SUMMARY:
On a Sunday morning just days before Indiana’s 2026 primary, Scott is joined by Fort Wayne state house candidate Sharon Wight and Indianapolis artist and political content creator Fred Miller for a wide-ranging look at a week in which American democracy appeared to be losing on almost every front simultaneously. The show opens with the White House Correspondents Dinner assassination attempt, dissecting both the security failures and the Trump administration’s opportunistic strongman response — from the FCC going after ABC’s broadcast licenses to the DOJ’s second indictment of James Comey, all set against the backdrop of 42 House Democrats handing the administration a blank check for warrantless surveillance. The conversation moves through King Charles’s pointed address to Congress, the ongoing Iran war and its devastating economic fallout for Indiana farmers and drivers, and the Supreme Court’s 6-3 gutting of the Voting Rights Act — a ruling Scott frames as the culmination of Chief Justice Roberts’s 40-year project. The Indiana half of the show covers SNAP cuts alongside Indianapolis becoming a federal food program hub, marijuana legalization signals from Governor Braun, Medicaid work requirement hypocrisy, Indiana’s HIV testing program being quietly shuttered, AI data center fights in Indianapolis and a proposed quarry threatening Fort Wayne’s Eagle Marsh, Mayor Hogsett’s scandal-plagued legacy and a cocaine-on-the-campaign-trail story from a Democratic state senate primary, Indiana’s primary election mechanics and the independent candidacy of Greg Ballard, tornado season and the defunding of the National Weather Service, and a federal mob gambling ring takedown called Operation Porterhouse Parlay with tentacles reaching into organized labor and, potentially, the Indiana Democratic Party.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00:34 Introduction and Housekeeping
00:04:18 White House Correspondents Dinner Assassination Attempt
00:11:06 Trump’s Strongman Response: FCC, ABC, and Comey
00:17:20 Political Speech, Self-Censorship, and the Chilling Effect
00:21:01 Trump’s Cult of Personality: Passports, Dollar Bills, and Court Defiance
00:23:04 Mifepristone, FISA 702, and Frank Mrvan
00:29:28 King Charles Addresses Congress
00:35:13 The Iran War: Ceasefire, Troop Withdrawals, and War Powers
00:42:09 Economic Fallout: OPEC, Gas Prices, and Indiana Farmers
00:49:12 National Electoral Landscape: Maine, Virginia, and the Voting Rights Act
00:59:27 The Crossroads: Indianapolis as a SNAP Hub
01:04:43 SNAP Cuts, Christian Nationalism, and Blessings in a Backpack
01:09:24 Marijuana Legalization in Indiana
01:16:14 Medicaid Work Requirements and the HIV Testing Program
01:23:52 AI Data Centers, the Irvington Forum, and the Fort Wayne Quarry
01:32:59 Indianapolis Mayor Hogsett’s Record and the Marion County Machine
01:37:06 Election Reform and Greg Ballard’s Independent Run
01:40:44 Indiana Primary Preview: Republican Senate Infighting and a Democrat’s coked-up canvassing misadventure
01:45:54 Tornado Season and the Defunding of the National Weather Service
01:49:39 Operation Porterhouse Parlay: Gambling, Organized Labor, and Lake County Democrats
01:56:43 Closing and Guest Plugs
IN DEPTH:
WHCD Shooting
Suspect charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at press dinner (Guardian)
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance CA, charged with attempted presidential assassination, firearms transport, and unlawful discharge — first charge carries potential life sentence.
Armed with shotgun, pistol, and three knives; shot one officer in the chest (vest saved him); Allen was tackled before reaching the ballroom where Trump, Vance, Hegseth, and Rubio were attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Manifesto sent to family before attack called Trump “a pedophile, rapist, and traitor” and listed administration officials as targets “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest” — Patel notably excluded.
Allen traveled by train from California, checked into the Washington Hilton as a guest, and has no prior criminal record; motive not yet established, not cooperating with investigators.
WHCD shooting exposed MAGA media’s secret social media operation (Salon)
Within minutes of the attack, MAGA officials and influencers — Todd Blanche, Pam Bondi, Mike Johnson — all independently arrived at the same conclusion: Trump needs his $400 million White House ballroom. The speed and uniformity was the tell.
A former MAGA influencer claims the messaging was coordinated through group chats, including one called “Fight Fight Fight” — her account aligns with what was observable in real time.
The same machinery then pivoted to manufacturing outrage: Ben Stiller’s Knicks victory post and AOC’s condemnation of violence were both reframed as pro-assassination messaging.
Meanwhile 300,000 posts claiming the attack was “staged” appeared on X by Sunday midday — a hall of mirrors where coordinated MAGA messaging on one side met conspiratorial pattern-seeking on the other.
Reporters covered the correspondents’ dinner shooting in real time. Conspiracy theories still spread (AP)
Staged shooting conspiracy theories flooded the internet within minutes despite hundreds of professional journalists live-reporting from the scene — facts didn’t prevent the rumors, they just gave people breadcrumbs to misinterpret.
Key fuel for the theories: Leavitt’s pre-dinner “shots fired” quip, Vance being escorted out first, and MAGA’s instant pivot to the ballroom agenda.
University of Maryland researcher Jen Golbeck: conspiracy theories thrive not despite available information but because of it — the flood of contradictory real-time updates pushes people toward simplified narratives.
Emily Vraga, a professor at the University of Minnesota who studies political misinformation, said that sometimes more information is not necessarily better, especially in such a polarized time when people can pick and choose the facts they like and assemble their own narrative puzzles: “Meaning doesn’t have to be tied to reality.”
Fascism Watch
Trump lashes out at ‘60 Minutes’ anchor for reading alleged gunman’s manifesto (Politico)
O’Donnell read the shooter’s manifesto aloud — “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes” — and Trump immediately assumed it was directed at him, volunteering “I’m not a rapist” and “I’m not a pedophile” before anyone said it was about him.
O’Donnell hadn’t mentioned Epstein; Trump brought the association himself, then declared he’d been “totally exonerated.”
Trump called O’Donnell “horrible people” and “a disgrace” for reading a public court document into the record — a notable response from a president who had just expressed solidarity with the press corps who’d shared the panic with him hours earlier.
Deranged Trump Rants Edited Out of 60 Minutes Interview After Shooting (TNR)
CBS’s 60 Minutes aired a heavily edited version of Trump’s post-WHCD shooting interview, cutting his claim that the No Kings protests are funded “just like the SPLC was funded” to finance the KKK — and his assertion that Charlottesville was a “Southern Law deal” staged to make him look bad, at an event where actual neo-Nazis marched.
Also cut: an incoherent answer connecting transgender issues, men in women’s sports, and emptying mental institutions to explain why people want to assassinate him.
Trump falsely claimed CBS paid him $38 million in their settlement — the actual figure was $16 million to his presidential library, not to him personally.
Decoding Fox News’ framing: the edits don’t protect Trump — they actually obscure how incoherent the unedited answers were.
Melania Trump calls for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired after ‘expectant widow’ joke in WHCD skit (Politico)
Trump and Melania both called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel Monday over a pre-shooting parody monologue in which he joked Melania had “a glow like an expectant widow” — a joke delivered two days before the WHCD shooting.
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” she said in a statement Monday. “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”
The jokes were part of a fake WHCD monologue Kimmel recorded Thursday; the actual dinner hired a mentalist, not a comedian, this year.
Kimmel’s show was already briefly pulled by Sinclair and Nexstar last September after comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing — the FCC, which has been threatening broadcaster licenses under Trump, didn’t respond to comment requests.
The pressure campaign fits a pattern: Trump has long targeted late-night hosts, and FCC chair Brendan Carr has been actively exploring ways to strip licenses from networks critical of the president.
FCC orders early license renewal for ABC stations following Kimmel’s first lady joke (NPR)
FCC ordered Disney/ABC to file early license renewals for its 8 TV stations within 30 days — licenses not due until 2028 — directly after Trump and Melania called for Kimmel’s firing over the “expectant widow” joke.
FCC chair Carr didn’t mention Kimmel specifically, instead citing Disney’s DEI policies — thin cover for what the lone Democratic commissioner called “the most egregious First Amendment violation this FCC has taken to date.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “The FCC has just pulled out a sword to hang over every single news organization in America.”
First Amendment attorney Andrew Schwartzman: Carr “knows full well he lacks any legitimate legal basis” — this is harassment designed to intimidate, not regulation; the process could take years and ultimately cost broadcasters their licenses.
Leavitt threatens press freedom in press conference (Heather Delaney Reese)
Leavitt returned from the start of maternity leave to deliver a press conference arguing that calling Trump a fascist is “indistinguishable” from the shooter’s manifesto — using the legal term “slander” deliberately, laying groundwork for treating political dissent as actionable.
She read a list of Democratic officials by name — Jeffries, Warren, Schiff, Shapiro, and others — with decontextualized quotes attached, handing a target list to the most radicalized Trump supporters while making no mention of Trump’s own years of “vermin,” “enemies of the state,” and January 6th rhetoric.
Jeffries fired back directly: “This so-called White House press secretary wants to lecture America about civility — get lost and clean up your own house” — noting that a pardoned January 6th insurrectionist had already threatened to kill him.
The author’s framing: this is the administration’s Reichstag moment — using a violent incident to criminalize dissent, in the same playbook used by authoritarian regimes historically. Worth presenting as one perspective, but a sharp one grounded in documented facts.
Trump’s picture is coming to some U.S. passports (NBC)
Trump’s image and gold signature will appear in a limited-edition U.S. passport issued for the 250th anniversary — the State Department couldn’t confirm whether a sitting president has ever appeared in a passport before.
The commemorative passport was exclusively reported by Fox News before the State Department announced it — a tell about who the audience is.
All the Things Trump Has Put His Name and Face on as President (Time)
Trump’s name or face now appears on: passports, dollar bills, gold coins, national park passes, federal agency banners, the Kennedy Center, the Institute of Peace, battleships, a prescription drug website (TrumpRx.gov), and baby investment accounts — a branding campaign that would make a dictator blush.
Several of these are facing legal challenges: the Kennedy Center rename, the national park pass design, and the Institute of Peace takeover are all in court.
The national parks service updated its policy to invalidate passes with stickers covering Trump’s face — a response to park enthusiasts protesting by covering his image.
Historical footnote: this isn’t new behavior — Trump put his name on COVID stimulus checks during his first term too.
Trump flouts lower court rulings in unprecedented display of executive power (AP)
AP review: Trump administration found violating court orders in at least 31 lawsuits in 15 months — about 1 in 8 cases where courts blocked its actions — plus 250+ violations in individual immigration cases; legal scholars say prior administrations averaged a few violations per full term.
Higher courts sided with the administration in nearly half the 31 cases, which critics say is actively rewarding noncompliance — Justice Sotomayor in dissent: “Each time this Court rewards noncompliance, it further erodes respect for courts and the rule of law.”
Judges have been scathing: one called the administration “ham-handed” for trying to “bully the states,” another accused DOJ of “hallucinating new text” in court orders to achieve preferred outcomes.
Georgetown constitutional scholar: “The federal government should be the institution most devoted to the rule of law. When it ceases to feel itself bound, respect for the rule of law is likely to break down across the country.”
Court restricts abortion access across the US by blocking the mailing of mifepristone (NPR)
The 5th Circuit blocked mifepristone from being mailed or prescribed via telemedicine, requiring in-person dispensing only — a ruling that restricts abortion access in every state, including those where it remains legal.
Mail-order mifepristone had become the primary workaround for abortion access since Dobbs, including to women in ban states — this ruling effectively closes that route while the Supreme Court appeal plays out.
The ACLU: rural communities, low-income people, domestic violence survivors, and people with disabilities will bear the heaviest burden.
The Supreme Court unanimously preserved mifepristone access in 2024 but dodged the core issues on standing — Danco Laboratories has already asked the Court for emergency relief, setting up a direct rematch.
Former FBI Director James Comey indicted over alleged ‘threat’ against Trump (CNN)
Trump’s DOJ indicted James Comey for posting a beach photo of seashells spelling “8647” — legal experts call it an almost certain loser, as prosecutors must prove Comey “knowingly and willfully” threatened the president’s life over an ambiguous shell formation he deleted the same day.
This is the second Comey indictment — the first, for lying to Congress, was thrown out because the prosecutor was improperly appointed; the pattern of repeated prosecution is itself grounds for a selective prosecution challenge.
First Amendment scholar Eugene Volokh: “This is not going anywhere. This is clearly not a punishable threat.”
Separately, a judge allowed Comey’s daughter Maurene’s wrongful termination lawsuit to proceed — she was fired two weeks after winning a conviction against Diddy, and alleges it was retaliation for being her father’s daughter. She had also led the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell.
42 House Democrats Join GOP in Passing Warrantless Mass Surveillance Bill (Truthout)
House passed a clean FISA Section 702 extension 235-191 with 42 Democrats crossing over — no warrant requirement, no meaningful reforms, a three-year blank check for warrantless surveillance of Americans’ communications.
22 Republicans voted against it; the 42 Democrats who voted for it provided the margin — civil liberties groups called it “dangerous and shameful,” noting Democratic leadership didn’t even whip against it.
The bill is expected to be dead on arrival in the Senate, where Republicans need Democratic votes and the bill includes a central bank digital currency ban that complicates passage.
The stakes: Section 702 has already been used to spy on BLM protesters, members of Congress, journalists, and campaign donors — and nothing in this bill would prevent that from happening again under an administration that calls political opponents “enemies within.”
One of the 42 was Indiana’s Frank Mrvan (D-IN1)
Royal Visit
White House makes ‘two Kings’ post with photo of Trump, King Charles (The Hill)
The White House posted a photo of Trump and King Charles captioned “two Kings” — the same week Trump told 60 Minutes “I’m not a King” and blamed “No Kings” protesters for inspiring the WHCD shooter.
The contradiction is complete: Trump simultaneously denies being a king, blames anti-monarchy protesters for political violence, and then lets his own White House call him one next to an actual monarch.
King Charles draws cheers and applause with reference to ‘checks and balances’ on the power of the president in address to Congress (Independent)
King Charles addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday and delivered a pointed defense of separation of powers, independent judiciary, and checks on executive authority — drawing standing ovations from both parties — hours after the White House posted content promoting Trump as an American “King.”
Without naming Trump, Charles noted the Magna Carta has been cited 160 times by the U.S. Supreme Court as “the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances” — the chamber erupted.
Standing feet from JD Vance, Charles called for “unyielding resolve” in defense of Ukraine — Vance has boasted of cutting off all U.S. funding to Kyiv.
Charles also praised NATO as essential to transatlantic security and announced Britain’s biggest sustained defense spending increase since the Cold War — a direct rebuttal to Trump calling the alliance a “paper tiger.”
Iran War/Military
Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US lifts its blockade and the war ends, officials say (AP)
Trump called off his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last Saturday, then claimed Iran sent a “much better” proposal afterward — suggesting he may be using walkouts as a negotiating tactic, or that the trips are more theater than diplomacy.
Iran’s counter-offer: reopen the strait and end the war in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade — but nuclear program discussions pushed to a later date, which Rubio immediately ruled out.
Iran’s foreign minister met Putin in St. Petersburg Monday, where Putin praised Iran’s “heroic” resistance; Iran is also trying to persuade Oman to support a toll collection mechanism for strait passage.
Trump says he’s ‘not satisfied’ with Iran’s proposal to end the war (AP)
Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal Friday almost as soon as it was delivered, saying “I’m not satisfied” without elaborating — negotiations continue by phone after he called off his envoys’ Pakistan trip last week.
Trump framed the choice bluntly: “Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do we want to try and make a deal? Those are the options.”
Iran’s foreign minister spent Friday calling regional counterparts — Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Azerbaijan — to build support for his country’s proposal, signaling Iran is working to broaden its diplomatic backing.
Takeaways from Hegseth’s first hearings in Congress since the start of Iran war (AP)
Claude responded: Hegseth’s first congressional appearance since the war began: $25 billion spent so far, 13 Americans killed, 400+ injured, the strait still closed, Iran still …
Hegseth’s first congressional appearance since the war began: $25 billion spent so far, 13 Americans killed, 400+ injured, the strait still closed, Iran still has enriched uranium — and lawmakers expect the real cost estimate is closer to $100 billion.
Hegseth called congressional critics “the biggest adversary we face” — while tacitly admitting the war has far outlasted Trump’s original “few weeks” promise.
The school strike that killed 165 people including children is still “under investigation” — Hegseth called it “an unfortunate situation” after Democrats noted he cut the civilian casualty prevention division by 90%.
Even some Republicans broke ranks: Sen. Joni Ernst rebuked Hegseth for forcing out Army Chief Gen. Randy George, who pulled the Army out of its worst recruiting crisis since Vietnam — Hegseth’s only explanation was “we needed new leadership.”
Trump administration says its war in Iran has been ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline (AP)
Trump administration declared the Iran war “terminated” for War Powers Resolution purposes — arguing the ceasefire paused the 60-day clock, which expired Friday, allowing them to avoid seeking congressional authorization.
Legal experts call it unprecedented: “Nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated” — Sen. Kaine called Hegseth’s argument “very novel” with “certainly no legal support.”
Even Sen. Susan Collins voted to end the military action, saying “that deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement” and demanding a clear mission and defined exit strategy.
One hawkish think tank adviser’s workaround: just declare a new operation called “Epic Passage” focused on reopening the strait — which would reset the 60-day clock entirely.
Hegseth orders withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany (Politico)
Pentagon ordered withdrawal of 5,000 of 38,000 U.S. troops from Germany — announced Friday, two days after Trump floated it on social media, surprising Pentagon officials who hadn’t heard of it before his post.
The move is retaliation for European allies’ limited support for the Iran war, not the result of any strategic review — the Pentagon’s own global posture review earlier this year did not call for European withdrawals.
A former Republican national security adviser warned the pullback primarily benefits Russia, not the U.S., by weakening deterrence and Mediterranean power projection.
Economic Fallout
UAE’s shock OPEC exit: What it means for the oil cartel’s future and for crude prices (CNBC)
The UAE quit OPEC last Friday — a direct consequence of Iran’s missile and drone attacks on UAE shipping and infrastructure, though Abu Dhabi didn’t officially attribute the exit to the war.
The UAE was OPEC’s second most important member; together with Saudi Arabia it controlled most of the world’s 4+ million barrels per day of spare capacity — its departure leaves the cartel “structurally weaker” and undermines Saudi Arabia’s ability to manage the organization.
Short term the exit changes little with the strait closed, but long term it’s bearish for oil: when the strait reopens the UAE is expected to pump at maximum capacity without OPEC constraints, potentially flooding a recovering market.
Oil price tops $126 a barrel after Trump warns Iran blockade could last ‘months’ (Guardian)
Brent crude hit $126 a barrel Thursday — highest since 2022, up 13% in 24 hours — after Trump told oil executives the blockade could last “months if needed” and described Iran as “choking like a stuffed pig.”
Markets are abandoning hope for a quick diplomatic resolution; bond yields in Japan, Germany, and the UK hit multi-decade highs as stagflation fears spread globally.
Economist Paul Krugman: “A full-on global recession is more likely than not if the strait remains closed for another three months” — which he called “all too possible.”
Without resolution, analysts warn prices could approach the all-time 2008 record of $147 — Iran has already predicted $200 oil.
Spirit Airlines goes out of business after 34 years, ceases operations immediately (PBS)
Spirit Airlines shut down Saturday after 34 years, canceling all flights effective immediately and leaving 17,000 employees out of work overnight — passengers showed up at airports to find no one there.
The Trump administration’s proposed bailout never materialized; Transportation Secretary Duffy’s explanation: “We often times don’t have half a billion dollars laying around” — this from an administration that just called for $1.5 trillion in Pentagon spending.
The White House blamed Biden for blocking the JetBlue merger in 2023; a Cato Institute analyst fired back that Trump’s decision to bomb Iran drove jet fuel prices through the roof and finished Spirit off — “a compounding effect in terms of policy.”
United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest are offering $200 one-way flights for stranded Spirit passengers with proof of purchase — cold comfort for the 17,000 workers who set their alarms for 3 a.m. to find out if they still had jobs.
Indiana leads the US with 84 cent jump in gas prices (FOX59)
Indiana led the nation in week-over-week gas price increases — up to an average of $4.78, with prices hitting $4.99 at some stations — compounded by the BP Whiting Refinery going unexpectedly offline on top of the Iran war price spike.
Braun’s sales tax suspension expires May 8 and covers only the 17-cent sales tax — not the 36-cent excise tax, which he says he won’t touch because it funds infrastructure, meaning Hoosiers are still paying Indiana’s top-five-highest gas tax burden regardless.
Price spikes stressing Indiana corn, soybean farmers (Axios)
Indiana farmers are getting squeezed from both sides: diesel up to $5.25 from $3.60 a year ago, fertilizer near peak levels, while corn sits in the mid-$4 range and soybeans under $12 — near or below break-even.
Purdue ag economist: the gap between optimistic livestock farmers and struggling crop farmers is the widest he’s seen in a decade of monthly surveys.
The Iran war didn’t create the farm crisis but it’s accelerating it — and if high costs persist into fall, fewer Indiana corn acres get planted in 2027.
The political question hanging over all of it: Indiana farmers overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2024 — will they still feel that way in November?
Elections
Janet Mills drops out of race for US Senate (Maine Public)
Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the Senate race Friday, citing lack of funds — handing the Democratic primary to oyster farmer and combat veteran Graham Platner, who had already lapped her in polling and fundraising.
Platner is a genuine insurgent: 60+ town halls, large crowds, no establishment backing initially — and he survived a tattoo controversy and attack ads from Mills without losing ground.
The DSCC, Schumer, Gillibrand, and the DNC all immediately endorsed Platner, giving the outsider the institutional backing he needs to take on Collins in November.
Republicans are already running a scorched earth operation — $68 million in ads booked for the general, 70% from Republican groups, with a $2 million corporate PAC already hitting Platner on old social media posts.
Virginia weighs legality of new congressional map favoring Democrats that could reshape US House (Guardian)
Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether to invalidate the voter-approved redistricting amendment — focusing on whether Democrats violated procedural rules by voting on the amendment while early voting was already underway.
The core legal question: does “election” mean the single Tuesday of voting, or the entire early voting period — a distinction that could determine whether four Democratic House seats live or die.
The national tit-for-tat context: Republicans think they net up to 9 seats from Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio redraws; Democrats think they net up to 10 from California, Utah and Virginia — Virginia’s legal outcome could tip the balance.
Florida’s DeSantis has called a special legislative session starting Tuesday to redraw congressional maps — potentially canceling out Virginia’s gains before the court even rules.
US supreme court ‘demolishes’ Voting Rights Act, gutting provision that prevented racial discrimination (Guardian)
Supreme Court gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act 6-3 along partisan lines — making it nearly impossible to challenge racial gerrymandering by requiring plaintiffs to prove intentional discrimination, a standard Congress explicitly rejected when it amended the VRA in 1982.
The practical effect: states can now draw maps that dilute Black voting power as long as they claim partisan rather than racial motivation — Obama called it permission to gerrymander “under the guise of partisanship rather than explicit racial bias.”
Kagan in dissent: “Today’s decision renders Section 2 all but a dead letter” — and warned that majority-Black districts across the South now “exist only on sufferance, and probably not for long.”
Trump told reporters states should redraw their maps in response to the ruling: “I would” — setting up a potential mid-decade scramble to eliminate minority-majority districts before November.
The Supreme Court’s Death Blow Against Voting Rights Is the Culmination of John Roberts’s 50-Year Crusade (The Nation)
The Nation’s reporting on Roberts’ National Archives files shows he was the primary architect of Reagan’s opposition to the VRA’s effects test in 1982 — scripting Reagan’s statements, writing talking points, and driving the policy fight — then told Congress at his 2005 confirmation hearing he was merely “a 26-year-old staff lawyer” following orders.
Roberts’s 1982 memos used the same “quota system” framing that became Wednesday’s majority opinion — the through-line from Reagan’s DOJ to the Supreme Court’s ruling is 40 years in the making, written by the same person.
The lesson Roberts took from losing in 1982: don’t fight it in Congress, change the judges — “You didn’t need 60 senators or 218 representatives. Five like-minded conservatives would be enough — and now they would have six.”
Former Sen. Feingold, who questioned Roberts at his confirmation: “I don’t think any of us felt that he was really going to try and undermine the Voting Rights Act. Then he did.”
Supreme Court ruling will reshape American politics. The only question is when (AP)
Florida is the only state with a clear path to mid-decade gains from the ruling — DeSantis had the special session pre-planned, the legislature approved a new map Wednesday, and the primary isn’t until August; the map could net Republicans four seats.
Most other Republican states face primary calendar obstacles — Louisiana’s early voting starts Saturday, Georgia’s primary is May 19, Tennessee’s candidate filing deadline was March 10 — making immediate redraws legally treacherous.
Longer term the VRA ruling reshapes the entire political map: more than a dozen majority-minority Democratic seats in Republican-controlled states are now vulnerable, with political scientists calling the VRA “essentially dead” as a tool against vote dilution.
Democrats have one counter-move: spread minority voters across more districts in states they control rather than concentrating them — but that faces internal resistance from Black and Hispanic representatives who want to preserve majority-minority districts.
Louisiana suspends House primaries as red states face pressure to redistrict (WaPo)
Louisiana Gov. Landry suspended the state’s May 16 House primary elections — with early voting set to start Saturday and ballots already mailed to overseas voters — so the legislature can redraw the map eliminating the majority-Black district first.
Rep. Cleo Fields, whose district was ruled unlawful, called it “the wrong move” and said voters’ fundamental rights shouldn’t be “sacrificed for a rushed political agenda.”
UCLA election law professor Richard Hasen called it “naked partisanship” — then noted that under the current Supreme Court’s approach, “naked partisanship is more of a defense than an indictment.”
A lower-court order still bars Louisiana from changing its map, and legal challenges are expected — voting rights groups that have already run radio ads and billboards for Saturday’s early voting say erasing those votes mid-election is unconstitutional.
Southern GOP states scramble to redraw maps after ruling gutting Voting Rights Act (CNS)
Florida already had its new maps ready — the legislature passed them the same day as the ruling, awaiting DeSantis’s signature, designed to flip up to four Democratic-leaning seats by reducing minority-opportunity districts.
Alabama reversed course Friday and called a special session for May 4, just two weeks before its primary — the National Redistricting Foundation called it “a head-spinning reversal of precedent” and filed to block it at the Supreme Court.
Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee are all making noise but haven’t called special sessions yet — South Carolina’s GOP leaders say their map is already optimized and they don’t need one.
UCLA’s Rick Hasen on the long game: “It’s just a matter of time that southern states are going to dismantle some, if not many, or all of their districts that were required to give minority voters representation” — with the full impact likely felt in 2028 and 2030.
Crossroads
USDA confirms SNAP hub will move to Indianapolis (ICC)
USDA confirmed Indianapolis will become one of five national hubs for the new Food and Nutrition Administration, relocating SNAP program offices from Washington as part of a broader agency reorganization affecting 2,600 employees.
Sen. Jim Banks led the pitch to USDA Secretary Rollins last year — Braun and Banks are both claiming credit for landing the hub.
The agency says SNAP and other nutrition programs serving 42 million Americans will continue without disruption, but hasn’t confirmed how many employees will actually relocate to Indianapolis or when.
Worth watching: this is a massive reorganization of the agency that administers SNAP during a period of federal workforce disruption — “no disruption” assurances from the same administration that has repeatedly disrupted federal agencies deserve scrutiny.
Irony: Indiana SNAP Work Rules Could Cut Food Aid (inkFreeNews)
New federal SNAP work requirements will affect about 12,000 Indiana recipients who must now report work hours — with any reduction in hours, even temporary, potentially triggering benefit loss and months of bureaucratic reinstatement.
A Hamilton Project analysis found stricter work requirements reduce SNAP participation more than they increase employment — meaning the rules push people off food assistance without getting them jobs.
Feeding Indiana’s Hungry director: most SNAP recipients already work or are caregivers or students — the new rules add reporting burden to people already navigating unstable hours and rising grocery prices.
US House passes ‘skinny’ farm bill that keeps big GOP cuts to food assistance (ICC)
House passed a “skinny” farm bill 224-200 that largely punts on major policy — because last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” already made sweeping SNAP cuts, this version mostly just reauthorizes existing programs through 2031.
Democrats’ core objection: the bill locks in $187 billion in SNAP cuts from last year’s law without addressing farmer cost pressures from Trump’s tariffs or the Iran war fuel spike — “it is going to make hunger worse,” Rep. McGovern said.
House Cements $187 Billion Cut to SNAP—But Hey, Free Chicken! (Mother Jones)
Tucked into the Farm Bill: SNAP recipients will finally be able to buy rotisserie chicken with their benefits — the only hot food item added — a genuinely bipartisan win that most Democrats still voted against because accepting it meant accepting $187 billion in SNAP cuts in the same bill.
One notable win: an amendment stripped a provision that would have shielded Roundup maker Monsanto from cancer liability lawsuits — it would have mooted a Supreme Court case argued this week.
The Senate hasn’t introduced its version yet — and with three years of extensions already behind them, the farm bill is now eight years overdue for a meaningful update.
Cannabis
Braun signals openness to marijuana legalization as outside report outlines policy considerations (ICC)
Gov. Braun signaled growing openness to marijuana legalization Tuesday, citing Indiana’s border-state reality — 96% of Hoosiers live within a 100-mile drive of a licensed dispensary in another state, and residents are already spending an estimated $1.8 billion annually on marijuana.
The Trump administration’s federal rescheduling of medical marijuana this week gave Braun political cover: “I think the fact that the feds made that move, that makes it more likely.”
Indiana is one of only 10 states with no medical marijuana law — yet unregulated delta-8 THC and THCA products are “ubiquitous” in the state because legislators have repeatedly failed to ban or regulate them.
A new RAND/Fairbanks Foundation study estimates legalization could generate $180 million in annual tax revenue by year five — while the state currently spends $10-20 million a year just on enforcement.
Healthcare
FSSA hiring 400 employees to monitor Medicaid eligibility ahead of work requirements (ICC)
Indiana is hiring 400 employees to conduct eligibility checks on 560,000 Healthy Indiana Plan members — at least three times more checks than currently required — while FSSA’s own secretary admits the state will save no money from kicking people off.
Work requirements take effect Jan. 1, 2027: 80 hours monthly of work, school, job training, or volunteering — with quarterly compliance checks under state law and six-month redeterminations under federal law.
The One Big Beautiful Bill shifts SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 75% state-funded starting October 2026 — an unexpected $37 million hit to Indiana’s budget in fiscal year 2027, rising to $50 million annually.
“This is not your doctor’s job, to keep you eligible. It is not the hospital’s job. It is not the health plan’s job to keep you eligible. It is not even FSSA’s job to keep you eligible,” Roob added. “It is the recipient’s responsibility. It is their personal responsibility.”
Indiana to sunset HIV outreach program amid federal funding cuts (ICC)
Indiana is shutting down its Special Populations Support Program on June 30 — eliminating HIV testing and outreach in addiction treatment settings that conducted 4,575 tests in 2024 alone — after a $6.7 million drop in federal ARPA pandemic funding.
The program specifically targets people with substance use disorders, the unhoused, and the incarcerated — populations unlikely to seek testing in traditional medical settings and at highest risk for transmission.
Marion County Public Health’s chief medical officer: “The longer someone goes untested, the more likely they are to spread the virus unknowingly because treatment is delayed.”
The state says HIV treatment won’t be affected — but public health experts are uniform that testing is the entry point to treatment, and without it, new infections go undiagnosed for years.
Development
Eastside data center developer faces questions about project (Mirror Indy)
DC BLOX, a Georgia-based developer, held a community forum in Irvington seeking buy-in for a $2 billion data center campus on the east side — near Irvington Community Elementary School and the Pennsy Trail — with about 150 skeptical residents showing up.
The developer is using the variance-not-rezoning strategy that Decatur Township residents are currently fighting in court, bypassing the full City-County Council vote that killed Google’s Franklin Township data center last year.
Residents’ core objections: proximity to an elementary school, diesel generator testing, tax abatements for a $2 billion project, and a developer that by its own admission doesn’t know the community yet.
The Metropolitan Development Commission hearing is June 11 — and at least one resident summed up the room: “They’re gonna tell you whatever they can to get this thing done.”
Recall: Indianapolis proposes data center zoning rules, but critics say protections fall short (WFYI)
Indianapolis released draft data center zoning rules: 200-foot residential buffer, 65-decibel noise cap, generator testing banned 5 p.m.–7 a.m.
Critics say the rules are too weak — no meaningful limits near schools or parks, diesel generators still allowed, clear pathway for more development.
City leadership won’t consider a moratorium; Osili: “We are not a city that will be banning something like infrastructure.”
Inskeep: Google won’t pay for transmission upgrades after all
AES Indiana will add a profit margin on top of the $73.8 million figure, so the total cost will be higher.
The latest filing calls into question Google and AES Indiana claims about its data centers paying their fair share.
Check out the docket: https://iurc.portal.in.gov/docketed-case-details/?id=863a591f-643e-f111-88b3-001dd80673f1
Recall: AES, Google say partnership will save customers $770 million (FOX59)
Google says it will pay all costs for its Monrovia data center’s electricity and new infrastructure under a deal filed with state regulators — protecting AES Indiana’s 533,000 existing customers from footing the bill.
The projected savings: $8/month per customer in avoided rate increases over 15 years, enabled by HEA 1007, Indiana’s 2025 law requiring large new customers to cover their own energy costs.
IURC ruling expected September 2026 — the outcome sets the template for every data center energy deal that follows.
Quarry developer holds information meeting, seeks to answer all concerns (WANE)
US Aggregates and Indianapolis-based Heritage Group held a packed public meeting in Fort Wayne Wednesday to address community concerns about a proposed quarry in southwest Allen County — with residents making clear they intend to fight it.
Key concerns: blasting vibrations, truck traffic on residential streets, groundwater impacts (the quarry will extend below the water table), air quality from a proposed adjacent asphalt plant, and effects on nearby Eagle Marsh and Fox Island County Park.
Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker came out against the project Thursday, saying it isn’t “a good fit for the area” — though the city has no jurisdiction since the site is outside city limits, leaving the decision to Allen County.
Elections
Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett weighs a fourth term, amid scandals and project delays (IndyStar)
Hogsett refused to rule out a fourth term despite explicitly promising a “third and final term” in 2022 — and having called for two-term limits during his 2015 campaign — saying downtown development projects “tug at his heartstrings” and he’ll decide by end of year.
His unfinished business list is more unfinished than finished: old City Hall deal collapsed this month, City Market delayed until at least 2028 after cutting ties with developers, MLS stadium stalled, downtown heliport going nowhere — of the major 2022 capstone promises, only the jail redevelopments are on track.
The scandals complicate the legacy math: the IndyStar/Mirror Indy “Mr. Clean” investigation exposed his former chief of staff cashing in on millions in city incentives overseen by a city official he was romantically involved with, plus a pattern of no-bid contracts to former staffers and campaign donors.
A UIndy political scientist says Hogsett’s political capital has been “really weakened” — and keeping the fourth-term door open is itself a power move, letting him maintain leverage over three Democrats already running: City-County Councilor Vop Osili, state Sen. Andrea Hunley, and DPW official David Bride.
Hogsett ended 2025 with $1.2 million in the bank — not the war chest of someone who’s definitely done.
Marion County sheriff’s candidate accused of ‘shady tactics’ (Mirror Indy)
A flyer for Marion County sheriff candidate Kelvis Williams falsely implied six Democrats — including party chair Myla Eldridge and county clerk Kate Sweeney Bell — form an “official Democratic team” endorsed by the Marion County party, which dropped slating in 2023.
Williams initially said he had the candidates’ permission, then recanted — none of the candidates contacted said they agreed to be on the flyer.
The mailer is fracturing alliances: at least one voter who planned to support Williams switched to opponent Gregory Patrick after seeing it, and Prosecutor Ryan Mears — who endorsed Williams — is blaming Bell and calling it “shady misleading tactics.”
The broader subtext: the mailer looks like old-guard slating tactics from an era the party officially abandoned, and it’s reigniting tensions between Marion County’s establishment Democrats and reformers heading into Tuesday’s primary.
Secretary of state candidate Ballard knocks Indiana’s primary system (ICC)
Ballard is calling for Indiana’s two major parties to start paying for their own primaries — pointing out that taxpayers spent $13.3 million running the 2024 primaries for parties that restrict who can even participate in them.
The current system requires candidates to have voted in their party’s last two primaries or get county chair approval — Ballard calls it “broken” and inaccessible to everyday Hoosiers.
Ballard is still collecting the 37,000 voter signatures needed just to get on the November ballot — a barrier that itself illustrates his point about the system favoring the two major parties.
Trump’s Indiana redistricting revenge aims to topple state Senate’s leader (ICC)
Trump’s redistricting war on Indiana’s Republican Senate isn’t really about the seven senators facing challengers — it’s about toppling Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, who doesn’t face election until 2028 but controls the caucus leadership vote before next session.
A pledge to vote against Bray for pro tem was a Trump endorsement “litmus test” — one Republican candidate called it “unethical” because “you’re already asking me to sell a vote before I’ve even been elected.”
The spending is staggering for state legislative races: pro-redistricting groups have put in $5 million+, including a Banks-affiliated dark money group; Bray has countered with $3.5 million from campaign funds and formed his own dark money nonprofit in March to level the field.
Bray on potentially losing his leadership post: “If they choose me again, I’d be honored. If they don’t, I’ll wish the person best of luck” — and on the redistricting fight itself: “What is a little frustrating is that based on a difference of opinion on one issue, just the opposition that has brought.”
Indiana Senate Candidate Andrew Dezelan Arrested on Drug Charges in Fishers (Avenues Recovery)
Democratic SD-31 candidate Andrew Dezelan was arrested Sunday night in Fishers after police found cocaine in his car while he was allegedly canvassing — just days before the May 5 primary.
Officers found him canvassing a neighborhood he claimed to have HOA permission to be in, visibly sweating, speaking rapidly, with pinpoint pupils — all noted as signs of drug impairment.
He tried to drive away when asked for ID, resisted handcuffing multiple times, and is currently booked in Hamilton County Jail — five days before the primary he’s running in.
Dezelan is a former 11-year policy director for the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus who had made marijuana legalization a campaign priority; he posted “got a new bag of tricks with me for this last stretch” on Instagram shortly before his arrest.
He’s one of four Democrats in the primary, including Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal — a race that was already being watched as a potential pickup opportunity in a district Republicans have held for decades.
Climate
3 tornadoes strike Indiana counties, causing damage (WISH)
Three tornadoes confirmed in Indiana Monday — an EF-1 near Seymour in Jackson County and two in Morgan County southwest of Indianapolis, including an EF-1 and an EF-0 near Mooresville — no injuries reported.
Damage included destroyed barns, a damaged home, snapped trees, and 39 utility poles downed or leaning in Jackson County; Morgan County roads remained closed Tuesday morning.
Indiana confirmed tornadoes 2026 (Indiana Weather Online)
11 as of April 6 plus the three above makes at least 14
Annual average of 22
The past 3 years have each ranked in the Top 5 for tornadoes in Indiana (USNWS Northern Indiana)
Finally This Week
22 arrested in Northwest Indiana FBI raids for alleged illegal gambling ring in “Operation Porterhouse Parlay” (CBS)
FBI, IRS, and CBP raided two Northwest Indiana restaurants — Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon Restaurant in Hobart — plus a Schererville home Wednesday, arresting 22 people across seven states in a federal gambling and extortion takedown dubbed “Operation Porterhouse Parlay.”
The alleged operation ran from 2021 through this week: online betting sites, phone and text wagering, lines of credit for bettors, and collectors who tracked down and physically threatened people who didn’t pay.
The three alleged ringleaders — James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos, Dean “Dean Gem” Gialmas, and Chris Gerodemos — owned the restaurants used to collect and launder money; defendants range in age from 21 to over 80.
FBI Indianapolis special agent in charge: “This was not the case of harmless casual gambling — this was coercion, intimidation, and financial exploitation.”
Muscle for NWI gambling ring chased undercover agent at speeds of 100 mph, feds say (NWI Times)
Three weeks before the raids, an undercover FBI agent leaving a meeting with “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos was tailed by alleged enforcer Michael Campbell — nicknames “Michael Way Out” and “Chuckie Hoffa” — who crossed three lanes of U.S. 30 at the last second to follow the agent onto I-65.
Campbell allegedly drove over 100 mph, weaved through traffic, tailgated surveillance vehicles, and illegally activated emergency amber lights on a union-registered truck — the chase lasted over an hour and reached the Lafayette area while Campbell and Gerodemos stayed in constant phone contact.
The incident illustrates exactly what prosecutors mean when they say this wasn’t casual gambling — it was an organized operation with dedicated muscle tracking down anyone who got too close.
Local 81 Donated $5K to Lake Co. Sheriff Candidate (Tom McDermott - Facebook)
Previously: Ex-Lake County, Ind., sheriff John Buncich sentenced to 15 years, 8 months in bribery scheme (ABC 7)
Indicted Campbell, LiUNA 81 (Father Mike Sr. is fmr. Local 81 biz manager, brother Corey is current biz manager) have deep ties to Congressman Frank Mrvan, State Senator Rodney Pol, Dem Chair Karen Tallian (Corey was appointed Deputy Party Chair for Labor Relations and it is rumored that he’ll be implicated in labor-mob dealings).
