SUMMARY:
On this week’s episode, host Scott Aaron Rogers is joined by Democratic Secretary of State candidate Blythe Potter and Hancock County Democratic Party vice chair Chuck Gill for a wide-ranging conversation covering a month’s worth of compounding crises. The panel works through the whiplash of the Iran ceasefire negotiations — from the prospect of a 60-day memorandum of understanding to Trump’s weekend backpedaling — alongside Israel’s expanding military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, a Russian drone strike on Romanian soil that tested NATO’s resolve, and the mounting economic fallout of the Iran war, including 3.8% inflation, diesel topping six dollars a gallon, and an AI-inflated stock market Andrew Ross Sorkin says is headed for a crash. From there the show turns to Pope Leo XIV’s landmark encyclical *Magnifica Humanitas* and its call to subject artificial intelligence to human and moral limits, before pivoting to Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith’s declaration that Islam is a “demonic death cult” and the disgust it produced even within his own party. The back half of the show covers the hunger strike and protests at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, the Trump DOJ’s subpoenas of Reddit and X users who criticized ICE, the administration’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” slush fund for January 6th defendants, the gutting of *60 Minutes* under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, Ken Paxton’s Republican Senate primary win in Texas and what it means for Democrat James Talarico’s chances in November, and a raft of Indiana stories: the Martindale-Brightwood clergy demanding Mayor Hogsett halt the MetroBlox data center project, the LEAP District water conflict of interest, the Cummins AI theft verdict, Diego Morales’s implosion ahead of the Republican SOS convention, the naming of Jessica Bailey and Coumba Kebe as Democratic candidates for comptroller and treasurer, the Gary gun lawsuit dying after 27 years, and criminal charges against the New Chicago police chief.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00:34 Intro
00:04:12 Iran: Deal or No Deal?
00:13:28 Lebanon, Gaza, and the Greater Israel Project
00:21:01 Ukraine, Romania, and the NATO Question
00:27:39 Economic Fallout: Inflation, Energy, and the AI Bubble
00:34:07 Indiana Under Pressure: Property Taxes, Marijuana, and Republican Half-Measures
00:39:04 Pope Leo XIV and *Magnifica Humanitas*
00:46:15 Micah Beckwith’s Anti-Muslim Remarks
00:52:43 Immigration: Delaney Hall, Sanctuary Cities, and Administrative Ethnic Cleansing
01:06:38 Crossroads Commons of Salem — Sponsor
01:07:38 DOJ Weaponization: Carroll, Reddit Subpoenas, and the J6 Slush Fund
01:23:32 Surveillance, Data Centers, and Anti-Tech “Extremism”
01:34:03 Indiana Data Centers: NIPSCO, LEAP District, and the Eagle Creek Conflict
01:38:03 60 Minutes, Bari Weiss, and the Consolidation of Media
01:41:09 Texas: Ken Paxton Wins, James Talarico’s Path
01:47:53 Indiana Politics: Morales Implodes, Convention Slates Set
01:53:04 Northwest Indiana: Gary Gun Lawsuit, New Chicago Police Corruption
01:58:08 Outro
IN DEPTH:
War on Multiple Fronts
This Week in Iran
Monday
Trump says ‘mandatory’ for Muslim nations involved in Iran deal to join Abraham Accords (Times of Israel)
Trump is demanding six Muslim-majority nations — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan — sign the Abraham Accords as a condition of any Iran nuclear deal.
Saudi Arabia’s response: normalization with Israel only happens with an “irreversible pathway” to Palestinian statehood — a flat no for now.
When Trump pitched the idea to those leaders on a call, the response was dead silence. Trump literally asked if they were still on the line.
Israeli officials are alarmed by the emerging deal, warning it doesn’t address Iran’s nukes, missiles, or proxies — just a 60-day ceasefire extension that gives Tehran time to recover.
Trump is floating the idea of Iran itself eventually joining the Abraham Accords — a nation sworn to Israel’s destruction.
US military launches strikes on southern Iran amid talks in Qatar (Al Jazeera)
The US launched “self-defense” strikes on southern Iran — missile launch sites and boats attempting to lay mines — even as Iranian negotiators were sitting down in Doha for peace talks.
Several IRGC personnel were killed; Iranian sources say the IRGC had targeted a vessel at sea before the US struck.
A ceasefire has technically been in place since April 8, but skirmishes have continued throughout — Trump has previously declined to call them ceasefire violations.
Iran’s top negotiators, including Foreign Minister Araghchi, were in Qatar for talks Trump called “proceeding nicely” — the strikes may derail them.
Iran’s foreign ministry says progress has been made but no deal is imminent, and notably says nuclear program discussions are not even on the table yet — just ending the war.
Tuesday
Iran accuses U.S. of violating ceasefire and threatens retaliation after new strikes (NBC)
Iran formally accused the US of a “clear ceasefire violation” and threatened retaliation, while the IRGC claimed to have shot down an MQ-9 drone and driven off an F-35.
US officials say the strikes were a direct response to 24 hours of Iranian missile, drone, and small boat activity near the Strait of Hormuz — including surface-to-air missile launches while US aircraft were in the area.
Despite the flareup, Secretary of State Rubio told reporters in India a deal could be done in “a couple of days” — down to “disagreements over a word, a sentence.”
The framework on the table: a memorandum of understanding ending the war and reopening Hormuz, followed by 60 days to negotiate a full peace deal — with unfreezing Iranian assets in Qatar as a key Iranian demand.
Wednesday
US military conducts another strike against Iran after Trump says Iran is ‘negotiating on fumes’ (AP)
US forces shot down four Iranian attack drones near Hormuz on Wednesday and struck a ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth.
Trump called Iran “negotiating on fumes” while insisting the midterms won’t rush him — “I don’t care about the midterms” — though the political pressure is clearly there.
U.S. military accuses Iran of ceasefire violation after Kuwait comes under missile attack (PBS)
Iran fired missiles at Kuwait — home to US Army Central’s forward HQ — in retaliation for the Wednesday drone strikes, with the US calling it an “egregious ceasefire violation.”
Kuwait’s air defenses intercepted the incoming missiles and drones; Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iran for “blatant aggression.”
Both sides keep accusing each other of ceasefire violations and trading strikes all week — but neither has returned to full-scale war and negotiations continue.
Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman amid talks over strait of Hormuz (Guardian)
Trump threatened to “blow up” Oman — a US ally and key war mediator — if it doesn’t “behave,” in a casual aside at his Cabinet meeting.
The threat came after reports that Iran is pushing Oman to jointly charge tolls on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since late February.
Trump was unequivocal: no one controls the strait — “Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it.”
Thursday
Scoop: U.S. and Iran reach deal but need Trump’s final approval, officials say (Axios)
US and Iranian negotiators have agreed on terms for a 60-day MOU to extend the ceasefire and launch nuclear talks — but Trump hasn’t signed off yet, and Iran hasn’t formally confirmed acceptance.
Key terms: unrestricted Strait of Hormuz shipping, Iran removes all mines within 30 days, US lifts its naval blockade proportionally, some sanctions waivers allowing Iran to sell oil, and an Iranian commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon.
The thorniest issues — how to dispose of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and what enrichment Iran can keep — are punted to negotiations during the 60-day window, along with sanctions relief and frozen assets.
The MOU also states the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon would end — a provision that has already caused “at least one tense discussion” between Trump and Netanyahu.
Friday
Guess What Jared Kushner Tried to Include in Iran Peace Deal? (TNR)
Iran demanded reparations for war destruction, putting the price tag at $300 billion — and Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, both real estate investors, apparently pitched promoting real estate projects and an investment fund for Tehran as part of any peace deal.
The optics are brutal: Kushner is already under investigation for cashing in on foreign investment funds, and the right spent years screaming about Obama unfreezing $1.7 billion for Iran — Trump’s guys are now floating a check nearly 200 times that size.
Deal or no Deal?
Iran official says Trump is stalling talks with ‘excessive demands’ as wait for breakthrough continues (NBC)
Trump held a Situation Room meeting Friday to make a “final determination” on the deal — and walked out saying nothing.
A senior Arab mediator told NBC the deal was actually closed in Doha three days ago: “now everyone is playing a game of chicken and egg.”
Iran is calling US demands “excessive” and accusing Trump of “betraying diplomacy for the third time.”
Iran’s foreign ministry reiterated Friday that nuclear issues aren’t even being discussed yet — just ending the war.
Trump tightens terms on Iran war deal, US media say (Al Jazeera)
Trump sent the Iran deal framework back with toughened terms — particularly around nuclear material — and US officials say it could take up to a week for Iran to respond, with one official saying, “They’re literally in caves, and they’re not using email.”
Iran’s chief negotiator Ghalibaf was blunt on Sunday: “There is no trust in the enemy’s words and promises. Our only criterion is to achieve tangible results before we fulfill our commitments.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s military reasserted control over the Strait of Hormuz, warning foreign vessels they would be targeted if they didn’t comply with Iranian regulations — hardly the posture of a side ready to sign.
Republican lawmakers warn of ‘disastrous mistake’ as Trump nears deal with Iran (Guardian)
Republican hawks — Wicker, Graham, Cruz, Cotton, and Pompeo — are openly panning the emerging deal, with Cruz warning that an Iran still enriching uranium, receiving billions, and controlling Hormuz would be a “disastrous mistake.”
Lindsey Graham asked the quiet part loud: if Iran can still terrorize the strait and threaten Gulf oil infrastructure after all this, “it makes one wonder why the war started to begin with.”
Pompeo called the terms “not remotely America First” and compared them directly to Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal — the one Trump spent years trashing.
Trump tried to walk back his own “largely negotiated” claim after the blowback, insisting nobody had seen the deal and it “isn’t even fully negotiated yet” — then told critics not to listen to “losers.”
Graham then did a full 180 within hours, calling Trump’s Abraham Accords pitch “brilliant” — a reminder of how fast MAGA spines straighten when the boss pushes back.
Ro Khanna Urges Fellow Democrats to Stop Trying to Out Hawk Trump on Iran War (Common Dreams)
Rep. Ro Khanna is calling out fellow Democrats for attacking Trump from the right on Iran, accusing colleagues of essentially telling Trump to “go blow up more things” rather than supporting a negotiated end to a war that has killed over 3,400 Iranians.
Sens. Booker and Murphy and Rep. Wasserman Schultz have all condemned the emerging deal for being too soft — echoing Republican hawk talking points about unfreezing Iranian assets and leaving the nuclear program unresolved.
Worth noting: Booker has taken over $800,000 from pro-Israel groups including AIPAC; Wasserman Schultz over $1.4 million.
A March Pew poll found nearly 90% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said Trump was wrong to go to war with Iran — making the hawk caucus badly out of step with its own base.
Khanna’s counter-argument: Democrats should be the anti-war party, support the negotiation, and stop goading Trump into more conflict — a position historian Stephen Wertheim called what “the vast majority of Democrats believe, but too few of their leaders say.”
The Israeli Angle
Monday
Israel pounds Lebanon with fresh air strikes, vows to ‘crush’ Hezbollah (France 24)
Netanyahu ordered a major escalation in Lebanon, vowing to “crush” Hezbollah despite the April ceasefire — Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and suburbs of Beirut.
Far-right Finance Minister Smotrich called for 10 Beirut buildings to fall for every drone strike; Ben Gvir demanded “intensive warfare” and pushing north beyond the Litani River.
Lebanon and Israel are still at the negotiating table in Washington, but Hezbollah leader Qassem refuses direct talks and won’t disarm — Rubio accused him of trying to “plunge Lebanon back into chaos.”
Tuesday
Israeli Strikes in Southern Lebanon Kill at Least 31 People (Democracy Now)
Israeli strikes killed at least 31 people and wounded 40 in southern Lebanon on Tuesday alone — over 120 airstrikes in a single day, one of the heaviest bombardments in weeks.
Israeli troops have begun operating beyond the “Yellow Line,” pushing deeper into Lebanese territory despite the April ceasefire.
Over a million Lebanese have been displaced since March 2; more than 3,100 have been killed in Israeli attacks.
Thursday
Netanyahu says he told IDF to seize 70% of Gaza, well beyond terms of truce (Times of Israel)
Netanyahu ordered the IDF to seize 70% of Gaza — already beyond the 53% permitted under the October ceasefire — and when an audience member shouted that Israel should take “100%,” Netanyahu replied: “First 70%. We’ll start with that.”
Israeli-backed militias are functioning as shock troops along the yellow line, forcing Palestinian civilians out at gunpoint — and are now being equipped with heavy military drones, likely supplied by Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the endgame: “voluntary migration” — what human rights groups call ethnic cleansing by making Gaza uninhabitable.
One analyst’s assessment: ceasefire negotiations with Hamas are effectively over, and the US fallback plan is to let Israel “deal with” anyone remaining in the Hamas zone “as they want.”
Friday
Netanyahu confirms troops crossed Litani, as Pentagon hosts Israeli-Lebanon security talks (Times of Israel)
Netanyahu confirmed Israeli troops crossed the Litani River — long considered the benchmark for pushing Hezbollah north — while also striking Beirut and the Bekaa Valley simultaneously.
Since the April 16 Lebanon “ceasefire,” 55 children have been killed and 212 wounded; UNICEF called last week’s toll of 15 dead children “staggering.”
WHO reports 608 deaths and 1,774 injuries in Lebanon from April 17 to May 22 alone, with 16 hospitals and 13 primary healthcare centers damaged and three hospitals closed entirely.
Israeli strikes have hit or come dangerously close to multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the ruins of Tyre and Beaufort Castle — Lebanon’s culture minister says they constitute potential violations of the 1954 Hague Convention.
Russia-Ukraine
Russia uses hypersonic Oreshnik missile in mass attack on Kyiv (AP)
Russia hit Kyiv with a mass attack Sunday — 600 drones and 90 missiles — killing at least 2 and wounding 83, damaging residential buildings, schools, and areas near government offices.
For only the third time in the war, Russia deployed the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, striking the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region — a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Russia framed it as retaliation for a Ukrainian drone strike on a college dormitory in Russian-occupied Luhansk that killed 21 people.
Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 549 of 600 drones and 55 of 90 missiles — a strong performance, but the sheer volume of the attack overwhelmed full coverage.
Russia warns foreign nationals to leave Kyiv after large attack (The Hill)
Russia followed up the Kyiv attack by warning all foreign nationals — including diplomatic personnel — to leave the city immediately, threatening further strikes on “decision-making centres and command posts.”
Zelenskyy said the US has made no progress on expanding anti-ballistic missile production, and Ukraine is now trying to accelerate development of its own capabilities in Europe.
Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov held a call Monday covering both Ukraine and Iran — no details on substance.
Russian drone targeting Ukraine hits apartment building in Romania, injuring 2, officials say (AP)
A Russian Geran-2 drone targeting Ukraine went astray and struck an apartment building in Galați, Romania Friday — a NATO member — injuring two people and sparking a fire.
Romania expelled the Russian consul and closed the consulate in response; Romanian President Dan confirmed the drone’s trajectory through Ukraine into Romanian airspace.
Putin, asked about it in Kazakhstan, claimed no one can determine the drone’s origin — Romanian officials identified it as Russian with full trajectory data.
NATO expressed “absolute solidarity” but took no formal action; the EU is drafting a 21st sanctions package against Moscow.
Putin adviser warns EU after drone hits Romania: ‘The peaceful sleep is over’ (The Hill)
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council and former Russian president, responded to the Romania drone strike with a direct threat to EU citizens: “Your authorities have unilaterally entered into a war with Russia. The peaceful sleep is over. But you know who to ask why.”
Earlier in the week, Medvedev had mocked the EU’s decision to keep diplomats in Kyiv despite Russia’s evacuation warnings: “Apparently they’ve got diplomats to spare and need to trim the headcount.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called Russia’s behavior “reckless” and reaffirmed the alliance’s commitment to defend every inch of allied territory — but again, no formal action beyond condemnation.
Economic Fallout
US munitions depleted by Iran war will take years to restore (CSIS)
The Iran war burned through US munitions at a staggering rate — over 1,000 Tomahawks, 1,100+ JASSMs, and up to 1,430 Patriot interceptors — creating a multi-year window of vulnerability, particularly for a potential Western Pacific conflict with China.
Tomahawks won’t be back to prewar levels until late 2030; THAAD and Patriot until mid-2029 — and that’s assuming production ramps up as planned.
The problem isn’t money — it’s time. Complex missile systems take years to build, and no amount of emergency funding fixes a 34-month production lead time.
Allied orders from Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and others are now competing with US restocking needs, already creating “bilateral friction” that will persist for years.
US inflation rose at fastest pace in three years in April as Iran war hikes up prices (Guardian)
US inflation hit 3.8% in April — fastest pace in three years — driven by energy prices from the Iran war; gasoline is up more than 50% since the war started in late February.
Real household income fell for the third straight month, consumer spending growth is slowing, and the personal savings rate dropped to 2.6% — lowest since June 2022 — as Americans drain savings to cover costs.
The Fed is now eyeing rate hikes, not cuts — the opposite of what Trump has been demanding, and a direct collision course with his newly installed Fed chair Kevin Warsh.
GDP growth for Q1 was revised down to 1.6%; economists expect consumers to pull back further as tax refund cushions run out and war uncertainty persists.
Why a peace deal with Iran won’t save the economy from energy-market chaos this summer (Business Insider)
Even if a peace deal is signed tomorrow, energy experts say oil markets won’t normalize for at least three months minimum — shippers and insurers need to regain confidence the Strait is safe before reconfiguring traffic.
The US is drawing on reserves, not experiencing true shortages yet — but one analyst estimates US buffer crude stores run out around July 4, at which point actual fuel shortages begin.
Jet fuel goes first: Goldman Sachs warns European commercial jet fuel inventories could fall below critical levels by June, with flight cancellations likely through the summer travel season.
Diesel is already at $6+ per gallon nationally, working its way into the cost of virtually every consumer product; one firm predicts oil could surpass its 2008 peak of $150 a barrel.
CNBC Host Tells ’60 Minutes’ Top CEOs Are ‘Very Scared’ to Criticize Donald Trump (Yahoo Finance)
CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin told 60 Minutes that most American CEOs are “very scared” to criticize Trump — worried about regulatory retaliation, blocked mergers, and agency interference.
Sorkin, who was promoting a book about the 1929 crash, was blunt: “We will have a crash. I just can’t tell you when, and I can’t tell you how deep.”
Indiana Angle
Braun pitches more property tax relief for older Hoosiers (Axios)
Gov. Braun signed HEA 1210, giving totally disabled veterans a 100% property tax deduction on their primary residence, returning an estimated $46.2 million annually to veterans statewide.
Braun signaled this is just the start, floating additional relief for Hoosiers over 65 and homeowners who’ve paid off their mortgages — “Once you paid your mortgage off, why should you then have a fixed cost?”
Worth watching: last year’s property tax reform is already projected to cost cities, towns, and school districts up to $1.8 billion over three years, with cuts to services and staffing already underway.
Rokita wants to block federal marijuana shift (ICC)
Indiana AG Todd Rokita joined Nebraska and Louisiana in a federal lawsuit to block the DEA’s move to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, calling the rulemaking “arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion.”
Indiana is one of only 10 states with no medical or recreational marijuana — but the political winds may be shifting: GOP state Sen. Mike Bohacek is drafting 2027 medical marijuana legislation, and Gov. Braun has signaled openness to broader discussions.
Rokita is fighting his own governor’s direction on this one.
Religion
Trump lashes out at Pope Leo again over Iran (Independent)
Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV regarding Iran’s nuclear program, asserting that the country must be nuclear-free.
Trump reshared a social media post from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who had attended a prayer with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
In his comment, Trump suggested someone should inform the Pope that the Chicago Mayor is “useless” and that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.
This marks another instance of disagreement between Trump and Pope Leo concerning Iran, following Trump’s earlier accusation that the pontiff was “endangering Catholics” by supporting Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Pope Leo responded by emphasizing the Church’s mission to preach peace and its long-standing, clear opposition to all nuclear weapons.
Pope Leo’s ‘Magnifica humanitas’: AI must serve humanity not concentrate power (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, on the 135th anniversary of Rerum novarum — framing AI as the defining social justice challenge of our time.
Core argument: AI is not inherently evil, but “technology is never neutral” — it takes on the character of those who build, fund, and control it, and must not be concentrated in the hands of a few.
The Pope called for AI to be “disarmed” — stripped of military, economic, and cognitive dominance — and warned that “there is no algorithm that can make war morally acceptable.”
On migration: how a society treats migrants is a “litmus test” for whether its sense of justice is driven by fear or fraternity — a direct implicit rebuke of current US and European policy.
On work: AI must not force workers to adapt to machines — machines must serve workers, not the reverse — and technology-driven unemployment in the name of profit is unacceptable.
On war: the “just war” theory must be overcome entirely in favor of dialogue and diplomacy, and any leader using armed conflict to distract from domestic problems is engaging in “irresponsible Realpolitik.”
Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for Vatican’s role in legitimizing slavery (AP)
Pope Leo XIV made a historic apology in the encyclical for the Vatican’s direct role in legitimizing slavery — not just Christians’ participation, but specific 15th-century papal bulls that gave European sovereigns explicit authority to conquer, subjugate, and enslave “infidels.”
This is a first: previous popes apologized for Christian involvement in the slave trade generally, but no pope had ever acknowledged the institutional Vatican role or apologized for it specifically.
Leo’s own family history makes this personal — genealogical research by Henry Louis Gates Jr. found 17 of Leo’s American ancestors were Black, and his family tree includes both enslaved people and slaveholders.
Leo framed the apology as inseparable from the encyclical’s AI theme: the Church must condemn digital-age trafficking and exploitation now, “if we want to avoid the need to ask for pardon again in the future.”
Idolatry:
Treasury Department prepares $250 bill with Trump’s face on it (NPR)
The Treasury Department is preparing a $250 bill featuring Trump’s face, contingent on Congress changing a law that currently prohibits living presidents from appearing on currency — which hasn’t happened since 1866.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held up a draft mockup at the White House briefing room, insisting they’d “stick to the law” — while making clear they’re ready to print the moment Congress acts.
It’s part of a broader self-branding blitz: Trump’s signature on all new currency, his face on commemorative passports and coins, his name on the Kennedy Center and the US Institute of Peace, and a banner over the Justice Department.
Religion in Indiana
Lt. Gov. Beckwith: “I hate Islam.” (WFYI)
National Muslim group condemns Micah Beckwith after he calls Islam ‘demonic’ (IndyStar)
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith declared “I hate Islam, it’s a demonic death cult” on a Christian streaming show, adding that people need “permission to hate again”
His FlashPoint appearance was on televangelist Kenneth Copeland’s network, where he argued some hatred is “necessary” because “God hates certain things in the Bible” — and claimed jihadists are working with Marxists to tear down society, without elaborating.
CAIR warned Beckwith is using his office to legitimize violence against Muslims, noting the comments came on the heels of a recent attack on a San Diego mosque; CAIR recorded a record number of anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025.
Even Republican state Sen. Spencer Deery pushed back, saying rhetoric like this from Indiana’s second-highest official “makes the first impossible” when it comes to religious freedom.
Beckwith’s office declined to apologize, framing it as a defense of “one nation under God” — this is the same Lt. Gov. who last year called the three-fifths compromise a “great move.”
Beckwith’s “apology” on the close of Eid: “I hope you all become Christian.” With a heart emoji.
Immigration
ICE agents pepper-spray protesters, N.J. senator in clash outside Delaney Hall in Newark (NJ.com)
ICE agents pepper-sprayed protesters — and US Sen. Andy Kim — outside Delaney Hall detention center in Newark on Memorial Day, as demonstrators protested inhumane conditions during a detainee hunger strike.
Kim, who had physically positioned himself between protesters and agents, described detainees telling him about a pregnant woman denied OB-GYN care, a woman who miscarried with no medical support, and an 18-year-old high school senior separated from her mother.
DHS called it a “political stunt,” denied any hunger strike or poor conditions, and blamed Kim for getting pepper-sprayed — while ICE described the US senator and protesters as “rioters.”
Members of Congress have explicit legal authority to conduct oversight visits of detention facilities; Kim said he had to personally call DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin just to get inside.
‘We are not criminals’: protests erupt as hunger strike rocks New Jersey ICE jail (Guardian)
Between 300 and 400 detainees are participating in the strike, demanding edible food — detainees reported finding worms in their meals — plus working ventilation, medical care, and movement on their immigration cases.
The facility has a grim track record: a Haitian man died there in December, detainees pushed down a wall and four escaped last June, and Newark’s mayor was arrested outside it last May.
A released detainee told the Guardian: “If they freed us, we wouldn’t generate profit for this business.”
At least seven journalists were pepper-sprayed by ICE agents during Tuesday night’s clashes; one protester was tased in the back while fleeing, went rigid, and was carried into the facility.
Delaney Hall is run by GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the US, on a 15-year ICE contract. Detainees performing cooking, cleaning, and laundry work are paid as little as $1 an hour.
Newark mayor orders curfew around Delaney Hall as protesters, police clash (The Hill)
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka imposed a nightly curfew in a half-mile radius around Delaney Hall after protesters lit tires on fire, threw projectiles, and used barriers as weapons against Newark and New Jersey State Police.
Gov. Sherrill and DHS Secretary Mullin found rare common ground — Sherrill deployed state police to maintain order, and DHS celebrated the crackdown on social media with all-caps triumphalism: “WE WON’T BACK DOWN.”
The situation has significantly escalated from where it started — what began as a hunger strike over inhumane conditions has now resulted by Sunday in a government-imposed curfew, street closures, and DHS celebrating “securing” the area around a detention facility on American soil.
Elizabeth Warren Has Some Questions for the Private Prison Executive Running ICE (Mother Jones)
Trump’s new acting ICE director, David Venturella, appointed May 12, spent more than a decade as a GEO Group executive — the same private prison company running Delaney Hall — where he made at least $6 million and negotiated major federal contracts.
GEO Group is having its best year ever: $520 million in new annual revenues from ICE contracts in 2025, “the largest amount of new business” in company history — and Venturella now sits on the other side of the table negotiating those contracts.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is demanding Venturella recuse himself from all matters that could benefit GEO Group and make his ethics disclosures public, writing: “Americans should not have to wonder whether ICE enforcement priorities are being driven by the financial interests of politically connected detention contractors.”
‘Dire’ conditions at ICE facility severely violate human rights, lawsuit claims (Guardian)
The ACLU, ACLU of Texas, and Human Rights Watch filed the first lawsuit against Camp East Montana — the largest immigration detention facility in the US, a sprawling desert tent camp on Fort Bliss — alleging beatings by guards, sexual harassment during pat-downs, solitary confinement, rotten food, measles and tuberculosis outbreaks, and three deaths in less than a year.
Only 20% of those detained have any criminal background — the lawsuit argues the cruelty is “by design,” meant to terrorize immigrants into abandoning their legal claims.
A Cameroonian plaintiff who said he had survived torture in Africa stated: “I never thought I would experience such severely violent treatment by guards here in the United States of America.”
ICE has simultaneously gutted the watchdog agencies meant to monitor detention conditions and is blocking members of Congress from conducting legally authorized oversight visits.
Trump’s DoJ sues four states for denying ICE agents undercover license plates (Guardian)
The Trump DOJ sued Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington state for refusing to issue undercover license plates to ICE agents, arguing the states discriminate against federal law enforcement.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s response was blunt: “We are not going to use state resources to help ICE operate in secret, and without accountability.”
Trump team is ‘drawing up’ plans to stop international flights to some Democratic cities (Independent)
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened to halt processing of international flights into sanctuary cities — including Newark, Boston, Chicago, LA, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco — as retaliation for local non-cooperation with ICE.
The timing is particularly reckless: tens of millions of tourists are expected to flood into the US next month for the FIFA World Cup, with games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — one of the targeted cities.
The US Travel Association warned the move would have “devastating consequences” for the travel industry and communities dependent on international visitors.
New USCIS Memo May Force Most Green Card Applicants to Apply from Abroad, Causing Chaos and Confusion (American Immigration Council)
A new USCIS memo quietly reframes green card applications filed inside the US as “extraordinary discretionary relief” — effectively forcing hundreds of thousands of legal applicants to leave the country and apply from abroad.
The catch: leaving the US triggers multi-year re-entry bars for many applicants, meaning complying with the new policy could permanently destroy their cases and separate them from their US citizen family members.
Some applicants — including abuse survivors on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status — have no consular processing option at all; others are nationals of 75 countries where the State Department has indefinitely paused immigrant visa processing.
USCIS has issued conflicting guidance and hasn’t clarified whether the new standard applies to already-pending applications — attorneys are already reporting clients being asked to demonstrate “extraordinary circumstances” mid-process.
Bottom line: this isn’t about undocumented immigrants — in FY2023, over 600,000 people adjusted status from inside the US legally. This memo puts all of them at risk.
Weaponization
Actual Weaponization
Trump DOJ Seeks Names of Social Media Users Critical of ICE (Mediaite)
Trump DOJ, via US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, subpoenaed Reddit and X for the names, addresses, and bank information of users who posted criticism of ICE — part of a criminal investigation, though neither user was told what crime they’re suspected of.
The users only found out about the probe from the social media companies, not the DOJ; their attorneys call it “a bad faith attempt to unmask” dissenters rather than a legitimate criminal investigation.
The DOJ’s pattern: start with an administrative summons, then escalate to a grand jury subpoena — both signed by the same prosecutor, both directing records delivered to an ICE office.
Reddit is fighting back; X did not respond to comment requests.
Tracking retaliatory use of arrests, prosecutions, and investigations by the Trump administration (Protect Democracy)
The tracker documents 22 cases of alleged retaliatory DOJ investigations, arrests, or prosecutions since January 2025, targeting figures including James Comey, John Bolton, Adam Schiff, NY AG Letitia James, Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Sen. Mark Kelly, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and others — often preceded by direct public threats from Trump himself.
Several cases have already collapsed: the grand jury refused to indict the former military lawmakers, Jeanine Pirro dropped the Powell investigation, charges against Kat Abughazaleh were fully dismissed, and the Letitia James indictment was thrown out for unlawful appointment of the prosecutor.
Comey was indicted a second time — this time for allegedly threatening the president via a social media post featuring seashells arranged in the pattern “8647.” His lead prosecutor has since stepped down.
Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll (CNN)
The DOJ launched a criminal perjury investigation into E. Jean Carroll, 82 — the woman who won $88 million in judgments against Trump for sexual abuse and defamation — focused on a 2022 deposition statement that she received no outside funding for her lawsuit, before it emerged that billionaire Reid Hoffman had covered some legal fees.
The probe was referred to federal prosecutors in Chicago — notably not New York where the deposition occurred — apparently because Hoffman has a nonprofit based there.
Acting AG Todd Blanche had to recuse himself because he was one of Trump’s personal attorneys on the Carroll appeals.
One day after CNN published the story, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois said his office had “never opened” such an investigation — sources then reaffirmed it to CNN anyway, suggesting internal DOJ confusion or deliberate misdirection.
Carroll’s jury awards — $5 million for sexual abuse, $83 million for defamation — are both under appeal, with the Supreme Court having deferred its decision on whether to take up the case twelve times.
Federal inquiry into E Jean Carroll part of investigation into Reid Hoffman non-profit (Guardian)
The real target appears to be Reid Hoffman’s nonprofit, American Future Republic, with the investigation involving potential money-laundering conspiracy and obstruction — Carroll herself is reportedly not the subject.
This fits a clear pattern: the DOJ filed similar money-laundering conspiracy charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center in April — charges legal experts called flimsy — and has also pushed prosecutors to crack down on a George Soros-backed nonprofit. The DOJ is systematically targeting major Democratic donors’ organizations.
Trump says judge who ruled against him on Kennedy Center ‘should be brought up on charges’ (Independent)
A federal judge blocked Trump’s Kennedy Center renaming and renovation plans, ruling that only Congress — not Trump’s hand-picked board — can change the name of the Kennedy Center.
Trump responded with a 700-word Truth Social screed demanding the judge be “IMPEACHED,” accusing him of ruling against Trump because “his wife probably told him to do so,” and threatening that the Kennedy Center “will soon be closed, probably never to open again.”
Worth noting who’s on that “distinguished board” that unanimously voted to add Trump’s name: White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scovino, JD Vance’s wife, Howard Lutnick’s wife, and Trump himself.
More than a dozen major acts have already canceled Kennedy Center performances since the renaming.
What They Call ‘Weaponization’
Capitol rioters clamor for payouts from Trump’s new ‘anti-weaponization’ fund despite backlash (AP)
Trump created a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund — originally tied to an IRS lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns — and January 6 rioters who pleaded guilty under oath to storming the Capitol are now lining up to claim taxpayer money from it.
Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Capitol riot-related crimes; over 1,200 were convicted before Trump issued mass pardons, including members of far-right extremist groups who plotted to violently keep Trump in power.
Acting AG Todd Blanche refused to rule out payments to violent J6 defendants, punting all decisions to five commissioners — none of whom have been named yet — while a federal judge has already frozen the fund and at least three lawsuits are challenging it.
One pardoned J6 attorney is already charging fellow rioters a 10% cut to file claims on their behalf — even though no application process exists. A Michigan fake elector declared “I want vengeance and I want retribution.” A Texas man sentenced to seven years for storming the Capitol with a metal tomahawk called it “payback.”
One rioter who rejected both the pardon and the payout said it best: “We weren’t innocently persecuted just because of who we are. We were persecuted for committing criminal behavior in the Capitol of the United States.”
Judge pauses Trump administration’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund (Politico)
A federal judge has frozen the anti-weaponization fund, blocking any payments until at least a June 12 hearing — ruling urgently because she feared cash could start flowing before the legal challenge played out.
Even Senate Republicans are furious: Sen. Ted Cruz said colleagues were yelling at Acting AG Blanche in a closed-door meeting, calling the fund “foolish” and politically toxic ahead of the midterms.
The DOJ responded by accusing the judge of acting on “policy preferences” rather than law — the same playbook Trump uses every time a court rules against him.
Judge reopens Trump’s IRS suit to examine $1.8bn settlement with justice department (Guardian)
Different judge — this is Miami Judge Kathleen Williams, an Obama appointee, who reopened Trump’s original IRS lawsuit. The freeze we just covered was from Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia. Two separate courts, two separate legal challenges.
A bipartisan group of 35 former federal judges urged Judge Williams to reopen Trump’s IRS case, arguing the settlement “is a product of collusion and is itself a fraud on the court.”
The core allegation: Trump used his own lawsuit against his own government to obtain unlawful private benefits — including a provision permanently shielding the Trump family from future IRS audits, signed only by Acting AG Blanche.
Williams could ultimately compel DOJ officials, including Blanche, to testify about how the settlement was reached and who it actually benefits.
Bonus irony: former Trump attorney Michael Cohen says he’ll apply for the anti-weaponization fund, arguing he suffered “identical” persecution to those who inspired it.
Media/Tech
US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows (Wired)
DHS, the FBI, and 80 fusion centers are now surveilling a new domestic threat category: “anti-tech violent extremism” — a term that doesn’t exist in any public DHS or FBI threat guide and is broad enough to sweep in peaceful data center protesters and AI skeptics.
Trump’s National Security Presidential Memo 7 instructs DOJ to target anyone holding “anti-American,” “anti-Christian,” and “anti-capitalism” beliefs — the surveillance apparatus is being explicitly directed by White House ideology.
Fusion centers are monitoring Tesla Takedown protests, town hall meetings where residents oppose local data centers, and a progressive nonprofit video about data center impacts — none involving any violence.
A private intelligence contractor flagged a More Perfect Union video about data center harms to residents as a potential threat — the video contained no advocacy for violence whatsoever.
The expert whose work is circulating in fusion centers warns: “Anti-technology violence is unacceptable, but it should not be used as an excuse to securitize AI and silence those critical of its current trajectory.”
New Intel Bureau Eyes AI Data Center Critics (Ken Klippenstein)
Congress now has its own intelligence agency — the Capitol Police Intelligence Services Bureau, created after January 6 — and it’s producing threat reports about data center critics and distributing them to fusion centers nationwide, despite admitting in the same report that “the US Capitol Police is not investigating any data center-motivated threats to Members of Congress.”
The trigger for the report appears to be a shooting at the home of an Indianapolis city councilman who supported a local data center project — a real incident, but one without an arrest or confirmed motive.
A Gallup poll this month found seven in ten Americans oppose local data center construction — making “anti-tech extremism” a surveillance category that potentially covers the majority of the US public.
Shake Up at ‘60 Minutes’ as CBS News Ousts Executive Producer Tanya Simon, Correspondents Cecilia Vega, Sharyn Alfonsi; Taps Nick Bilton to Run Newsmagazine (Variety)
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss ousted 60 Minutes’ two senior executive producers and two veteran correspondents, replacing them with Nick Bilton — a former NYT tech columnist with no TV production experience — as only the fifth leader in the show’s nearly 60-season history.
The shake-up follows Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump to end a lawsuit over the Kamala Harris interview — a deal made while seeking regulatory approval for its Skydance sale, which drove out two senior CBS executives who said they could no longer resist corporate pressure to placate the White House.
Weiss previously held a completed 60 Minutes segment about migrants sent to El Salvador — after it had already been publicly promoted — demanding additional Trump administration comment in what staffers saw as an attempt to soften a story unfavorable to the administration.
Under Weiss, both CBS Mornings and the revamped CBS Evening News have lost viewers; staffers fear a 60 Minutes overhaul will alienate the loyal Sunday audience that generates over $200 million in annual ad revenue.
Indiana Tech
‘It’s going to be an eyesore’ | Clergy take stand against Metrobloks data center, call on Mayor Hogsett to stop project (WTHR)
Clergy from Martindale-Brightwood — a historically Black neighborhood on Indianapolis’s near northeast side — are demanding Mayor Hogsett stop the Metrobloks data center project, a 70-foot-tall, 150,000-square-foot facility at 25th and Sherman.
Their concerns: rising utility costs for residents and churches, noise, and the sheer size of the structure in their neighborhood — plus public incentive dollars going to a project the community never wanted.
Hogsett has repeatedly refused to meet with the clergy, passing them off to lower-level city staff; the city is now hiding behind pending litigation as its reason for silence.
Opponents have filed a civil complaint for judicial review of the zoning approval process — the project has cleared all legislative hurdles but the legal fight isn’t over.
Cummins to pay $23M to California AI company for misappropriating trade secrets (WFYI)
A Delaware jury ordered Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins Inc. to pay $23 million to California AI firm C3 AI after finding Cummins secretly hired a team in India to replicate C3’s proprietary fuel-efficiency AI application.
Cummins was caught when a staffer was accidentally copied on an internal email revealing the plan — and when confronted, was forced to admit it.
C3 had originally sought between $500 million and $1 billion; Cummins says it “disagrees with the outcome” but respects the process.
Data centers need a lot of energy. Some turn to fossil fuels for power (IndyStar)
Indiana is in the middle of a hyperscale data center gold rush — Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are building massive facilities across the state, with single data centers requiring as much electricity as the entire city of Indianapolis.
The energy answer so far is largely fossil fuels: NIPSCO is building two new natural gas plants totaling 2,600 megawatts and just cut a deal to purchase power from the Merom coal plant in Sullivan County — a facility that was supposed to retire in 2023.
Utility plans are often buried in regulatory filings or kept secret entirely: in Lebanon, Meta is building a $10 billion, 1,000 megawatt facility already under construction, and the local cooperative has provided virtually no information about how it will be powered.
One exception: AES Indiana is partially powering a Google facility with solar and battery storage, and Meta’s Duke Energy data center in Jeffersonville runs on carbon-free power.
City may delay Eagle Creek reservoir negotiations to study LEAP impact (IndyStar)
Indianapolis is likely to extend its water use agreement with Citizens Energy Group by one year rather than renegotiate now, giving the city time to study how the LEAP district’s water demands may impact Eagle Creek Reservoir.
The concern: Citizens plans to transport up to 25 million gallons of water a day to Lebanon’s LEAP district, and treated wastewater from LEAP would be discharged back into the reservoir — with the current contract containing no limits on pollutant levels from that discharge.
Environmental advocates are worried about impacts on Eagle Creek Park’s migrating bird habitat, which depends on the reservoir’s mudflats — and a $108,000 study has been commissioned to examine the full consequences before any long-term contract is signed.
Indianapolis hired hydrologist with LEAP district ties (Mirror Indy)
Indianapolis hired hydrologist Jack Wittman to study Eagle Creek Reservoir’s water capacity for the new Citizens Energy contract — but Wittman previously worked for the firm that conducted the 2023 study concluding there was enough water to establish the LEAP district in the first place.
The Board of Public Works approved the $108,000 contract on a narrow 4-3 vote over conflict-of-interest objections from residents and board members.
DPW’s defense: it’s hard to find a water expert in Indiana who hasn’t worked with Citizens Energy or the LEAP district — which is either a reasonable explanation or a damning indictment of how incestuous Indiana’s water policy world is, depending on your perspective.
Residents won’t get a chance to comment on Wittman’s findings before the city uses them to negotiate a new 50-year contract.
Elections
Texas Run-offs
Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn for U.S. Senate GOP nomination (Texas Tribune)
Ken Paxton — indicted for felony securities fraud and impeached by his own party for corruption — just defeated four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas GOP primary runoff, becoming the first challenger to unseat a sitting Texas senator from his own party since 1970.
Trump’s last-minute endorsement sealed it; Cornyn outspent Paxton nearly nine to one and still lost — a stark demonstration that MAGA loyalty now outweighs money, incumbency, and institutional support.
Cook Political Report immediately shifted Texas from “likely” to “lean” Republican — Democrats’ preferred opponent is now the nominee, and Talarico has significantly outraised Paxton.
Cornyn’s two cardinal sins in Trump’s eyes: casting doubt on Trump’s electability in 2023 and voting for a bipartisan gun safety bill after Uvalde.
The GOP establishment’s own attacks on Paxton — tens of millions spent calling his behavior “repulsive and disgusting” — now become opposition research for Talarico’s general election campaign.
Menefee ousts Al Green
Procrypto super PAC lauds Green’s loss (The Hill)
Pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake spent $6.5 million to oust Rep. Al Green in the Texas Democratic primary runoff — and succeeded, with Green losing to Rep. Christian Menefee by a 70-30 margin.
Green had voted against both major crypto bills this session, including the GENIUS Act stablecoin bill Trump signed into law; Fairshake called him “the first Democratic incumbent this cycle to lose his seat” due to “anti-crypto hostility.”
Fairshake initially pledged $1.5 million and ended up spending more than four times that — a preview of how aggressively the crypto industry intends to shape Congress.
AIPAC Celebrates ‘Anti-Israel’ Al Green Losing Primary (Newsweek)
AIPAC also celebrated Green’s defeat, posting congratulations to Menefee while describing Green as “one of the most outspoken anti-Israel voices in Congress” — a post seen over 400,000 times on X.
Green had opposed certain military aid measures to Israel and supported Palestinian statehood efforts, making him a target for both the crypto and pro-Israel lobbying industries simultaneously.
Bottom line: a 20-year incumbent was taken out by a combination of Republican redistricting, $6.5 million in crypto PAC money, and AIPAC opposition — a case study in how outside money and foreign policy litmus tests are reshaping Democratic primaries.
Federal judges block Alabama’s use of 2023 congressional map (AL Reflector)
A federal three-judge panel blocked Alabama from using its 2023 congressional map, ruling it was deliberately drawn to dilute Black voters — even after the Supreme Court’s recent Callais decision weakened the Voting Rights Act.
The judges called out Alabama’s own contradiction: the state argued partisan intent in 2026, but the record contained zero evidence of partisan motive and lawmakers were explicitly warned the map would dilute Black votes before passing it anyway.
Alabama immediately appealed to the Supreme Court; Gov. Ivey, AG Marshall, and the Secretary of State all vowed to fight — while the House Speaker called the judges “activists handing Democrats victories in the courtroom.”
Ballots already cast in four congressional districts will be voided under Alabama law, adding chaos to an election cycle the state itself scrambled by calling a special primary for August.
Effort to redraw SC voting lines fails amid record start to early voting (SC Daily Gazette)
South Carolina Republicans killed their own Trump-backed redistricting bill after record early voting turnout made it politically untenable — 26,000 people voted by noon on the first day, more than the entire first day of 2024 early voting.
The map, drawn by the National Republican Redistricting Trust in Washington and handed to the legislature with just 7 minutes and 40 seconds of testimony, would have redrawn Rep. Jim Clyburn out of the district he’s represented since 1992.
A conservative Republican senator delivered the killing blow: “Neither my conscience nor my common sense will allow me to stop an election underway. The deadline is past. Voting has begun.”
Senate Majority Leader Massey — who opposed the effort throughout — warned his colleagues plainly: “People will vote when they’re angry, and I think what we’re seeing today is that we’ve made some people mad.”
Indiana Elections
Morales lashes back over loss of Indiana secretary of state race support (ICC)
Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales is in freefall ahead of the June 20 Republican state convention — Sen. Jim Banks and AG Todd Rokita pulled their endorsements, State Treasurer Daniel Elliott called for his resignation, and his campaign spokesman quit.
The trigger: a late entry into the race by Max Engling, a Banks Senate staffer, the day before the filing deadline — widely seen as a party establishment move to push Morales out.
Morales is blaming his troubles on supporting Trump’s Indiana redistricting push — conveniently ignoring that Banks and Rokita were among the loudest supporters of that same push. Morales called Elliott a “close ally” of Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray.
The underlying controversy involves Morales hiring a chief of staff who had been registered to vote as a noncitizen years before joining his office — she never voted, the registration was canceled in 2013, and she has since left.
Indiana Dems announce treasurer, comptroller candidates (ICC)
Indiana Democrats will nominate Porter County Clerk Jessica Bailey for comptroller and Noblesville consultant Coumba Kebe for treasurer at their June 6 convention in Indianapolis — both running unopposed.
Bailey is a two-term clerk with national election administration awards; Kebe is a first-generation American and healthcare advocate who just lost a primary bid for HD-29.
Both frame their candidacies around the same theme: after years of one-party Republican control, Hoosiers deserve independent financial oversight.
The Secretary of State race remains contested on the Democratic side between Beau Bayh and Blythe Potter.
Chair of Indiana’s Libertarian Party to lead national party (WFYI)
Indianapolis’s Evan McMahon, who has chaired Indiana’s Libertarian Party since 2021, was elected national chair of the Libertarian Party at a convention in Grand Rapids last weekend — a notable rise for Indiana’s third party, which has maintained automatic ballot access in the state since 1994.
NWI
Gary’s 27-year lawsuit against gun industry dies with Indiana Supreme Court decision (IPM)
The Indiana Supreme Court voted 4-1 to let die Gary’s 27-year lawsuit against gun manufacturers — effectively ending the case after Republican legislators passed five separate laws over 25 years specifically designed to kill it.
The 2024 law that finished it off stripped cities of the right to sue gun makers, handing that authority exclusively to AG Todd Rokita — who used it to seek the lawsuit’s dismissal and then celebrated the result.
Brady President Kris Brown put it plainly: “The gun industry defendants got the legislators whose campaigns they fund to pass five separate laws over 25 years to end legitimate lawsuits like Gary’s.”
Details revealed after New Chicago police chief arrested, charged with multiple felonies (NBC5)
New Chicago Police Chief Earl Mayo faces eight felony charges after allegedly stealing a gun seized as evidence in a criminal case, altering its tracing information, and selling it to a pawn shop in Hobart — then asking a fellow officer to buy it back and retrieve suppressed firearms from his home.
A second person, Tanika Roshawn Borders of Merrillville, faces charges for allegedly trying to buy back the gun from the pawn shop and attempting to destroy vials of veterinary-grade anabolic steroids belonging to Mayo.
New Chicago — a town of about 1,900 — has placed Mayo on administrative leave, with Lake County police taking over policing duties.
Mayo’s father, Indiana State Police Major Jerry Williams, is currently running for Lake County Sheriff.
