Great turnout today! Thank you Medicare for All Indiana, Nora Sallows, ArtB3ing, Suzette Jensen, Kathy Marrs, and many others for tuning into the live show! Join me for my next live video in the app.
US/World News
HooCares (US/Intl Briefs)
Implicator.AI: On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order launching something called the “Genesis Mission,” promising a Manhattan Project-level coordinated effort to unleash the power of artificial intelligence, connecting the Department of Energy’s 17 national laboratories into an integrated platform.
Albany Times Union: New York Attorney General Letitia James and her counterparts from 35 states and territories sent a bipartisan letter to Congress on Tuesday, urging them to remove a ban on state-level AI regulation from the annual NDAA, which is expecting a vote in the coming weeks.
ABC News: A federal judge dismissed charges against James and former FBI Director Jim Comey on the grounds that the appointment of Interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan was invalid. Halligan was appointed to the job after Trump forced out the previous US attorney for refusing to indict the two on trumped-up charges of mortgage fraud in James’ case and lying to Congress in Comey’s. Halligan has zero experience as a prosecutor.
AP: A judge in Georgia dismissed the election interference case against Trump and his co-conspirators in that state. Prosector Pete Skandalakis had taken over the case from Fulton County DA Fani Willis, who was removed after it came to light that she had been in a romantic relationship with the special prosector she chose to lead the case. Skandalakis, after reviewing the case, said he would not pursue the charges - citing the complexity of prosecuting Trump and questioning whether the state was the appropriate venue for this prosecution. An Atlanta judge then dropped the case.
PBS: The Department of Justice is asking a Manhattan judge to allow the unsealing of grand jury materials in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker and former Trump bestie. This comes in response to Congress passing - and the President signing - legislation requiring the release of Epstein-related documents within 30 days.
ABC News: On Tuesday, President Trump said extending ACA subsidies “may be necessary” as the open enrollment deadline nears and millions of Americans may see their premiums skyrocket. Recall, the extension of the subsidies was the hill congressional Democrats chose to die on during the record-long government shutdown that ended earlier this month when eight Senate Democrats decided they would not, in fact, die on that hill. Despite Trump’s statement, he also said he’d “rather not extend them at all.”
Newsweek: The Department of Government Efficiency has quietly been dissolved after much initial fanfare. Despite claims by DOGE frontman Elon Musk that the department could trim “at least $2T” from the federal budget, the pseudo-agency’s website lists only a tenth of that saved as of earlier this week. The DOGE cutting spree may not have resulted in great savings, but it did terminate tens of thousands of grants and contracts and reduce the federal employment rolls by a quarter million people.
The Guardian: The United Nations trade and development agency says Israel’s war on Gaza has created a “human-made abyss” and reconstruction will cost more than $70B and take several decades. The enclave’s GDP has contracted 87% over the last two years, dropping back to 2003 levels, and that’s not to mention the human toll. Officially, over 69,000 Palestinians have been killed, but some estimates put that number 2.5 times higher.
“Seditous” Six
CNN: The Pentagon said Monday that it is investigating Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired US Navy captain, in light of “serious allegations of misconduct” the department has received against him, and could even recall him to active duty to face a court martial or administrative punishment.
The investigation comes as President Donald Trump has been pushing relentlessly for consequences for Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers over a video they made reminding servicemembers of their duty to disobey illegal orders.
In a video posted last week on X, the lawmakers said that “threats to our Constitution” are coming “from right here at home,” and repeatedly urged the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”
Trump called the lawmakers’ actions “seditious” and “treason.”
The Hill: Republican Sens. John Curtis (Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) backed Kelly.
Curtis said Tuesday afternoon on the social platform X that Kelly’s “career has been defined by service” and his record “reflects his example of the discipline and dedication that are important for success.”
Later Tuesday, Murkowski echoed her Utah colleague, saying on X that Kelly “valiantly served our country,” adding, “to accuse him and other lawmakers of treason and sedition for rightfully pointing out that servicemembers can refuse illegal orders is reckless and flat-out wrong,” she added.
CBS News: The FBI has opened an inquiry into six Democratic members of Congress whom President Trump accused of “seditious behavior,” according to several lawmakers.
In a statement Tuesday, four House members said the FBI contacted the House and Senate sergeant at arms to arrange interviews with the lawmakers.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said Tuesday that the FBI’s counterterrorism division notified the lawmakers on Monday night that “they are opening what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us.”
In addition to Kelly and Slotkin, the group includes Representatives. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania.
Hegseth Personally Ordered War Crimes
WaPo: Hegseth gave a spoken directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. “The order was to kill everybody,” one of them said.
Some current and former U.S. officials and law-of-war experts have said that the Pentagon’s lethal campaign — which has killed more than 80 people to date — is unlawful and may expose those most directly involved to future prosecution.
The alleged traffickers pose no imminent threat of attack against the United States and are not, as the Trump administration has tried to argue, in an “armed conflict” with the U.S., these officials and experts say. Because there is no legitimate war between the two sides, killing any of the men in the boats “amounts to murder,” said Todd Huntley, a former military lawyer who advised Special Operations forces for seven years at the height of the U.S. counterterrorism campaign.
Even if the U.S. were at war with the traffickers, an order to kill all the boat’s occupants if they were no longer able to fight “would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which would be a war crime,” said Huntley, now director of the national security law program at Georgetown Law.
Trump tells airlines Venezuela’s airspace is ‘closed in its entirety’
Russia-Ukraine
Sunday: The U.S. has renewed its effort to bring the war between Ukraine and Russia to an end, with delegations from the U.S., Ukraine and key European allies meeting in Geneva over the weekend to discuss the 28-point plan the U.S. proposed last week.
The original 28-point U.S. proposal was widely derided as a Russian wish list; now it’s being reworked under pressure from Kyiv and Europe. The public confirmation that it derived from a Russian “non-paper” seriously damages U.S. claims to impartiality.
European allies aren’t just quietly observing — they’ve drafted a counter-proposal that puts Ukrainian sovereignty, NATO potential, and military autonomy up front. Meaning: if the U.S.–Russia deal goes through without Europe, you may see a major trans-Atlantic rupture.
Tuesday: Ukraine agrees to ‘core terms’ of peace deal
But at the same time: Russian barrage on Kyiv kills seven, disrupts energy supplies
The U.S. seems to be leaning into direct diplomacy with Russia (envoys to Moscow, revised drafts, security-guarantee negotiations), but that may come at the cost of long-term trust with Ukraine and European partners.
Case in point: Leaked Transcript of Witkoff Call Shows U.S. Deference to Russia
Zelensky’s top aide and key peace negotiator resigns after anti-corruption raid of his home
Meanwhile: Trump Policy Shift Throws 200,000 Ukrainians into Legal Limbo
National Guard Members Shot in DC
AP: What we know
How the attack unfolded
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove across the country to launch an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
Video reviewed by investigators showed the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops, according to Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant D.C. police chief.
At least one Guard member exchanged gunfire with the shooter, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Troops ran over and held down the shooter, Carroll said, and he was taken into custody.
The victims
President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died from her injuries in Wednesday’s shooting. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained hospitalized in critical condition.
They were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard to the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting mission that involved taking over the local police department. There were nearly 2,200 Guard members from various states in D.C. for the mission.
Recall: Judge rules Trump’s National Guard deployment to D.C. is illegal
But the judge stayed her ruling for 21 days to give the Trump administration a chance to appeal it.
The suspect
Lakanwal, 29, entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said.
Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in a statement.
Supporters have said there was extensive vetting and the program offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.
The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the U.S., many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.
Trump says lax migration policies are top national security threat
Refugee groups worry about backlash
“They’re terrified. It’s insane,” [President of the San Diego-based group #AfghanEvac, Shawn] VanDiver told The Associated Press Thursday. “People are acting xenophobic because of one deranged man. He doesn’t represent all Afghans. He represents himself.”
During his remarks, Trump also swung his focus to Minnesota, where he complained about “hundreds of thousands of Somalians” who are “ripping apart that once-great state.
Trump rages over “seriously r****ded” Governor Tim Walz in unhinged rant.
Indiana News
Around the Corn (Briefs)
ABC News: The body of Maria Florinda Rios Perez, the woman who was shot and killed by a Whitestown homeowner when she was sent to the wrong address for a cleaning job, was returned home to Guatemala for burial. The shooter, Curt Anderson, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and is scheduled to be tried starting March 30 of next year.
ICC: Disgraced former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel is inching toward fulfilling the $3.1M in restitution he owes resulting from his 2024 conviction on 27 felony charges including corrupt business influence, theft, tax evasion, and official misconduct. While he continues to serve a 15 year sentence, his multiple Indiana properties and extensive collection of classic cars have been liquidated, raising some $2.7M, though outstanding mortgages and various fees have reduced the amount available in escrow to $1.2M. Civil judgments also continue to pile up.
ICC: Researchers from the Center for Effective Lawmaking, a nonpartisan collaboration between the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, ranked Representative Erin Houchin and former Senator - now Governor - Mike Braun among the most effective lawmakers in an issue-specific analysis from January 2023 to 2025.
Braun was named the most effective Senate Republican on housing policy. He got points for sponsoring two “substantive” pieces of housing-related legislation, one of which passed the Senate chamber, but didn’t become law.
Houchin was named the most effective House Republican on education matters. She sponsored one “substantive and significant” education proposal that became law, plus two “substantive” bills that died early on.
ICC: Indiana cigarette consumption is down 40% in the first three months after the state’s first tobacco tax increase in years. Hoosiers are also enrolling in the state’s smoking cessation program in record numbers. Additionally, the $2-per-pack tax hike has raised $188M for the state’s coffers.
Axios: Local advocates for THC products are launching an information campaign aimed at sharing positive usage stories in an effort to stop the ban on hemp-derived products slated to take effect next November. The Health Club of Broad Ripple and Indianapolis-based product maker We(ed) the People are asking Hoosiers to share their testimonials online and contact their representatives.
More Data Centers Planned for Indiana
WTHR: Amazon plans $15 billion NWI data center campuses
Claims to create 1100 new jobs and be up and running by 2027
Includes $1B deal w/ NIPSCO for 2.4GW of additional generating capacity - Amazon will pay
2.4GW would represent about 10% of all electrical capacity in the state, enough to power more than half the homes in Indiana.
A response to data centers driving up utility bills
WSBT: Hobart confirmed as one of the locations
Hobart city officials say it will “strengthen public services,” “increase city revenue,” and become a “regional leader in digital infrastructure.”
Our friends at Earth Charter Indiana have created a Data Center Community Organizer Toolkit
IMPD Shoots,Kills Man Serving Warrant in Franklin
IndyStar: Officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department shot and killed Robert Bido, 37, while trying to serve a warrant 25 miles south of the capital city in Franklin for a series of charges related to a 2024 domestic violence case.
Last Saturday around 3:25am a neighbor’s surveillance camera captured someone slashing tires in Bido’s ex-wife’s driveway. The person in the video moved toward the house next door, belonging to Jeff Finkel, before going out of view.
Around 3:55am, somebody shot Finkel dead.
Later in that morning and as late as Monday, IMPD received reports from multiple neighbors on the same street reporting damage to their vehicles.
On Monday morning, Marion County prosecutors charged Bido in connection with that 2024 case, which they had not done at the time.
And on Tuesday, IMPD shot and killed Bido in Franklin as they attempted to serve the warrant. Video from the scene shows officers approaching Bido - a truck driver’s - rig when the suspect reached his arm out the window, prompting police to fire. A firearm was found at the scene. Though Bido had not been named as a suspect in Finkel’s murder, he was a person of interest.
This is the second time in less than two months that IMPD officers have been involved in the death of a suspect outside of their jurisdiction.
On top of another October incident where officers shot an unarmed man while serving a warrant.
Indiana unveils “GROW: Cultivating Hoosier Health” rural health plan
ICC: As part of the Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed this summer, Congress created a $50B Rural Health Transformation Program, setting the states in competition with one another for grant money. All 50 states submitted applications in early November and we go the details of Indiana’s plan this week.
Branded “GROW: Cultivating Hoosier Health” the plan is described as a joint effort by the state Department of Health and the Family & Social Services Administration.
“The proposal is organized around 12 multi-year initiatives aimed at expanding care access, modernizing technology, improving outcomes for chronic disease, strengthening emergency and maternity care, supporting behavioral health workforce development and distributing large regional grants.”
These grants are named “Make Rural Indiana Healthy Again,” leaning into HHS Secretary RFK Jr’s MAHA branding.
The grant program would divide the state into eight regions, requiring each region to apply and the grants would be awarded on a competitive basis.
Redistricting Back On
ICC: The on again-off again saga of Indiana gerrymandering is back on. State House Speaker Todd Huston announced Tuesday that his chamber will, in fact, convene on Monday to take up redistricting. Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray then announced the upper chamber would meet beginning the following Monday. Recall, President Trump has been pressuring legislatures in “red states” nationwide to take the unusual step of redrawing their congressional maps outside of the normal census cycle. Texas kicked off the circus, other states have followed, and the pressure has been turned up on Hoosier Republicans.
Still, the Indiana GOP has been split, and just two weeks ago Bray announced the assembly would blow off Governor Mike Braun’s call for a special legislative session because they didn’t have the votes. At Organization Day - the ceremonial start of the 2026 session - lawmakers voted to adjourn until January 5.
That came amidst a week of menace and intimidation, with swatting incidents and bomb threats directed at the Republican holdouts, the Governor, and even a Democratic Indianapolis City Councilor.
So yesterday, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson huddled with Indiana Republicans on a conference call, pleading for Hoosier lawmakers to help advance the Trump agenda.
Daily Journal: The pressure has yet to work on State Senator Greg Walker of Columbus, who says he turned down an invitation to the Oval Office and accused the White House of violating the Hatch Act, which restricts political activities by federal employees, saying “I refused (the invitation), but the underling who reached out to me is trying to influence the election on my dime. That individual works for me. He works for you. He’s on my payroll, he’s on your payroll, and he’s campaigning on company time. That’s a violation of the Hatch Act. He’s a federal employee. He works in the White House. But does anyone care about the rules anymore? Not that I can tell.”
WFYI: And the NO’s picked up another Senate Republican this week, as Mike Bohacek came out against the proposal, citing the President’s repeated use of the R-word, particularly in a Truth Social post this week directed at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Bohacek, whose daughter has Down Syndrome, said “this is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences. I will be voting NO on redistricting, perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority.”
Let’s be honest - he is being a bit opportunistic and has previously demonstrated a willingness to vote against his daughter’s interests to toe the party line.
On Saturday we also heard from Republican senators voting in favor of the bill despite not liking it was written. Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-District 8, was among that group.
Bohacek wanted more time for victims of rape and incest to be able to access an abortion. He discussed how he has a special needs adult daughter who has a higher chance of becoming a victim. The senator said his family would likely not know if she was pregnant within eight weeks.
Despite those concerns, he said, “I’m going to support this bill today because we need to keep this conversation moving.”
Some legislators may be doing the “right thing for the wrong reason”
The Fear Taking Hold Among Indiana Republicans - The Atlantic
Cowards. They helped create the monster, and now they’re upset it’s turning against them? You knew the Trump train stopped at this station when you got on.
Gerrymandering facts -
See Who Gerrymanders Graphic (bottom)
Brennan Center: “Democrats also drew skewed maps in a few places, but the 7 extra Democratic or Democratic-leaning seats in those maps are less than a third of the 23 extra GOP or GOP-leaning seats in states with Republican-favoring maps.” (Source:
Events planned the week of Dec 1st:
Rally Against Redistricting
Monday, December 1 | 12-3 PM
Register here: https://www.mobilize.us/acluin/event/868127/
*Buses and carpools being planned from NW Indiana and Fort Wayne area
*Weather may be an issue - please use your best judgment. Safety first.
*Wear purple to show Hoosier solidarity
House Committee Hearing
Tuesday, December 2 | Time To Be Announced
Submit testimony here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/g2gLE0zNgEWKO4VPYUWkgg2
*Wear purple to show Hoosier solidarity
Redistricting Update - with Indiana State Lawmakers
Thursday, December 4 | 7 PM
Register here: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/873546
