US/World News
Iran
Expanding War
Trump’s war with Iran is expanding. Will others join the fight? (The Hill)
US Gulf allies including Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait have come under attack by Iranian drone & missile strikes.
Kuwait shoots down US jets in friendly-fire incident, US CENTCOM says (Reuters)
NATO shot down a missile that entered Türkiye’s airspace.
Azerbaijan threatened retaliation after Iranian drones struck near the Nakhchivan airport, though Tehran denied responsibility. (Axios)
US Sub Sinks Iranian Frigate, First Torpedo Kill Since WWII (Military.com)
Ship had been participating in multinational exercises with Indian Navy off the coast of Sri Lanka (including American personnel)
Experts raise concerns over ‘war of attrition’ with missile stockpiles (ABC)
Hegseth says US has enough munitions to continue Iran war ‘as long as we need to’ (ABC)
Iran may be seeking to deplete expensive and time-dependent missiles and interceptors with swarms of cheap drones.
Unprepared for Iranian drones, U.S. and partners seek Ukraine’s help (WaPo)
Ukraine now has four years of experience combating Iranian-made Shahed drones, used by Russia in their war – “drones that are manufactured on a mass scale by Iran and Russia, evade radar by flying at slow speeds low to the ground and can be launched by the hundreds without need for conspicuous staging platforms”
The only lethal strike on US forces so far came in a drone attack on Kuwait.
Iran receiving intelligence support from Russia, officials say (PBS)
Russia is reportedly sharing real-time satellite data detailing the location and movement of US troops and equipment – the first time they’ve provided such information to Iran.
Trump says he must be involved in picking Iran’s next leader (Axios)
Even as the Islamic Republic is expected to name Khamanei’s son Mojtaba as the new Supreme Leader imminently…
“President Trump told Axios in an interview Thursday that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader — just as he was in Venezuela.”
Trump has privately shown serious interest in U.S. ground troops in Iran (NBC)
Have not focused on a large-scale ground invasion, but a small contingent of special forces
Trump said in an interview with NY Post, “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground.”
Idea is to replicate the situation in post-Maduro Venezuela and secure nuclear material
CIA working to arm Kurdish forces to spark uprising in Iran (CNN)
Administration has been in discussions with Iranian opposition and Kurdish leaders about providing support
Plan would be for armed Kurds to occupy IRGC, letting Iranian civilians to rise up without getting crushed; or to sow chaos and stretch regime’s resources
US has long history with Kurds in Iraq and Syria
Israel’s Role
Hezbollah said to have launched drone that struck UK RAF airbase in Cyprus (Guardian)
Israel warns Lebanon of ‘heavy price’ as bombardment pounds Beirut suburbs (CNBC)
Israeli strikes have killed more than 200 and displaced 300K people.
Graham Brags About How He Manipulated Trump Into War (Daily Beast)
Graham made several trips to Israel over the last several weeks, speaking with their intelligence community and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying “they’ll tell me things our own government won’t tell me.”
Along with a former Bush speechwriter and a retired general turned Fox News contributor, Graham was perhaps the most prominent voice in Trump’s ear pushing for conflict.
Rubio’s war remarks blow open MAGA’s Israel divide (Axios)
Remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Israel walked the US into this war, that they planned on striking first, and the US went along to prevent retaliatory attacks against American assets in the region.
“America First” MAGA influencers Matt Walsh, Mike Cernovich, Megyn Kelly, Erik Prince, and Steve Bannon all expressed doubts about the necessity of the conflict.
U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus (Jonathan Larsen)
According to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the organization has been “inundated” with messages by concerned members of the armed services complaining of commanding officers injecting apocalyptic Christian theology into their statements to troops.
One commander is claimed to have said that President Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”
How the Iran war is underpinned by ‘end times’ religious fervour in Washington and Tehran (Independent)
SecDef Pete Hegseth is an ardent Christian fundamentalist, who wrote a book called “American Crusade,” and sports a Jerusalem cross tattoo.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee supports the “Greater Israel” project (CounterPunch)
Iran’s regime believes the Islamic Republic is necessary to bring about the revelation of the Mahdi (messiah).
Where’s Congress?
Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran war in Congress’ first vote on the conflict (AP)
On Wednesday, Senate voted against war powers resolution 47-53 with Rand Paul (R-KY) joining Democrats in voting for the measure while John Fetterman (D-PA) joined Republicans in opposing the measure.
Would have demanded congressional approval before any further attacks
House rejects Iran war powers measure (Axios)
On Thursday, the House ALSO rejected a war powers resolution 212-219.
Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davison (R-OH) voted with Democrats in support.
Jared Golden (D-ME), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Greg Landsman (D-OH), and Juan Vargas (D-CA) joined Republicans in opposition
Centrist Dems push softer Iran war powers measure (Axios)
Alternative resolution would give administration 30 days to end hostilities, with Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) joining the aforementioned four dems in introducing this half-measure
‘We’re in it’: Democrats won’t rule out giving Trump more money for Middle East war (Politico)
Pentagon could send a supplemental funding request for as much as $50B to Congress as soon as this week
“Good luck. What Democrat is going to vote to fund an illegal war?” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Wednesday.
Well, these Democrats, potentially: Jack Reed (RI), Gary Peters (MI), Tim Kaine (VA) and Elissa Slotkin (MI) aren’t ruling out supporting more spending, with Slotking saying “I mean, we’re in it.”
The Homefront
Poll: A majority of Americans opposes U.S. military action in Iran (NPR)
The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll has 56% of Americans in opposition to the war, with 44% in support.
86% of Dems and 61% of independents oppose
84% of Republicans support
36% approve of Trump’s handling of Iran
55% think Iran represents little or no threat to US
White men w/o college degrees are most likely to support the war
U.S. crude oil sees largest weekly price jump on record (NBC)
US crude jumped 12% Friday alone; up 35% this week; 60% for the year
Gas prices up 14% this week (The Hill)
US stocks slide as stagflation talk emerges (USA Today)
Dow posts worst week in almost a year; into negative territory for 2026
Economy lost 92,000 jobs in February; unemployment rose
Latin America
US launches military operations in Ecuador (Politico)
Joint operations undertaken against drug gangs “designated terrorist organizations” by the US
President Daniel Noboa is a Trump ally
Cuba hit by widespread blackout; Ecuador expels Havana’s ambassador, staff (Al Jazeera)
Ecuador, under pressure from Washington, expelled Cuba’s ambassador from Quito
Power outage has struck most of Cuba Wednesday, leaving two thirds of the country – including Havana – without power
Existing electricity crisis has been exacerbated since US toppled Maduro in Venezuela, whose regime had supplied half of the island’s fuel
Washington has since imposed an oil embargo on Cuba, though it has been eased some in recent days
Trump vows to ‘take care of Cuba,’ praises Venezuela cooperation at summit (NPR)
Trump launched something called the Shield of the Americas Summit at his Doral golf course in South Florida, vowing to “take care of Cuba”
Trump says Cuba negotiating deal with him and Rubio (Reuters)
As Trump says Cuba ‘is going to fall,’ his administration explores criminal charges (NBC)
Just as US officials charged Maduro and his wife with drug conspiracy charges, the Trump administration is also working to manufacture criminal cases against members of Cuba’s ruling party
U.S., Venezuela agree to establish diplomatic relations (AP)
Relations had been cut off since 2019
This follows a series of visits by Trump cabinet secretaries looking to secure access to Venezuela’s natural resources
Trump officials broker massive U.S.-Venezuela gold deal (Axios)
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced a plan to “reform” the country’s mining laws after meeting with US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum Wednesday
The state-owned mining company Minerven signed a deal to sell up to 1000 kilograms of gold to a US commodities trader
Elections
Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas held the first primaries of the 2026 election season
Arkansas Democrats just flipped a Republican seat (The Downballot)
In Arkansas, Democrat Alex Holladay won a special election to replace Republican Carlton Wing in the state’s 70th House District, defeating businessman Bo Renshaw by a 57-43% margin
Wing, who had defeated Holladay by two points in 2024, was appointed head of Arkansas PBS last September
Democrats have flipped 9 seats in state legislative special elections (27 if you include 2025’s VA and NJ legislative races) under Trump while Republicans are at zero (NBC)
Democrats are running 13 points ahead of 2024 results on average
Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley clinch US Senate in North Carolina, setting up high-stakes fall fight (AP)
In North Carolina, former two-term Democratic governor Roy Cooper won his primary for US Senate, advancing to take on Trump-endorsed former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley in a race to replace the retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has become an outspoken Trump critic in his lame duck era.
Talarico wins Texas Senate Democratic nomination while Cornyn and Paxton head to Republican runoff (AP)
In the Texas Republican senatorial primary, incumbent John Cornyn has been forced into a runoff against state Attorney General and MAGA extremist Ken Paxton, who was previously impeached (though acquitted) on corruption charges and accused of infidelity by his State Senator wife.
On the Democratic side, State Rep. James Talarico defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett outright, securing 52% of the vote in a three-way race
In Dallas County, frustration and confusion after GOP forces switch to precinct-based voting (Texas Tribune)
In Dallas, county Republicans opted to abandon countywide vote centers in favor of precinct-based voting - forcing Democrats to do the same.
This caused hundreds of voters to be disenfranchised. Having been turned away and redirected, many voters were unable to meet the 7pm deadline. A court ordered polls to remain open until 9pm, but the Texas Supreme Court stayed the order, rendering those votes cast after 7:00 invalid
Texas primary voters smash recent midterm turnout records (Texas Tribune)
Despite the hiccups in Dallas, the state recorded record-high turnout for a primary.
24% of all registered Texas voters participated this year, compared to 17-18% in 2018 and 2022 midterms.
More Democrats turned out than Republicans for the first time since 2020, which is notable since that year Democrats had a presidential primary driving turnout
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas ends reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide (NPR)
Meet Brandon Hererra, Republicans’ new nominee for Congress. (TNR)
Gonzales dropped his bid in Texas 23rd Congressional District Thursday after pressure from leadership after admitting to an affair with one of his staffers, who later killed herself.
Gonzales had been forced into a runoff by challenger Brandon Herrera, a gun-nut YouTuber who goes by “The AK Guy”
Herrera has bragged about owning a copy of Mein Kampf, filmed himself goose-stepping to a Nazi marching song, expressed sympathy for white Rhodesian colonizers, and referred to the Civil War as “the war of Northern aggression” while wearing a confederate flag shirt.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw ousted by primary challenger to his right (Politico)
The far-right Crenshaw lost by 15 points to the Ted Cruz-backed State Rep. Steve Toth, who claimed the four-term incumbent wasn’t MAGA enough.
Crenshaw, a Navy SEAL who lost an eye in Afghanistan, had the temerity to criticize Trump for refusing to admit defeat in 2020. Apparently the guy with the eyepatch wasn’t ‘R’ enough.
Sen. Steve Daines announces he will not seek reelection (Politico)
The two-term Montana Senator announced his decision minutes before the state’s filing deadline Tuesday, endorsing US Attorney Kurt Alme.
Republican representative Darrell Issa of California says he will not run for re-election (Guardian)
Issa’s district was redrawn after the passage of Prop 50, California’s redistricting measure
Older Dems “pissed off” at talk of generational change (Axios)
Back to Texas – one of the reasons Crockett ran for Senate was that her district was essentially drawn away by that state’s Trump-requested gerrymander, the opening gambit in the redistricting arms race.
Other Texas Democratic Congress members found themselves lumped into the same district, like Al Green, 78, forced into a primary against 37-year-old Christian Menefee. Tuesday, Menefee bested Green 46-44%, forcing a May runoff.
But in more traditional primaries, many older Democratic incumbents are facing younger primary challengers, and several of them are telling the kids to get off their lawn.
According to Axios, the anti-incumbency sentiment in the party is “pissing off” the old guard. Given their advanced age, this could have multiple meanings - I suppose it “Depends” on the context.
These Far-Right Conspiracists Are Pushing Trump to Take Control of Voting (Mother Jones)
A 17-page executive order calling for Trump to declare a national emergency and seize vast power over elections is circulating in the MAGA orbit.
Based on the false claim China interfered in the 2020 election
Seeks to drastically reduce mail-in voting, ban voting machines in favor of hand counting, void state voter rolls and force all Americans to re-register to vote in person, mandate voters re-verify their status before every election, order all absentee ballots be notarized, and require strict voter ID and proof of citizenship
The statutes cited in the memo DO NOT give the president over voting, a power granted to the states in the constitution
Trump attorney Peter Ticktin – who’s been suspended twice from the Florida bar – and right-wing conspiracist Jerome Corsi are behind the order, with amplification by the likes of Steve Bannon, who has repeatedly called for this scenario on his “War Room” podcast over the last several weeks.
ICE/DHS
Bodycam video contradicts ICE claims in fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez in Texas (CBS)
Video of a fatal shooting in March 2025 of American citizen Ruben Ray Martinez by an ICE agent contradicts claims that he was shot because he attempted to run over another agent.
ICE didn’t even acknowledge one of their agents shot Martinez until this February, weeks after they used the same excuse in killing Minneapolis mother Renee Good.
Family of detainee who died under ICE custody says he was denied medical care (Guardian)
Last month in California, a Mexican man – Alberto Gutierrez Reyes – died in ICE custody after being denied medical treatment.
Reyes is the 9th known death in ICE custody this year
Noem fends off attacks from left and right in heated hearing (The Hill)
Tuesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced aggressive questioning from both sides of the aisle in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee
Democrats pressed her on false assertions that Good and fellow Minnesota ICE victim Alex Pretti were “domestic terrorists.”
Republican Thom Tillis dragged Noem for a solid 10 minutes while Louisiana GOP Senator John Kennedy questioned her $220M ad budget
Both sides questioned the agency’s over-aggressive posture and tactics
House Dems press Noem on immigration enforcement efforts (ABC)
The next day, on the other side of the Capitol, Noem faced grilling from the House Judiciary Committee
Rep. Pramila Jayapal highlighted at least 18 instances of US citizens being detained.
Internal DHS watchdog: Noem is obstructing our work (Politico)
Noem also took criticism from within her department, with DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari blaming the agency of “systematically obstructing” investigations by denying access to records and revoking the IG’s access to internal databases.
Trump fires Kristi Noem as DHS chief, names Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her (NPR)
By Thursday, Noem was out.
Trump fired her as DHS Secretary, reassigning her as Special Envoy of the Shield of the Americas, and announced she will be replaced by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin
Mullin, a former MMA fighter with a reputation as one of Congress’ dumbest members, is smart enough to scheme – he has faced scrutiny for insider trading and conflict of interest.
DOJ/Epstein
DOJ says it will keep defending Trump’s attacks on law firms, 24 hours after saying it wouldn’t (Politico)
Judges last year struck down Trump executive orders seeking to punish law firms associated with his critics.
DOJ appealed those losses and was set deliver opening remarks this week, but declared it intended to withdraw that appeal on Monday.
Hours later, they reversed course and told the court they intend to continue the appeal.
Justice Dept., Under Pressure From Trump, Fails to Build Autopen Case Against Biden (NYT)
Trump ordered DOJ to pursue a case against Biden aides regarding the former use of the autopen in signing presidential documents.
DOJ failed to build such a case, and it was quietly abandoned by prosecutors at the US Attorney’s office in Washington
US Attorney for the District, former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, has failed to obtain indictments in several high-profile cases ver recent months.
House Oversight Committee votes to subpoena Bondi over handling of Epstein investigation (ABC)
A bipartisan group of representatives on the House Oversight committee voted to indict the Attorney General over her handling of the Epstein case.
DOJ has STILL failed to release “all relevant material” related to the late convicted child trafficker - about 3 million pages of documents remain outstanding
The motion was introduced by Nancy Mace (R-SC) and four other Republicans joined her in voting with Democrats to pursue the subpoena — Boebert-CO, Burchett-TN, Cloud-TX, and Perry-PA
Howard Lutnick to ‘appear voluntarily’ before House panel probing Epstein (ABC)
Commerce Secretary has agreed go appear before the House Oversight committee regarding his relationship with Epstein
The men were neighbors for 10+ years
Lutnick denied having any relationship with Epstein after 2005, but files released by DOJ have proven that statement to be false
Justice Department publishes documents with sexual assault allegations against Trump (Politico)
DOJ released transcripts of three previously missing interviews with a woman who accuses Donald Trump of having sexually and physically assaulted her as a minor in the early 1980’s
The woman was found credible enough for FBI to have interviewed her four times in 2019
Independent journalist Roger Sollenberger discovered DOJ had withheld three of the four interviews - confirmed by (NPR)
Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI goes on defense as Anthropic surges after Pentagon fallout (The Hill)
Uninstalls of ChatGPT app rose 295% last week, while Anthropic’s Claude hit #1 on the App Store
Anthropic says the Pentagon has declared it a national security risk (NBC)
Following up on a threat last week from SecDef Pete Hegseth, Anthropic was labeled a “supply-chain risk to national security”
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to allow their product to be used for autonomous weapons or mass domestic surveillance
OpenAI moved into the void left when Trump declared Claude be removed from government computers
OpenAI, Pentagon add more surveillance protections to AI deal (Axios)
In response to criticism and user abandonment, Open AI CEO Sam Altman rushed to social media touting amendments to their agreement with DoD limiting domestic surveillance
Sam Altman admits OpenAI can’t control Pentagon’s use of AI (Guardian)
But Altman also told employees of the company that there isn’t much they can do to limit how the Pentagon uses their tool.
ChatGPT Health ‘under-triaged’ half of medical emergencies in a new study (NBC)
In a study published last week in the journal Nature Medicine, ChatGPT’s health-focused chatbot underestimated the severity of medical emergencies more than half the time.
In scenarios where a real doctor recommended an ER visit, the AI recommended seeing a doctor within 24-48 hours.
Conversely, the chatbot over-triaged non-urgent cases, recommending doctor’s appointments when at-home care was sufficient.
Exclusive: Researchers trick a bot that prescribes meds (Axios)
In December, the state of Utah began allowing patients to renew medications though an AI system from tech startup Doctronic.
Researchers were able to convince Doctronic’s public chatbot to accept COVID misinformation, triple the dose of OxyContin, and reclassify methamphetamine as an “unrestricted therapeutic.”
Utah uses a non-public, more strictly-regulated version of the technology
Schools are using AI counselors to track students’ mental health. Is it safe? (Guardian)
AI therapy platform Alongside has been adopted by more than 200 schools nationwide to help students navigate routine emotional problems, alerting counselors to more severe cases
Critics worry about accuracy and privacy concerns
What to Know About Trump’s AI Deal (Politico)
Wednesday, the White House announced Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI, and Amazon signed onto the president’s non-binding “ratepayer protection pledge,” agreeing to front the costs for increased energy infrastructure and increasing hiring and training in communities where their data centers are located
Trump vowed to speed up approval for power plants, though this is primarily a state issue
Increased power demand by data centers is driving up the prices for equipment, raw materials, and labor — costs which are ultimately passed onto consumers
Indiana News
The Crossroads
AI
Monrovia neighbors near Google data center are skeptical of big tech pledge to pay energy costs (WTHR)
Residents of Monrovia – where Google is building a massive new data center campus — are skeptical of the ratepayer pledge, with their utility bills already going through the roof.
Google files for IDEM air permit for 179 diesel generators at Monrovia data center. (CAC)
And furthermore, what does that power generation look like?
Ben Inskeep of Citizens Action Coalition is reporting that Google has filed an application with IDEM for an air permit for 179 diesel generators and an equal number of diesel storage tanks at its Monrovia site.
Department of Metropolitan Development Commission approves delay in zoning decision for Metrobloks data center (WRTV)
And the data center fight isn’t limited to rural areas. Residents of the historically-Black Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in Indianapolis have also been trying to fight off a data center – and the diesel generators that could pollute their community.
Wednesday, the Department of Metropolitan Development Commission delayed a zoning decision on the proposed development by LA-based Metrobloks.
‘The public isn’t my boss’: Zoning official’s comments don’t sit right with community (Mirror Indy)
Last month,Department of Metropolitan Development hearing examiner Judy Weerts Hall recommended approval of the project, telling community members, “the public isn’t my boss.”
Though her position is that of an independent contractor, she is paid via taxpayer dollars.
Hogsett’s economic development org supports Metrobloks data center (Mirror Indy)
One man who can’t say the same thing is Mayor Joe Hogsett – who, at least theoretically - IS directly accountable to the people.
Though the mayor has not publicly taken a position on data centers like the one in question, Indianapolis Economic Development Inc – a nonprofit established by his administration, chaired by Hogsett, and helmed by his hand-picked leader – announced their support for the project in an undated, unsigned letter.
EPA approves carbon storage project in Randolph County (WTHR)
All these data centers spewing CO2 into the atmosphere in the middle of a climate crisis? It’s okay – unproven carbon capture and storage technology will save us, right?
The EPA issued a permit for One Carbon Partnership to inject up to 13.5M metric tons of carbon dioxide underground in Randolph County over the next 30 years.
Immigration
Marion County detained over 1,000 immigrants for ICE last year (WFYI)
WFYI obtained data from the Marion County Sheriff’s office showing the jail held over 1000 people on behalf of ICE in 2025.
Indiana law requires localities to honor ICE detainer requests, which asks jails to hold individuals – who would have otherwise been released – for up to 48 hours.
On average, people were held by the sheriff’s office for 22 days
Graduate workers demand IU become sanctuary campus (IPM)
Students at IU Bloomington are demanding the university refuse to cooperate with ICE, in violation of recently passed SB76, which mandates government entities like IU assist federal authorities.
IGWC members are requesting the university maintain communication with international students and establish safety protocols informing them of immigration enforcement activities on campus
E-Verify requirements draw business pushback in some Republican states (ICC)
It’s not just those liberal college students pushing back on the immigration crackdown.
Many businesses are asking GOP-led states to ease off plans requiring all employers to check legal employment status before hiring workers.
Industry groups have complained about the cost of compliance and the loss of easily-exploitable, cheap immigrant labor.
AES/Blackrock
AES Indiana’s parent company to go private in BlackRock-led $33B deal (ICC)
AES – the parent company of Central Indiana’s electric provider – has agreed to be purchased for $33B by Blackrock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners.
The new owners would take the company private, buying out existing shareholders.
They say the change would not impact customer rates, but Congressman Andre Carson lambasted the move saying, “private firms having a stake in public utilities – an essential service – will put profits over people.”
AES Indiana cancels first Indianapolis community open house due to threats (WFYI)
AES had planned three community open houses to give customers an opportunity to connect with staff, but canceled Tuesday evening’s event due to what they say were “numerous severe, violent threats across social media.”
AES cancels remaining community open houses citing online threats (FOX59)
Friday, the canceled the two events planned for next week.
AES Indiana responds to concerns about high winter electric bills (WTHR)
I can’t imagine why people would be pissed. As bills spiked this winter, AES blamed individual customers for increased usage, encouraging them to review their energy usage online and “discover ways to save.”
Christian Nationalism
Indiana court blocks abortion law in ACLU religious freedom case (IndyStar)
Thursday, Marion County Superior Court blocked the state from enforcing its near-total abortion ban
The court found the law imposed a “substantial burden” on religious liberty protected by the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act
The ACLU filed a class-action lawsuit in 2022 on behalf of two anonymous women and the group Hoosier Jews for Choice, who assert the ban burdens their ability to obtain an abortion in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs
Attorney General Todd Rokita has already filed an appeal (WISH)
Brownsburg schools pays $650,000 to former teacher who refused to use trans students’ preferred names, pronouns (FOX59)
On the other end of the spectrum, a big court loss for religious sanity as Brownsburg Community School Corporation has agreed to settle a lawsuit with former music teacher John Kluge.
Kluge refused to use students’ preferred pronouns in violation of district protocol, citing his religious freedom to be an asshole, and resigned rather than follow policy.
He then sued the district along with Christian Nationalist lawfare organization Alliance Defending Freedom
Faith leaders, separation of church-state advocates raise concerns about Braun’s faith-based initiative (Indiana Citizen)
Gov. Braun issued an executive order last month creating a Faith-Based Institutions Initiative led by LG Micah Beckwith.
Many religious leaders and First Amendment advocates are concerned with the program.
How Micah Beckwith’s legislative agenda fared at the Statehouse (Indiana Citizen)
Fortunately, most of Beckwith’s statehouse priorities failed
While the virulently anti-immigrant SB 76, as well as bills related to doxxing and child-grooming – ironically, given his associations – pass the legislature, most of the high-profile bills Beckwith supported fell short.
This included a bill calling for firing squads, one criminalizing abortion medication, an anti-trans bill, and proposals to display the Ten Commandments in public schools
Law/Policy
Gov. Mike Braun signs 80 bills into law (IndyStar)
IGA recap with MADVoters (PIN)
Braun has indicated he will not veto any bills passed by the legislature
Only two bills on Braun’s desk remain unsigned at: one extending the state’s syringe exchange program and another banning crypto kiosks
New laws include:
SEA 1 — makes Medicaid and SNAP enrollment even more difficult than Trump’s OBBA requires
SEA 285 — criminalizes homelessness
SEA 76 — mandates “cooperation” with ICE by localities and schools under threat of financial penalties
SEA 78 — bans cell phones in schools from bell to bell
HEA 1443 — gives Indiana National Guard policing powers
Indiana Supreme Court upholds COVID-19 immunity for hospitals in patient death case (ICC)
Court ruled hospitals and other medical providers cannot be held liable for complications that developed while treating COVID during the declared pandemic emergency
Even cases of medical negligence, if committed during the emergency, found exempt from liability
State and federal laws passed during the pandemic widely shielded providers from lawsuits
Indiana opens applications for rural health grants in partial offset of federal Medicaid cuts (ICC)
State introduced $120M GROW grant program after receiving $200+ million in funding from $50B federal Rural Health Transformation Program
Meant to offset some of the Medicaid cuts mandated by OBBA
OBBA is expected to reduce Medicaid spending by $900B+ over 10 years
Indiana will be split into eight regions which must compete for grant money
Elections
Trump-backed challengers to Indiana senators make White House trip (ICC)
Six State Senate candidates looking to replace redistricting opponents met Trump at the White House Wednesday, accompanied by US Senator Jim Banks
This includes Bluffton City Councilman Blake Fiechter, who announced two weeks ago he was ending his campaign, but has since re-entered the race
Braun ally asks court to remove a same-last name challenger from primary ballot (ICC)
Vigo County Council member Brenda Wilson, challenging incumbent Greg Goode, was one of those present in Washington on Wednesday
Ultra-conservative Terre Haute attorney Jim Bopp, mastermind behind Citizens United, is asking a judge to remove Alexandra Wilson from the ballot because she plead guilty to resisting law enforcement as a 19-year old in 2010.
Bopp considers Alexandra Wilson’s candidacy a ploy by Goode allies to confuse voters.
Indiana Secretary of State accused of violating campaign law, banned from local election center (IndyStar)
In a 2025 video announcing his reelection campaign, Secretary of State Diego Morales was pictured in the Marion County election center.
According to the Marion County Election Board, this is a violation of “state ethics law that says a state officer cannot use state materials, money, staff or property for anything other than “official state business.”
The board has no authority to prosecute a violation of state code, so they referred the case to investigators, but they did vote to ban Morales from their premises for the rest year to avoid a repeat incident.
Ballard Poll Tests an Independent Lane in Secretary of State Race (Indy Politics)
Former Republican Indianapolis Mayor Gregory Ballard is exploring an independent run for Secretary of State
A survey conducted late last year showed Ballard receiving nearly 24% of the vote in a hypothetical three-way race with incumbent Morales and Democratic establishment favorite Beau Bayh
Bayh 31.5%
Morales 28.5%
Ballard 23.8%
Undecided 16%
The poll shows Ballard leading among voter age 18-34
A statewide independent candidate would need to gather roughly 37K signatures from across the state
Other news
Lou Holtz, legendary Notre Dame football coach, dead at 89 (South Bend Tribune)
Holtz led Notre Dame to 1988 college football national championship, coaching in South Bend for 11 seasons
Holtz also coached William & Mary (69-71), NC State (72-75), Arkansas (77-83), Minnesota (84-85) and South Carolina (99-04)
Holtz was forced out at Arkansas in 1983 after filming two TV commercials supporting notorious racist Republican Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina, whom Holtz at befriended while at NC State. (NYT)
Holtz’s legacy clouded by support for Donald Trump (FW Star-Telegram)
