National Stories
US Headlines
CBS Cancels Colbert (and Paramount Settles Suit amid Merger)
The announcement by CBS on Thursday that it will cancel the show comes against the backdrop of a looming merger between its parent company, Paramount, with Skydance Media.
comes only days after the comedian called out Paramount for its $16m settlement with Trump. Trump, in a lawsuit, had alleged that 60 Minutes, the flagship news magazine at CBS, doctored an interview during the 2024 presidential campaign with his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.
Colbert, a longtime critic of the president, called the network’s decision to settle “a big fat bribe” because of the pending merger, which needs approval from the Department of Justice and is valued at $8bn.
Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when leg veins don't allow blood to flow back up to the heart, causing it to pool in the lower limbs.
Trump had also been recently photographed with patches of make-up on the back of his hand. The White House has said it is unrelated to the vein condition but is instead bruising as a result of frequent handshaking.
Trump — who has repeatedly expressed his anger at the Fed chair for declining to lower interest rates on Trump’s watch — is building [a case to fire Powell] with the help of aides.
It has nothing to do with monetary policy or interest rate incompetence, but rather an over-budget renovation of the Federal Reserve complex,
“I was surprised he was appointed,” Trump said at the White House on Wednesday, either forgetting or perhaps fudging about his role in first nominating Powell as Fed chair during his first term.
DOD Signs $200M Contract with Musk's xAI
The week after its Grok chatbot identified itself as “MechaHitler” and generated antisemitic posts, Elon Musk’s xAI firm announced a contract with the US Department of Defense (DoD) worth nearly $200m. The deal is for developing and implementing artificial intelligence tools for the agency.
Republicans Look to Gerrymander Way to Victory in ‘26
are poised to redraw the state’s congressional maps this coming week and devise five new winnable seats for the GOP that would help the party avoid losing House control in the 2026 elections.
Dems Float Their Own in Response
Many liberals called on Democrat-led states — like California, Oregon and Illinois — to blunt the impact by conducting redraws of their own.
“Trump said he’s going to steal 5 Congressional seats in Texas and gerrymander his way into a 2026 win. Well, two can play that game,” [California Governor Gavin] Newsom wrote in a post on X that featured a clip of his “Pod Save America” appearance. “Special sessions. Special elections. Ballot initiatives. New laws. It’s all on the table when democracy is on the line.”
Salvadoran/Venezuelan Prisoner Swap
Venezuela has freed 10 Americans in exchange for more than 200 Venezuelans whom the United States had sent to a prison in El Salvador, the U.S. and Salvadoran governments said Friday.
In March, the Trump administration sent about 250 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, whose government was paid to house them in a maximum security prison, known as CECOT.
The United States accused many of the men of being gang members and deported them under the Alien Enemies Act, which had not been invoked since World War II.
Lawyers for the Venezuelan deportees argue their transfer to El Salvador was illegal. Dozens of them were in the middle of asylum cases, and had been held in U.S. detention centers for months.
Dee’s Story: The Epstein Stuff Just Won’t Go Away
July 7, 2025: Epstein memo released
The DOJ and FBI released a memo, in which both agencies said their review determined there was "no incriminating 'client list'" and "no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions."
The department also released hours of footage as part of its review, which officials say further confirms Epstein died by suicide while in custody in his jail cell in Manhattan in 2019.
MAGA Personalities Revolt
[Conspiracy theorist Laura] Loomer called on Bondi to resign "for lying to the American People." Pro-Trump influencers the Hodgetwins also called on Trump to fire Bondi -- as did American conservative political commentator Liz Wheeler.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon questioned if the administration is as transparent as it claims it would be during his popular "War Room" show. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones accused the Trump administration of being part of a cover-up.
July 8, 2025: Bondi & Trump Play “Hide the Ball”
During a Cabinet meeting, Bondi clarified past comments she made regarding the Epstein case in the wake of the memo's release, including regarding the "client list."
"In February, I did an interview on Fox, and it's been getting a lot of attention because I said I was asked a question about the client list, and my response was, it's sitting on my desk to be reviewed, meaning the file along with the JFK, MLK files as well. That's what I meant by that," Bondi said.
During the same Cabinet meeting, Trump had interrupted prior to Bondi's response, saying, "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. You're asking-- we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. And are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable."
July 12 (Last Sat) Trump defends Bondi in Wild Truth Social Post
Trump defended Bondi in a social media post amid the pushback from some in his MAGA base over the handling of the Epstein probe.
July 15 (Tue)
Rules Committee (including Houchin) Shoots Down Khanna Amendment to Release Epstein Files
[House Speaker] Mike Johnson says Bondi needs to 'come forward and explain' handling of Epstein files
“He’s [been] dead for a long time, he was never a big factor in terms of life,” Trump said of Epstein, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
“I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,” he reiterated. “It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring, and I don’t understand why it keeps going.”
“I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”
July 16 (Wed) “Raw” Prison Video Was Cooked
WIRED is reporting that new metadata shows that nearly three minutes of footage were cut from what the Department of Justice and FBI described as the “full raw” video from the only camera near Epstein’s cell the night before he was found dead.
July 17 (Thu) WSJ Reports Trump Contributed Lewd Birthday Letter for Epstein’s 50th
The Wall Street Journal reported that the letter with Trump's name on it contains an outline of a hand-drawn naked woman with typewritten text, describing an apparently imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein. According to the Journal, here is what it said:
“Voice Over: There must be more to life than having everything,” the note started.
Donald: Yes, there is, but I won’t tell you what it is.
Jeffrey: Nor will I, since I also know what it is.
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes, we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
July 18 (Fri)
DOJ Asks Federal Court to Unseal Grand Jury Transcripts
A judge would have to approve the release of the grand jury transcripts, and it’s likely to be a lengthy process to decide what can become public and to make redactions to protect sensitive witness and victim information.
Trump Sues WSJ, Murdoch for $10B
The suit, filed in federal court in Miami, accuses the paper and its reporters of having “knowingly and recklessly” published “numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements,” which, it alleges, caused “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” to the president.
“This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media,” he wrote.
Abdul’s Story: Houchin Flip-Flops on Epstein Release
Tue - voted against forcing a full House vote on whether U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi should release any records related to Jeffrey Epstein. Houchin, whose 9th District includes Bloomington, serves on the U.S. House of Representatives Rules Committee. She was among seven Republicans who voted against a motion that would have compelled the full House vote.
Fri - U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana has introduced a resolution calling for the release of the Epstein files just days after she voted to block a similar Democrat-led effort.
“I have always supported full transparency when it comes to the Epstein files, and I’m glad to back President Trump in that effort,” Houchin said in the release. “Earlier this week, I refused to hand this process over to Democrats trying to exploit it for political gain. Their amendment in the Rules Committee was nothing more than a stunt—reckless and completely lacking the victim protections this issue demands.”
Houchin referenced her background as a caseworker for the Indiana Department of Child Services as the driving force behind her resolution.
Tracie’s Story: Foreign Aid/CPB Recission
So it’s not really a shocker that performative cruelty is still on the menu in Trump's kitchen. All the funding that congress insisted on keeping, Trump had to take back. They’ve rescinded $9 billion in previously allocated funds, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — a move that cuts all federal support for NPR, PBS and their member stations — and about $7 billion in foreign aid.
It takes a special someone to try and kill Big Bird and Elmo.
70% of the cut funding goes directly to local stations, who use it for operating funds. For a lot of rural communities and smaller stations, these CPB funds are a lifeline to keeping in operation and can be a key lifeline during emergencies. It’s not just Masterpiece theater here. It’s emergency alerts, community information. And media channels are shutting down right and left.
Does he think Truth social is going to fill in the gaps?
And why is congress so determined to just roll over? Once again, the public doesn’t love this at all so???
A Harris Poll last week found that 66% of Americans support federal funding for public radio, with the same share calling it a good value. Support included 58% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats.
Foreign aid cuts are for $500 million of the $4 billion appropriated for global health programs funding actives to combat infectious diseases and promote maternal health.
$800 million for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation and family reunification for those forced to flee their own country.
$4.15 billion for two programs designed to boost the economies and democratic institutions in developing and strategically important countries.
$496 million to provide humanitarian assistance such as food, water and health care for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts.
$361 million for international peacekeeping efforts, which are designed to stabilize conflict zones and protect civilians.
Cutting funding for UNICEF so that Americans are ‘Put First”
How? Is this money he’s ‘clawing’ back from the budget going to any helpful programs? What’s his plan for this other than to pull it back?
Scott’s Story: GENIUS Act Signed By Trump
A greenlight for Trump crypto grift
The Senate passed the GENIUS Act, a bill that will regulate stablecoins in the US, establishing guardrails and consumer protections that may spur wider crypto adoption nationwide. Unlike more volatile forms of cryptocurrency—like Trump's controversial memecoin—stablecoins' value can be pegged to the US dollar.
Although the stablecoin legislation prohibits "any member of Congress or senior executive branch official from issuing a payment stablecoin product during their time in public service," the bill does not stop Trump from benefiting from his prior deal backing crypto firm World Liberty Financial, which recently issued its own stablecoin.
Although 18 Democrats helped the GENIUS Act pass in the Senate, most Democrats opposed the law over concerns of Trump's feared conflicts of interest
Senators are already attempting to probe a Trump-connected crypto deal they view as a "clear" conflict of interest. After World Liberty Financial launched a stablecoin called USD1, Trump seemingly profited when an Abu-Dahbi-based investment firm, MGX, used USD1 to "make a $2 billion investment in crypto exchange Binance, putting Trump’s company in a position to profit from the deal," ABC News reported.
Lawmakers need only mull the MGX-Binance deal to understand the potential conflicts of interest, Merkley and Warren suggested. The senators have alleged that Trump, his family, and the family of an associate—Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff—all stood to "receive hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign kickbacks" from the MGX deal alone.
Follows Trump memecoin scam earlier this year
Trump’s much-hyped 22 May dinner and a White House tour the next day for 25 leading memecoin buyers were devised to spur sales of $Trump and wound up raking in about $148m, much of it courtesy of anonymous and foreign buyers, for Trump and his partners.
The [...] political and financial fortunes [...] of [...] crypto tycoons, have improved markedly since Trump took office and moved fast to loosen regulations of cryptocurrency ventures at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the justice department and other agencies to upend Joe Biden’s policies
Trump’s pursuit of crypto riches and deregulation represents a big shift from his comments to Fox News in 2021, when he said that bitcoin, a very popular crypto currency, “seems like a scam”.
Indiana Stories
Quick Headlines - Around the Corn
Coke to Switch from HCFS to Cane Sugar?
The Corn Refiners Association, which represents high-fructose corn syrup producers, said the change threatens thousands of jobs and risks devastating primarily Midwest American farms.
Indiana Supreme Court Denies Rokita
Indiana’s Supreme Court on Friday denied Attorney General Todd Rokita’s call to dismiss a second disciplinary action against him — both stemming from public comments made three years ago about his investigation of an Indianapolis abortion provider [Dr. Caitlin Bernard].
Far-Right Activists Sue INGOP for Silencing Base
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is among several Hoosier Republicans backing a new lawsuit against the state GOP, claiming that party leaders “undermined the rights of delegates” by making convention changes beyond their authority.
Joseph Bortka, a 2024 state convention delegate and current Marion County Republican precinct committeeman, filed the lawsuit Sunday in Marion County Superior Court.
The complaint alleges that party leadership “refused to allow” certain issues to be voted on by the convention — including motions and resolutions proposed by delegates — while “misleading the convention” about their rights and changing rules in ways that “undermine the rights of delegates and the rights of the convention as a body.”
Among other claims, Bortka argues that recent rule changes made by the state committee — including the removal of Robert’s Rules of Order as the convention’s procedural guide and blocking motions from being heard — are part of a broader attempt to consolidate power at the expense of delegates’ rights.
Indiana 3rd-Worst State in CNBC Quality of Life Rankings
Each year, CNBC’s annual rankings of state business climates — America’s Top States for Business —considers Quality of Life among ten categories of competitiveness. Under this year’s methodology, the category makes up 10.6% of a state’s overall score. We consider factors like crime, health care, air quality, and the price and availability of child care. We also consider inclusiveness of state laws, such as legal protections against discrimination. And with data showing younger workers considering reproductive rights in their choice of where they are willing to live, we factor those state laws in our rankings as well.
Indiana 2025 Quality of Life Score: 73 out of 265 Points (Top States Grade: F)
Strength: Crime Rate
Weaknesses: Child Care, Reproductive Rights, Inclusiveness, Air Quality
Only Tennessee, Texas scored worse
State Lawmakers Explore Firing Squad Executions
With lethal injection drugs proving both costly and difficult to obtain, a growing number of Republican lawmakers and state officials are pushing for an alternative: the firing squad.
Lethal injection is currently the only method of execution authorized under Indiana law.
Abdul’s Story: Crime in Downtown Indianapolis
City/County Council to Vote on Stricter Curfew; Police Blame Absentee Parents
The amended ordinance would change Indy’s curfew for youth aged 15 to 17 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9 p.m. on other days.
“Nobody is addressing what the real issue is, which is if they [teens] do the crime, they do no time. There is no accountability, and they fall into a life of crime and violence,” [FOP Pres. Rick Snyder] said.
He called on the court systems to do more when it comes to punishing young people, especially repeat violent offenders
Additionally, councilors discussed potential fines ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 for parents of children who break curfew.
Braun Says City Leaders Need to Step Up
"We need to see a significant crackdown on what's occurring in our own state capital, or it's going to bring more and more to where we're going to have to look for other resources or weigh in," Braun said at a press conference with Indiana State Police
"Indianapolis' own justice system is not doing the job," Braun said. "I think the police department is, but the rest of the equation is not being carried out.
"Until they start doing things differently, and especially the prosecution side of it, they, I think, shoulder nearly full responsibility for what we're having to do to intervene, and when your own local police department is asking for that help, that means you've been making a lot of bad decisions along the way," Braun said.
State Sen. Proposes State Takeover of Downtown
Under the proposal, the governor would appoint the commissioner, who would serve in a "mayoral" role. The board would act as "council" and would "administer the adoption of ordinances, law enforcement, the fire department, road maintenance and any other service offered by a city within the Square Mile and other major facilities run by the Capital Improvement Board."
[State Sen. Michael] Young (R-Indianapolis) said the attorney general would be responsible for prosecuting crimes within the district instead of the Marion County prosecutor.
WNBA All-Star Weekend/Black Expo Draw State Police Presence
Organizers expect about 70,000 fans for the three-day WNBA All-Star Weekend, and about 88,000 across the Indiana Black Expo’s 11-day Summer Celebration, WISH TV reported.
[State Police Superintendent Anthony] Scott said he wouldn’t share “any details of our operational plans” for the weekend beyond “a significant increase in the number of troopers patrolling downtown Indianapolis.”
Governor’s office spokeswoman Molly Craft said they don’t have an anticipated cost, but that Indiana State Police will cover the tab.
Dee’s Story: Tolling the Indiana Interstates
Can Indiana avoid tolling? Probably not.
The Indiana Department of Transportation compared Indiana to neighboring states on 12 criteria, including road and bridge conditions, fatality rates, travel reliability and more:“INDOT ranked in the top 3rd in 5 areas and in the middle 3rd in the others,” the 2024 report said.
The federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics also rates 97% of Indiana’s roads as “good” or “fair.”
But a Reason Foundation analysis found Indiana ranked 32nd in highway performance nationally.
Most of the roads in the state are cared for by counties, cities and towns — about 89%. Their needs are immense.
One analysis said local governments would require an additional $2.4 billion annually to eliminate poorly rated local roads and bridges across the state over the next 10 years. The annual price tag for simply maintaining roads at the current condition is $1 billion.
Meanwhile: State Ends Fiscal Year With $2.5B Surplus
the lowest amount since the pandemic.
That’s after the state spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to cover a shortfall in Medicaid funding.
Tracie’s Story: LGBTQ+ church discrimination
So it seems like there’s a charming new trend in Indiana megachurches: “Let’s hurt all the gay people we can! Whee, we can do what we want now!”
In NWI, a local teen named Bryce Fechs was both removed from his leadership role in the Bethel Church youth group for being gay, and then a year and a half later, when he was no longer attending Bethel, outed by that church to an unaffiliated Christian summer camp. The camp subsequently kicked Bryce out. The church’s response to all the press attention was as you’d expect, a mealy-mouthed statement about loving everyone as god made them but celebrating marriage as between a man and a woman.
And of course, we have the sermons at Sure Foundation Baptist Church in Indy calling for open violence against LGBTQ+ people. They’re literally encouraging their congregants to pray for the deaths of gay people.
This is all gross and cruel, of course, but defending your right to believe god hates gay people doesn’t really wash away your civic and moral responsibility to stop endangering members of the LGBTQ+ community, because it’s getting uglier out there for them every day.
Hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community are on a rapid rise, no shocker there.
GLAAD’s – the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Anti-Defamation – tracks anti-LGBTQ+ extremism nationally, and they reported 2.5 instances a DAY nationwide from May 2024 to May 2025. And keep in mind, these are instances that are both reported and qualify for hate crime status based on the laws of the state where they were reported, so that number is obviously much much higher.
The Williams Institute (UCLA School of Law) examined the FBI’s 2022-23 Crime Victimization Study for LGBT crimes and found:
LGBT people are five times more likely than non-LGBT people to be victims of violent crime.
LGBT people are nine times more likely to experience violent hate crimes than non-LGBT people.
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/anti-lgbt-victimization-us/
But this is not in step with general attitudes towards the community
GLAAD’s 2025 Accelerating Acceptance report found that approximately 90% of non-LGBTQ Americans believe that the LGBTQ community deserves to live free from violence and discrimination, and that three in four non-LGBTQ adults support equal rights for LGBTQ people.
This leads to the conclusion for me that we all know exactly who that minority is, and that’s a scary thought because the Federal data I quoted is from 2023. This is before Trump won again. What are they going to do now that they have a green light and a blank check?
Scott’s Story: Hegseth Confirms Atterbury to be Used for ICE Detention
Hegseth outlined the move in a July 15 letter to Congressional members, naming Camp Atterbury and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey as two sites available “for temporary use by the Department of Homeland Security to house illegal aliens.” The letter was first published late Thursday by NJ Spotlight News.
It remains unclear when detainees might begin arriving at the Indiana facility or how many individuals could be housed there. Camp Atterbury, located about 40 miles south of Indianapolis, is a federally owned facility that is licensed to and operated by the Indiana National Guard.
“I remain concerned on this use of Camp Atterbury given the deplorable and inhumane conditions at other ICE detention facilities nationwide,” [Congressman Andre Carson] said in a Friday statement. He emphasized that both the number of detainees and deaths in ICE custody have risen since former President Donald Trump returned to office.
Carson added that expanding detention space in Indiana is “disturbing,” and said Camp Atterbury should not be used to facilitate what he called “unlawful actions.”
“ICE is ripping families apart for offenses as minor as traffic tickets, and others are detained without having committed any crime at all,” he said. “Without due process, anyone and everyone is at risk, including U.S. citizens.”
Camp Atterbury has previously been used to house Afghan evacuees and Ukrainian refugees, but not immigration detainees held under enforcement authority.
One Big Thing
Superman - Go Woke, Go Broke?
$125M Opening Weekend Says Otherwise
takes the number 1 spot with $125 million in its three-day opening weekend!
Gunn Faces Right-Wing Backlash
Gunn, writer-director of “Superman” and co-CEO of DC Studios, told The Sunday Times over the weekend the superhero movie is “the story of America,” stating it is about “an immigrant that came from other places” and how “basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
Gunn’s comments were swiftly criticized by right-wing commentators, including Kellyanne Conway, who said in a Fox News segment Monday people “don’t go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us.”
Fox News host Jesse Watters joked Superman’s cape reads “MS-13,” the name of an international gang designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization, and he questioned whether Superman is “from Uganda” and whether there’s a “love scene with Batman and Robin.”
During the Fox News segment, a chyron on the screen read: “Superwoke.”
Other right-wing commentators, like Ben Shapiro, Tim Pool and widely followed right-wing X accounts like End Wokeness, piled onto the criticism in social media posts and YouTube videos, making “Superman” the latest movie deemed “woke” to be targeted by conservative critics.
In 1949, Superman’s image and morals entered schools via a 12 x 18” brown paper book cover. Printed on these covers was the image of Superman, speaking to a group of students. He reminds them that, like the U.S., their school is made up of people from different genders, races, and religions. He also states that anyone who hates or discriminates against people based on their race or religion is un-American!
Superman was the brainchild of two Jewish teenagers, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who borrowed elements from Jewish tradition and culture to create their character. Most famously, his Kryptonian surname “El” means “god” in Hebrew and his origin story is basically that of Moses.
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