This is the third episode of our new Sunday morning politics show for Indiana without the bad-faith arguments. In this house, we believe Hoosiers from the social democratic left to principled conservatives can talk about big things constructively when MAGA lies are excluded from the discussion.

I had a great panel of guests and we spent about 30 minutes each talking about national news, local news, and one big thing. We’ll be doing this every Sunday morning at 10:30am ET in collaboration with Project Next Media. The livestream will be available at the following locations, and posted here afterward. We hope you’ll join us for some thoughtful conversations.

https://www.facebook.com/ProjectNextIndiana/

https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectNextMovement

https://www.twitch.tv/projectnextmovement

And this is the show outline with links to articles we discussed. We didn’t get to cover everything, but these are the stories we were watching.

National Stories

* Musk Leaving Trump Administrationhttps://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-big-beautiful-bill-aa2bc70b0ebdb219b5dd3e9f8fae03af

* Is he really? https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ger3gxdjro

* Was this what he wanted? https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/elon-musk-regulatory-matters-under-trump-1235336699/

* Trump’s Crypto Scam Dinner Partyhttps://coinpedia.org/news/trumps-trump-coin-dinner-party-justin-sun-joins-top-crypto-holders-for-vip-event/ (Below, all these links is a handy cheat sheet of all the Trump-related crypto businesses. The grift at work with these various companies is happening right before our eyes. Cryptocurrency has the support of some Congressional Democrats, but that should not be confused with opposition to a sitting president auctioning off access to enrich his family.)

* 1. $TRUMP Memecoin – Launched on January 17, 2025, $TRUMP is a meme coin associated with Donald Trump, hosted on the Solana blockchain. Approximately 1 billion coins were created, with 800 million retained by two Trump-owned entities: CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC. An initial coin offering (ICO) released 200 million coins to the public, achieving a market value exceeding $27 billion within a day. The project has faced criticism for potential conflicts of interest and its speculative nature. Wikipedia+3 Wikipedia+3ChainCatcher+3

* 2. World Liberty Financial – Founded in 2024, World Liberty Financial is a decentralized finance (DeFi) company co-founded by Eric and Donald Trump Jr. The company launched the $WLFI token and the USD1 stablecoin, backed by U.S. treasuries and cash equivalents. The Trump family owns 60% of the company and 22.5 billion units of $WLFI. The venture has attracted significant investments, including $30 million from Chinese billionaire Justin Sun and $2 billion from an Abu Dhabi government-linked firm. These investments have raised ethical concerns and potential conflicts of interest. Wikipedia+4 Wikipedia+4PYMNTS.com+4

* 3. Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) – TMTG, the parent company of Truth Social, has entered the cryptocurrency space by raising over $2.3 billion through stock and debt sales to establish a bitcoin treasury reserve. Jaskaran S. Rasouda and Sukhmeet Sodhihas diluted the Trump family’s stake from 52% to 41.5%, potentially affecting their control over the company. Despite this, TMTG’s stock experienced a brief increase following the announcement. Wikipedia+3MarketWatch+3 Barron’s+3Barron’s

* 4. American Bitcoin Corp. – In partnership with Hut 8, the Trump brothers launched American Bitcoin Corp., focusing on Bitcoin mining and strategic reserve development. Eric Trump serves as the company’s chief strategy officer. The venture aims to provide investors with tangible participation in Bitcoin’s growth. Wikipedia+2PYMNTS.com+2 The Washington Post+2

* 5. Trump Digital Trading Cards (NFTs) – In December 2022, Trump released a series of digital trading cards as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), generating $4.5 million in sales. The cards were produced by NFT INT LLC, which licensed Trump’s name and likeness from CIC Digital LLC. The project has faced scrutiny regarding its authenticity and the involvement of shell companies. ChainCatcher+2 trendx.tech+2 Wikipedia+2

* Trump Regime Targeting International Students: Putting on my defense-hawk brain-transfer cap, wouldn’t you want these people here to recruit as potential spies, or to put their best minds to work for you? https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/us-will-aggressively-revoke-chinese-students-visas-rubio-says-rcna209637

* Tariffs on – off – onhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93ywvl7yy5o

* Michael J. Hicks on Tariffs: https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/05/27/tariffs-manufacturing-layoffs-automation/83797338007/

* RFK Jr’s Shenanigans This Week

* I’m not an immunologist, but I don’t think the guy in charge of HHS understands how herd immunity works. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-vaccine-kids-pregnant-women-cdc-recommendation-rfk-jr-rcna207312

* Also, FDA misinterprets study to yank prescription fluoride treatments for kidshttps://health.wusf.usf.edu/npr-health/2025-05-30/fda-pulling-prescription-fluoride-supplements-for-kids-from-the-market

* C.D.C. Contradicts Kennedy and Keeps Advice That Children May Get Covid Shotshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/health/cdc-covid-vaccines-children-pregnant-women.html

Around the Corn – Stories from Across Indiana

* Indiana bans candy, soda from SNAP Purchases:https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/briefs/feds-approve-indiana-ban-on-soda-candy-from-snap-purchases/

* This one stirs up complicated feelings, but it ultimately ascribes systemic failings to individuals as usual for neoliberalism.

* Braun and Beckwith Blame Holcomb Admin for Summer Meals Programhttps://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/05/29/braun-administration-blames-holcomb-for-summer-meals-program-pause/

* They’re passing the blame for these kids not getting food. The question is: will the kids get any damn food?!?

* Diego Morales Fuckery:

* Morales Under Investigation by Marion County Election Board. https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/marion-county-election-board-investigating-diego-morales

* For all his corruption, this would amount to a slap on the wrist.

* More Diego shenanigans https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/30/indiana-secretary-of-state-diego-morales-cpac-hungary-travel-criticism/83942248007/?tbref=hp

* Report technically clears Hogsett admin in sexual harassment case, but indicts office culturehttps://mirrorindy.org/fisher-phillips-investigative-report-sexual-harassment-indianapolis-mayor-joe-hogsett-administration-thomas-cook

One Big Thing – Bipartisan Attack on Public Education in Indiana

* ILEA Milquetoast Description – https://fullcircleindyk12.com/2025/05/19/the-acronym-that-just-might-transform-the-relationship-between-ips-charters/

* A More Critical Look at ILEA – https://www.centralindsa.org/little-king-hogsetts-republican-buddies-at-the-statehouse-grant-him-unprecedented-personal-power-over-our-school-tax-money/

* Indiana Schools Rocked by Property Tax ‘Reform’ – https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/21/local-schools-rocked-by-tax-relief-law/

* Partisan School Board Races – https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/senate-narrowly-sends-bill-creating-partisan-school-boards-races-to-governors-desk

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