HoosLeft Podcast

SUMMARY:With the midterms behind us and the new government not yet seated, HoosLeft pauses electoral coverage to sit down with Shawn Gude — a fellow Midwesterner, former Jacobin editor, and author of the first newly researched, mass-market biography of Eugene V. Debs in decades. Debs, the Terre Haute-born labor leader, five-time Socialist presidential candidate, and Indiana’s own, died 100 years ago last month. Gude walks Scott through Debs’ radicalization from a moderate railroad-union man to the Socialist Party’s standard-bearer; the “Jimmy and Jenny Higginses,” the anonymous rank-and-file volunteers — newspaper sellers, canvassers, soapboxers — who actually built the party’s reach; the deep rifts between trade unionists and industrial unionists, socialists and the IWW, that eventually helped sink the movement; and Debs’ evolution on race, from conventionally racist young man to a figure praised by W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells by the end of his life, including his friendship with A. Philip Randolph. The conversation also covers Debs’ internationalism and opposition to World War I, the brutal wartime repression of the Socialist press and its leaders, and why Gude thinks a new “New Deal”-scale political realignment is overdue — and possible.Shawn Gude: https://www.shawngude.com/* The Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/American-Socialist/Shawn-Gude/9781668056738* Buy it Now: https://bookshop.org/p/books/american-socialist-the-life-and-legacy-of-eugene-v-debs-shawn-gude/364487476995453dProgressive Indiana Network: https://progressiveindiana.netHoosLeft: https://hoosleft.usHoosLeft and PIN rely on your support. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WHAT’S INSIDE:00:00:00 Introduction: A Pause for an Important New BookScott opens by noting the show will pause its focus on electoral politics for several weeks — with the midterm election having just concluded — then introduces this pre-recorded interview marking 100 years since Eugene V. Debs’ death, and his guest, Shawn Gude, author of American Socialist: The Life and Legacy of Eugene V. Debs (Simon & Schuster).00:03:16 Why a New Debs Biography Now?Scott welcomes Shawn Gude to discuss his new book, calling it an accessible, invaluable read even for those who don’t know Debs’ life well.Gude explains the last full-length biography was nearly 50 years old and written during the Cold War, when democratic socialism was politically radioactive; he wanted to update the story with new research and push back on the myth that socialism never had a real foothold in America.00:07:48 From Moderate Railroad Man to RadicalGude traces Debs’ path: born in Terre Haute in 1855, joins the railroad union at 14(!!!), becomes a local union leader by 19 in the cautious, temperance-society-like Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen — nothing like a class-struggle organization yet.00:11:05 The Pullman Strike and RadicalizationThe 1894 Pullman strike — a massive, multi-trade industrial action brutally crushed by court injunctions and federal troops — lands Debs in jail and pushes him toward socialist politics.00:13:25 Reading His Way to Socialism in JailDebs enters prison “curious” and emerges transformed after being given Marx’s Capital by Victor Berger; he publicly declares himself a socialist in a New Year’s Day 1897 open letter.00:16:14 Synthesizing Christianity, Marxism, and the Revolutionary TraditionGude explains Debs’ rhetorical power came from blending radical Christianity, Marxism, the American Revolutionary and abolitionist traditions — ideas already present in working-class culture, not imported ones.00:19:09 “Don’t Expect a Moses”: Debs and the Question of LeadershipScott asks about Debs’ shift from admiring “masterful men” like Caesar and Alexander the Great to rejecting great-man leadership; Gude says Debs was genuinely torn between craving the spotlight and believing workers must emancipate themselves — a tension Gude says persists in left politics today.00:25:02 The Jimmy and Jenny Higginses: The Movement’s Rank and FileGude introduces the ordinary volunteers who made the Socialist Party’s reach possible: at its peak, 120,000 members, 1,200 elected officials, and 80 mayors in 36 states — built on the backs of local canvassers, soapboxers, and newspaper sellers like Milwaukee’s highly organized “Bundle Brigade.”00:26:13 Louis Klamroth and the Appeal ArmyGude highlights one of these volunteers, Louis Klamroth, a traveling Appeal to Reason subscription salesman arrested 29 times who reportedly sold 100,000 subscriptions over his career despite being run out of town and physically attacked repeatedly for his politics.00:30:05 Why Socialism Thrived in the Rural MidwestGude, an Iowan himself, pushes back on the idea that socialism was ever just a “coastal” phenomenon — the party’s deepest strength was in the Midwest and rural plains, with Oklahoma hosting the strongest state party and massive socialist encampments.00:36:19 Fault Lines on the Left: AFL vs. the Wobblies, Socialists vs. CommunistsScott and Gude discuss the era’s internal rifts — trade unionists vs. industrial unionists, the AFL vs. the IWW (”Wobblies”), and ultimately socialists vs. communists after the Russian Revolution, a split Gude says helped destroy the party.00:40:28 Debs in the Middle: Electoral Politics vs. Direct ActionDebs tried to stay above the factional fighting between Victor Berger (electorally focused) and Big Bill Haywood (favoring union action and general strikes); Gude argues Debs ultimately saw electoral politics mainly as a platform to spread the socialist message.00:45:23 Debs and the Evolution on RaceGude details Debs’ arc from conventionally racist views as a young man born in a segregated city to, by the end of his life, being praised by W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells — shaped by his friendship with A. Philip Randolph and contact with other Black socialists.Gude cites Debs’ relationships with Black socialist preacher George Washington Woodbey, Indiana’s own Ross D. Brown, and A. Philip Randolph as key to that shift.00:49:49 Debs and Mexican RevolutionariesScott highlights a lesser-known thread from the book: Debs’ relationships with Mexican revolutionaries fighting the authoritarian, U.S.-aligned government of the time, and his view that American and Mexican workers’ fates were materially linked, not just morally.00:52:45 World War I and the Espionage ActScott connects Debs’ opposition to WWI — which he saw as a war fought by workers for owners’ profit — to his imprisonment under the Espionage Act of 1917, and draws a parallel to National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, the directive on domestic political violence signed by the Trump administration last year.00:53:27 Wartime Repression of the Socialist Press and LeadersGude details the scale of WWI-era repression: most socialist newspapers shut down, local and national leaders jailed, elected socialists barred from serving, and organizers tarred and feathered in the streets.00:56:05 Running for President from PrisonDebs ran for president a fifth time from prison in 1920, winning over a million votes (his high-water mark in raw numbers, though not percentage — that was an earlier run).00:56:42 Debs’ Legacy in the New Deal and Civil Rights MovementGude argues the industrial union militancy of the 1930s, and later the civil rights movement, both carried a distinctly “Debsian” spirit, even though Debs didn’t live to see either.00:58:30 Could Bernie’s Campaigns Be a Precursor to a New “New Deal”?Gude lays out the roughly 30-to-40-year cycle of American political realignments (1896, 1932, 1980) and argues the country is now overdue for another one, with the 2008 financial crisis as a missed opportunity and today’s democratic socialist resurgence as a possible precursor.01:02:17 What Readers Should Take From Debs’ LegacyGude’s central takeaway: socialism is American, not a foreign import — citing the rank-and-file Higginses, A.… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:With Tuesday’s midterms just past, host Scott Aaron Rogers welcomed Michelle Higgs and Zach Harrison of the Indiana Rural Summit for an extended election-recap show. A short non-election segment covered a cluster of same-day executions set against California’s wholesale death-row commutations, a court block on Afghan deportations, a fresh wave of European protests over cost of living and data centers, renewed U.S. strikes on an Iranian island, and the coalition scramble following Israel’s deadlocked election. The bulk of the show then turned to the midterms themselves: Democrats blunting Republican gerrymanders and answering Texas’s redistricting push with gains of their own, a run of historic U.S. Senate and governor’s-race wins across the country, and extensive Indiana results, from a trailblazing Democratic flip of a U.S. House seat to the state legislature’s broken supermajority and a wave of statewide and down-ballot wins credited to years of grassroots and youth organizing. The panel also covered this year’s ballot measures, including Indiana’s bail-reform question and school-funding referendums alongside national fights over money in politics, before closing with a look at the fallout on both sides: Republicans weighing whether to moderate, and Democrats debating accountability, leadership, and what to do with new power heading into the next legislative session.Indiana Rural Summit: https://indianaruralsummit.org/It takes a lot of work to put together a show of this scope. Please support HoosLeft and PIN with a free or paid subscription.TABLE OF CONTENTS:00:00:00 - Intro, Housekeeping, and Guest Welcomes00:02:56 - Capital Punishment: Executions in Three States vs. Newsom’s Death-Row Commutations00:06:51 - Afghan Deportations Temporarily Blocked by Federal Judge00:10:04 - Europe: Protests Over Cost of Living and Data Centers Spread00:14:06 - Iran: Renewed U.S. Strikes on Qeshm Island and the Nuclear-Deterrence Debate00:19:12 - Israel: Herzog Moves Toward Tapping Eisenkot to Form a Government00:22:42 - U.S. House: Democrats Survive GOP Gerrymanders in Florida and North Carolina00:28:31 - U.S. House: Rematch Flips and Swing-District Upsets Nationwide00:33:43 - Indiana’s J.D. Ford Flips the 5th District, Unseats Victoria Spartz00:41:00 - U.S. Senate: Historic Firsts in New Hampshire, Minnesota, Alaska, and Michigan01:02:49 - State Races: Historic Governor Wins, Including Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia01:09:08 - Democratic Trifectas and the Case for Visible, Functional Government01:14:11 - Indiana Breaks Its Statehouse Supermajority: A District-by-District Rundown of the Flips01:23:35 - Rural Summit’s Intern Program and the Margin-Moving Candidates01:29:01 - Indiana Senate and Statewide: Beau Bayh, Ballard’s Lincoln Party, Jessica Bailey’s Upset01:36:13 - Straight-Ticket Voting, Accountability, and the Road to the Budget Session01:42:13 - Municipal Elections: Democratic Socialist Mayoral Wins in LA, D.C., and Beyond01:43:37 - Indiana’s Ballot Questions: Bail Reform and Judicial Residency01:48:37 - Indiana School Referendums and the Voucher-Driven Budget Crunch01:52:47 - National Ballot Measures: Voter ID, LGBTQ Rights, and Money in Politics02:01:03 - Fallout for Republicans: Resignations, Blame-Shifting, and Doubling Down02:07:56 - Fallout for Democrats: Accountability, Schumer’s Future, and Krugman’s Agenda02:18:47 - Congressional Reform and Who Might Succeed Schumer02:24:43 - Sign-Off: Where to Find the Panelists and What’s Ahead for 2027NOTES:Non-Election News* Capital Punishment* Alabama, Florida and Indiana carry out executions on same day (Guardian)* ‘In a record-tying 19th execution of the year, Florida executed Jesse Guardado via a three-drug lethal injection. [...] Hours earlier, Indiana executed a man for killing two children in a house fire in 2010. And in Alabama, a man died by injection Thursday evening for his conviction in a fatal home robbery.’* ‘It is the second time since August that three states were set to carry out executions on a single day, although it remains unusual. Prior to this year, the last time it happened was 2010.’* ‘The death penalty in the US has faced renewed scrutiny since the September failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, although courts have rejected efforts to halt other executions after she survived two massive doses of pentobarbital.’* Gavin Newsom seeks to clear death row, commutes sentences for hundreds of prisoners (CalMatters)* ‘Gov. Gavin Newsom is commuting the death sentences of 548 people, clearing the California death row for the first time since the state conducted hangings in the late 19th century. [...] The prisoners represent more than a quarter of the nation’s condemned inmates.’* ‘In 2019, shortly after taking office, he issued a moratorium on executions and then dismantled the execution chamber in San Quentin State Prison. It was just three years after voters rejected a ballot measure to abolish the death penalty and instead approved one to speed them up.’* ‘His anticipated decision garnered sharp condemnation in recent weeks from victims’ groups, who argued it flew in the face of juries and judges that had upheld the death sentences, and voters who have upheld the practice.’* ‘Most of the decisions Newsom made Thursday will need court approval. For those convicted of multiple felonies — nearly 400 prisoners — four of seven judges on the California Supreme Court will have to sign off on the commutations.’* ‘Even before Newsom’s 2019 moratorium, it had been more than a decade since the state performed an execution. [...] California has not executed a prisoner since Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor. Tookie Williams in 2005 and Clarence Ray Allen in 2006 were the last to die by execution at San Quentin.’* Immigration* Judge temporarily blocks deportation of Afghan nationals (ABC)* A federal judge in New York on Tuesday temporarily blocked the administration from deporting Afghan nationals to Afghanistan or Pakistan through the end of the week.’* ‘A Justice Department court filing last week indicated that dozens of Afghan immigrants, possibly including relatives of Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. military, were expected to be deported this week.’* ‘Advocates and families previously told ABC News that, as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, hundreds of Afghan immigrants are currently being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention in Louisiana, from where many international deportation flights depart.’* US lawmakers ask Trump administration to stop deportation of Afghans (Al Jazeera)* ‘A group of 66 lawmakers [...] has written to the administration of President Donald Trump asking it to halt a planned mass deportation of Afghans, including some who worked alongside coalition forces in Afghanistan before the military withdrawal in 2021.’* ‘Since taking office, Trump has attempted to put an end to resettlement programmes for Afghans started by former President Joe Biden. More than 120,000 Afghans were evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 after the chaotic withdrawal of US forces.’* ‘As part of its crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has made agreements with at least 35 countries to take in third-country nationals, in many cases because it cannot send them back to their home countries for fear they would be tortured, killed, or otherwise persecuted.’* ‘The Trump administration has forcibly sent at least 25,000 people to third countries, according to a tally by nonprofits Refugees International and Human Rights First.’* ‘A flight carrying some of the Afghans from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Pakistan [was] scheduled for Tuesday.’* ‘Pakistan has deported millions of Afghans to Afghanistan in recent years, as relations with the Taliban have deteriorated.’* Europe Protests* Why are Europe’s governments struggling to respond to growing protests? (Al Jazeera)* ‘Largely led by young people, demonstrations have swept across at least eight European countries, driven by grievances rangin… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:With Indiana’s Tuesday midterms two days out, host Scott Aaron Rogers welcomed Katie Robins and Alexandra Rollo for a show framing the election against a wave of global democratic upheaval: youth-led protests spreading across Europe, Serbia’s strongman conceding to a student movement, Brazil’s Lula defeating another Bolsonaro, Venezuela’s opposition leader returning from exile, and Israel left deadlocked after its own election. That last story included a widely shared video of an Israeli voter calling for Palestinians to be expelled or killed, which the panel condemned outright. The conversation then turned to RFK Jr.’s heinous anti-Arab comments and the Pentagon’s own bigotry scandal as Hegseth purges another general, before settling into the back half on the “war on voting” — federal officials and agencies maneuvering around the midterms, an Alaska ballot-stacking scheme the panel criticized regardless of party, and a run of Indiana down-ballot stories on election-commission fights, late campaign spending, and school board races. The show closed with a stretch of corruption and tech news: ICE’s pre-election enforcement surge, the Trump administration’s legal pressure on Cassidy Hutchinson and the Comey family, fresh Epstein-related allegations against Trump, Jared Kushner’s overseas financial entanglements, a major crypto heist, and a look at Big Tech’s layoffs amid record profits and growing doubts about the AI boom. Scott closed by plugging Tuesday’s live election-night coverage and urging viewers to keep showing up after the votes are counted.Guest info:Katie Robins: https://www.katierobinsforindiana.com/Alex Rollo: https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.rolloIt takes a lot of work to put together a show of this scope. Please support HoosLeft and PIN with a free or paid subscription.TABLE OF CONTENTS:00:00:00 - Intro, Housekeeping, and Guest Welcomes00:04:17 - Europe: Gen Z Protests Spread and Serbia’s Vucic Concedes00:09:48 - Brazil: Lula Defeats Bolsonaro and the Rockbridge/JD Vance Investigation00:15:33 - Venezuela: Machado’s Return to Caracas and the Push for 2027 Elections00:20:49 - Israel: Deadlocked Election Results and Eisenkot’s Path to Government00:30:57 - RFK Jr’s Anti-Arab Comments and the Debunking They Deserve00:38:30 - Pentagon: Hegseth Fires Gen. Sylvia and Adviser Ryan Higgins’ Bigoted Posts00:45:22 - War on Voting: National Security Officials’ Warnings and the FBI’s Election Anxiety00:54:51 - Alaska: The Dan Sullivan Ballot-Stacking Scheme01:04:14 - Indiana Elections: Ballard’s Election Commission Fight and Legislative Spending01:16:36 - ICE/Immigration: The Pre-Election Enforcement Surge and Miami Correctional Lawsuit01:23:24 - Weaponization: Cassidy Hutchinson’s No-Bill and the Comey Family’s Prosecutions01:30:51 - Epstein: New Rape Allegations Against Trump and the Media’s Silence01:37:32 - Corruption: Jared Kushner’s Tangled Web of Middle East Financial Dealings01:45:42 - Crypto and Techonomics: The Binance Heist and Big Tech’s Layoffs-Amid-Profits Boom01:58:26 - Wrap-Up: Thanks and Where to Find the Panelists02:01:30 - Sign-OffNOTES:Europe Protests* ‘Nobody heard us’ – why Gen Z are leading protests across Europe (Reuters)* Gen Z-led protests have spread across Europe, including France, Italy, Belgium and Albania, over crumbling schools, living costs, housing, corruption and a sense of not being heard. Demonstrations continue this weekend, including in Germany.* The protests follow Gen Z uprisings in Bangladesh, Nepal and India. Students told Reuters their governments ignored peaceful protest, and thousands of French shops have been damaged or looted.* In France, people over 60 own 60% of the wealth and a third of the education budget goes to pensions. Across the EU, 18- to 24-year-olds face the highest poverty risk of any age group.* French Teachers Say Government Education Measures to Quell Protests Fall Short (USNWR)* On Monday, the French government proposed education reforms to end weeks of protests, including capping some class sizes at 28, loans for school renovations and an overhaul of university admissions. The €5 billion package will be offset by cuts elsewhere.* Teachers’ unions said the measures fall short, while student leaders called them a good first step but vowed to keep protesting this weekend and next.* Interior Minister Laurent Nunez promised heavy security for this weekend’s protests. The turmoil has boosted far-right leader Marine Le Pen, favored to finish first in next spring’s presidential election.* How the French government plans to make protesters pay for riots and looting (France 24)* On Wednesday, France’s right-wing-dominated Senate passed a “make rioters pay” bill that would make protesters liable for up to €10,000 in damages from unrest, even if they didn’t cause it. It now goes to the more divided National Assembly.* The bill covers anyone who “knowingly” took part in a group formed to commit vandalism, or who stayed at a protest after two police orders to disperse. It would also let the state seize welfare benefits, including minimum income and housing aid, to cover the damages.* Amnesty International, major unions and left-wing parties say the bill attacks the right to peaceful protest. A defense lawyer on France’s National Bar Council argues its vague wording is designed to scare people away from marches and invites police to single out young people from poor neighborhoods.* Serbia’s strongman leader Vucic concedes defeat to student-led movement in seismic political shift (AP)* Last Sunday, Putin-endorsed Serbian strongman Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat to the youth-led Students’ List, ending his right-wing party’s 14-year rule. The Students’ List won 140 of Parliament’s 250 seats, and Vucic’s party won 104.* The movement grew out of protests over a deadly 2024 train station collapse in Novi Sad that protesters blamed on corruption. It fielded no students as candidates, running experts, athletes, farmers and artists instead.* Vucic blamed independent media, unnamed European countries and an “American deep state.” AP says the result echoes Hungary’s ouster of Vucic ally Viktor Orbán earlier this year.Latin America* Brazil* Lula is declared winner of Brazil’s election as Bolsonaro rejects results (AP)* Last Sunday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won a fourth term with 51.8% of the vote, defeating far-right Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, after trailing in the first round.* Flávio Bolsonaro refused to concede and sought to annul the results over a two-hour voting extension that both campaigns had requested. The electoral court’s chief, a Jair Bolsonaro appointee, said the extension didn’t affect the outcome.* Lula, a vocal Trump critic, vowed Brazil “will not accept being anyone’s backyard” amid Trump’s tariff pressure. His fourth term begins Jan. 5, 2027.* Lula’s comeback puts brakes on Latin America’s rightward surge (EuroNews)* Lula’s win ended a streak of seven straight conservative victories in Latin American presidential elections, including Peru’s Keiko Fujimori and Chile’s José Antonio Kast. A Cornell professor says Washington has “put its finger on the scale” with endorsements, bailouts and military aid.* Trump’s tariffs over Jair Bolsonaro’s prosecution may have backfired, fueling a nationalist backlash Lula channeled into “Brazil belongs to Brazilians.” Brazil also has leverage of its own, with the world’s second-largest rare earth reserves and about 90% of global niobium output.* Conservatives strengthened their hold on Brazil’s Congress this month, which will limit Lula’s reforms.* Flávio Bolsonaro flees to U.S. after losing Brazil election (NBC)* Flávio Bolsonaro fled to the US this week after defying a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, which the court then canceled, citing flight risk. The State Department says it will issue visas to him and his family.* Trump called the Bolsonaros “fine people” and the election “terrible,” while insisting he “didn’t take sides.”… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:In HoosLeft’s final interview before Election Day, Scott sits down with Kacey Blundell, the Democratic nominee for Indiana State Senate District 38 (all of Vigo and Clay counties and part of Sullivan County, including Terre Haute). Blundell has spent her career in civil service — the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office, the Department of Child Services, and now community corrections — helping people re-enter society after incarceration, and she’s candid that her own childhood (government housing, food stamps, a single-wide trailer) shaped that work. The conversation ranges from just how far out of reach the cost of living has gotten for ordinary Hoosiers, to Indiana’s new law criminalizing homelessness, the state’s budget surplus sitting idle while services get cut, and a SNAP-eligibility absurdity where a teenager getting a part-time job can cost the whole family its food assistance. Blundell argues the data is clear that investing in public education, daycare, and healthcare pays for itself many times over, and that Indiana’s twenty-year Republican supermajority has instead chosen ideology and austerity — all while insisting it’s good stewardship. She interestingly closes by rejecting the idea of a Democratic supermajority too, arguing real accountability requires competitive elections, not one-party rule in either direction.Progressive Indiana Network: https://progressiveindiana.netHoosLeft: https://hoosleft.usKacey Blundell: https://www.facebook.com/blundell4indiana/* Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/blundell4indianaHoosLeft and PIN rely on your support. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WHAT’S INSIDE:00:00:20 Introduction: Final Interview Before Election DayScott opens his last pre-Election Day episode reflecting on why power should be a means to improve lives, not an end in itself, after 20-plus years of Republican supermajority rule in Indiana.00:03:48 Welcoming Kacey BlundellKacey introduces herself: Democratic candidate for State Senate District 38, with a career spanning the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office, the Department of Child Services, and now community corrections, helping people re-entering society get IDs, bank accounts, and jobs after incarceration.00:06:25 Why Indiana Makes It Hard to Start OverKacey argues Indiana offers little real social mobility — you’re “either stuck or you’ve always had it” — citing cuts to HIP (the Healthy Indiana Plan) and SNAP benefits and crumbling public school buildings in Vigo County after two decades of statehouse defunding.00:08:35 The $82,000 Salary Needed to Live ComfortablyKacey cites a statistic that a single Hoosier needs about $82,000 a year to live comfortably in 2026 (note — it’s even higher than she said); Scott follows up with Indiana’s actual median household income (~$72,000), single-person median (~$37,000-plus), and median full-time salary (~$56,000) — all well short.00:11:58 Criminal Records, Names, and Disabilities as BarriersKacey adds that the $82,000 figure assumes no criminal record, no stigmatized last name, and no disability limiting work hours — barriers that push people further behind before they even start.00:13:52 Marijuana Prohibition and Lost RevenueKacey notes Indiana still criminally charges marijuana possession even though every bordering state and the majority nationwide have legalized it in some form (note — 41 medical, 24 recreational), costing Indiana billions in forgone tax revenue (note — about $180M annually) while still spending money to prosecute it.00:17:04 Childhood Trauma, Food Stamps, and a Single-Wide TrailerScott connects childhood trauma to the cycle of incarceration; Kacey shares her own upbringing — a single mother, government housing, literal paper food stamps, and a single-wide trailer — as the root of her career helping people out of the same struggle.00:20:45 Ideology Over Economics: The Case for InvestmentScott argues disinvesting in programs like early childhood education isn’t just cruel but bad economics, given the well-documented multi-dollar return on every dollar invested; Kacey counters that Indiana’s roughly $6 billion budget surplus proves the state isn’t actually a good steward of taxpayer money.00:23:04 The Surplus and the Delayed CutsScott notes many federal cuts from the 2025 reconciliation bill don’t take effect until after the 2026 election, and discusses how new Medicaid/SNAP work requirements could force parents to leave children in unsafe situations just to qualify for assistance.00:26:46 Child Labor Laws and a New Gilded AgeKacey points out Indiana recently loosened child labor laws, even as a minor child’s part-time earnings can be counted against a household’s SNAP eligibility — meaning a teenager getting a job can cost the family its food assistance.00:28:03 Fully Funding Public Education and Early InterventionKacey calls for restoring child care vouchers, expanding daycare and pre-K, and fully funding public education, citing states with the best education outcomes as also having lower per-capita crime rates and healthcare costs.00:32:47 Illegal to Be Homeless in IndianaKacey highlights Indiana’s new law criminalizing public camping, arguing it saddles people who have nothing with court costs and fines and strains already-underfunded county jails and services.00:35:08 Daycare as Public InvestmentScott raises using public investment or a jobs guarantee to address the daycare worker shortage; Kacey shares that her son’s daycare bill ran about $1,500 every three weeks — more in one year than her entire four-year college degree cost.00:39:19 Child Care Policy and Christian Nationalist PoliticsScott argues the lack of childcare investment reflects an ideological preference, among some far-right Republicans, for women to stay home rather than work.00:40:18 Minimum Wage, Birth Rates, and “Pro-Birth” Not Pro-LifeKacey connects Indiana’s $7.25 minimum wage to the record-low national birth rate and Indiana’s infant and maternal mortality rate (note — not the worst, but in the bottom third of states), arguing the state’s abortion restrictions make it “pro-birth,” not pro-life.00:42:21 The $7.25 Minimum Wage and the Trickle-Up EconomyScott notes Indiana’s minimum wage has sat at $7.25 since 2009 and would be $20–35/hour today if it had kept pace with inflation and productivity, arguing investment at the bottom of the economy — a “trickle-up” approach — benefits everyone.00:44:16 Who Actually Works Minimum-Wage JobsKacey points out minimum-wage jobs are no longer mostly teenagers (note — in the 1930’s, the minimum wage was NOT introduced to give teenagers spending money, but precisely to stop the exploitation of adult workers) while corporations raise prices and executive pay without raising worker wages.00:47:25 Would Republicans Compromise Without a Supermajority?Kacey recounts a recent candidate forum with Mary Allen (running for Congress), State Rep. Tonya Pfaff, and Brandi Vandivier (running against incumbent Tim Yocum), and says she doesn’t want a supermajority for either party — just competitive elections that force real compromise.00:50:05 The 50-Year Conservative Long GameScott traces today’s policy outcomes back 50 years to the Powell Memo and the Reagan Revolution’s slow dismantling of the New Deal, and hopes rebuilding it won’t take as long.00:52:28 Every Vote Counts: Decided by Three VotesKacey cites a nearby Indiana Senate race decided by just three votes as proof that individual votes matter, and calls for sustained civic pressure on elected officials beyond just showing up to vote.00:55:24 Closing Pitch and Where to Find Kacey BlundellWith her campaign spending finished, Kacey asks supporters to share her message and name recognition on social media rather than donate, as the final push before Election Day.00:56:52 Show OutroHoosLeft and PIN rely on your support. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:It’s “Ladies Week” on HoosLeft. One week out from Election Day, Scott sits down with Carrie Syczylo, co-owner of Farm House Brew coffee shop in Monrovia and the Democratic nominee for Indiana House District 60 (portions of Johnson, Morgan, and Monroe counties). Carrie and Scott open on tariffs squeezing small coffee shops before widening into the data center looming over her hometown: a Google facility that spent years hidden behind the code name “Project Louie” while local officials signed NDAs, now expanding from four buildings to nine as AES Indiana builds out the power infrastructure to serve it. Syczylo — who has led local opposition to the project since it surfaced — and Scott trace that desperation upstream: Scott argues Indiana’s communities are being pitted against each other for scraps of tax revenue precisely because Governor Braun’s 2025 property-tax overhaul gutted their budgets, leaving them to accept developments they don’t want just to get anything at all, and Syczylo agrees, adding her own layer about communities growing too fearful of density and neighbors to say no. The two connect that same extraction logic to vouchers draining public school funding (while rural districts get none of the “school choice” benefit) and to privatized utilities squeezing ratepayers, and Carrie makes the case that removing her incumbent opponent’s Republican supermajority from office is the only way to stop what she calls Hoosiers being “gaslit” by officials who took an oath to serve them and signed away their voice instead.Progressive Indiana Network: https://progressiveindiana.netHoosLeft: https://hoosleft.usCarrie Syczylo: https://www.carriecareshd60.com/* Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/carrie-syczylo-1HoosLeft and PIN rely on your support. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WHAT’S INSIDE:00:00:21 Introduction: Ladies WeekScott recaps last week’s “Fire Week,” previews an all-women guest lineup for the week ahead, and introduces tonight’s guest: Carrie Syczylo, co-owner of Farm House Brew in Monrovia and the Democratic nominee for Indiana House District 60.00:02:59 Welcoming Carrie SyczyloCarrie joins the show for the first time; Scott had previously met her husband Michael at an IU College Democrats/Rural Summit event in Bloomington, and the two open by talking about that event and pouring one out for Michael’s since-shorn beard.00:04:39 Tariffs and the Price of CoffeeCarrie details how tariffs on South American coffee (coffee prices up roughly $20 per five pounds) and rising fuel and delivery costs are squeezing a small coffee shop already operating on thin margins where $8–9 cups put daily visits out of reach for many regular customers.00:08:03 Third Spaces and the Giving TrailerCarrie explains why she grew up believing in community spaces — crediting the teachers and small-town restaurants of her childhood in Shelbyville — and describes converting her shop’s old mobile coffee trailer into a “Giving Trailer” (need something, take something; have something, bring something) after last year’s SNAP benefit cuts.00:14:23 The Housing Affordability CrisisCarrie and Scott discuss a housing market with no entry point for first-time buyers — no lending for starter homes in the $100,000–$200,000 range, new construction skewing toward $350,000-plus “McMansions,” and an average first-time homebuyer age now around 41.00:18:09 Why Builders Won’t Build Starter HomesScott argues builders build to profit, not to need, and the two discuss incentivizing developers and local economic development corporations to prioritize smaller, more affordable, character-driven housing.00:21:22 AI, Automation, and Data Centers’ Information VacuumScott raises AI’s threat to entry-level white-collar jobs; Carrie pivots to the lack of transparency around data centers’ water use, environmental impact, and backup diesel generator noise — information communities aren’t getting from officials or the companies themselves.00:24:47 Project Louie: How Google Hid Behind an NDACarrie recounts how the Monrovia data center operated for years under the code name “Project Louie” before it was revealed to be Google, while local elected officials who’d signed non-disclosure agreements couldn’t tell constituents what they knew.00:27:01 What Would a “Good Neighbor” Data Center Actually Look Like?Asked whether tech companies could actually benefit host communities, Carrie says she’s opposed the Monrovia project from the start over environmental impact and loss of rural character, while promising to credit Google if it does something genuinely good (it has put solar on the Monrovia library and a school building).00:31:24 Community Standards and the Race to the BottomCarrie calls for every community to adopt written, enforced standards for incoming businesses, arguing that without them, developers simply move on to the next desperate locality — describing Monrovia’s project growing from four buildings to nine as “what extraction looks like.”00:32:30 “I’d Rather Have a Data Center Than More Homes”Carrie relays a local elected official’s comment preferring a data center to more housing, and challenges the underlying fear of neighbors and density driving that preference amid a genuine housing shortage.00:37:05 Density, Urban Sprawl, and Closing Rural SchoolsScott and Carrie discuss density debates playing out even in Bloomington, and Carrie raises Martinsville’s consolidation of several elementary schools into one campus as a case study in what gets lost.00:39:11 School Vouchers and Rural Subsidy of Wealthy SuburbsCarrie and Scott argue rural districts subsidize voucher-funded private and charter schools that serve wealthier suburban areas, since full per-student funding follows departing students to private schools that can reject students with IEPs — leaving public schools to absorb the costs the private schools won’t.00:45:52 Extraction as a Pattern: Schools, Hospitals, UtilitiesScott likens the pattern to private equity stripping an asset for parts — a vicious cycle of stripping public goods down for private profit — and contrasts it with the virtuous cycle of investing in public schools and rural hospitals instead, where strong institutions employ people who then spend money back into the community, reinforcing it rather than hollowing it out.00:47:34 Peggy Mayfield’s Record and the Real Cost of ElectricityCarrie names incumbent Rep. Peggy Mayfield’s record of voting yes on every policy that enabled the data centers and AES, and argues homeowners should be as worried about affording their electricity bill as their mortgage, with Google’s solar installations on the Monrovia library and a school building as one small, insufficient concession.00:49:48 Capitalism, Socialism, and Talking to Rural VotersScott notes the irony of rural communities embracing capitalism while being harmed by the extraction it enables, and asks how to talk about this without the “socialism” label scaring people off.00:50:52 Third Spaces, Common People of Morgan County, and Facing the TruthCarrie shares a parable about a family tradition nobody questions (a halved turkey baked for generations, originally a size constraint) as a metaphor for reflexive partisan identity, and describes founding “Common People of Morgan County” after the 2026 inauguration to bring together like-minded neighbors across party lines.00:56:11 The Food Pantry in ParagonCarrie recounts volunteering at a food pantry in Paragon that served roughly 348 people in 45 minutes, and a pointed conversation with a pastor’s wife about whether faith leaders have a duty to name which policies are driving the need.00:58:16 Hoosiers’ Civic Paradox: Low Turnout, High VolunteerismCarrie cites Indiana ranking near the bottom nationally in voter turnout but near the top in volunteerism, arguing that channeling that volunteer spirit into civic engagement could be transformative.00:58:58 Closing Pitch and Wh… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:This week, Scott is joined by returning guests Marsha Fleming, chair of the Knox County Democratic Party, and Chuck Gill, vice chair of the Hancock County Democrats, for a show spanning global unrest, a flood of sleazy campaign ads, and a deep stack of Indiana news with nine days to go before the midterms. They open in Europe, where cost-of-living and housing protests have spread from France to Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Albania, then turn to the Middle East, where escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi airports continue and the US and Israel quietly planning a post-midterm strike on Iran while Gaza aid cuts and West Bank settler violence intensify ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election. From there it’s Russia and Ukraine, where Trump is floating a Ukraine-excluding summit with Putin and Xi, envoy Steve Witkoff is calling Putin a “humanitarian,” and Elon Musk’s Starlink slowdown left Ukrainian drones nearly useless. A long campaign-ads stretch follows: Musk’s record $442 million in midterm spending, the transgender smear campaign against Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, and AI-generated attack images hitting even a Hancock County sheriff’s race, before the panel digs into Indiana’s increasingly expensive Secretary of State’s race between Beau Bayh and Max Engling. After that, the panel covers the Trump administration’s escalating war on voting that looks to thwart a record early-voting surge, DOJ election monitors aimed at heavily Democratic areas, and California’s ballot fight; a weaponization segment on the federal raid of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home and the indictment of Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas, with a rare on-the-record defense from Barack Obama; a corruption run covering the Corey Lewandowski DHS probe, a MAGA blood feud over Kennedy Center donations, and a documentary alleging the late Sen. Lindsey Graham paid for sex, including with a minor; New Mexico’s lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer and accountant; Meta’s $25 billion privacy penalty and the ballooning data-center bubble; a pointed side-by-side of the shoplifting allegations against resigning Indiana state Sen. Ron Alting and the police shooting of a one-year-old in Senatobia, Mississippi; and a final run through Indiana news, including a court win for the tiny Union School Corporation, a state representative’s self-serving property-tax proposal, and the four judges up for retention on this year’s ballot.Guest info:Marsha Fleming: https://knoxvilledemocrats.org/Chuck Gill: https://hancockindems.com/It takes a lot of work to put together a show of this scope. Please support HoosLeft and PIN with a free or paid subscription.TABLE OF CONTENTS:00:00:00 - Intro, Housekeeping, and Guest Welcome00:04:06 - Europe: Protests Over Cost of Living and Housing Sweep the Continent00:12:18 - Middle East: The Saudi-Houthi Conflict and Renewed Iran War Planning00:19:11 - Israel: Gaza Aid Cuts, West Bank Settler Violence, and the Oct. 27 Election00:23:46 - Russia-Ukraine: The Trump-Xi-Putin Summit Proposal and Musk’s Starlink Slowdown00:35:13 - Campaigns: Musk’s Record Spending, the Talarico Smear Ads, and the Ramaswamy-Acton Ad00:43:03 - Secretary of State’s Race: Beau Bayh, Max Engling, and the Fundraising Fight00:51:27 - War on Voting: The Early Voting Surge and the DOJ’s Election Monitors and Noncitizen Purges01:03:08 - Weaponization: The Ilhan Omar Raid, Louise Lucas’s Indictment, and Obama’s Defense01:12:04 - Corruption: Lewandowski, the Kennedy Center Feud, and the Lindsey Graham Documentary01:22:31 - Epstein: New Mexico Sues Epstein’s Lawyer and Accountant01:29:03 - Tech: Meta’s $25 Billion Penalty and the Data Center Bubble01:36:54 - Double Standards: Ron Alting’s Resignation and the Senatobia, Mississippi Shooting01:45:56 - Indiana News: The Union Schools Win and J.D. Prescott’s Property Tax Scheme01:53:26 - Indiana News: Judicial Retention on the Ballot01:56:31 - Wrap-Up: Thanks and Where to Find the Panelists01:58:51 - Sign-OffEurope Protests* Huge Riots and Anti-Government Protests Roil France: What to Know (NYT)* More than half a million people joined about 110 marches across France last Saturday, per the interior ministry (800,000 per the CGT union), the biggest day since the student-led protests began a month ago.* Rioters vandalized about 1,500 shops and government sites, including an arson attack that largely destroyed Limoges’ town hall, and police made about 2,000 arrests.* Students blockading schools since September want repairs, more teachers and smaller classes. Prosecutors and a police watchdog are investigating at least 34 alleged cases of police misconduct, including a 15-year-old who lost a hand, likely to a police stun grenade.* Belgian police fire tear gas at protesters (Le Monde)* Belgian police used tear gas and water cannons against hundreds of cost-of-living protesters in Brussels and Liège last Saturday.* In Brussels, police made about 10 arrests after protesters threw bottles, fireworks and flammable liquids, set bins and e-scooters on fire, and vandalized a Socialist Party office.* The unrest follows weeks of high school student protests against higher university registration fees.* Portugal sees protests over cost of living and housing crisis as demonstrations sweep Europe (EuroNews)* Portugal’s CGTP union federation and housing-rights groups held marches in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra last Saturday, over the cost of living, housing prices and fuel costs.* Demands included higher wages, better pensions and stronger public services.* In Porto, the march ended at Praça D. João I, the site of a week of housing protests during which dozens were reportedly injured in a police crackdown.* Soldiers guard center of Milan as thousands of protesters march across European cities (AP)* Thousands of mostly young protesters marched in Milan on Saturday, a week after looting and clashes with police. Demonstrations were also called in Rome and at least seven other cities.* Premier Giorgia Meloni sent 500 more soldiers to Milan, adding to hundreds already there and about 5,000 police, and announced tougher penalties for minors. Police arrested 45 people last weekend, 34 of them minors, and luxury boutiques boarded up ahead of Saturday’s march.* In Rome, authorities locked down luxury shopping streets. Several hundred students marched peacefully, and a separate anti-war march was held.* Albania protesters set Supreme Court on fire as anti-Rama riots escalate (WION)* Last Saturday, protesters in Tirana set fires at Albania’s Supreme Court, the entrance to the Bank of Albania and several post offices. The next day, the sixth straight day of protests, police used tear gas and water cannons.* Officials report at least 132 police officers injured, 167 arrests and criminal cases opened against nearly 400 people. The EU delegation asked for a proportionate response after allegations of excessive police force.* Student protests over tuition, teaching conditions and job prospects have merged with the “flamingo” movement. For months it has demanded Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation over alleged corruption in a coastal tourism development linked to Jared Kushner. Rama has been in power for 13 years and refuses to step down.* France protests draw 400,000 for new rallies against rising living costs (Al Jazeera)* France’s Interior Ministry counted 410,000 protesters nationwide on Saturday, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT union put the figures at 800,000 and 250,000. Police fired tear gas and water cannons in parts of central Paris and in Lyon, and made at least 135 arrests nationwide, 65 of them in Paris, while calling the situation calm.* Authorities deployed more than 70,000 police and gendarmes, including the elite RAID unit. They banned non-union marches and protests in downtown Montpellier, Rouen, Nice and Lyon, and moved the Paris union march from the Bastille–Nation route to the city’s southeastern edge. The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and at least 24 me… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:Fire Week continues on this special Thursday bonus episode as Scott talks with Josh Burbrink, a volunteer firefighter and the Democratic nominee for Indiana House District 59 (Bartholomew County, including Columbus). By day Burbrink is a business intelligence director at Mainstream Fiber Networks, working to extend rural broadband; he also sits on his county’s planning and zoning board, volunteers with the Sierra Club, and serves as president of the Friends of Bartholomew County Library. The two trace how SEA 1, Indiana’s 2025 property-tax overhaul, hollows out the institutions he calls “the heart” of rural communities — fire departments, schools, and libraries — forcing fire departments toward costly consolidation that lengthens response times and raises homeowners’ insurance rates, all to deliver meager saving for homeowners against a $1.2 billion state giveaway to business. They dig into school vouchers increasingly captured by families earning over $100,000 rather than the low-income students they were meant to help, a tense library board fight over children’s book displays amid the Moms For Liberty-led moral panic, and the lobbying culture Burbrink encountered firsthand at the Statehouse’s Renewable Energy Day. He closes by flagging two priorities for a (hopefully) more-Democratic 2027 session: requiring data centers to be net exporters of renewable energy, and regulating Flock license-plate cameras, which currently operate in Indiana with no warrant requirement or data-retention rules.Progressive Indiana Network: https://progressiveindiana.netHoosLeft: https://hoosleft.usJosh Burbrink: https://www.voteburbrink.com/HoosLeft and PIN rely on your support. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WHAT’S INSIDE:00:00:21 Introduction: Fire Week ContinuesScott recaps Tuesday’s conversation with Rep. Randy Novak (HD-9) and introduces tonight’s guest: Josh Burbrink, a volunteer firefighter, business intelligence director at Mainstream Fiber Networks, and Democratic nominee for Indiana House District 59.00:03:14 Welcoming Josh BurbrinkJosh joins the show and introduces himself: this is his third run for office, after prior bids for county council and commissioner.Josh describes cold-calling his local fire department on a whim, getting voted on that Monday, and training through roughly nine months of certifications (Firefighter I/II, hazmat) — now in his eighth year volunteering.00:06:53 The Brown County WildfireJosh’s most memorable call: a 30-plus-acre wildfire at Brown County State Park that kept crews out from 9 p.m. to nearly 4 a.m. using “Indian pack” water backpacks, with state wildfire specialists eventually called in to help.00:09:46 Volunteer Firefighters’ Billions in SavingsPicking up a figure from Tuesday’s episode with Novak, Scott and Josh discuss how volunteer departments save Indiana an estimated $4–6 billion a year, and why low-call-volume rural areas can’t justify full-time paid staff; Josh’s own department runs a hybrid model with daytime paid coverage.00:13:16 SEA 1’s Disproportionate Hit on Rural Fire DepartmentsJosh explains how SEA 1 cuts the property-tax base township trustees rely on to fund fire protection, pushing departments toward new local income taxes — a regressive fix buried in layers of required local sign-off (fire board, chiefs, trustees, county council).00:15:55 Consolidation, Response Times, and Rising Insurance RatesMerging fire departments to cover larger areas means longer response times, which in turn raises homeowners’ insurance premiums — and in the worst cases, Josh warns, insurers simply stop covering fire risk altogether, pushing some areas toward costly private fire subscription services.00:17:43 The Real Math on SEA 1’s “Savings”Josh says he personally saved about $200 on his tax bill from SEA 1, against roughly $1.2 billion in business tax cuts statewide and a combined $750 million hole across Indiana school districts, many now turning to ballot referendums.00:20:17 The Heart of Rural CommunitiesScott and Josh argue these cuts gut schools, fire departments, and libraries — often a rural area’s largest employers — triggering a downward spiral as lost jobs shrink the tax base further; Josh connects it directly to rural hospital closures pushing uninsured patients toward costly ER visits and volunteer EMS runs.00:22:17 Would Eliminating Townships Make It Worse?Responding to a 2026 legislative proposal to eliminate townships, Josh warns that moving fire funding decisions from the township to the county level would centralize control, likely consolidate departments further, and push response times up even more.00:24:53 Friends of the Library and the Summer Reading ProgramJosh describes his role with the nonprofit Friends of the Library, which funds the library’s summer reading program and merchandise sales that the library itself, as a government entity, can’t easily run.00:28:13 The Library Book-Banning FightJosh recounts a contentious library board meeting over children’s book displays — amid a broader moral panic Scott connects to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith — where he and his father-in-law spoke up for the library, rallied 100-plus supporters to a follow-up meeting, and separately encountered an armed man photographing book displays and questioning staff about LGBTQ+ children’s titles.Scott notes the irony of First Amendment advocates pushing to restrict what library patrons can read while elevating the Second Amendment above all else.00:32:53 Rural Broadband and the Day Job at Mainstream FiberJosh details his work in business intelligence for Mainstream Fiber Networks, the state’s layered broadband-grant history (Indiana Next Level Connections program, federal BEAD program), and how remote work and tele-health depend on rural areas finally getting reliable internet.00:39:33 Snow Days, Remote Learning, and Testing PressureScott laments the lost whimsy of snow days in the remote-learning era; Josh ties the shift to statehouse-driven testing standards that threaten school funding if scores slip, turning snow days into mandatory remote-school days.00:41:04 School Vouchers: Choice for Some, Not for Rural DistrictsScott and Josh discuss how Indiana’s “money follows the student” framing breaks down in rural areas with no real school choice, while the majority of voucher recipients statewide now come from families earning over $100,000 a year — a reversal of the program’s original low-income intent — and private schools raising tuition by exactly the voucher amount.00:45:45 Breaking the SupermajorityLooking to a 2027 budget session, Josh names schools, fire departments, and libraries as his top three priorities. Scott posits that Democrats are likely to flip at least the four seats needed to break the House supermajority on November 3rd.00:47:04 Lobbying Culture at the StatehouseJosh recounts attending Renewable Energy Day with the Sierra Club and being stunned to learn statehouse hallways fill with competing lobbying groups daily during session — and argues that breaking the supermajority would let Democrats slow down bills pushed through, by his estimate, with half the chamber not having read them.00:52:22 Data Centers and Renewable EnergyAsked what got missed, Josh raises data centers as a hot-button rural issue; his county recently closed a loophole letting them be rezoned as unremarkable “communication centers,” and he’d like to see future projects required to be net exporters of renewable energy so grid costs don’t get passed to ratepayers.00:53:37 Flock Cameras and Surveillance Without GuardrailsJosh describes rigging his own truck to count how often he passes Flock license-plate cameras, and warns Indiana has no warrant or data-retention requirements governing a privately owned surveillance network that’s been used to track interstate marijuana purchases and people seeking out-of-state reproductive health care.00:56:11 Closing Pitch and Where to Find Jos… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:Two weeks out from Election Day and, unintentionally, it’s “Fire Week” on HoosLeft. Thursday night, we’ll talk with volunteer firefighter and State House candidate Josh Burbrink, but tonight’s guest is State Representative Randy Novak, a 33-year veteran of the Michigan City Fire Department who rose to fire chief before being caucused into Indiana’s House District 9 last October, succeeding retiring Rep. Pat Boy. Novak and Scott trade stories from his firefighting and LaPorte County Council career — including organizing a daily COVID-era information-sharing call with regional officials — before widening out into the state of the union: the collapse of political decorum and the open intimidation Novak has watched colleagues absorb at the Statehouse, a shared diagnosis (arrived at from very different directions) that both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders tapped into a real sense that the system is rigged for the few, and decades of “socialism” as a meaningless slur aimed at everything from Social Security to teacher pay. Novak, a self-described union man and “simple person” who’s spent 40 years in public service, digs into Indiana’s property-tax overhaul (SEA 1) and its squeeze on fire departments and schools, his own bill updating 1981-era volunteer firefighter stipends, the data-center boom reshaping LaPorte County, and his push to strip data centers’ sales-tax exemption on electricity to ease the burden on NIPSCO ratepayers — all while arguing public utilities should never have been handed to private investors in the first place.Progressive Indiana Network: https://progressiveindiana.netHoosLeft: https://hoosleft.usRandy Novak: https://www.electrandynovak.com/HoosLeft and PIN rely on your support. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WHAT’S INSIDE:00:00:20 Introduction* Scott marks two weeks to Election Day and previews this week’s Thursday bonus episode with HD-59 candidate and volunteer firefighter Josh Burbrink, before introducing tonight’s guest: Randy Novak, a 33-year Michigan City Fire Department veteran and retired chief who went on to lead the LaPorte County Council and was caucused into Indiana House District 9 (Michigan City, northern LaPorte County, and eastern Porter County) after the retirement of Rep. Pat Boy.00:03:24 One Year In: The Caucus Process* Rep. Novak joins the show.* Novak marks his first anniversary in office and walks through how his caucus worked across two counties’ party chairs, arguing a caucus makes more sense than a costly special election for a two-year House term.00:06:24 Who Is Randy Novak?* Novak introduces himself: 47 years married, joined a volunteer fire department in 1981 and the Michigan City Fire Department in 1986, served 33-plus years including as union president and a pension-oversight appointee under Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, retired as fire chief, and still chairs the LaPorte County Fire Chiefs Association representing 16 volunteer and two career departments.00:08:14 Michigan City Roots and the Toughest Calls* Scott and Novak swap commiserate about their shared Michigan City roots and Randy remembers the toughest calls of his career, including a Seventh Street apartment fire where a wall collapse badly injured a fellow firefighter.00:10:35 Universally Beloved Public Servants* Scott and Novak reflect on the broad public respect for firefighters, with Novak drawing a contrast between fire service (”we come, and we’re problem solvers”) and law enforcement.00:11:25 Organizing Indiana’s COVID Response* Novak describes organizing a weekly, hour-long Zoom call of up to 75 regional officials — school superintendents, hospital administrators, health departments — during COVID to centralize information LaPorte County otherwise lacked, and says he’d like to revive the model.00:14:32 End Times Fascism and the Shape of the Moment* Scott cites End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, framing the current moment as religious extremism, tech-billionaire “neo-feudalism,” and the climate crisis all burning at once.00:15:58 A Fever in the Heartland: Echoes of the 1920s Klan* Scott references Timothy Egan’s A Fever in the Heartland, on 1920s Klan leader D.C. Stephenson’s rise in Indiana, and worries the embers of that era’s extremism were never fully put out.00:17:06 A Hopeful Breeze Across Indiana* Novak says he senses a refreshing political shift in the state after a long dry spell, and Scott notes a surge of new political engagement.00:18:25 Political Intimidation and the Death of Decorum* Novak describes a shift from private arm-twisting to public, televised threats against members who won’t toe the line, and says he’d rather go home than be “a puppet.”00:22:47 Business-Friendly vs. Citizen-Friendly, and the Road to Trump* Scott and Novak discuss Indiana’s “business-friendly” branding and the state’s gutting of IDEM environmental regulations, then trace a line from the 1980s repeal of the Fairness Doctrine through talk radio, Fox News, and social media to Trump exploiting the resulting outrage machine.00:25:08 Trump, Bernie Sanders, and a Rigged System* Scott argues Trump and Bernie Sanders both tapped into the same real grievance — a system rigged for the wealthy few — despite vastly different prescriptions.00:25:55 Union Pride and “A Thousand Millionaires”* Novak, a former Teamster and 33-year IAFF member whose wife retired from a union job at American Airlines, calls unions the last thing holding up the middle class and relays a line from Senator Rodney Pol: if Elon Musk moved his 14 kids to Indiana, they’d each get a $10,000 school voucher.00:28:07 Privatizing Public Goods: Charter Schools* Scott and Novak argue Indiana has defunded and tried to privatize public goods, starting with schools, even though 90% of Hoosier kids attend public school and the strongest-performing states have well-funded public systems; Novak faults education bills from Indianapolis-area Rep. Bob Behning‘s committee for not fitting the state’s other 91 counties.00:31:34 “Socialism for the Charter Schools”* Novak notes closing public schools must be offered to charter operators for a dollar regardless of what taxpayers paid to build them, prompting Scott’s line that this is “socialism for the charter schools.”00:32:24 A Century of Red-Scare Tactics* Scott traces a century of Republicans branding anything benefiting the many as “socialism” — Social Security, Medicare, and more — arguing the label has been rendered nearly meaningless.00:33:27 Make America Great Again, Revisited* Scott argues MAGA nostalgia for the 1950s ignores that the era’s prosperity rested on high union density, a 90% top marginal tax rate, and massive public investment like the interstate system — all policy choices, not accidents.00:35:00 Minimum Wage and a Firefighter Stipend Bill* Novak highlights Indiana’s unchanged $7.25 minimum wage and details his own first-session bill raising volunteer firefighters’ clothing and gear stipends — flat since 1981 — from $100 to $250 each, which passed unanimously.00:36:51 Volunteer Firefighters and SEA 1’s Fallout* Novak says volunteer firefighters save Indiana an estimated $4.5–6 billion a year versus paid staffing, and he and Scott connect strained fire department budgets to SEA 1, the 2025 property-tax law that cut into local, school, and fire-department revenue.00:41:57 Data Centers: Brownfields, Tax Abatements, and Moratoriums* Novak describes a Michigan City data center built into a former windshield-wiper factory, and he and Scott agree brownfield sites beat farmland for siting; Novak says a Microsoft data center going into La Porte agreed to 100% union labor and no tax abatements, while several counties statewide have passed moratoriums as Governor Braun pushes the technology forward.00:47:45 Taxing Data Centers and NIPSCO’s Guaranteed Profits* Novak pushes to strip data centers’ sales-tax exemption on the electricity they purchase to ease the burden on ratepayers of NIPSCO, the most expensive utilit… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:This week, Scott is joined by Republican State House candidate Maggie Davis and returning guest Bryce Greene for a show spanning foreign conflict, disinformation, and a long run of Indiana news. They open in the Middle East, where Saudi-Houthi fighting continues and Israel is blocking the first outpost of Trump's "Board of Peace" in Gaza alongside a wave of West Bank settler violence, then turn to Russia and Ukraine, where Trump's "energy ceasefire" quickly broke down, Starlink access was throttled, and a viral claim that Ukrainian strikes had silenced pro-Trump bot networks that may not have been all it seemed. From there it's a run of disinformation and administration turmoil: Elon Musk's record midterm spending, a debunked smear against Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, Meta's role in election interference abroad, a scrapped plan to livestream a military execution, and the fast exits of a press secretary, an ambassador, and a special envoy amid scandal. A weaponization segment on the federal search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's home and a think tank's blueprint for refusing to seat newly elected members of Congress leads into broader worries about the 2026 midterms, including a federal fight over California's voter rolls and threats to prosecute local election officials, before an economic stretch covering Trump and Governor Braun's underwater approval in Indiana, rising inflation, and a Republican rift over free-market economics. The back stretch is all Indiana: skepticism over the state's data-center tax abatements and a newly approved AES-Google data center deal, a run of deceptive attack ads across several state races, a Fayette County council candidate's viral, unpolished forum appearance and Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith's mockery of her despite another controversy of his own; finally a look at the big money four-way Secretary of State's race.Guest info:Magdalaine Davis: https://www.electmagdalainedavis.com/Bryce Greene: https://brycegreene.substack.com/It takes a lot of work to put together a show of this scope. Please support HoosLeft and PIN with a free or paid subscription.TABLE OF CONTENTS:00:00:00 - Opening: Overview, Housekeeping, and Panelist Welcomes00:04:30 - Middle East: The Saudi-Houthi Conflict00:11:44 - Israel: The Blocked Gaza “Board of Peace” Base and West Bank Settler Violence00:20:23 - Russia-Ukraine: Trump’s Broken “Energy Ceasefire” and the Yandex Strikes00:31:39 - Disinformation: Musk’s $276 Million, the Talarico Smear, and Meta’s Global Election Interference00:46:42 - Propaganda: Taxpayer-Funded Ads, the Fort Hood Firing Squad, and CREC00:53:47 - Personnel: Katie Zacharia, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Paolo Zampolli’s Ousters01:02:16 - Weaponization: The Ilhan Omar Raid and Vought’s Plan to Steal the Election01:09:16 - Voting: California’s Noncitizen Ballot Fight and Threats to Prosecute Election Workers01:18:56 - Economy: Republicans underwater in Indiana, Inflation, and the Daniels-Vance Free Market Feud01:31:20 - Indiana Economic Development: Tax Abatements and the AES-Google Data Center Deal01:40:50 - AI Campaign Ads: Spartz-Ford, Data Center Dave, and the Foust-Mears Race01:47:44 - Fayette County: Jaime West Goes Viral01:55:34 - Micah Beckwith: Mocking Jaime West and the Judge Phone Call01:57:24 - Secretary of State’s Race: Bayh, Engling, Ballard and Big Money Donors02:05:15 - Wrap-Up: Thanks and Where to Find the Panelists02:06:59 - Sign-OffNOTES:Middle East* Saudi-Houthi Conflict* Iran giving Yemen’s Houthis target intelligence for drone, missile strikes on Saudi Arabia - report (Jerusalem Post)* Iran is supplying targeting intelligence for many recent Houthi drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reports.* A former head of Israeli military intelligence’s Iran branch called the link “very, very strong on the operational level,” saying Iran benefits because the attacks harm Saudi Arabia and push up oil prices.* A Yemen expert says Iranian support “undeniably paved the way” for the Houthis’ rapid military gains over the past few months.* Iran’s Foreign Ministry insists the Houthis are “entirely independent actors,” though members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard have publicly praised the strikes.* Why are the Houthis attacking Saudi airports and how are the missiles getting through? (Guardian)* A Houthi missile hit Riyadh’s international airport Saturday, the deadliest of a series of strikes on the airport that have now killed 19 people and wounded hundreds. These are the deadliest attacks on Saudi Arabia in a decade.* A Houthi missile hit Riyadh’s international airport Saturday, killing 13 and wounding hundreds, and another strike Sunday killed one. These are the deadliest attacks on Saudi Arabia in a decade.* Airlines across Europe and Asia suspended flights. Riyadh businesses told staff to work remotely, and schools moved online.* The Houthis say they’re retaliating for Saudi strikes on territory they control, warning “worse is yet to come.” The escalation follows a Saudi-backed Yemeni government counteroffensive to push them back from the Bab al-Mandab.* Saudi Arabia is the world’s eighth-largest weapons spender but can’t stop the missiles. “Saudi Arabia is so large that it’s simply impossible for them to consistently defend themselves,” one analyst said.* Houthis Strike Yemen’s Presidential Palace as Saudi Arabia Reports Attacks (Haaretz)* The Houthis struck the Yemeni government’s presidential palace in Aden for the first time in this conflict, killing five people. The prime minister and cabinet were unharmed. The Houthis claim they hit a Saudi military headquarters, which Reuters couldn’t verify.* The Saudi-led coalition says the Houthis launched 20 attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport this month and have targeted dozens of airports, ports and oil sites.* A coalition spokesperson says the Houthis got ballistic missiles, drones and explosive-laden fast boats with help from “regional actors.” Iran denies arming them.* The Houthis declared Saudi airspace and airports unsafe, excluding Mecca and Medina, and the UN’s civil aviation body condemned the attacks on civilian airports.* UAE agrees with Saudi Arabia to re-enter Yemen conflict amid Houthi gains (Guardian)* The UAE will reportedly resume funding southern Yemeni forces fighting the Houthis, including the effective Giant Brigades, with Saudi Arabia providing air cover. It’s the first sign of a thaw after a bitter Saudi-UAE split over Yemen in January.* Egypt’s President Sisi is convening an emergency session of parliament to authorize military action in defense of Saudi Arabia, though he insists Egypt would act only defensively.* The Houthis’ advance across Yemen has alarmed rival Gulf rulers into cooperating. The government’s counteroffensive to retake Sana’a has had limited success so far.* Southern separatists are demanding a referendum to restore the pre-1990 split of North and South Yemen. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE has responded.* Houthi missiles struck Aden’s airport Friday, landing about 500 meters from a passenger plane preparing for takeoff. More than 200,000 people have been displaced since August, per the UN.* Trump: Abraham Accords back on the table, Israel has helped Saudi Arabia against Houthis (Ynet)* Trump says Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords is back on the table, “maybe more than ever,” claiming “Israel has been very helpful to Saudi Arabia” against the Houthis.* He didn’t specify how. Regional sources say Israel has been passing intelligence through US Central Command but hasn’t joined the fighting.* When US officials asked whether Israel could strike the Houthis, IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned it could spark a wider war involving Iran and force Israel to postpone its Oct. 27 election.* Sources say Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman doesn’t trust Netanyahu and is waiting on Israel’s election, hoping for new leadership before any normalization.* Riyadh still insists on a credible path to a Palestinian state as its condit… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe

SUMMARY:In a special Thursday bonus episode — one of several planned between now and Election Day — Scott sits down with Tom Rockwell, a Quaker minister and the Democratic nominee for Indiana House District 56 (all of Wayne and part of Henry County, including Richmond, Hagerstown, and Cambridge City). At 34, one of the youngest candidates running in the state this year, Tom brings a theology built on Quaker egalitarianism — no titles, no honorifics, a belief that there’s “that of God” in everyone — into direct conversation with the authoritarian, prosperity-gospel Christianity that has come to dominate American politics. The two trace a shared thread from Reagan-era deregulation and the gutting of unions through the collapse of “third spaces” like churches and fraternal clubs, landing on the same diagnosis from two different directions: isolation and resentment are what’s left when community infrastructure disappears, and it’s exactly what makes people easy to divide and exploit. Tom shares on-the-ground stories from Wayne County — seniors in trailer parks facing doubled lot rents from out-of-state private equity, a family of six denied township assistance over missing paperwork while the township sat on hundreds of thousands in unspent aid — and lays out his own legislative priorities: a constitutional convention resolution to get money out of politics, guardrails on AI, stronger tenant protections, and creative, community-based solutions to housing and the loneliness crisis, including intergenerational cooperative housing.Progressive Indiana Network: https://progressiveindiana.netHoosLeft: https://hoosleft.usTom Rockwell: https://www.tom4indiana.com/HoosLeft and PIN rely on your support. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.WHAT’S INSIDE:00:00:22 Introduction: A Special Thursday Bonus EpisodeScott sets up the first of several Thursday bonus episodes running until Election Day, and reflects on how often religion comes up on this avowedly secular show — citing past guests like Andrew Whitehead, Matthew Taylor, and Karen Park, minister and author Beau Underwood, and recent guest Ethan Sweetland-May.Introduces Tom Rockwell, a Quaker minister and the Democratic nominee for Indiana House District 56, covering Wayne and parts of Henry County, including Richmond, Hagerstown, and Cambridge City.Social handles: Bluesky/Instagram/Threads at hoosleft.us, Facebook/TikTok/YouTube at hoosleft; PIN is at progressiveindiananetwork on most sites, pinindiana on Bluesky and TikTok.00:04:06 Welcoming Tom RockwellTom explains Quakers avoid honorifics entirely — originally the Religious Society of Friends, built on the idea that everyone is equally a friend of Jesus working together to build the kingdom of God.00:06:09 Megachurches and the Humble Jesus of the GospelsScott and Tom contrast the rise of televangelism and the modern megachurch with the humility they see in the Gospels, and Tom argues Quakers’ belief that “there’s that of God in everyone” obligates them to nurture, not dominate, others.00:09:51 Knocking 5,000 Doors Without a Single Bad InteractionTom credits direct, assumption-free engagement with neighbors — he’s knocked roughly 5,000 doors in the district without a single bad interaction — as one of the most radical things a Christian can do, contrasting it with representatives who won’t answer calls from struggling constituents.00:11:16 Billionaires, Peter Thiel, and the Marriage of Money and ReligionScott raises Peter Thiel’s recent lectures framing figures like Greta Thunberg as servants of the Antichrist as an example of authoritarian religion fusing with billionaire power.00:13:29 The Slow Decline of American ReligiosityScott cites PRRI polling showing a generation-long decline in American religious identification even as a vocal Christian nationalist minority grows louder; Tom recommends sociologist Christian Smith’s book Why Religion Went Obsolete and connects some of that resentment to Reagan-era deregulation hollowing out stable, union-protected communities.00:16:14 Third Spaces, Moose Clubs, and Door-Dashed IsolationScott and Tom lament the collapse of “third spaces” — churches, fraternal organizations like the Moose and Elks clubs — replaced by phones, delivery apps, and isolation, and Tom connects this directly to candidates and canvassers being the first visitor some constituents have had at their door in a decade or more.00:21:31 Capitalism as a Wild Horse: Harness It or Get TrampledScott argues capitalism is a powerful but ungoverned force — useful if harnessed by democratic government, dangerous if not — and Tom, who grew up around UAW-dominated Michigan manufacturing, says the broken promise of stable union jobs is something he genuinely shares common ground on with Trump’s stated diagnosis, even while rejecting Trump’s own solutions.00:28:40 Out-of-State Landlords Doubling Rents on Fixed-Income SeniorsTom describes several Wayne County trailer parks bought up by out-of-state landlords who’ve doubled lot rents on mostly senior, fixed-income residents living on less than $1,000 a month in Social Security, with no state or local official taking responsibility for stopping it.00:32:51 Money Changers in the Temple of DemocracyScott invokes Jesus overturning the money changers’ tables, arguing the same thing has happened to American democracy; Tom notes his opponent received $150,000 from the House Republican Caucus within the first couple months of the race.00:34:37 First Bills: A Constitutional Convention on Money in Politics and AIAsked what he’d tackle first in office, Tom names a resolution calling for a constitutional convention to get money out of politics, plus a similar push on regulating AI before it costs more jobs and concentrates more wealth.Also describes a Wayne County family of six denied township trustee assistance over missing paperwork not actually required by the state, while the township sat on $750,000 in unspent assistance funds.00:39:21 Housing Policy: Rent Withholding, Rent Control, and Vacant UnitsTom calls for stronger tenant protections, including a legal process to withhold rent (held by a local trustee) until landlords make needed repairs, and targeted rent control for seniors and people with disabilities on fixed incomes.Scott and Tom note vacant units sitting empty near unhoused people under the current profit-driven housing market.00:41:24 Cooperative Housing: Bloomington’s Model and Creative SolutionsScott describes Bloomington’s cooperative housing model — residents own their homes outright while the underlying land is held communally — as a concept Tom has attended meetings on and wants to see replicated statewide.00:45:43 Strauss-Howe, Toynbee, and the Return of AuthoritarianismScott connects Strauss-Howe generational theory and historian Arnold Toynbee’s observation that societies forget hard-won lessons once the generation that learned them is gone, tying it to the fading memory of why unions and anti-fascist vigilance mattered.00:49:11 Can You Legislate Community? Intergenerational Housing as a Starting PointAsked whether loneliness and disconnection are even solvable through legislation, Tom argues yes — citing funding for intergenerational housing, encouraging civic participation among young people, and addressing college affordability through creative housing models as concrete starting points.00:52:26 SEA 1’s Statewide Damage, RevisitedScott and Tom revisit Senate Enrolled Act 1, Indiana’s 2025 property tax overhaul, with Tom reporting Wayne County underestimated its own revenue losses by $10 million, forcing 20 teacher layoffs and library funding cuts while big business saw the real benefit.00:54:55 Closing: Where to Find Tom RockwellTom’s contact info: website tom4indiana.com (donations, volunteer sign-up, phone banking); the campaign is canvassing daily from 3 to 6:30 p.m. for the final stretch before Election Day.00:56:45 Show OutroHoosLeft and P… Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe