Project Next Media

Sarah teams up with Scott Aaron Rogers and his Hoosleft show to share what this No Kings event is all about from Salem, Indiana. Sarah interviews Ethan Sweetland-May who is running for State Senate in Southern Indiana, a dinosour, and a frog to see why people came out to say No Kings in America.

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Sarah Blessing saw friends, new people, Republicans, her teenage son’s friends and more at today’s No Kings in Corydon, Indiana. Thanks to Tiffany Garcia and everyone who organized this event. A record 565 people turned out which is the best attended protest since Trump was elected in Corydon. To watch coverage from many other No Kings events across the state, tune into the Hoosleft feed on Facebook, YouTube, or Substack. Scott Aaron Rogers is connecting with many of them from 10- 6 EST which is IMPPRESSIVE!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Get the facts and the success stories behind them when Sarah interviews Dr. Jon Macy about public health. Public health prioritizes prevention and works at the population level. Public Health has one underlying philosophy and one underlying methodology. The impacts of public health work are largely invisible and behind the scenes. There are many success stories in Public Health that we take for granted. These include reductions in harms due to cigarette smoking, reductions in injuries and deaths due to car crashes, vaccines, family planning, sanitation services, and clean water, just to name a few. There’s reason to be optimistic for more success stories if we can work together to push for funding.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Sarah’s favorite Republican, Christopher Maichin, is back to discuss what online stories he is being fed and how they are different from Sarah’s. How can these two talking help you talk to those who vote differently than you? They discuss Trump, immigration, the war in Israel, No Kings, AOC, bad Indiana dems, and much more.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Blythe Potter is running for Indiana Secretary of State, taking on Diego Morales—and now facing a new challenge from within her own party, as Beau Bye, part of the well-known Bye family in Indiana Democratic politics, enters the race. He’s young, well-funded, and backed by establishment ties. But Blythe’s campaign isn’t built on money or name recognition—it’s built on ideas, heart, and a belief that Indiana can do elections better.

In this conversation, Sarah and Blythe are not just talking politics—we’re talking mental fitness, leadership, and what it means to stay grounded and hopeful in a system that can wear you down. Listen as these two strong women talk about being leaders when they both don’t have a famous name or family money but still want to make Indiana better for us all.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

New Albany, Indiana has been tied up in controversy over the Providence Mill Dam — the same dam where a fourteen-year-old boy tragically drowned last year. Since then, lawsuits have piled up, deadlines have been missed, and the city council has been pushing for answers about how much taxpayer money has gone into fighting these legal battles.

Mayor Jeff Gahan, who’s now in his fourth term, has done a lot of things people appreciate — new parks, development, revitalization. But right now, many residents, including groups like Hoosier Action, are asking a simple question: where is the money going? And why isn’t the city being more transparent about it?

We’re going to unpack that today with Cisa Kubley from Hoosier Action— not as an attack, but as a conversation about what good local leadership really looks like. Because being friends with city leaders, or agreeing with them most of the time, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect better communication and accountability when it matters most. This is about making our communities stronger by asking fair questions — and expecting fair answers.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Indiana News

(quotes from linked articles in italics)

* Around the Corn

* Michigan City Confirms Ransomware Attack

* Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch told the city council on Tuesday that a September 23rd outage that impacted the city’s telephone and computer networks was, in fact, an attempted ransomware attack.

* The mayor said no ransom was paid, she’s confident the breach will be fixed internally, and an active law enforcement investigation is still ongoing.

* State executes Roy Lee Ward

* Death row inmate Roy Lee Ward - convicted for the 2001 rape and murder of a 15-year-old Spncer County girl - was put to death Friday morning at the Indiana State Prison.

* The execution followed years of appeals and scrutiny over the state’s procurement process for lethal injection drugs and marks the third execution since the state resumed the death penalty in 2024 after a nearly 15-year pause.

* No journalists were allowed in the room.

* State Supreme Court dismisses latest Rokita complaint

* Recall, in June 2022 - during a Fox News appearance - the Attorney General disparaged and threatened Indianapolis OB-GYN Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the hero who provided an abortion to a 10-year old Ohio rape victim.

* Rokita’s - in a November 2023 sworn affidavit - settled the resulting disciplinary investigation by admitting to violating two professional conduct rules in exchange for a public reprimand

* However, the extreme Christian nationalist AG almost immediately recanted in a public press release, resulting in another investigation over professional misconduct.

* Thursday’s order from the Supreme Court dismissed that case after Rokita and the Disciplinary Commission agreed that the Attorney General “really meant it” when he accepted responsibility the first time.

* Bombardier to open Fort Wayne service center

* During a Wednesday announcement at Fort Wayne International Airport surrounded by VIPs and elected officials including Mayor Sharon Tucker and Governor Mike Braun, the Canadian business jet manufacturer Bombardier announced plans to open a new aircraft service center in Northeast Indiana.

* The 64,000+ square foot facility will be able to hold up to six aircraft and offer services including routine and emergency maintenance, modifications and avionics installation. It is expected to create about 100 high-skill, good-paying jobs.

* Top Stories

* Beau Bayh announces SoS run

* The son and grandson of US Senators filed Monday to run for Indiana Secretary of State, continuing the family political legacy.

* Born in Indiana when his father Evan Bayh was governor, he mostly grew up in the DC area during his old man’s time in Congress and attended Harvard for both his undergraduate and law degrees.

* Incumbent Secretary of State Diego Morales and other Republicans capitalized on this, questioning whether the 29-year old is a “real Hoosier.”

* Bayh served in the Marine Corps as an infantry captain and most recently clerked for US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David Hamilton in Bloomington.

* In an all out media blitz that began with an exclusive interview with Indianapolis Star opinion editor James Briggs, Bayh criticized Morales for his frequent international travel, wasteful spending in office, and hiring family members for state jobs while evading questions about his orientation within the Democratic Party, positioning himself as above partisan politics, and touting his ability to work with Republicans.

* Questions for the panel:

* Is a 29-year old ready for this race?

* Does the Bayh name matter in 2025?

* Doesn’t NO KINGS imply NO PRINCES?

* STILL MORE corruption at IEDC

* Last week, FTI Consulting released a 127-page “forensic review” of the secretive public-private Indiana Economic Development Corporation as well as associated entities like the non-profit IEDF Foundation, investment firm Elevate Ventures, academic intermediary Applied Research Institute, and the controversial Boone County LEAP district.

* Overall, the audit found a lack of internal controls, inadequate management and the presence of conflicts that “raises concerns about the potential for favoritism and misuse of public funds.”

* Findings include millions of dollars of taxpayer-funded entertainment and travel costs, widespread conflicts of interest, and rampant self-dealing.

* Another example of such self-dealing was detailed this week by the Indianapolis Star, who reported that “an Indianapolis development company with close ties to former Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers received more than $77 million through no-bid Indiana Economic Development Corp. contracts for its work developing the LEAP district.”

* The audit revealed that Pure Development was one of the top recipients of IEDC funds between 2022 and 2024, a time period that significantly overlaps with most of Chambers’ tenure as Indiana’s top economic development official.

* Meanwhile, Chambers’ firm Buckingham Companies has been building a mixed-use redevelopment project with Pure Development in Carmel, also announced in 2022. More than $18 million in taxpayer-funded management fees have flowed directly to Pure since 2022 for its management of the LEAP district, a project championed by Chambers.

* The no-bid contracts have raised questions for some about the potential for a conflict of interest given Pure’s relationship with Chambers. Chambers served as Indiana secretary of commerce between mid-2021 and mid-2023 under former Gov. Eric Holcomb’s tenure. During those years, Pure received nearly $19 million from IEDC.

* Questions for the panel:

* Does this accounting of corruption by the Holcomb/Chambers wing of the Indiana GOP - under Braun’s watch - signal a larger rift among Hoosier Republicans?

* Given their record, I don’t assume good faith stewardship of taxpayer dollars from the MAGA faction - what is their motivation?

* The IEDC and all of its associated entities - salvageable or tear it all down?

* Blackrock looking to buy AES

* According to the Financial Times, Global Infrastructure Partners - a subsidiary of BlackRock, the world’s largest private equity firm - is in advanced talks to acquire AES Corporation for around $38B “in what would be one of the largest infrastructure takeovers of all time.”

* AES, one of the largest publicly traded utilities in the US, owns and operates power plants across the country and in 13 other nations.

* It has invested heavily in recent years in renewable energy grids, which play a crucial role in supplying power to data centres owned by technology giants such as Microsoft, Meta and Google.

* Some argue the City of Indianapolis should buy AES Indiana

* In purchasing a public utility, private equity firms like BlackRock could pass on debt to consumers and lower service quality to extract profit with no consequences, as consumers have no alternatives.

* These firms likely see a route to quick profits selling electricity to data centers, fueled by an economy high on artificial intelligence and subsidized by massive state tax breaks.

* Blackstone, another private equity firm, bought almost 20% of Northern Indiana Public Service Co. LLC last year. NIPSCO then planned several solar farms and other infrastructure investments and passed costs onto consumers. It is also planning additional natural gas plants to power data centers.

* The result was the highest jump in electricity prices of any utility in Indiana over the last year, 26%. For some customers, that meant an increase of $50 per month.

* Columnist Jacob Stewart argues the city has the authority to purchase the utility

* Almost 50 years ago, the city was granted the authority to buy public utilities using revenue bonds, a tool frequently used to fund multimillion-dollar school improvements.

* Indianapolis last exercised this right in 2002 with the purchase of the Indianapolis Water Company for $515 million. The city contracted with another company to manage the utility until selling it to Citizens Energy, a nonprofit, public charitable trust, in 2011.

* More from Jacob Stewart: Why Google’s data center plan failed in Indy — and how it could win next time

* The City-County Council could grant May…

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

What giant festival do you have in your area? Here is Southern Indiana our biggest one is Harvest Homecoming which Sarah has been attending since she was little. Sarah interviews two city council members and Jason Kerberg, the Republican cop running for sheriff. Also catch all the drama as Tim Peck starts the show and never comes back. Ha!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Pastor Richard Gainzero of the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Madison, Indiana shares his path to his faith in a teenager in maximum adult prison and strengthened while taking care of dying prisoners for 7 years.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com

Thank you Patricia Scott, jayemmbee, and many others for tuning in on Substack Live! Gonna simulcast on here from now on!

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US/World News

(quotes from linked articles in italics)

* FASCISM WATCH

* Identification of Enemies of the State

* Chicago Under Attack:

* Armed Border Patrol agents patrol downtown Chicago

* United States Border Patrol agents, wearing bulletproof vests and carrying rifles, were observed patrolling in downtown Chicago on Sunday afternoon.

* Agents have been patrolling the Chicago River on boats in recent days, and Sunday were seen walking down one of the city’s busiest streets as increased federal intervention continues in the city.

* Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling

* Armed federal agents in military fatigues busted down their doors overnight, pulling men, women and children from their apartments, some of them naked, residents and witnesses said. Agents approached or entered nearly every apartment in the five-story building, and U.S. citizens were among those detained for hours.

* Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem leads Elgin raid; 1 U.S. citizen among 6 detained

* Low-flying helicopters, bright lights and smoke bombs were used in a raid Tuesday. Joe Botello, 37, and five roommates were led out of a home in the 900 block of Chippewa Drive. Kristi Noem was among the ICE agents who wore camouflage and used military trucks.

* Trump freezes $2.1B for Chicago projects, Red Line extension in shutdown fight with Dems

* The White House on Friday said it is withholding $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago infrastructure projects, including the CTA’s Red Line extension, as President Donald Trump escalates his fight with the city and follows through on his threat to punish Democrats over the government shutdown.

* White House budget director Russ Vought wrote on social media that he was specifically targeting the Red Line South Side project as well as the Red and Purple Line modernization project, “to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting.”

* Pritzker says Trump administration intends to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members

* Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement on Saturday that the Trump administration intends to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members after he was offered an ultimatum on troop deployment.

* “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” he said. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

* The White House later confirmed the plans.

* …and Portland

* Threatening funds

* The White House is continuing to pressure Portland, surging federal law enforcement and floating plans to go after the city’s pocketbook on Friday as protests continue over President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard.

* The administration will review cutting federal funding to Portland, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing, citing what she said was elected officials’ refusal to work with the White House to crack down on street crime and immigration enforcement.

* activates 200 National Guard troops to Portland

* The White House is continuing to pressure Portland, surging federal law enforcement and floating plans to go after the city’s pocketbook on Friday as protests continue over President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard.

* The administration will review cutting federal funding to Portland, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing, citing what she said was elected officials’ refusal to work with the White House to crack down on street crime and immigration enforcement.

* Judge temporarily blocks use of National Guard in Portland

* U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, issued a temporary restraining order after Oregon and Portland sued. The order expires on Oct. 18 but could be extended.

* Immergut wrote in her ruling that the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to call forth troops — the “militia” in the founding document — to execute laws, suppress an insurrection or repel an invasion. She wrote that Trump’s attempt to federalize the National Guard absent constitutional authority undermines the sovereign interests of Oregon.

* Justice Department sues Minnesota over sanctuary policies

* The Justice Department said on Monday it has sued Minnesota and state officials over its immigration sanctuary policies, the latest move in a legal campaign by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration against jurisdictions run by Democrats.

* The department said the state was carrying out policies that are illegal under federal law.

* Supreme Court again allows Trump to strip protections from Venezuelan immigrants

* The Supreme Court has again cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants, despite lower-court rulings that found the administration’s move illegal.

* It’s the second time in five months that the high court has, on its emergency docket, green-lit Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s effort to terminate “temporary *+6**-protected status” from the Venezuelans living in the United States.

* Prosecuting Political Opponents

* James Comey case jeopardizes Americans’ free speech rights, retired judges warn

* The Trump administration’s case against former FBI Director James Comey should be a warning sign to Americans, 42 retired judges wrote in an open letter first obtained by NBC News.

* In their letter, the former federal and state judges warned that the “rights and liberties of every American are in grave danger today, as President Donald Trump continues to corruptly abuse the power of his office by directing the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to target his critics and his perceived political enemies for investigation and criminal prosecution.”

* “All Americans have an obligation as citizens of this great country to speak out against this unprecedented attack on our freedom of speech and to demand that Donald Trump’s attacks on our right to speak freely without fear of being persecuted and prosecuted by our government must stop now,” they added.

* FBI agent suspended over refusal to ‘perp walk’ former director

* An FBI agent has reportedly been suspended because they refused to participate in a “perp walk” of the bureau’s former director James Comey, US media reports.

* The agent was suspended for insubordination, according to the BBC’s news partner CBS, after the agent found the plan to be inappropriate.

* Control of Mass Media

* Bari Weiss taking over CBS newsroom, staffers ‘literally freaking out’

* The imminent arrival of anti-woke and stridently pro-Israel “heterodox” pundit Bari Weiss as the editor-in-chief of CBS News has left the newsroom’s staff “literally freaking out,” with sources telling The Independent that the Tiffany Network is “not a good place right now.”

* The rising frustration among the network’s journalists has also been compounded by the fact that David Ellison, the chief executive of the newly merged Paramount Skydance, is preparing to implement brutal layoffs and slash up to 10 percent of CBS News’ staff – all while paying Weiss up to $150 million to acquire her digital media outlet The Free Press.

* Following a politically tainted $8.4 billion merger between Ellison’s Skydance Media and Paramount Global, which saw Paramount agree to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle a “meritless” lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, the new leadership team has made several moves to seemingly appease the right and the president.

* Weiss, a former New York Times opinion columnist who famously quit The Grey Lady in 2020 over what she cited as the paper’s left-leaning editorial policies and “illiberal environment,” is expected to report to Ellison di…

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.projectnextindiana.com