Dheepa Sundaram, PhD (she/her)

Should note that the Club for Growth is running mendacious ads in the Indiana claiming that this is a dem-led effort & Trump needs them to “balance the scales”.

Luckily, they have started very late. Indiana Conservation Voters has been running anti redistricting ads for 3 months. shorturl.at/JKjHj

JUST IN: Katie Wilson significantly extends her lead in the Seattle mayoral race.

She now leads Mayor Bruce Harrell by 1,346 votes, or 0.5%.

That's up from the squeaker-lead of 91 votes in yesterday's update). She won today's batch of nearly 6K ballots by 20% (!).

Not much left at this point.

Since 2016, IN has moved further right (like Iowa). There is strong support for Trump. But, he didn’t win populous bluer cities like South Bend & Indianapolis, college towns-Bloomington, Lafayettes.

IN current reps: 9R-2D
GOP Goal: 11R

Hoosiers don’t want this. Interesting to see if that matters.

Donnelly (D) was a rep to the US House from 2007-2013.

IN has been reliably red in pres. elections since they joined the union except 1964 for Lyndon Johnson & 2008 for Barack Obama.

That said, in state, the electorate holds conservative social values & labor focused politics.
/6

On recent dem history in IN: The Bayh family has deep dem political roots in IN. Evan Bayh served as governor 1989-1997 & senator 1999-2011. Dick Lugar (R) Senator 1977-2013, a moderate lost in his primary to an extreme rw candidate who ultimately lost to Joe Donnelly (D) who served 2013-2019./5

Screenshot from article overall, 51% of the respondents oppose lawmakers' redrawing the maps right now - 45% of which feel "strongly" opposed. "That's a lot of intensity behind it," Matthews said.

Indiana is a rust belt state with deep religious conservative roots in its politics (e.g. blue laws, anti-abortion, etc. ). It is also a manufacturing-focused state, devastated by large companies leaving.

The poll shows the complexity & caution of Hoosier voters & their lack of trust in Braun. /4

Given the hypothetical that their own state senator decides to vote in favor of redistricting, 43% said they would be less likely to vote for them again. Nearly three quarters of respondents, including 59% of Republicans, found "convincing" the sentiment that lawmakers should focus instead on other issues, like housing affordability and utility bills.

Similarly to the October polls, Braun significantly trails Trump's approval ratings: Among his own base in this poll, 58% approve of him and 26% disapprove. Less than half of GOP voters in the poll think the state is headed in the right direction.

Polling says Hoosiers don’t want this! They want affordability. GOP pressing ahead anyway.

Trump is much more popular than both gov. Mike Braun & his redistricting effort.

GOP voter polls suggest that both those that vote for it & to a lesser degree those against it may face an electoral cost./3

Screenshot from article: Indiana Republicans' overwhelming approval of President Donald Trump is not carrying over into their positions on Trump's fervent redistricting push, a new poll from Virginia-based Bellwether Research found. On the concept of redrawing congressional maps mid-decade, they are far more tepid. While 90% of Republican voters surveyed have favorable views of Trump, only 53% approve of Gov. Mike Braun calling a special session to heed Trump's call for redistricting, the survey of 800 registered voters found. As many as 38% of them said they think Republican lawmakers who oppose redistricting are "standing up for fairness.'

It is seems like the complexity of IN politics that I grew up with is evident in this poll. In my experience, Hoosiers consistently do not like “Washington outsiders.” anti-redistricting group should make that label stick to Club for Growth and the group run Jim Banks’s advisor./2

Indiana politics is not deep red. Redistricting could fail. 🧵

IN is like IL but Indianapolis can’t keep the state blue. Growing up in South Bend, our mayor (dem) and governor (R to D for several years), and rep Tim Roehmer (D) was one of Obama’s national cochairs. /1 shorturl.at/77ve7

I am very much going to enjoy these assholes try and come to Denver and chase after someone at altitude. Unless they have been here for awhile, that is not going to go well for them.

no dem running in 2026 without a promise to abolish ICE and a to hold all involved (especially elected officials) accountable is a viable candidate.

Seems bad

Alcohol Industry Groups Push to Ban THC Drinks in Government Funding Bill A ban on hemp-derived products with THC was added to the bill reopening the government, pitting Sen. Mitch McConnell against fellow Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a hemp industry supporter.

On alcohol trade groups pushing a ban on THC drinks, @dinfontay.com said, it's "unusual to see them be in favor of a form of prohibition, given the history of the industry in America.

“There’s irony in watching them wield the cudgel of a ban.”

Students - Voters of Tomorrow With over 11,000 members and chapters in over 25 states, Voters of Tomorrow is the country’s largest student-led political movement.

TurningPoint USA is still growing. They’re using their billionaire donors’ money to set up chapters in schools across the country.

We can’t let them win. If you’re a young person who is ready to fight back, and organize for democracy, join @votersoftomorrow.org. 👇

votersoftomorrow.org/students

Two terror attacks within days of each other in India and Pakistan, both with nuclear capabilities is very dangerous for the reason and feels like someone is trying to destabilize the region. Glad to see at least the AP covering the attacks.

A suicide bomber targets an Islamabad court, killing 12 people and wounding 27, minister says Pakistan’s interior minister says a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a police vehicle outside the gate of a district court in Islamabad, killing 12 people and wounding 27.

This is bad also

apnews.com/article/pakk...

Two car explosions-one in India and now one in Pakistan within days.

This is not good.

Right after New Delhi too

Want a younger brain? Learn another language A vast study suggests that being multilingual can slow down cognitive ageing.

'people who are multilingual are half as likely to show signs of accelerated biological ageing than are those who speak just one language.'

Good thing that schools, universities and governments are so actively promoting modern languages then, isn't it? 1/2

The problem with the complete collapse of independent media into a morass of state propaganda is that, when it matters, there is literally no reliable information. The Delhi blast today could be anything. All I know is that they will manufacture terrorists to prosecute more anti-Muslim pogroms.

Bluesky suspended Sarah Kendzior today for no reason whatsoever. She just shared excerpts of her articles, which were as always incisive and not offensive at all. Hey @pfrazee.com this is super not OK. I know her- we've interacted a fair bit via chats and her work is essential.

Here are the at least 6 House Democrats, 3 Democratic-aligned organizations, and 4 Democratic Senate candidates calling for Chuck Schumer to resign as leader:

Former USIP security chief says MPD gave 'high-fives and fist bumps' after raid The latest on the lawsuit to get MPD's body cam footage released.

BREAKING update to my lawsuit against DC Metropolitan PD for body cam footage from USIP raid —

We've submitted our response, including sworn declarations from *six* USIP workers, 1 of whom says he "observed members of MPD giving each other high-fives and fist bumps" after removing staff from bldg.

ICYMI if you're in Boulder County but the Independent Monitor and City Attorney are doing their damndest to undermine the even very limited authority of the Police Oversight Panel. Those of you who follow Boulder politics, are you surprised? 🙃

Unfortunately still true bsky.app/profile/adam...

what, why? this is so out of touch with country.

Congrats to everyone who pushed the “woke left threatens free speech on campus” lie. I know some of yall believed it.

Like I’m socialist because I’m Muslim. I’m not practicing in a lot of ways anymore but the belief that you are responsible for your neighbors — your 7th neighbor as the saying goes— is so embedded in the faith and its practice.

💯 this.

These are the same people who would not endorse the democratic nominee for mayor of NY.