Indiana News/Around the Corn
(quotes from linked articles in italics)
Department of Corrections
Resumes $6.1M in jail payments to 41 counties
[DOC spokesperson Annie Goeller] explained that two separate streams of payments are at issue:
funding tied to Level 6 felony diversions, and per diem reimbursements for state prisoners held in county jails awaiting transfer.
Goeller said the outstanding costs associated with Level 6 diversions were governed by a funding formula established by the General Assembly in 2019.
“This formula has since become outdated and no longer reflects current data, resulting in overpayments to several counties,” she said.
To resolve that, DOC will forgive those debts rather than seek repayment, Goeller said.
In total, the department will forgive about $7.7 million in overpayments across 51 counties
The department will also resume reimbursements for jail holds, where inmates who have been convicted of state crimes remain in county jails until DOC picks them up.
State law requires pickup within five days, but counties are reimbursed at a daily rate for each additional day an inmate is held.
The General Assembly raised that per diem earlier this year, and Goeller said DOC currently owes counties “approximately $6.1 million to 41 counties for these holds.”
Requests $16M for upgrades at Miami Correctional Facility for ICE
The Indiana Department of Correction is requesting $15.8 million from the Indiana State Budget Agency to pay for necessary upgrades to the Miami Correctional Facility as the prison prepares to house ICE detainees.
"The facility will require a series of infrastructure upgrades and equipment acquisitions," the request said in the Sept. 17 budget committee agenda.
Goeller said while there is no definitive timeline, the prison could begin taking in detainees sometime after Oct. 1, despite the necessary upgrades, "to meet federal standards and for future potential needs, such as transportation."
Miami Correctional Facility is now essentially at capacity, according to the latest monthly inmate population report by IDOC.
Recall this story from two weeks ago
Marion County / Indianapolis houses 100+ ICE detainees a day.
Approx $75 per head/day: ~$3M Year
Redistricting
Braun floats November special session
Gov. Mike Braun suggested Monday that Indiana lawmakers could return for a special session in November to redraw congressional boundaries — his clearest signal yet in support of mid-cycle redistricting.
Speaking on Fort Wayne’s WOWO radio, Braun said the state is “in the process where we will evolve in that direction,” and continued to emphasize — as he has in recent weeks — that he wants Hoosier legislative leaders to take the lead on the issue.
“I want it to be where it wasn’t forced upon our legislature, have our leaders talk to their own caucus members,” Braun said. “Some have already changed their point of view when they look at what good comes from it.INTL
“You’re going to find that, probably, the legislators will come around to it,” he continued. “I’m going to give them time. I think eventually we’ll get there.”
“If we try to drag our feet as a state on it, probably, we’ll have consequences of not working with the Trump administration as tightly as we should,” Braun said.
In a sit-down with the WPTA television station, Braun made clear that he was suggesting his state could miss out on “benefits” from the federal government — and specifically mentioned the Department of Agriculture:
“That just means I think the Trump administration, for what it’s trying to do, if you’re not kind of getting involved as well as you can on the political side, you probably are not going to be the first call when it comes to the benefits of — just like we’re one of five states now, as the Agriculture Department moves its bureaucracy into the interior; we’re one of those five states.”
“They killed Charlie Kirk — the least that we can do is go through a legal process and redistrict Indiana into a nine-to-zero map,” U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana, told Politico’s Playbook.
Buttigieg rallies with Democrats at Indiana statehouse
“I’m talking about what it means in terms of cutting voters out of the process because they’re just going around saying it’s going to be nine,” he said. “What they’re saying is that the results of the election won’t be decided by voters at all. It’ll be decided by them. They want the outcome of the election to be decided before you even get to go vote.”
While Texas Democrats left the state in an attempt to stop a special session, Indiana Democrats don’t have that option. The GOP has a 70-40 majority in the House and 40-10 majority in the Senate. With a quorum of 67 and 33, Republicans don’t need Democrats for a quorum.
Following a protest at the Statehouse over state Republicans’ congressional redistricting plan, the former Indiana politician appeared at the opening of the Monroe County Democrats’ new community space at its Second Street headquarters.
The student-moderated talk was hosted by the Union Board and LGBTQ+ Culture Center as part of its “Speaking of Excellence” series, which in the past has mainly invited LGBTQ actors such as Hunter Schafer and George Takei.
Buttigieg told the audience that he believed growing up gay in Indiana informed his reach-across-the-aisle approach to politics, and that as a child in South Bend, “I’ve never automatically felt that I was in harmony with my surroundings.”
International student enrollment drops at IU, Purdue
The big picture: Enrollment is down across the country as international students continue to contend with visa issues, travel bans and concerns about the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, predicted 150,000 fewer international students would be in the country for the fall semester.
Why it matters: Indiana's nearly 30,000 international students contributed around $1 billion to the Hoosier economy during the 2023-24 school year.
Purdue, which leads the state in international student enrollment, saw a decrease of nearly 15% across all campuses from last fall to this one
The Indiana University system, the state's second largest enroller of international students, lost 14% across all campuses
International students and graduates grow the economy, create jobs, and benefit U.S.-born students
International students typically pay full tuition rates, providing valuable revenue that subsidizes the cost of attendance for domestic students. A 2015 study found that international students contributed $9 billion to public universities, 28% of their overall total revenue. In turn, these contributions allow schools to increase domestic student enrollment. Universities are also able to support bigger and better graduate programs and research efforts as foreign-born individuals not only enroll in the programs but also serve as faculty and postdoctorate researchers, particularly in science and engineering fields.
Power Up Indiana workforce training launches
Why it matters: Indiana's unemployment rate of 3.6% as of last month is lower than the national average and considered "full employment," meaning most Hoosiers who want a job have one, so the state is focusing on helping Hoosiers move into higher-paying jobs by funding trainings.
The big picture: Power Up Indiana will become the centerpiece of the state's workforce training program, utilizing $10 million appropriated by the Indiana General Assembly.
It reimburses companies of all sizes that train existing employees into new positions that result in at least a 25% wage increase.
The reimbursement rate is up to $5,000 per employee and up to $50,000 per company.
Between the lines: While the Braun administration, like most new officeholders, wants to paint the Power Up program as a bold new idea, Indiana has been doing this work for years.
Flashback: Gov. Eric Holcomb introduced the Employer Training Grant program in 2017, offering reimbursement to employers who trained new or existing employees, resulting in wage gain from the start to the completion of training.
Indiana’s data center boom: Growth, debate and the high cost of powering AI
More than 30 data centers already operate in central Indiana, often hidden in plain sight.
While the state celebrates growth, not everyone’s a fan. Indiana has offered tax breaks to lure data centers, and just last month, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation approved incentives for four new projects
NWI: I Live Next To Amazon's Largest Data Center. They're Stealing Our Water
Amazon Web Services is investing $11 billion to build a data center campus in New Carlisle, Indiana.
According to the governor's office, this marks the largest capital investment announcement in state history.
IDEM halts some work over Amazon's construction impact on wetlands
Another potential New Carlisle data center gets unfavorable recommendation
The St. Joseph County Area Plan Commission gave an unfavorable recommendation to a proposed data center in New Carlisle.
The proposed $12 billion project would consist of 14 buildings within the nearly 1000-acre zone.
Also in NWI, Michigan City gives data center tax abatement
The huge crowd asked the company looking to redevelop [...] the former Federal Mogul building on the city’s east side.
Some people WSBT 22 spoke to are on board with the project, hoping it will bring construction jobs.
But others are concerned about the potential 10-year tax abatement plan, even bringing signs that said "no data centers."
Phoenix Investors, currently speaking on behalf of the data center developers, said that after this 10-year tax abatement, the city is estimated to get $1.5 million a year in tax revenue.
They also said the company bringing the data center hasn’t been revealed, but it’s a top 50 U.S.-based company and more than capable of contributing to taxes and electricity bills, and is looking to be a “good neighbor.”
Indianapolis: Google data center faces life or death before City-County Council
The scale of AI investment could drive significant GDP growth, add high-paying jobs and spur innovation, according to an August McKinsey report. However such centers also place a strain on energy supply and water resources.
The Indianapolis City-County Council is nearing a key vote that will end in either a demoralizing defeat for Google or the city approving a major data center against the wishes of the councilor and residents on the southeast side of the city.
If the council sides with its redevelopment commission, Google will build the 467-acre hyperscale data center on the far southeast side of Marion County despite the objections of an organized, fired-up group of neighbors. Or, if at least 15 councilors vote no, the Council will reject $1 billion investment from the giant Silicon Valley tech company.
In the last month, 17 councilors have said they oppose the data center on the site of more than a dozen rural properties[...]. But councilors are not tied to their public statements, and only how they vote during the live ballot on Sept. 22 will matter.
In addition to [Councilor Michael-Paul] Hart, Republicans Paul Annee, Joshua Bain, Derek Cahill, Michael Dilk and Brian Mowery; and Democrats John Barth, Jesse Brown, Andy Nielsen, Rena Allen, Jared Evans, Kristin Jones, Frank Mascari, Nick Roberts, Ali Brown, Jessica McCormick and Keith Graves are expected to vote against the data center.
The Franklin Township Community School Corporation flipped positions earlier this week, penning a letter of support to councilors after previously opposing the development. Hart charged on social media that the school accepted a buyout from Google in exchange for their support.
City staff planners supported the proposal, recommending the Metropolitan Development Commission approve the data center, which they saw in line with the comprehensive plan. A majority of the commissioners agreed, with just commissioner Brent Lyle voting against the request.
Only one councilor, Ron Gibson, has said he supports the data center, saying in part that a $1 billion investment by a company like Google is too big of an opportunity for the city to pass up.
South Side Datacenter twice the size of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield (~250 acres).
Also in Indy: Data center could move into site of former Indianapolis drive-in
A former drive-in theater on Indy's east side could one day be home to new technology, according to Indianapolis City-County Councilor Ron Gibson (D-District 8).
Gibson said a company from the west coast recently reached out to him about building a small data center on the site of the old Sherman Drive-In.
The company wants to remain anonymous while they fully vet the opportunity.
Fort Wayne: Google data center wants more diesel generators and fuel
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) posted a new application by Hatchworks, LLC, the builders of the Fort Wayne Google data center, that has an environmental watchdog group sounding the alarm.
[Citizens Action Coalition] posted on its Facebook page to shed light on Google’s proposal to expand by nearly five times the number of diesel generators at its new $2 billion data center in southeast Fort Wayne
The proposal requests 179 generators onsite that will create about 528 megawatts of power, along with 179 storage tanks that will hold 1,074,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
The original request, approved in 2024, was for 36 generators and 36 tanks, which hold 6,000 gallons each of diesel fuel.
Differing Opinions:
AI Data Center Build Out Creates Unprecedented Risk to Hoosiers
[Citizens Action Coalition] calls on Indiana state lawmakers to end the subsidies, increase transparency, and protect Hoosier electric bills from the impacts of AI data centers.
I&M, NIPSCO, and AES Indiana each [indicate] that they will need enormous amounts of power to serve these prospective data centers.
Even in the early stages of Indiana’s experience with AI data centers, these massive facilities are expected to cause a rapid and unprecedented increase in energy demand. Although utilities regularly plan for the future through the Integrated Resource Plan process, the mind boggling amounts of energy large data centers require are completely upending utilities' energy plans.
For example, I&M is forecasting that just a handful of AI data centers coming to Northern Indiana will use more electricity by 2030 than all 6.8 million Hoosiers use in their homes today
Risks for Hoosier utility bills and our environment
Skyrocketing Utility Bills
Air and Climate Pollution
Intense Water Consumption
Indiana lacks an integrated approach to managing our water resources
Noise Pollution
with some data center neighbors measuring noise pollution at 65 decibels into the night.
Briggs: Why Indianapolis can't afford to reject Google's $1 billion data center
The grid doesn't respect county lines
Yes, data centers also use a lot of water. Google told Indianapolis council members its proposed campus would consume about 1 million gallons a day. That's a scary-sounding number, yet not inconceivable. A large hospital campus, for example, can use about the same amount of water.
The deal isn't great, but it beats no deal
Even $1 million a year in property taxes would amount to a valuable contribution — and that figure would substantially increase in the future.
It's a false choice to say some other use would be better for the site. There's no other option on the table. If there were, though, you'd have to consider the trade-offs of adding a new factory or housing development.
Google is planning to build up to four data centers over 10 years at one site, a project that could employ about 1,000 construction workers for the better part of a decade.
Local bans on wind, solar and other energy projects are giving Indiana a bad reputation, Indiana’s top energy official said Tuesday. She plans to reward those open for business.
“These local moratoriums are setting our energy policy,” said Energy and Natural Resources Secretary Suzanne Jaworowski said. “And not only that, it’s creating a reputation … where industry doesn’t want to come.”
Indiana lacks a statewide siting statute. Jaworowski said she’s taking action “until the Legislature can do something about it.”
“We’re putting out a carrot and saying, … sites that want to be open to what the federal government (and) what the president is saying — that we need AI data centers, and we need energy development — we’re creating our own little group and incentivizing that,” she said.
“We feel like this is part of America250,” Jaworowski continued, referring to President Donald Trump’s semiquincentennial initiative.
To “anti-folks” blaming rising electricity costs on data centers and nuclear reactor projects, Jaworowski noted that the state doesn’t “have any mega data centers” or active nuclear. YET
US/World News
(quotes from linked articles in italics)
Rubio visits Middle East
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Monday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as close U.S. ally Qatar gathered other Arab nations' leaders for a summit to issue unified condemnation of last week's Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital.
Netanyahu asked U.S. to press Egypt on military build up in Sinai
During their meeting in Jerusalem on Monday, Netanyahu presented Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a list of activities in Sinai that he claimed were substantial violations by Egypt of its 1979 peace agreement with Israel, for which the U.S. serves as guarantor.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has landed in Qatar, the only country he says can mediate an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, shortly after warning that just a “short window” remains to secure a ceasefire.
Israel announced on Tuesday it has started the main part of a ground operation to seize Gaza City soon after Rubio left Tel Aviv.
Donald Trump's second UK state visit
Met with protests
Thousands of people gathered near the BBC's headquarters in London on Wednesday afternoon before marching towards Whitehall.
The demonstration was organised by the Stop Trump UK coalition, a group of more than 50 campaign organisations, including climate, anti-racism and pro-Palestinian activists.
It previously called on the government to cancel the state visit, accusing the US president of "denying climate science" and "siding with war criminals - in Israel, Russia and beyond".
Four arrests after Trump and Epstein images projected on Windsor Castle
Ahead of the president’s second state visit, protesters across the pond used the opportunity to project expansive photos and videos of the president with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto the exterior walls of Windsor Castle, where Trump and the first lady were being hosted by King Charles and Camilla.
Also projected on the world’s largest occupied castle was the salacious letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein on his 50th birthday, recently revealed by House Democrats who subpoenaed documents from Epstein’s estate
Led By Donkeys, a left-wing political activist group founded in response to Brexit, claimed responsibility for the stunt and said that four of its members had been arrested — a first for the group.
On Wednesday, Trump and the first lady flew to Windsor by helicopter, where they were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
They were then formally welcomed by the King and Queen before joining them in a carriage procession through the Windsor estate.
A royal salute was fired in Windsor and at the Tower of London, and the King invited Trump to inspect the guard of honour.
On Wednesday evening, a traditional state banquet was held at the castle, attended by 160 guests including media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Apple boss Tim Cook.
After being hosted at Windsor Castle [on Wednesday], the president said goodbye to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Thursday morning.
He then traveled to the prime minister's country house Chequers, in Buckinghamshire. He was greeted by Sir Keir and his wife Lady Starmer, and a guard of honour.
The two leaders confirmed that they have signed a new technology partnership, which Starmer said would see billions flowing "both ways of the Atlantic".
Earlier, the UK government said it had secured £150bn worth of US investment, which it hopes will create 7,600 jobs.
The vast majority - £90bn - will come from the US private equity firm Blackstone over the next decade, with £22bn coming from Microsoft and £5bn from Google.
The first week will be largely procedural, but will be followed by the organisation’s most prominent event, the so-called “high-level week”. That begins on September 22 at 9am local time (13:00 GMT), with a meeting to commemorate the UN’s 80th anniversary and to consider “the path ahead for a more inclusive and responsive multilateral system”.
On Tuesday, September 23, the “General Debate” begins, with at least 188 heads of state, heads of government, or other high-ranking officials preliminarily set to speak through September 29.
Already sparking dismay ahead of this year’s event has been a decision by the United States, under the administration of President Donald Trump, to withhold or revoke visas for Palestinian Authority and Palestinian Liberation Organization officials to attend the gathering.
That comes as France and Saudi Arabia are set to host a conference on Israel and Palestine, promising to join several European countries in recognising a Palestinian state.
Last week, Belgium became the latest country to pledge to do so at the UNGA, following France and Malta. Other countries, including Australia, Canada and the UK, have announced conditional recognition, but it has remained unclear if they will do so at the gathering.
Multilateralism challenged from inside and out?
Despite UN leadership seeking to strike a celebratory tone as the institution marks its 80th year in existence, the last decade has been punishing for the global cooperation the body has long spearheaded.
During Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2021, he withdrew the US from the landmark Paris Climate Accord, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Human Rights Council. Former US President Joe Biden then reversed his predecessor’s actions only to see Trump repeat them upon taking office in January this year.
The Trump administration has undertaken widespread cuts to foreign aid, including hundreds of millions to UN agencies and caps on further spending. The US remains far and away the largest funder of the UN, providing about $13bn in 2023.
A chance for new influence?
While no country has shown a willingness or capability to fill the US’s financial commitments, China has for years sought more influence within the UN, particularly through funding peacekeeping missions.
Countries like South Africa and Jamaica have also leaned into UN mechanisms, notably its International Court of Justice (ICJ), to seek accountability for Israeli abuses in Gaza and climate change, respectively.
Indian Commerce minister to visit US for trade talks
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead an official delegation to the US for trade talks on September 22, an official statement said on Saturday.
The US has imposed a steep 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
The visit assumes additional significance amid the US administration's sudden decision to hike the application fee for H-1B visas to USD 100,000. Industry body Nasscom on Saturday said the US' move will impact India's technology services companies as business continuity will be disrupted for onshore projects that may require "adjustments".
Trump imposes $100K fee on H-1B visas in new immigration action
The H-1B visa is a work visa that’s valid for three years and can be renewed for another three years. Economists have argued the program allows US companies to maintain competitiveness and grow their business, creating more jobs in the US.
Many companies use H-1B visas to help fill their workforces. But tech is the sector most commonly associated with H-1Bs.
President Donald Trump signed an executive action on Friday to impose a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas — in an effort to curb what his administration says is overuse of the program.
In a separate order, Trump also directed the creation of a “gold card” immigration pathway that he said would fast-track visas for certain immigrants in exchange for a hefty fee. The policy will expedite visas for foreigners who pay the US $1 million, while allowing a company to pay $2 million to speed up the process for a foreign worker that it sponsors.
Federal Reserve cuts interest rates for the first time this year
The Federal Reserve announced a highly anticipated interest rate cut Wednesday, a move indicating that concerns about a slowing labor market now outweigh ongoing worries about inflation.
It's the Fed's first rate cut this year. Policymakers opted for a quarter-point cut to the central bank's benchmark rate, in line with expectations. It's now set at 4% to 4.25%.
"The labor market is really cooling off," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference Wednesday after the announcement.
The labor market appears to be slowing dramatically. August’s jobs report showed that just 22,000 jobs were added, far below economists’ expectations. That report also showed that the United States lost jobs in June.
The Trump administration has mounted an unprecedented pressure campaign that has included attacks on Powell for not lowering rates sooner, as well as an effort to unseat a Biden-era Fed appointee over accusations of mortgage fraud.
But Powell and the Fed had resisted Trump's pressure, saying its dual mandate of keeping both unemployment and inflation low meant it needed to be careful not to overheat the economy and risk a return to rapidly rising prices.
The Trump administration has sought to further increase its influence on the Fed by trying to fire Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to work on the board of governors, over allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook hasn’t been charged with a crime. An appeals court has ruled she can’t be removed while she sues the administration over its attempt to terminate her. For now, Cook remains in place.
3 killed in 3rd US strike on alleged drug boat in international waters
President Donald Trump said Friday he ordered another strike against a boat in international waters in the Caribbean that he said was "trafficking illicit narcotics."
It was the third such strike targeting alleged drug traffickers -- and the second one this week.
According to Trump, the strike killed three men, who he called "narcoterrorists."
Why the Caribbean Strike is a Dangerous Departure from the “War on Terror”
The Trump administration has sought to frame its lethal strike on September 2nd in the Caribbean—reportedly killing 11 as yet unidentified people—as just another military counterterrorism operation. President Donald Trump referred to those killed as “narco-terrorists” and what little formal legal justification the administration has presented repeatedly refers to an (unspecified) “designated terrorist organization.” Many Americans and members of Congress, inured by over 20 years of targeted killings of supposed “terrorists” may be willing to accept that representation. But the administration’s characterization is inapt and elides a vital distinction.
The Trump administration tries to cloak this fatal attack in the mantle of the “war on terror,” by using the rhetoric, tools, and trappings of military counterterrorism operations. Yet the similarities between the Caribbean attack and prior U.S. hostilities against al Qaeda, ISIS, and their affiliates are superficial at best. Unlike in those post-9/11 conflicts with jihadi fighters, the Trump administration has not attempted to justify the premeditated killing of human beings through the relevant legal framework: the law of war.
For over two decades, the United States has used military force in the targeted killing of jihadi fighters in the so-called “war on terror.” Despite the legal and policy flaws of the war on terror—including the ways in which the executive branch unilaterally expanded hostilities to new enemies and battlefields—the use of lethal force had at its core a cognizable legal basis.
Crucially, U.S. domestic law also does not cease to apply during armed conflicts, as has also been affirmed by the Supreme Court. The right of habeas corpus enshrined in the U.S. Constitution extends to those detained under the law of armed conflict at Guantanamo Bay, for example, and U.S. criminal laws also continue to apply.
We now know who the new owners of TikTok will be - if Trump gets his deal done with Xi
A proposal to save TikTok from going dark in the United States would involve investments from a number of US-based venture capital firms, private equity funds and tech companies. Together, the investors would create a new US-based company that will operate the app domestically, sources familiar with the framework told CNN.
Among the investors, which are expected to own a roughly 80% stake in TikTok, with Chinese shareholders holding the rest, are Oracle, Andreessen Horowitz and Silver Lake, the sources said. The new consortium would also be operated by a majority-US board, including a member appointed by the Trump administration.
Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison, who last week briefly became the world’s richest person, has widely been rumored to be involved in discussions to buy TikTok’s US assets. Trump in January had said he would champion Ellison, a Trump supporter, buying the app’s US assets.
As Ellison Buys Out TikTok, US Moves Toward One-Party Media
But owning a big chunk of the US’s leading short-form video platform is not Ellison’s only claim to being a media mogul.
Enter Larry’s son David Ellison,[...] the CEO of Skydance, which recently merged with Paramount, giving him control over CBS. David’s campaign contributions trend more to the Democratic establishment, but it’s his father’s politics that seem to be reshaping the newly bought network: “CBS Shifts to Appease the Right Under New Owner,” as an NPR headline (9/12/25) put it.
Anti-woke zealot Bari Weiss is nearing “a top role at CBS News,” which “left-leaning staffers at the network fret could amount to ‘dropping a grenade’ in the newsroom,” the New York Post (9/10/25) reported. It added that the network “is weighing naming Weiss editor in chief or co-president of the network,” and that Ellison is looking to buy her “news site, the Free Press, in a deal valued at upwards of $100 million.” According to Reuters (9/15/25), it was David Ellison who “installed Kenneth Weinstein—a supporter of President Donald Trump and the former CEO of conservative think tank Hudson Institute—as ombudsman of CBS News.”
The New York Post (9/11/25) reports that Ellison father and son are now looking to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, which carries with it CNN, creating an unprecedented level of media consolidation. While the Post said such a purchase could be difficult, because Warner Brothers “has a market cap of around $38 billion,” that might not matter, as “Larry Ellison’s net worth leaped by $100 billion following Oracle’s latest blowout earnings report.” He is “closing in on being the richest dude in the world, with a net worth…of more than $370 billion.”RBU
One Big Thing - Charlie Kirk fallout, Jimmy Kimmel, and the end? of free speech
(quotes from linked articles in italics)
Why was Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show suspended?
ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air, indefinitely — an unprecedented move that followed backlash from affiliated broadcasters and the head of the Federal Communications Commission over the comic’s remarks after last week’s killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
What did Kimmel say after Kirk’s death?
Kimmel called Kirk’s death a “senseless murder” a day after the fatal Utah shooting, and he condemned those who appeared to celebrate it — as well as Trump for trying to cast blame on the “radical left.”
He also talked about the aftermath during his show both Monday and Tuesday, targeting the response from both Trump himself and the president’s supporters, whom he accused of “working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
The comic focused particularly on the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson.
“The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said in his Monday monologue. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Kimmel said that Trump’s response “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?” He also said that FBI chief Kash Patel has handled the investigation into the killing “like a kid who didn’t read the book, BSing his way through an oral report.”
FCC Chair Bendan Carr threatens ABC, Disney on Benny Johnson show
"This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said. "Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it's time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that's what comes down the pipe in the future isn't something that we think serves the needs of our local communities."
"There's calls for Kimmel to be fired," he added. "I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this."
ABC affiliate owners obey in advance
Following Carr's comments, Nexstar Media Group Inc. said it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates. "Mr. Kimmel's comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse," said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division.
Nexstar has good reason to try to appease the F.C.C. at the moment
In August, the company announced that it intended to buy one of its competitors, Tegna, which owns 13 ABC affiliate stations. But in order for the deal to go through, Mr. Carr and the F.C.C. would have to not only approve it, but also potentially raise the nationwide cap on the percentage of households a single entity’s television stations are allowed to reach.
Shortly after Nexstar’s announcement, Sinclair, a company that owns 31 ABC affiliate stations, said it would also suspend Mr. Kimmel’s program.
Of ABC’s 205 affiliate stations, 63 are owned by Nexstar and Sinclair, and another 13 are owned by Tegna.
These are the demands ABC-affiliate Sinclair is making to air Jimmy Kimmel again
The company said in a press release that ABC's decision to suspend "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was "not enough" and included some demands if it were to ever air the show again:
A "direct apology" from Kimmel to Kirk's family.
A "meaningful" donation to Kirk's family and his organization, Turning Point USA.
Appropriate steps taken to "uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform."
Sinclair has a long history of using its local stations to spread a right-wing worldview
By hijacking this trusting relationship, Sinclair is able to sneak its propaganda into millions of American homes, including in presidential swing states where Sinclair owns more stations than any other network.
Sinclair does this by requiring its affiliates to air the right-wing stories it sends them. Because these segments are introduced or delivered by trusted local hosts, they gain credibility.
Mostly Sinclair’s sleight of hand goes undetected. But in 2018, the network pushed its luck by requiring anchors at stations across the country to read from the same Trump-like anti-media script. A video compilation of dozens if not hundreds of Sinclair anchors voicing the same “Orwellian” commentary went viral.
Of the 294 TV stations that Sinclair owns or operates, at least 70 of them air Sinclair’s in-house national evening news broadcast.
stories were little more than writeups of press releases from right-wing politicians and groups,
Sinclair frequently booked far-right guests to appear
Sinclair requires around 200 of its affiliates to air its “Question of the Day,” which has included gems like, “Do you think former House Speaker Pelosi deserves some of the blame for January 6 riot?”
Disney caves
As the outrage over Mr. Kimmel’s comments grew, Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, along with a close lieutenant, had been hearing from worried advertisers, people familiar with the decision told The New York Times this week.
Last year, Mr. Trump sued ABC’s news division for defamation. ABC settled with the president in December, a rare and significant concession by a major news organization as the president grew increasingly antagonistic to media companies he viewed as critical of him and his allies.
Before Mr. Kimmel’s show was set to begin taping Wednesday, the people familiar with Disney’s decision said, executives had grown concerned that another opening monologue could further inflame the situation. So they made the call for the show to go dark — at least temporarily.
Wait, I thought the right hated “cancel culture?”
Trump Executive Order: Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship
It is the policy of the United States to:
(a) secure the right of the American people to engage in constitutionally protected speech;
(b) ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen;
(c) ensure that no taxpayer resources are used to engage in or facilitate any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen; and
(d) identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to censorship of protected speech.
Yet… On Monday, the US attorney general – the official in charge of the rule of law in America – said that the Trump administration would “absolutely target” those who espouse “hate speech” about Kirk.
Bondi later walked back some of her remarks, in part because of criticism from other conservatives worried about the reframing of “free speech” as “hate speech”. But Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, White House adviser Stephen Miller and other top Republicans have framed Kirk’s death as the consequence of what they claim is unchecked and violent rhetoric, which they blame on the left wing alone.
Nancy Mace, a House representative, sounded a lot like the progressives she has often decried for their political correctness when she declared last week, during an effort to censure one of her opponents in Congress, that “free speech isn’t free from consequences”.
Many conservatives are also now championing a public campaign to get fired from their jobs any Americans who made light of Kirk’s death or disparaged him or his politics in death.
How Charlie Kirk’s death is leading to college staff dismissals
Universities in red states have fired or suspended employees regarding social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s death that school leadership found inappropriate, underscoring how fraught freedom of speech on college campuses is becoming.
The Indiana Angle
Ball State fires employee over Charlie Kirk social media comments
Suzanne Swierc was Director of Health Promotion and Advocacy at Ball State. A post on her personal Facebook page, with privacy restrictions, was shared online by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita as an example of, as he put it, “so many hateful people … exposing themselves.”
Swierc wrote that Kirk’s death “is a tragedy,” but she continued that his death “is a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed.”
Braun threatens licenses of teachers who ‘celebrate’ political violence online
“Teachers play a critical role in the shaping of our youth,” Braun wrote in a post to X. “As a result, we hold them to a higher standard. The vast majority of Indiana’s educators live up to that standard; but sadly, in recent days a few have not.”
Braun emphasized that Indiana’s Secretary of Education “has the authority to suspend or revoke a license for misconduct and the office will review reported statements of K-12 teachers and administrators who have made statements to celebrate or incite political violence.”
“Teachers still have First Amendment rights when they’re talking as private citizens about matters of public concern on their social media or anywhere else,” [ACLU Indiana Attorney Stevie] Pactor said. “This idea of chilling their speech is absolutely where my mind went to.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General Todd Rokita has directed his office to investigate similar statements made by K-12 teachers. His “Eyes on Education” online portal — a site already used to collect complaints about schools — now features a section highlighting social media posts by educators that appear to justify or celebrate Kirk’s death.
Among those listed as of Thursday was a Riley High School teacher in South Bend, who allegedly wrote on Facebook, “I’m not saying it’s right, but I’m saying it’s only fitting.”
An Elkhart teacher was also flagged, prompting Elkhart Community Schools to circulate a letter reminding staff that online speech can significantly affect how the community views both individuals and the district.
The Indiana State Teachers Association condemned violence but warned Braun’s threat could chill lawful speech.
