Indiana Stories
Around the Corn (Quick Headlines)
Homicides, other violent crime down in Indianapolis this year
Homicides in Indianapolis fell by nearly 30% in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, new national crime data shows.
Indy's drop is consistent with many of the nation's large and midsize cities, reinforcing a broader decline in violent crime since the pandemic surge.
Indiana National Guard partners with Saudi Arabia
…under the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program. The partnership includes the Indiana National Guard, the Oklahoma National Guard, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Defense Department’s program pairs American states and foreign nations to enhance relationships and promote defense and security cooperation objectives established by the United States and its partners. The Indiana National Guard’s experience in disaster relief, domestic operations and overseas missions will support the U.S. government’s ongoing diplomatic, development and security efforts to achieve shared goals
IMPD denounces Nazi flag-waving group but maintains its right to free speech
When fewer than a dozen members of a hate group walked the streets of downtown Indianapolis over the weekend, police cars drove alongside them.
For many residents watching over social media, it was a jarring image. They questioned why the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Indiana State Police buffered the small group hoisting Nazi flags.
In an Aug. 17 statement, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey pointed to the U.S. Constitution to understand why his department responded the way it did.
"Safeguarding First Amendment rights, even for those whose views we find reprehensible, is a responsibility we take seriously," his statement reads. "But let me be clear: protecting those rights is not an endorsement of those beliefs: not now, not ever."
Braun flew to, from Jasper home 11 times over six months
11 flights between March 13 and August 1 chronicled in response to a public records request submitted by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, totaling $23,880. The state said that it would have “incurred” those costs whether or not Braun had used the Indiana State Police helicopter, because those flight hours were necessary “to satisfy (the Federal Aviation Administration’s) mandated hours requirements.”
Eight of those trips ended at Braun’s southern Indiana home in Jasper, where the state paid $1,745.55 to install a 20-foot-by-20-foot gravel pad earlier this year. The remaining three flights transported the governor from Jasper to Indianapolis.
Cross this Line - You’ll Do More Time
The 14- by 48-foot digital billboard is just off the right shoulder of the interstate and is seen by drivers heading south as they cross the county line.
"Attention criminals: Cross this line, you'll do more time," it reads, sandwiched between photos of Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner and Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess.
Rokita bans companies adhering to DEI from state business
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced his office will review all state government contracts to determine if private businesses practice DEI requirements with their employees.
Rokita said he was targeting DEI practices, “that treat people differently on the basis of race and sex when recruiting, hiring, promoting and conducting other employment activities.”
”This is getting into the actual day-to-day operations of small businesses in the state of Indiana that want to include parts of their staff that the state doesn’t see as so important. That should be a private business decision,” [State Senator Greg Taylor D-Indianapolis] said. ”We’ve got national businesses that want to do business here in the state of Indiana, and if they decide that they don’t want to do business here in the state of Indiana, it could have a chilling effect on our people and the amount of bids we receive.”
Indiana’s House GOP congressional contingent lines up behind redistricting effort
Indiana’s entire House GOP congressional delegation pledged support Monday for President Donald Trump’s plan to craft new federal district maps in an attempt to pick up one to two additional Republican seats in 2026.
“Democrats have proven they will use every tool available to them to gain and keep power. For years, Republicans have idly stood by while the Left has weaponized government against us,” U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman wrote Monday on X.
“This fall, Indiana will have the chance to respond to Democrats’ gerrymandering and stand with President Trump and the state of Texas to stand up for our REPUBLIC! Given developments across the country, I fully support mid-cycle redistricting,” [Rep. Victoria] Spartz said.
And U.S. Rep. Mark Messmer, R-8th, posted this statement: “I am proud to support Hoosier State Legislators and our great @GovBraun in fighting the long history of weaponized voter manipulation in CA, NY, and IL. Redistricting in Indiana will accurately reflect the will of Hoosier voices.”
Meanwhile, Indiana House Republicans that would actually have to draw new boundaries met privately on the north side of Indianapolis — and it’s still unclear where the caucus may land on the politically-charged proposal.
Gov. Mike Braun reiterated Monday afternoon that he remains noncommittal on whether to call a special session for redistricting, saying the decision will depend on consensus within the General Assembly.
“Under no circumstances will I vote for a new map,” [State Rep. Ed] Clere (R-New Albany) said in a written statement provided to the Capital Chronicle. “Special sessions should be reserved for emergencies. The president’s desperation to maintain a U.S. House majority by stacking the deck in favor of Republicans does not constitute an emergency.”
IEDC deems Elevate Ventures, affiliates in breach of all active loans
Troubled venture capital company Elevate Ventures has been deemed “in breach of” lending language in all of its active loan agreements with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. after defaulting on an angel investment program this month.
The firm operates the Indiana Angel Network Fund, intended to entice and aid angel investments to Hoosier startups. It nabbed the contract with IEDC on Aug. 2, 2011, with repayment due exactly 14 years later.
What Is an Angel Investor? Angel investors are wealthy private investors focused on financing small business ventures in exchange for equity. Unlike a venture capital firm that uses an investment fund, angels use their own net worth.
IEDC sent a request for repayment of nearly $17.2 million the day before. Elevate Ventures repaid about $12.9 million on Aug. 4 — falling more than $4.3 million short.
The company’s repayment struggle comes about three months after it was dubbed an “entity of interest” — alongside IEDC and its nonprofit arm — in a forensic investigation of potential financial wrongdoing.
Gov. Mike Braun promised an audit just days after Indiana Legislative Insight reported allegations of self-dealing, unreported side gigs and more among IEDC and its partners.
Two arrested at Micah Beckwith town hall in Newburgh; woman tackled by sheriff's deputy
Two people were arrested – one of them a woman tackled by a Warrick County Sheriff's Office deputy – during a town hall event hosted by Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith in Newburgh on Wednesday night.
Throughout the town hall, the woman later identified as [Amanda] Bennett shouted at Beckwith − as did many other attendees − and authorities told her to stop or she would be removed. After a few warnings, and before police moved to remove her, Bennett said she would leave on her own.
A person waiting at the mic for their turn to ask a question was set to restart when a commotion erupted from near the exit. A deputy had tackled Bennett to the ground, and attendees were making their way over to gather around.
Bennett charged with felony battery
In addition to the battery charge, Bennett also faces one misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement and two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, according to court records.
[Matthew] Eike, 40, likewise is charged with resisting law enforcement and two counts of disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors. Bennett and Eike were released on bail Thursday.
According to [WCSO Sgt Thomas] Rohl's sworn account, the surveillance footage also showed [Democratic candidate for HD64 Kellie] Moore striking [Deputy Dan] Bullock. Rohl wrote that he was requesting Moore "also be charged with battery on law enforcement," though as of Thursday afternoon, she did not have an active criminal case listed in Warrick County court records.
Moore was not arrested on scene, and hadn't been taken into custody or charged as of Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday, the Courier & Press later witnessed a different Warrick County sheriff's deputy apologizing to Moore outside for raising his voice at her.
Moore previously mounted a campaign for U.S. Congress, planning to run for Indiana's Eighth District seat. She was ultimately disqualified from the race due to a mistake on her paperwork that she said was found too late. Her current bid for the Indiana House seat is in District 64, which covers parts of Knox, Gibson and Posey counties.
Sheriff: Review finds no wrongdoing by deputies at Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith's town hall
Warrick County Sheriff Mike Wilder said a use-of-force review by the his office determined deputies' actions during Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith's Wednesday evening town hall in Newburgh were consistent with the agency's policies.
Plans for $1B Google data center advance despite local opposition
A proposal for the center passed the Metropolitan Development Commission on Wednesday afternoon. News 8 first reported the decision earlier in the day.
Now it goes to a full council vote, but many residents who live near the site in Franklin Township are upset; many booed the committee after the proposal passed 8-1.
The 486 acres of farm land is located in Post Road and Troy Avenue on the city’s southeast side.
Under the proposal, the data center is expected to create 50 jobs and will have 10 to 50 years of tax abatement. It will also take about 10 years for its development.
Franklin Township, with a population of about 65,800 population, is represented by Republican Michael-Paul Hart.
“I cannot support this proposal as currently structured,” Hart said. “We should not be locking up one of the largest remaining land opportunities in Franklin Township for a project that offers limited jobs, reduced tax benefits, and long-term restrictions on infrastructure growth. We must do better.”
Report: Data centers and climate change could stress Indiana's water supply
The big picture: The Great Lakes report illustrates the water challenge across the Midwest.
It calls for stronger groundwater protections and more transparency on data center consumption, which is largely considered proprietary.
Data centers — which typically evaporate water to cool machinery — are big factors, as is residential growth.
It also notes that climate change will make future management more challenging.
US/World News
5 takeaways from the Trump-Zelensky White House meeting
A positive tone but few specifics
Major European leaders also jetted in for the meeting. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were all in attendance. So too were European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Europeans succeeded in shoring up Zelensky
By and large, they succeeded in their two intertwined aims: making sure there was no repeat of the earlier Oval Office humiliation of the Ukrainian president and defending Kyiv’s interests more broadly.
Interim ceasefire is rare point of contention
Prior to that Alaska meeting, Trump wanted Russia and Ukraine to quickly agree to a ceasefire, which would then set the stage for more comprehensive peace talks.
After Anchorage, he appeared to have shifted significantly in Putin’s direction, suggesting that it would be better to move to a full settlement without any halfway measures.
Trump vouches for Putin’s desire to make peace
To a skeptical Zelensky, the president insisted that “I think you’ll see that President Putin really would like to do something else. … I think you’re going to see some really positive moves.”
Toward the end of the public remarks with the European leaders, he again argued that “I think President Putin wants to find an answer, too.”
Huge deal if a trilateral meeting happens
"Everyone is very happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine. At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy," [Trump] wrote [on Truth Social]. "After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years."
This Week in Israel-Palestine
Famine confirmed in northern Gaza, says U.N.-backed panel
"As this Famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed. The time for debate and hesitation has passed, starvation is present and is rapidly spreading," the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, report says.
It says famine, the most extreme classification of hunger, is occurring in Gaza Governorate, where Gaza City is located, and projected to expand to the areas of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.
This is the first time famine has been confirmed in the Middle East. And it's happened in a 25-mile-long strip of land, where trucks piled with thousands of tons of food are parked at border crossings.
The people in Gaza now dying of starvation are never more than a few miles from warehouses filled with food aid that they have no way to reach.
Israel tells medics and aid groups to prepare for Gaza City evacuation
Israel's military says it has warned medical officials and international organisations to prepare for the planned evacuation of Gaza City's one million residents ahead of an offensive to occupy it.
The Israeli military plans to evacuate Gaza City's entire population and move it to shelters in the south before troops move into the territory's largest urban area.
Israeli military to call up 60,000 reservists as it plans to seize Gaza City
They're to report for duty beginning in September, and that will bring the total number to 120,000 mobilized reservists. That's a huge number. The plan is to encircle Gaza City, send soldiers in, and then later on send soldiers to central Gaza. These are the last major areas Israel has not yet taken over because it's where hostages are believed to be held. At the same time, there is a ceasefire offer on the table since Monday.
Israel approves settlement project that could divide the West Bank
Israel gave final approval Wednesday for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state.
Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.
This Week in the Epstein Case
Judge denies DOJ's request to unseal Epstein grand jury records
The decision on Wednesday marks the third and final time a federal judge has denied the Trump administration's request to unseal grand jury materials related to Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019. The court's decision effectively ends the DOJ's attempt to release grand jury materials in the case
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman sharply criticized the Trump administration for seeking to unseal the grand jury records when the DOJ already has hundreds of thousands of pages of files related to Epstein in its possession.
DOJ Releases Maxwell Interview Transcripts
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last month questioned Maxwell, who’s serving a 20-year prison sentence on sex trafficking charges, for two days as part of an effort by the Trump administration to uncover more information about Epstein’s crimes.
The Justice Department on Friday released audio and transcripts of the two-day interview, during which Maxwell refuted several allegations of wrongdoing against her and Epstein
Maxwell also said she never witnessed any inappropriate conduct from any man, including President Donald Trump. She denied the existence of an incriminating “client list” of individuals that benefited from Epstein’s crimes and maintained her innocence
House Oversight Committee Receives Batch of Epstein Files
The panel's chairman, James Comer, R-Ky., confirmed their arrival in a statement on social media, saying "thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents" had been delivered to the committee.
Comer said the Justice Department would conduct its own review of what should be redacted in the files. He expected the committee to also do a separate review.
Critics — including some Republicans — say they're worried the release will be far from comprehensive. Democrats have argued the release to the public will be limited and carefully controlled by Republicans.
This Week in Election Rigging
Texas Democrats Fold, GOP Advances Map
Texas House Democrats protested the maps by leaving the state for two weeks, depriving Republicans of the ability to conduct legislative business. Those lawmakers returned on Monday — clearing the way for Republicans to quickly pass the legislation. Democrats racked up thousands of dollars in fines for ducking their legislative duties, and when they returned, House Speaker Dustin Burrows sought one last punishment: He ordered law enforcement to chaperone the Democrats to ensure they would be present for passage of the map.
One Democrat, state Rep. Nicole Collier, refused to sign a permission slip allowing an officer to monitor her movements, instead staging a three-day sit-in on the House floor.
The Senate passed its map on Saturday morning after thwarting an attempted filibuster by another Democrat who planned to stage one last protest against the legislation. But Republicans made a procedural move that ended debate and the chamber approved the map along party lines.
California Responds, Will Ask Voters to OK New Maps
The measure approved by the state legislature is set to go on a November special election ballot as Proposition 50, a proposed constitutional amendment named for the 50 states.
Prop 50 would, if approved by California voters in November, allow for the adoption of new congressional maps that were laid out in a separate bill passed by the legislature, aiming to create five Democratic pickup opportunities.
The maps, proposed in part by the Democrats’ House campaign arm, will effectively circumvent the independent redistricting commission until the end of the decade. After 2030, the power to redistrict would revert back to the independent commission, and the Golden State would resume redrawing its lines once a decade, in line with the U.S. Census.
Despite bypassing its citizen commission for the temporary redistricting, the proposed measure text itself acknowledges that it’s California policy “to support the use of fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide” and calls on Congress to pass federal legislation for a U.S. Constitutional amendment that requires the system nationwide.
These are the states in addition to Texas and California where parties could redraw maps
Ohio: Old map sunsets in 2026.
Current makeup: 10-5 Republicans.
Republicans have floated plans for a new map that could target Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress, who represents a district carried by Trump. Rep. Emilia Sykes, a Democrat who represents the Akron area, also narrowly won reelection.
Missouri: Currently 6-2 Republicans.
Republicans could consider flipping the 5th District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. In 2022, infighting erupted within the GOP over whether to pursue this 7-1 map, which would require splintering Kansas City voters into neighboring rural districts, and the legislature ultimately pushed forward the existing 6-2 map amid concerns that the change could backfire
Florida: Currently 20-8 Republican
Gov. Ron DeSantis has suggested Florida can join the fray and become the latest GOP state to redo its congressional maps. He's argued that the state's districts are "malapportioned" and that the state was undercounted in the last census.
Illinois: Currently 14-3 Democrats
Democrats already have an iron grip on their state's map thanks to a statehouse supermajority, and it would be hard for the party to draw out more than one Republican member without severely weakening any Democrat-held seats.
New York: Currently 19-7 Democrats
Despite threats from Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Democrats are limited by state law in what they can do in the near term to counter changes in Texas.
Democrats introduced a bill in the state legislature to allow New York to redraw maps mid-decade if another state does so, but this constitutional amendment would have to pass the legislature twice before going in front of voters, making 2028 the earliest it could go into effect.
Maryland: Currently 7-1 Democrats
State House Majority Leader David Moon introduced a bill that would force Maryland to redraw its lines if another state proposed a new map mid-decade. That said, Democrats only have the opportunity to pick up one seat, and in 2022, an 8-0 map was struck down by a state court as an illegal partisan gerrymander.
Trump wants to stop states from voting by mail and using voting machines
President Trump announced Monday on his social media site, Truth Social, that he plans to "lead a movement" to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines in the country ahead of next year's midterm elections.
Part of his plan includes signing an executive order that bars states from using mail ballots and potentially some voting machines. He said, without evidence, that voting machines are "highly inaccurate," as well as more expensive and less reliable than counting paper ballots. "And it's time that the Republicans get tough and stop it because the Democrats want it. It's the only way they can get elected."
Democrats have been significantly more likely to vote using mail-in ballots, compared to Republicans, since the 2020 election. That gap has only gotten wider in recent elections as GOP-led states have passed more restrictions on this method of voting. But legal experts say Trump does not have the legal authority to tell states how to run their elections.
"It would be a huge undertaking and I think realistically it's highly unlikely that he could end voting by mail or end the use of very particular voting machines in time for 2026 now," [R Street Institute Director Matt] Germer said.
Trump threatens "harsh measures" against Colorado if Tina Peters is not freed from prison
Last October, a Colorado judge sentenced [Fmr Mesa County Clerk Tina] Peters to 8 ½ years and six months in jail after a jury found her guilty on seven of 10 counts related to her role in tampering with county voting equipment after the 2020 election.
The Department of Justice announced in March it would review Peters' case, in particular her sentence, and whether it was "oriented more toward inflicting political pain than toward pursuing actual justice."
Recall:
CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided FBI Director Kash Patel the intelligence that was the basis of the search warrant used by federal investigators to raid Bolton’s home and office, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The search began around 7 a.m. as part of an investigation looking into Bolton's handling of classified materials and potential instances of such documents being used in leaks to news media, said a source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation. The search was related to a criminal investigation that began during the Biden administration that did not go further at that time, the source added.
Bolton served during two Republican administrations, first as ambassador to the United Nations during George W. Bush's administration and later as national security adviser to President Donald Trump for about a year and a half during his first term.
Trump and Bolton did not part ways amicably, with the president in 2019 claiming he had fired Bolton and Bolton claiming that he had offered to resign after a disagreement.
Despite his work in the first Trump administration, Bolton has emerged as a fierce critic of Trump after he left office the first time in 2021, even writing a 2020 memoir about his time in the administration.
During the first Trump administration, the Department of Justice investigated Bolton over classified information and unsuccessfully pursued legal action to stop the publication of his memoir and keep him from getting money from it.
Bolton now joins a growing list of Trump critics from Patel’s roll the administration has targeted with what appear to be retaliatory federal investigations: James Comey, the former FBI director, John Brennan, the former CIA director, Miles Taylor, the ex-homeland security official and Lt Col Alexander Vindman. All five people, investigated in just seven months, were on Patel’s roughly 60-name list.
Intel will give the U.S. government a 10% stake, Trump says
President Trump said on Friday he had asked Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan for a 10% stake in the company during a recent meeting at the White House.
"He agreed, and they've agreed to do it, and I think it's a great deal for them," Trump told reporters. "He walked in wanting to keep his job, and he ended up giving us $10 billion for the United States," Trump said.
In a statement released on the company's website late Friday afternoon, Intel confirmed that the government would make an $8.9 billion investment in Intel common stock "reflecting the confidence the Administration has in Intel to advance key national priorities and the critically important role the company plays in expanding the domestic semiconductor industry.
[Intel] has stumbled in the race to feed soaring data center demand for chips used to build artificial intelligence models known as graphics processing units, or GPUs. The leader in that field is Intel's Santa Clara, California-based neighbor Nvidia, now the world's biggest company with a market capitalization of over $4 trillion.
(Earlier in August, Trump announced that Nvidia would pay the U.S. government 15% of its revenues of H20 chip sales in China in exchange for being allowed to sell them there.)
Trump Regime Increasingly Using National Guard Troops
Six Republican states send 1,100 troops to US capital amid crackdown
On August 11, Trump announced a temporary federal takeover of the DC police force, saying he was sending 800 federal DC National Guard members to staunch what he called a crime emergency – though crime in the nation’s capital has been dropping.
The Republican governors of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee said on Monday they were deploying troops to Washington, days after the Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio also did so at the Trump administration’s request.
The States Sending Troops to DC Have Way Worse Crime Problems.
According to a Democracy Docket analysis of the FBI’s Crime in the United States Annual Report, using Offenses Known to Law Enforcement, by State by City in 2024, 53 cities across Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia had higher murder rates than D.C. in 2024.
National Guard troops in DC will carry ‘service-issue weapons’
“At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our Nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training,” the Pentagon said in a statement Friday. “The Interim Commanding General of the DC National Guard retains the authority to make any necessary force posture adjustments in coordination with the DC Metropolitan Police and Federal law enforcement partners.”
Documents obtained by Fox News show planning for activations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming – with status effective from August through mid-November. Texas is projected to host the most significant Guard presence.
The National Guard soldiers being mobilized will effectively serve as a support pillar to a sweeping federal interagency effort, while also serving as a visible deterrent force, a U.S. Defense official said. The service members supporting ICE will be performing case management, transportation, logistical support and clerical functions associated with the processing of illegal migrants at the facilities. "The in-and-out processing may include personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody," the official said.
"As you can imagine and appreciate, some of those start to get close to that law enforcement line. So it's best that these people are in a Title 32 status so that we are absolutely staying within the law of what we're doing and providing the appropriate support," the official said.
One Big Thing - Trump’s Cultural Revolution
White House issues “loyalty ratings” for companies
The West Wing has created a scorecard that rates 553 companies and trade associations on how hard they worked to support and promote President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," a senior White House official tells Axios.
Axios has learned that "examples of good partners" on the White House list include Uber, DoorDash, United, Delta, AT&T, Cisco, Airlines for America and the Steel Manufacturers Association.
Factors in the rating include social media posts, press releases, video testimonials, ads, attendance at White House events, and other engagement related to "OB3," as the megabill is known internally.
The president announced that he will host this year’s Kennedy Center Honors – after all, he used to be on The Apprentice, so how hard can it be? He unveiled this year’s honourees – screened by him to veto “wokesters” – and grumbled that he had never been one. He reminded everyone that he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Trump announced a characteristically white male-heavy list for this year’s honourees: actors Michael Crawford and Sylvester Stallone, singers George Strait and Gloria Gaynor, and members of the rock band Kiss.
“I would say I was about 98% involved,” he remarked. “They all went through me … I turned down plenty. It went too woke. I turned I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be. Very different.”
The Oscars, he said, now gets “lousy ratings” because “it’s all woke” and “all they do is talk about how much they hate Trump.”
The White House is conducting an expansive review of the Smithsonian's museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary to ensure they align with President Donald Trump's view of history.
The assessment, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed to NBC News, will include reviews of online content, internal curatorial processes, exhibition planning, the use of collections and artist grants, and wording related to museum exhibit messaging.
The review, which the letter said will include "on-site observational visits," is aimed at making sure the museums reflect the “unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story” and reflect the president’s executive order calling for “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
That order, which was signed on March 27, calls for removing "improper ideology" from the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo.
NBC News reported in May that historical leaders and critics were questioning why exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall were rotating out. NBC News found that at least 32 artifacts that were once on display had been removed.
Among those items were Harriet Tubman’s book of hymns filled with gospel songs that she is believed to have sung as she led enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad, and the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” the memoir by one of the most important leaders of the abolition movement.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History also recently made headlines after it removed a placard referring to Trump from an impeachment exhibit, sparking concerns over his influence on the cultural institution. Mention of his two impeachments was restored to the exhibit after criticism of the removal.
On Monday, the X account for the Department of Homeland Security published one of its many recruitment posts for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It features an image, in the style of mid-20th-century propaganda posters, of Uncle Sam standing before a signpost with the words Opportunity, Homeland, and Service pointing in one direction, and Invasion and Cultural Decline pointing in the other. He ponders, in his hand, a broken-off sign labeled Law & Order.
The truly notable part of this post, however, is in its caption: “Which way, American man?”
“Which Way Western Man?” is the title of a 1978 book by the white nationalist William Gayley Simpson. The book promoted the classic conspiracy theory about Jewish cabals in control of global institutions, and it supported eugenics, segregation, and the deportation of Jews.
On July 1, the account shared a Thomas Kinkade painting of a small, tidy 1950s-era town with the caption “Protect the Homeland.” This is the kind of nostalgic image often evoked in white nationalist fantasies of a society untouched by modern feminism or any kind of religious or cultural diversity; the commentary implies that this version of America is under threat from immigrants and requires some kind of force to preserve. (Kinkade’s estate put out a statement condemning the use of his art “to promote division and xenophobia associated with the ideals of DHS.”)
The next such post from the account seemed to flirt even more closely with white nationalist language. On July 14, it shared a painting depicting a young 19th-century couple in a covered wagon, craning over an infant, the plains and mountains extending into the distance behind them. “Remember your Homeland’s Heritage,” the caption read. The implication that American “heritage” is one of white pioneers striking out across the West, and not of any Indigenous populations already there or of the other immigrant groups settling in the U.S. at the time, sends a loaded message.
But the most overtly white nationalist post came on July 23, when the DHS shared a painting from 19th-century artist John Gast featuring a white-robed woman floating over a U.S. landscape, an embodiment of the concept of manifest destiny, a policy used to justify the genocide of Native Americans. The painting, American Progress, shows white Americans literally bringing light to the West—Native Americans huddle in the dark on the left side of the painting—as civilization spreads via stagecoaches and wagons. “A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending,” the DHS account wrote.
ICE recruiting video uses Nazi font
“It’s a Blackletter script, and a variety known as Fraktur was used on the cover of Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf,’ and early Nazi propaganda,” [Typography instructor Khara Cloutier] said.
When the White House responded, it did so in the memes’ own vernacular, with spokeswoman Abigail Jackson declaring that the administration “won’t apologize for posting banger memes.”
PragerU Wants to Capitalize on PBS Defunding
For decades, PBS has been one of the leading figures in educational broadcasting, with PBS Kids content reaching an average of 15 million users a month
Without public media support, America’s most in-need educators may be forced to turn to other providers of educational materials to be implemented into lesson plans. Some states have offered a controversial alternative: the Prager University Foundation, or PragerU. The ideologically conservative network could become the de facto beneficiary of PBS defunding.
Its largest benefactors? Conservative and right-wing foundations. In its early stages, PragerU was supported by funding provided by hydraulic fracking billionaires Dan and Farris Wilks, who have donated millions to far-right political initiatives and provided early funding to The Daily Wire.
Its most controversial project is PragerU Kids, an educational programming initiative that produces content for kids as young as three. Although it is marketed as “the leading network offering educational, entertaining, and pro-America content for students of all ages,” PragerU Kids has a very specific point of view.
A widely known example of how PragerU Kids videos display an inaccurate, and dangerous, analysis of history can be found in “Leo and Layla’s History Adventures With Frederick Douglass.”
So far, PragerU has partnered with ten states to allow the optional use of its educational content in classrooms, and has developed an “ideology test” that educators who come to teach in Oklahoma from progressive states must pass.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he’s proud to be part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, an archconservative network of Christian congregations.
CREC ascribes to a strict version of Reformed theology — rooted in the tradition of 16th-century Protestant reformer John Calvin — that puts a heavy emphasis on an all-powerful God who has dominion over all of society.
Hegseth recently made headlines when he shared a CNN video on social media about CREC, showing its pastors arguing women should not have the right to vote.
Wilson’s church and wider denomination practice complementarianism, the patriarchal idea that men and women have different God-given roles. Women within CREC churches cannot hold church leadership positions, and married women are to submit to their husbands.
Wilson told the AP he believes the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote “was a bad idea.”
Wilson wants the United States to be a Christian nation. He does not mind being called a Christian nationalist.
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