing” — a designation that’s becoming increasingly difficult to defend with a straight face.
Diplomacy remains completely stalled; the WSJ notes this is among the most intense fighting since the ceasefire began in April, with both sides continuing to skirmish while refraining from a full resumption of war.
Wed: Iran war is over, Rubio says, as strikes continue (France 24)
Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the war with Iran is “over” — defining victory as destroying Iran’s defense industrial base, missile launchers, drone stockpiles, air force, and navy — even as Iran struck Kuwait’s airport the same day, killing one person and wounding 63.
Rep. Sara Jacobs cut to it: “You can change the name of the operation. It doesn’t change the fact that the Strait’s still closed, and my service members are still in harm’s way.”
On negotiations: Rubio said Iran’s highly enriched uranium is “clearly addressed” in papers exchanged between the two sides — but Iran still hasn’t given “final sign off” and is demanding $12 billion in unfrozen assets before engaging substantively on its nuclear program.
Wed: House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to end hostilities with Iran (NPR)
The House passed a war powers resolution directing Trump to end hostilities with Iran 215-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats — the clearest congressional rebuke yet of the war, more than 90 days in.
The four Republicans: Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Fitzpatrick’s reasoning: “We’re past the 60 days. You either follow the law or you change the law. You can’t violate the law.”
The vote is largely symbolic — the Senate hasn’t scheduled a final vote, and Trump would almost certainly veto it even if it passed — but signals his support is eroding even within his own party.
Republican leaders had already tried to run out the clock by sending members home early two weeks ago when it looked like the resolution had the votes — it passed anyway.
In a separate vote, six Republicans joined Democrats to advance Ukraine aid, setting up a final passage vote.
Fri: US strikes Iranian radar sites; Kuwait comes under attack (Al Jazeera)
The latest Iran flare-up escalated to Kuwait and Bahrain simultaneously — air raid sirens activated in both countries, with Kuwait’s military actively intercepting missiles and drones and Bahrain residents urged to seek shelter.
The US struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites on Qeshm Island and at Goruk, shot down four Iranian drones near the Strait, and disabled the oil tanker Lexi with a Hellfire missile — all within the same exchange.
An Iran analyst put the strategic tension plainly: Tehran sees the Strait as its primary point of leverage and will not relinquish control — while the US needs it open to declare any kind of victory.
A notable wrinkle for next week: Iran’s footballers have been issued US visas for the World Cup, with their opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 — while their country and the US are actively exchanging fire.
Sat: Iran accuses U.S. of violating ceasefire after both sides exchange strikes as stalemate continues in peace talks (CBS)
Iran’s adviser to the supreme leader told CNN talks are “at a deadlock” and “the ball is in Trump’s court” — Iran wants billions in frozen assets unfrozen as a “test America must pass” before any further progress.
Iran has formally suspended talks “through mediators,” though Pakistan’s interior minister flew to Tehran Saturday, suggesting back-channel contact continues.
The Treasury Department plans to use frozen Iranian assets to help US Gulf allies — Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE — pay for damage caused by Iran during the war, a move that will further complicate any deal.
Trump on why there’s no deal yet: Iran is “proud” and it’s “a very hard thing for them.” On the war’s end: “It’s either finished with a piece of paper, or finished a more difficult way.”
Lebanon’s prime minister and president both publicly accused Iran of using Lebanon as a bargaining chip — the Lebanese president told Hezbollah directly: “The Lebanese people are not your people.”
The UN World Food Programme confirmed that 45 million people are now falling into acute food insecurity as a result of the war and $100/barrel oil — a scenario it warned about in March that is now unfolding.
Indiana Angle: Braun continues gas tax suspension. How long can the state afford it? (IPM)
Gov. Braun extended Indiana’s gas tax suspension for another 30 days, keeping a 62.5 cents-per-gallon break in place that’s given Indiana the lowest gas prices in the nation at $3.59 average — down from $4.26 nationally.
The suspension is costing the state roughly $140 million per month, which INDOT says it can cover with reserves for now — but Braun acknowledged “long-term road funding is an issue the legislature is going to have to take up.”
Braun previously said he could only extend 60 days; he’s now claiming the emergency statute allows up to 120 days without legislative action — after which a special session would be required, which he indicated is unlikely.
Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder cut to the chase: “We should be asking why families are being put in this position in the first place. Effective leadership means addressing the root causes of rising costs, not just reacting after Hoosiers have already been left paying the bill.”
Christian Nationalism
Gov. Braun proclaims June ‘Nuclear Family Month’ (IndyStar)
Gov. Braun declared June “Nuclear Family Month” in Indiana, defining the nuclear family as “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children” and calling it “God’s design for the family structure.”
The proclamation’s second section then quietly drops adopted and fostered children, asserting that “children living with their married, biological parents have better physical and emotional well-being” — without citing any evidence.
Though it doesn’t mention Pride Month, the timing was not subtle — social media response was overwhelmingly negative and awash in rainbow emojis.
Indiana joins Tennessee, Arkansas, and Utah in offering Republican governors’ counter-programming to Pride Month, though notably Arkansas and Utah’s “Fidelity Month” proclamations didn’t explicitly limit the definition to heterosexual couples.
GOP Rep. Andy Ogles deletes homophobic social media post, blames staffer (NBC)
Tennessee GOP Rep. Andy Ogles posted from his official congressional account: “Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month.” — then deleted it and blamed a staffer.
The blowback was bipartisan: Rep. Mike Lawler called it “idiotic,” House Majority Leader Scalise called it “reprehensible,” and even Ted Cruz told TMZ that “for all of recorded history, homosexuals have been part of humanity.”
Worth the context: a 2026 Gallup poll found Republican support for same-sex marriage has dropped from 55% in 2021 to 37% — Ogles is out of step even with that trend by going this far.
This is the same congressman who declared earlier this year that “Muslims don’t belong in American society” — also to bipartisan backlash.
Religious freedom org calls out teacher-led Bible study at Indiana school (IndyStar)
The Freedom From Religion Foundation called out Mooresville High School after a choir teacher publicly announced he was leading a Friday morning Bible study program called BetterMan for about 40 male students — a clear First Amendment violation, as teachers must remain non-participatory in student religious clubs.
The teacher’s own Facebook post made the problem plain: “God has opened several doors for me at the high school, and I am excited to be able to lead these young men.”
The district met with the teacher and issued guidance on constitutional limits, but notably declined to say whether the club is still operating or has been transferred to student leadership.
Ironic footnote: the Indiana State Teachers Association named the same teacher its Hoosier Educator of the Year last year.
Trump Cabinet
DoD
Pentagon drops 180 religions from its recognized faiths list (Independent)
The Pentagon is dropping roughly 180 faiths from its officially recognized list — cutting from 211 to 31 — eliminating recognition for Atheists, Pagans, Wiccans, Druids, Humanists, Unitarian Universalists, and dozens of other belief systems while retaining mainstream Christian denominations, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.
A former Army chaplain called it “a tragedy and travesty” and a violation of the First Amendment: “The free exercise of religion for everybody — that’s what I was buying into.”
Hegseth’s justification: the old list had “ballooned” and was “impractical,” with most service members using only six codes. Critics note the 180 eliminated codes include many actively practiced faiths, not just obscure ones.
Pentagon defends banning reporters from press office by turning it into a classified room: ‘Journalists no longer permitted’ (WaPo)
The Pentagon designated its press office a classified Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, banning journalists from a space that was previously an open room where reporters could walk up to public affairs officers’ desks without an escort.
The stated reason: Hegseth’s speechwriters were moved into the office and need access to classified networks — a bureaucratic shuffle that conveniently eliminates informal press access.
Notably, neither Hegseth nor his staff have continued the tradition of off-camera gaggles with reporters — in stark contrast to both Rubio at State and Trump at the White House, who maintain regular press access.
The move is the latest front in a months-long legal war: journalists mass-surrendered credentials in October over Hegseth’s press rules, a federal judge struck down key provisions in March, and the New York Times has now sued the Pentagon twice.
Pete Hegseth blocks promotions of Black and women military officers in latest anti-DEI push (Independent)
Hegseth blocked at least eight Navy captains from promotion to one-star admiral, targeting two women, two Black men, and three white men — apparently based on past participation in diversity-related events, some dating back decades.
One officer was flagged because she served as a “diversity liaison officer” twenty years ago to help the Navy recruit and retain women and minorities — now apparently a career-ending offense.
The resulting promotion list contains only two nonwhite officers out of 22 nominees, despite minorities making up 38% of the Navy; zero women appear on the list despite women comprising 21% of the service.
Hegseth is simultaneously trying to elevate a Navy SEAL from his inner circle who has been repeatedly passed over for promotion through normal channels — the definition of the politicized promotions he claims to oppose.
Hegseth attacks Europe over migration with beach ‘invasion’ D-Day speech (BBC)
Hegseth used a D-Day anniversary speech at the Normandy American Cemetery to attack European immigration policy, comparing migrant arrivals by boat to the Nazi-occupied beaches stormed by Allied forces in 1944 — “Beaches in Spain, in Italy, in Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion?”
This follows JD Vance invoking a British stabbing victim the day before to call for “righteous anger” against migration — prompting Downing Street to condemn “people trying to interfere in our democracy.”
Worth noting: Channel crossings to the UK are actually down 38% compared to the same period last year — context the administration omitted.
Appeals court panel rules that transgender troops were illegally barred from U.S. military service (PBS)
A divided DC Circuit appeals court panel ruled Monday that Trump’s transgender military ban illegally bars troops from service, largely upholding a lower court’s finding that the policy likely violates constitutional rights.
The majority wrote the policy “appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group” — strong language from a federal appeals court.
The ruling is narrowed to currently serving transgender troops, not those seeking to enlist, and won’t take effect immediately — the administration can seek full appeals court review.
The Supreme Court had already allowed the ban to take effect last year while litigation continues, so the legal fight is far from over.
ODNI
Trump’s intel pick delights MAGA and shocks nation’s spies (Politico)
Trump named Bill Pulte — the Federal Housing Finance Agency director with zero known intelligence background — as acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard who announced she’s leaving at the end of June.
The Pulte DNI appointment is now threatening a separate priority: bipartisan FISA reauthorization talks, which must be completed before the law expires at the end of next week.
Steve Bannon’s summary: “It’s a middle finger to the Senate. A fuck you to the Deep State.” A retired 26-year CIA veteran called it a signal that the DNI will be “fully weaponized in support of going after Trump’s political enemies.”
Even Republicans were openly skeptical: Cornyn said he saw “no evidence of his qualifications,” Cassidy called him “not very qualified,” and Tillis said he didn’t know Pulte had any national security experience at all.
The CIA has already reduced its contributions to intelligence assessments produced by ODNI, including on the Iran war — a sign of how badly the relationship between the two agencies has deteriorated under Trump.
ODNI was created after 9/11 to coordinate intelligence across 18 agencies; putting a housing official in charge of it is, in the words of one former CIA executive, deepening concern that it is “shifting from an intelligence management organization toward a political instrument.”
Trump claims Bill Pulte will investigate ‘rigged elections’ in temporary intelligence role (Guardian)
Trump confirmed Pulte’s DNI role is temporary — then immediately told reporters Pulte “may find out some things about the rigged elections, etc, etc” — openly stating the nation’s top intelligence post will be used to pursue Trump’s election fraud conspiracies.
Hours earlier, Trump alleged without evidence that Democrats were cheating in California’s primaries and claimed the LA US attorney’s office was investigating; that office declined to comment.
Mitch McConnell, without naming Pulte, made his position clear: “Anyone performing this role must have the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote.”
Senate Majority Leader Thune: “We don’t need a weaponized national intelligence director. We need professionals here.”
Elections
Indiana Angle:
Can a social media post nullify your vote? Indiana recount tests obscure law (IndyStar)
A Trump-backed primary challenger who lost by three votes to Sen. Spencer Deery is trying to invalidate votes based on voters’ Facebook posts and newspaper interviews — arguing their public comments prove they voted illegally as crossover Democrats in the Republican primary.
The law she’s invoking is so obscure that election experts, advocates, and even the Secretary of State’s office say they’ve rarely or never seen it enforced — and the state’s own election division counsel says challenges must be made at the polls before a ballot is cast, not after.
Deery’s campaign called it “sore-loser syndrome” and “a fishing expedition”
MADVoters’ Amy Courtney flagged the broader implication: “The real question is whether we want a government spending time and energy monitoring our social media statements and inspecting our private votes.”
Indiana Senate’s No. 2 Republican steps down from post after split from Bray (ICC)
Indiana Senate Majority Floor Leader Chris Garten resigned his leadership post Thursday, citing a lack of “unequivocal support” for the current strategic direction — setting up a potential challenge to Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, whom Trump vowed to “take out” over his opposition to congressional redistricting.
Garten was on Trump’s side of the redistricting fight; Bray was not — and six anti-redistricting Republican senators were defeated in the May primary, shifting the caucus’s center of gravity toward the Trump-aligned faction.
Garten didn’t announce a Bray challenge directly, but his letter signaled he intends to “further advance the conservative principles that separate Indiana from the rest” — leadership code for “watch this space.”
Republicans hold a 40-10 Senate supermajority but won’t formally select leadership until after November, with at least nine current GOP senators not returning for the 2027 session.
Beau Bayh defeats Blythe Potter for Democratic secretary of state nomination (ICC)
Beau Bayh won the Indiana Democratic secretary of state nomination at Saturday’s state convention, defeating Iraq War veteran Blythe Potter 61%-39% — positioning the son and grandson of two US senators as Democrats’ best shot at a statewide office in more than a decade.
Bayh entered with a massive fundraising advantage — $1.9 million on hand versus Potter’s $66,600 — and centered his campaign on an independent audit of an office he says has been damaged by Morales’s corruption and no-bid contracting scandals.
Democrats also formally nominated Jessica Bailey for comptroller and Coumba Kebe for treasurer, both uncontested.
Convention Chair Robin Winston emphasized that — regardless of the nominee — members of Indiana’s Democratic Party “are more alike than we are unalike.” He pointed, for example, to the party’s cohesion on civil liberties for immigrants, Hoosiers’ access to healthcare, better working conditions for teachers and support for union jobs. “Our job and our fight is not in this room,” he told delegates.
Later this summer:
Supreme Court allows Alabama to use 2023 congressional map in August special primary (Alabama Reflector)
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority reversed the lower court Tuesday evening, allowing Alabama to use its intentionally racially discriminatory 2023 congressional map in the August special primary — overruling two separate federal court findings that the map was drawn to dilute Black votes.
Justice Sotomayor’s dissent was withering: “The majority chooses a chaotic election held under a never-before-used map that intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians. I respectfully dissent.”
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s attorney called it “shameless,” warning it opens the door for states to “deliberately and openly discriminate against Black voters without fear of any consequence.”
The practical chaos: voter rolls locked Tuesday, giving election officials less than a day to reassign voters in 14 counties — implementing a map that had never been used before in any election.
GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan draws an unusual opponent in Alaska’s primary — and he’s not happy about it (AP)
Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is furious that another Republican named Dan Sullivan has qualified for Alaska’s August primary ballot — accusing Democrats and the Mary Peltola campaign of orchestrating a dirty trick to sow voter confusion. Both deny involvement.
In Alaska’s top-four primary system, the second Dan Sullivan doesn’t need to win — just siphon enough votes from the incumbent to potentially knock him out of the top four before ranked-choice voting even begins.
The challenger’s own website leans into the confusion, promising voters “a Sullivan that actually stands up for Alaska.”
The NRSC is threatening legal action; the incumbent senator, dropping an expletive for emphasis, called it “an insult” to Alaskans.
Tuesday Primaries
California
Tech billionaires are spending unprecedented sums in California races. Experts say it’s the tip of the iceberg (Guardian)
Tech billionaires have poured hundreds of millions into California’s primary races, with Google co-founder Sergey Brin leading at $82 million — mostly to block a ballot measure that would tax billionaires to fund education, food assistance, and healthcare.
Google and Meta jointly funded a $10 million Super PAC targeting state legislature races; crypto mogul Chris Larsen spread $26 million across a dozen campaigns; the tech industry spent $39 million lobbying California alone in 2025 — more than oil and gas.
Their chosen gubernatorial candidate, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, raised nearly $50 million from Silicon Valley executives but is polling at just 4% — suggesting money can’t always manufacture a candidate.
A UC Berkeley public policy professor’s warning: “What we’re seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg” — sophisticated political donors use dark money entities that don’t show up in campaign finance filings.
Crypto mogul Larsen’s stated goal captures the strategy plainly: “We’re going to work on taking out those people who are not working for the people of California” — meaning organized labor’s allies in the legislature
US attorney opens investigations into California’s elections, sends prosecutor to LA vote center (AP)
Trump’s LA US Attorney opened “multiple election fraud investigations” into California’s primary and sent a prosecutor to the LA County ballot tabulation center — triggered by Trump’s baseless claims that Democrats are “rigging” the count as late mail ballots favor Democratic candidates.
AP makes the mechanics plain: Democrats vote by mail and held ballots late, so Republican totals peak on election night and shrink as counting continues — that’s math, not fraud.
Even Trump’s own preferred gubernatorial candidate, Steve Hilton, admitted his team has “seen nothing that seems illegal” and nothing that “would warrant legal action.”
The pattern is clear: Trump is using the DOJ to pressure a state whose vote-counting process he doesn’t like, having already sent observers to California during last fall’s special election.
Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to November race for California governor (CalMatters)
Former HHS Secretary and California AG Xavier Becerra has secured a spot in the November governor’s race, leading with ~27% — with Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton close behind and Democrat Tom Steyer still potentially threatening to take the second slot as millions of mail ballots remain uncounted.
If it’s Becerra vs. Hilton in November, Becerra is heavily favored — California Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1 and Trump’s approval is deeply underwater in the state. A Becerra vs. Steyer finish would be a bruising intra-Democratic battle supercharged by Steyer’s personal fortune.
If elected, Becerra would be the first Latino to win the California governorship by election in more than a century.
Becerra’s rise was unexpected — he was polling in single digits until frontrunner Eric Swalwell imploded, and party chair Rusty Hicks was publicly pressuring him to drop out just weeks ago.
New Jersey
Rebecca Bennett wins Dem primary, will challenge Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in November (NJ Monitor)
Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett won the Democratic primary in NJ-7, setting up a competitive fall race against GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in a seat Democrats held for two terms before losing it in 2022.
The race is expected to be close, fueled by Democratic energy over the Iran war and economic downturn — but complicated by a wild card: Kean has been absent from Congress since early March due to an undisclosed illness and has not been seen in public since.
Kean was unopposed in the GOP primary and held no victory celebration Tuesday.
Adam Hamawy wins crowded Dem primary in 12th District (NJ Monitor)
Princeton plastic surgeon and Army combat veteran Adam Hamawy won a 12-candidate Democratic primary in NJ-12, succeeding retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman — the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress.
Hamawy carried endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth — who backed him in part because he helped save her life in Iraq in 2004 when both were serving.
The seat is considered safe Democratic — the district votes D by more than 2 to 1 — making Hamawy the likely next congressman from NJ-12.
Iowa
Rep. Josh Turek wins U.S. Senate primary race against Sen. Zach Wahls, AP projects (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek won the Democratic Senate primary over state Sen. Zach Wahls, setting up a fall race against Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for the open seat vacated by Joni Ernst.
Turek ran as the more moderate candidate, touting a 2024 win in the reddest Democratic-held state legislative district and carrying the endorsement of former Sen. Tom Harkin, who held the seat before Ernst.
Most forecasters rate the seat as likely Republican — Hinson locked up Trump’s endorsement early and won her primary easily.
The general election framing is already set: Hinson’s campaign immediately tied Turek to Chuck Schumer, calling him “a rubber stamp for radical leftists.”
MAHA candidate beats Trump’s choice in Republican primary for Iowa governor (PBS)
MAHA-backed farmer and businessman Zach Lahn upset Trump’s chosen candidate, Rep. Randy Feenstra, in Iowa’s Republican gubernatorial primary — a rare electoral defeat for Trump and a breakthrough moment for RFK Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
Lahn campaigned on regenerative farming, opposing corporate agricultural consolidation, and banning pesticide liability shields — explicitly calling out Iowa’s “fastest growing cancer rate in the world” and tying it to chemical runoff and corporate ag dominance.
The MAHA movement had been growing frustrated with Trump’s EPA for defending glyphosate and shielding pesticide companies from lawsuits — Lahn’s win is their shot across the bow at the administration’s own base.
Democrats see an opening: State Auditor Rob Sand, the lone Democrat holding statewide office, is sitting on $18 million and has been honing a moderate message since running unopposed in his primary.
New Mexico
Deb Haaland wins New Mexico Democratic race for governor (Source NM)
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland — the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet — easily won the New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial primary over Bernalillo County DA Sam Bregman, with the AP calling it within 30 minutes of polls closing.
She’ll face the winner of a three-way Republican primary, with former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull leading at 48% as results came in.
New Mexico is a blue-leaning state, and Haaland enters the general with strong national Democratic backing and significant name recognition from her time in Congress and the Biden cabinet.
Montana
What we know about Montana’s 2026 primary election results (Montana Free Press)
In the Senate race, Kurt Alme (R) and Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead (D) won their primaries; independent Seth Bodnar, former University of Montana president, is collecting signatures to appear in November — making it a potential three-way race.
In MT-01, conservative radio host Aaron Flint won the Republican primary; former smokejumper Sam Forstag won the Democratic nod in what’s considered Democrats’ best pickup opportunity in the state.
The bigger story is the Montana GOP civil war: hard-right candidates backed by the state party crushed most moderate Republican incumbents in legislative primaries, with margins of 20-47 points — the faction that tried to work with Democrats on Medicaid expansion was largely wiped out.
Two exceptions: centrist Rep. Llew Jones survived by 6 points and Rep. George Nikolakakos won by nearly 40 — but they appear to be the outliers in a night that swung the 2027 Legislature sharply rightward.
Next Week: Maine
Democrats fret Graham Platner could cost them — and not just in Maine (Politico)
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner — all but certain to be Democrats’ nominee against Susan Collins — is facing a new scandal: reports that he exchanged sexual texts with women while married, adding to previous controversies over offensive Reddit posts and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.
Democratic strategists are increasingly nervous, with one calling him “an albatross” who “is going to lose” — noting that Collins has survived multiple strong challengers and that Maine’s swing voters decide in the final two weeks.
The stakes are enormous: Collins is the only Republican senator up for reelection in a state Harris won in 2024 — if Democrats can’t flip Maine, their Senate majority path runs through Iowa or Texas.
Despite the hand-wringing, Platner’s campaign says Saturday — the day the sexting story broke — was his highest digital fundraising day, and he’s polling at 76% in next Tuesday’s primary.
One person close to the suspended Mills campaign: “This is kind of where we thought this was all going. We tried to say something about it, but nobody wanted to listen.”
New allegations against Graham Platner unnerve Democrats in key Maine Senate race (SAN)
The Platner situation has escalated further: the NYT published accounts from former girlfriends describing him as volatile, “toxic,” emotionally difficult, and at times physically threatening — with one source saying he knew what his Nazi-linked tattoo meant when he got it.
One of those women has since publicly accused the Times of “misleading” her and “betraying” her trust — muddying the water further days before the June 9 primary.
A Democratic Senate aide put the stakes plainly: “There is dramatically higher concern about losing Maine now across the caucus than there was before the stories broke. Everyone realizes that without Maine the path to taking back the Senate is impossible.”
Republican-aligned group One Nation has already pledged an additional $3 million for Collins, with a new ad targeting Platner’s veteran supporters — the exact constituency he’d need to flip.
DNC member Robert Zimmerman’s warning: “Democrats who defend him sound like Republicans defending Donald Trump after the Access Hollywood tape.”
Epstein
Bondi punts blame for the Epstein files to Todd Blanche (Politico)
Fired AG Pam Bondi told Congress that Todd Blanche — now Trump’s pick to permanently lead DOJ — “supervised the entire process” of releasing the Epstein files, repeatedly deflecting responsibility for the botched, delayed, and incomplete redactions onto her likely successor.
The timing is brutal: Bondi’s transcript dropped the day after Trump announced Blanche’s nomination, giving Senate Democrats and some Republicans fresh ammunition to demand Blanche testify before his confirmation.
Bondi refused to discuss any conversations she had with Trump — including reports that she told him he was mentioned in the Epstein files — with DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon shutting down those questions as privileged executive communications.
Bondi’s appearance wasn’t even under oath — House Oversight Chair James Comer downgraded it from a deposition to a voluntary transcribed interview after she was fired, meaning she faced no legal consequences for incomplete answers.
Bondi invoked privilege, declined to answer questions about interactions with Trump about Epstein files (ABC)
Bondi refused to say whether Trump directed any DOJ actions on the Epstein files, or whether she informed him his name appeared in them before Congress mandated their release — invoking privilege on all conversations with the president.
Bondi acknowledged the DOJ improperly released victim names and identifying information, while defending the overall process as a “Herculean task” managed with “very little error.”
Bondi said she had no role in the July 2025 FBI-DOJ memo that declared there was no “client list” and no further disclosures were warranted — pinning that entirely on Blanche, then walking it back by calling him “one of the most highly ethical individuals I know.”
On Maxwell: “She should die in prison. She was a monster, just like Jeffrey Epstein.”
Blanche has said the DOJ is not investigating Epstein or his associates — while more than a dozen survivors say neither he nor Bondi has ever contacted them.
House committee refers duo for criminal prosecution after hearing from Epstein survivors (Independent)
The Trump administration’s posture throughout: Acting AG Blanche has told Fox News the Epstein files “should not be part of anything going forward” at DOJ — while more than a dozen survivors say neither Blanche nor Bondi has ever reached out to them, contradicting Blanche’s congressional testimony.
The House Oversight Committee referred former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai to the DOJ for criminal prosecution after Epstein’s former assistant Sarah Kellen accused both men of sexually assaulting her in separate incidents.
Kellen’s testimony described Epstein as having groomed, abused, and psychologically dominated her for nearly 20 years — and Maxwell as “mean and belittling,” calling Kellen “her slave” and “piglet” while facilitating Epstein’s crimes.
Kellen said she met Trump once for “maybe five minutes” at Mar-a-Lago in 2002 or 2003 and made no accusations against him; she also recalled meeting Clinton, Gates, Prince Andrew, and Leon Black without accusing any of them of wrongdoing.
Trump appointee leading $205bn US agency had personal ties to Epstein, emails show (Guardian)
Trump appointed Ben Black — son of Apollo Global Management founder Leon Black, Epstein’s highest-paying client at $170 million — to lead the Development Finance Corporation, the US government’s largest overseas investment arm, now with a $205 billion lending cap after Congress tripled it.
DOJ records from Epstein’s correspondence show Ben Black invested in the same company as Epstein, Epstein attended his 30th birthday, advised him on an $11.5 million townhouse purchase, and helped a woman in his network compose messages to Black — who she said kissed her the following day.
Black’s lawyers deny any personal relationship with Epstein; DFC staff described discovering their boss in the Epstein files and said morale collapsed: “This is such a joke.”
Trump has now appointed at least four men with known Epstein ties to federal office, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — who sits on DFC’s board alongside Black.
Corruption
“Totally unacceptable”: Pence calls slush fund for Jan. 6 rioters “deeply offensive” (Salon)
Mike Pence — who was inside the Capitol as the mob tried to hunt him down — called the anti-weaponization fund “totally unacceptable” and “deeply offensive,” demanding Trump “drop the idea entirely.” Trump, for the record, previously shrugged off threats to Pence’s life on January 6 with “so what?”
Trump administration is scrapping $1.8B fund meant to compensate president’s allies, Blanche says (AP)
The anti-weaponization fund is dead. Acting AG Blanche told a House hearing Tuesday: “We are not moving forward with the fund, period.” When asked if that meant ever: “Correct.”
The rare Trump administration capitulation came after Senate Republicans held the Homeland Security spending bill hostage over the fund, refusing to pass immigration enforcement funding until the White House backed down.
The $1.776 billion fund — created two weeks ago as part of Trump’s IRS lawsuit settlement — was frozen by a federal judge, lambasted by both parties, and became a legislative grenade that threatened to blow up key White House priorities.
Still unresolved: whether scrapping the fund also means walking back the IRS settlement provision permanently shielding Trump and his family from future tax audits.
Senate begins voting on funding immigration enforcement after Trump’s settlement fund is dropped (AP)
The Senate voted 53-46 to begin debate on the $70 billion ICE and Border Patrol funding bill — but hours after Acting AG Blanche declared the anti-weaponization fund dead “period,” Trump told reporters at the White House “I love it. I think it’s so important” and wouldn’t say whether it was dead or just on hold.
That created an immediate problem: Democrats announced they’d force amendment votes to ban the fund permanently, and even Sen. Thom Tillis is offering a Republican amendment to put Blanche’s promise in writing.
The $1 billion in White House security funding — including for Trump’s ballroom — was stripped from the bill to help it move forward.
Bottom line on GOP unity: Thune was asked if Republicans would hold together on the immigration bill. His answer: “We’ll find out.”
Indiana Angle:
Trump issues pardon to former Republican congressman convicted of insider trading (AP)
Trump pardoned former Indiana Republican Congressman Stephen Buyer, who served nearly two years in prison for insider trading on a $26.5 billion T-Mobile/Sprint merger and a separate acquisition deal — convicted of crimes he committed as a lobbyist after leaving office.
The pardon was justified by more than 40 former Republican members of Congress claiming Buyer was “targeted by the deep state” because of his role as a House prosecutor at Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial — a stretch that strains credulity given the convictions were secured under Trump’s own first term DOJ appointees.
The Supreme Court had rejected Buyer’s appeal without comment just weeks before the pardon was issued.
Buyer served Indiana’s 5th, then 4th District, over an 18 year career in Congress
Background - President Trump’s Pardons: An Embarrassment of Riches (Cato)
In his first year back, Trump issued 166 individual pardons plus the mass J6 pardon — eight times Biden’s rate — forgiving more than $1.5 billion in criminal debts owed to victims and government treasuries, compared to roughly $680,000 under Biden.
Cato’s analysis identifies a pattern of apparent pay-to-play: Trevor Milton donated $1.8 million to Trump’s campaign before getting a pardon that wiped out $660 million in restitution; Changpeng Zhao brokered a $2 billion crypto investment with Trump’s sons before his pardon; Paul Walczak’s mother paid $1 million to dine at Mar-a-Lago before his tax fraud pardon.
Trump also made history by issuing the nation’s first-ever pardon to a corporation.
The Buyer pardon fits squarely into the piece’s fifth category: pardons for campaign supporters and political allies who “stretched or broke the law.”
New records spotlight $90K restitution fund payment to donor, nearly $500K in raises under Morales (ICC)
Morales’ office paid $90,000 from Indiana’s Securities Restitution Fund — meant to compensate fraud victims — to Maverick Quantum, a Texas AI software company whose CEO has donated $55,000 to Morales’ campaign and $20,000 to Braun’s; the contract was awarded without competitive bidding.
The payment appears to be the only vendor disbursement from the restitution fund since at least 2020 — every other payment during that period went to actual fraud victims.
Two months after Morales pledged “fiscal restraint” and “virtually flat staffing” to the State Budget Committee, his office quietly approved $493,000 in raises for 79 employees — while other state employees received no raises two years running.
The raises included 27-28% bumps for two senior staffers: Morales’ 2022 campaign manager and the chief of staff who later became the center of the noncitizen voter registration controversy.
Immigration -> Incarceration
Indiana Angle:
Indiana attorney general readies new immigration biz enforcement powers (ICC)
Indiana AG Todd Rokita is gearing up to enforce a new state law — effective July 1 — that bans employers from knowingly hiring unauthorized workers and gives his office power to seek court-ordered suspension or permanent revocation of a business’s operating license.
Rokita says he’ll prioritize tips from ICE, the federal Department of Labor, and local law enforcement — but will also screen out complaints that appear to be competitors ratting each other out for business reasons.
Businesses that can show they used e-Verify or industry best practices will have some protection; Rokita’s office is also finalizing a data-sharing agreement with the US Department of Labor to track compliance.
Following more devastating fires at Indiana’s oldest prison, IDOC commissioner says ‘It’s obvious something else should have been done’ (WTHR)
Following WTHR’s “Burned Alive” investigation, Indiana’s oldest prison has seen two more catastrophic fires: Adam Schafer lost both arms and a leg to fourth-degree burns covering 65% of his body; Cameron Sifrer suffered third-degree burns over 80% of his body and lost the tips of all his fingers.
IDOC Commissioner Lloyd Arnold admitted bluntly: “It’s obvious something else should have been done” — then outlined nearly $1 million in emergency fixes including cutting power to D-cellhouse cells, adding fire watches, repainting with non-combustible paint, and replacing flammable mattresses.
Live fire testing showed why the fires are so deadly: current prison mattresses are fully consumed in 13 minutes, raising cell temperatures to 345 degrees. A fire-resistant foam mattress under identical conditions barely charred — IDOC is now ordering 3,000 for the prison and plans to replace all 27,000+ inmate mattresses statewide at a cost of $4.6 million.
Indiana State Prison, built in 1860, has no fire sprinklers and is exempt from modern fire codes — and Arnold says it’s staying open because the state needs the beds.
The Delaney Hall Strikers Are Hitting GEO Group Where It Hurts (Mother Jones)
The Delaney Hall labor strike is now nearly two weeks old and near-unanimous — detained people have stopped cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and cutting hair, causing the facility to become “really dirty” and “smell like feces” as GEO Group lacks actual paid staff to do those jobs.
GEO Group’s own detainee handbook makes the economics plain: kitchen workers earn $4/day, laundry and barbershop workers $3, everyone else $1 — wages unchanged since 1950, when they were pegged to the Geneva Convention standard for prisoners of war. A pair of shoes at the commissary costs $24.28 — several weeks’ wages.
The handbook also lists “encouraging others to participate in a work stoppage” as a “high offense” punishable by disciplinary transfer, isolation, or criminal proceedings — meaning the strike itself is technically punishable under facility rules.
Members of at least 12 unions — including the Teamsters and American Federation of Teachers — picketed outside this week; Gov. Sherrill announced $12 million in new legal aid funding for detainees on day 13 of the strike.
‘Hey, Mikie, WTF?’: New Jersey governor facing outrage over attacks on Delaney Hall protesters (Guardian)
Gov. Sherrill is now facing outrage from her own supporters over Delaney Hall — state police she deployed in riot gear arrested dozens of protesters, hospitalized some, pulled a news crew from their vehicle exposing them to teargas, and held journalists for a full day.
Inside the facility, ICE pepper-sprayed hunger strikers, sending some to the hospital; GEO Group confirmed “chemical agents” were used.
Some wins: all pregnant detainees released, visitation resuming, Newark lifted the curfew, and Sherrill announced $12 million in legal aid — but organizers say none of it addresses the core demands, and at least one progressive group that backed Sherrill is now calling for her resignation.
ICE will stop reporting deaths of newly released detainees (ABC)
ICE quietly ended its policy of reporting deaths of former detainees that occur within 30 days of release — calling it “common sense” since the person is no longer in custody.
The timing is notable: 49 people have died in ICE custody since Trump’s second term began, making the first 14 months of this administration the deadliest period for the federal detention system in recent years outside of the COVID pandemic.
Under the Biden policy, post-release deaths within 30 days were still tracked and reported. That limited window of accountability is now gone entirely.
Childcare
Report: 80% of eligible low-income children not served by state’s subsidized childcare programs (ICC)
Even after a $200 million state infusion, Indiana’s subsidized childcare programs will serve less than 20% of eligible low-income children by year’s end — leaving roughly 250,000+ kids whose families qualify without access.
The programs had been closed to new enrollees since December 2024 after a cash flow crisis where enrollment costs exceeded sustainable funding by $225 million; only 43,000 of 300,000 eligible children were enrolled as of February.
Even hitting the target enrollment of 57,000 by end of 2026 still leaves 20,000+ children on the waitlist — and the $200 million doesn’t cover the full cost of the new vouchers over their average 2.5-year lifespan.
Indiana’s total childcare spending ranked 38th among states in 2025 — but its per-child spending ranked 9th, suggesting the problem is scale, not efficiency.
State drafts childcare regulations governor says will boost affordability (ICC)
Indiana is proposing to lower childcare qualification requirements in the name of affordability — center directors would no longer need bachelor’s degrees, lead caregivers would only need a high school diploma, and lower-level caregivers wouldn’t need to have completed high school at all.
Other proposed rollbacks: eliminating required lists of learning activities like art, literacy, math, and science; loosening rules on sleeping surfaces and diaper-changing tables; dropping several required safety postings; and allowing parents to request vaccine exemptions.
The state frames it as reducing “administrative burdens” — critics would note Indiana already serves less than 20% of eligible low-income children and ranks 38th in total childcare spending, so the answer to the affordability crisis is being proposed as lower standards, not more investment.
Public Health
Trump taps defense funding for Indiana coal upgrades (ICC)
Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to direct $700 million in defense and energy funding to coal plants nationwide, including Indiana’s Merom Generating Station in Sullivan County — framed as an affordability measure despite having no impact on the oil prices driving current energy costs.
The article notes flatly: “The coal-focused changes won’t impact oil prices that have surged since Trump launched war with Iran.”
Trump’s DOE has already been forcing NIPSCO and CenterPoint to keep aging Indiana coal plants running past their planned retirement dates — moves the utilities say are costing them, and ultimately Indiana ratepayers, hundreds of millions of dollars.
Background: How Uneconomic Coal Plants Hurt our Health — and Drive Up Healthcare Costs (RMI)
RMI research found that uneconomic coal plants — those running when cheaper energy sources are available — cost US communities $13-$26 billion annually in health costs, roughly 13 times what ratepayers pay for the electricity itself.
Between 2015 and 2023, those emissions are estimated to have caused 16,661 premature deaths, 19,565 emergency room visits, over 50,000 new asthma cases, and more than 3 billion lost school days nationwide.
The Midwest — Indiana’s region — has among the highest health impacts in the country, due to coal plants located near densely populated areas.
Ebola outbreak spreading in Africa is ‘likely far worse’ than official figures suggest: IRC (ABC)
The IRC warns the DRC Ebola outbreak is “likely far worse” than official figures suggest — only 20% of contacts are being traced, meaning health authorities are largely flying blind on new transmission chains.
The outbreak may have been spreading undetected since before March — up to three months before it was officially confirmed in mid-May — with diagnostic shortages and testing backlogs further obscuring the true scale.
At least nine travel-related cases have already reached Uganda, with one death; the IRC fears spread to Burundi and South Sudan.
A critical complication: there is no approved vaccine for this strain — the Bundibugyo virus — though CEPI has urgently activated development of three candidates from IAVI, Moderna, and Oxford.
Scientists charged with smuggling deactivated mpox virus into US (USA Today)
Two NIH researchers at Montana’s Rocky Mountain Biosafety Level 4 laboratory were charged with smuggling 113 vials — 17 containing deactivated mpox virus — from Congo on a packed commercial Delta flight, then lying to customs agents who asked what was in the large black case they were carrying.
The researchers, Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe, were stopped in January at Detroit Metro Airport after a flight originating in Brazzaville, Congo, where an mpox outbreak was actively occurring.
The deactivated virus poses no infection risk, but the method of transport — a commercial airliner with no biosafety precautions — is what prompted charges; both face up to five years in prison.
Tech
The US Has a Plan to Combat Screwworm. It Involves a Lot More Flies (Wired)
Flesh-eating New World screwworm has been confirmed in a Texas calf — the first US case since the pest was eradicated here in 1966, after breaking through the Darién Gap barrier that had kept it contained to Central America.
Before eradication, screwworms killed hundreds of thousands of US cattle annually — and with the US herd already at a 75-year low, a new outbreak could devastate beef prices and the broader agricultural economy.
The USDA needs 400 million sterile flies per week to beat it back; they can currently only produce 100 million per week, with a Mexican facility coming online this summer and a $750 million Texas facility not ready until November 2027.
Since 2023, there have been at least 2,070 human cases in Mexico and Central America — it can infect people, not just livestock.
Debugging: Google requests permission to release 32m mosquitoes in California and Florida (Guardian)
Google has asked the EPA for permission to release up to 32 million sterile male mosquitoes in California and Florida over two years, as part of its “Debug” program to suppress disease-spreading mosquito populations.
The method: male mosquitoes infected with a naturally occurring bacteria called wolbachia can’t produce viable offspring with wild females — shrinking the population each generation without pesticides.
It’s already working: Singapore achieved 80-90% suppression of the target mosquito species and a 70%+ reduction in dengue cases after 6-12 months of releases.
The public comment period ends June 5; the EPA will then decide whether to approve the experimental use permit.
Indiana Tech:
Caught on camera: Shelbyville mayor insinuates citizens opposing data centers are poor renters in ‘sh***y houses’ (FOX59)
Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson was caught on camera telling a group of women that “No Data Centers” yard signs only appear in “sh***y houses” — and when corrected that they’re working-class homes, doubled down: “Most of them are rentals so… very, very unkempt.”
His non-apology statement said he “regrets that his choice of words may have caused offense” and claimed he was only referring to property maintenance, not people’s character.
The city council approved a plan to turn 429 acres of Shelbyville farmland into an 11-building data center complex in April — over the objections of more than 2,000 petition signers and a room full of angry constituents.
The contempt on display fits a pattern across central Indiana: community leaders approving billion-dollar data center projects while dismissing or ignoring the public opposition to them.
Indianapolis City-County Council adopts proposal to remove councilors’ home addresses from public disclosure statements (FOX59)
The Indianapolis City-County Council voted to remove councilors’ home addresses from required public ethics disclosure forms, one month after shots were fired into the home of Councilor Ron Gibson — who had supported the controversial Martindale-Brightwood data center — with a “no data centers” note left on his doorstep.
Media
60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley accuses Bari Weiss of ‘murdering’ show (Guardian)
Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley confronted CBS management in a staff meeting Monday, saying of Bari Weiss: “She’s murdering 60 Minutes. She was brought in to kill it and is doing exactly that.” The assembled staff gave him a standing ovation.
Fired correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi — whose El Salvador prison segment Weiss shelved — said “the wall between editorial independence and corporate interest at CBS is being methodically torn down.”
Fired correspondent Cecilia Vega went further, alleging “efforts to insert political bias into our stories” and calling it “censorship, both imposed and self-driven — dangerous for the show and dangerous for democracy.”
Pelley’s future at the show is now in question, though the network is reportedly making overtures to keep him
Scott Pelley Fired From ‘60 Minutes’ Following Explosive Showdown With New Boss (HuffPost)
Scott Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes on Tuesday, the day after he publicly called Bari Weiss a murderer of the show — summoned into a meeting with Weiss, new EP Nick Bilton, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, and an HR rep.
Bilton’s termination email called Monday’s all-hands confrontation “an ambush” and “a performative display of hostility,” saying Pelley had “hijacked” his first staff meeting to “disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions.”
Pelley told the Times before being fired that he’d been pressured to insert bias into his stories, calling “the collapse of values at the top” untenable — and afterward: “I have been in combat in Afghanistan. I have been in combat in Iraq. I have been in the war zone in Ukraine multiple times, risking my life because of my devotion to the broadcast.”
Current and former CBS staffers sent a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison warning that the firings “put the legacy of 60 Minutes in jeopardy”; former EP Bill Owens, who left over editorial independence concerns, said he “couldn’t be prouder” of Pelley.
Sports
It’s Indiana: Bears’ board of directors votes to push stadium to Hammond (Sun-Times)
The Chicago Bears’ board of directors voted to advance their stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana — the most concrete step yet toward the team leaving Illinois after a five-year stadium saga.
Indiana lured them with a sweetheart deal: the Bears keep all stadium revenue, contribute $2 billion, and can buy the stadium back for $1 after 40 years when Indiana taxpayers have paid off the bonds.
Gov. Braun celebrated with a reference to the ‘85 Bears defense; Illinois officials insist it’s not over, noting the Bears don’t even have a final Hammond site yet — but the clock is ticking if construction is to start next spring for a 2031 opening.
A league source said there is “still a lot of ballgame left to play” for Illinois — if the state can find a way to give the Bears property tax certainty on their 326-acre Arlington Heights site, that option stays alive. The Bears’ statement pointedly did not say Illinois was off the table, and Bears officials told Illinois lawmakers they looked forward to continuing to work together.
