SUMMARY: On this week's edition of HoosLeft This Week, host Scott Aaron Rogers is joined by Indiana State Senate candidates Gabrianna Gratzol (District 11, South Bend/Elkhart area) and Ethan Sweetland-May (District 47, southern Indiana) for a wide-ranging discussion of a week that somehow managed to be even more chaotic than usual. The conversation covers the on-again-off-again US-Iran ceasefire collapse and its cascading global energy crisis, Indiana's financial and institutional entanglement with Israel's war machine through the Iron Nation initiative and the Applied Research Institute's role in Palantir's Maven targeting system, Trump's escalating feud with Pope Leo and what it means for Catholic voters, ICE abusing French grandmothers in nightgowns to First Amendment wins for a Brown County app developer, the Epstein network's tentacles through New Mexico Democratic politics into the Trump orbit, the DOJ's systematic dismantling of judicial independence, Clarence Thomas's corruption-soaked speech at the University of Texas, the class rage simmering beneath a string of attacks on tech and corporate targets, the ISTA union's betrayal of its own staff, Viktor Orbán's landslide defeat in Hungary and what it might portend for MAGA-aligned populism, the New Jersey special election victory of progressive Analilia Mejia, Eric Swalwell's disgraceful exit from Congress, Indiana's primary intrigue including the student ID ruling and Governor Braun's contradictory endorsement strategy, the Diego Morales implosion at the Secretary of State's office, and the state's deepening crises in child care, healthcare, and housing. 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: 00:00:35 Introduction and Support HoosLeft 00:02:32 Meet the Guests: Gabrianna Gratzol and Ethan Sweetland-May 00:04:16 The Iran-Israel-U.S. Ceasefire Collapse 00:09:16 Operation Economic Fury and the Global Energy Crisis 00:11:47 Indiana’s Stake in the War: Iron Nation and Applied Research Institute 00:23:09 Trump vs. the Pope: Christian Nationalism on Trial 00:31:07 ICE Roundup: French Grannies, Road Rage, and State Accountability 00:37:59 The ICE Tracker App and a First Amendment Win for a Hoosier 00:40:12 Tech Giants Roll Over: Regulation and Working-Class Accountability 00:42:39 Pam Bondi, the Epstein Files, and the Epstein Class 00:50:04 DOJ Under Blanche: Purging Judges, Protecting Insurrectionists 00:58:41 The Courts: Small Wins and Big Losses 01:05:55 Clarence Thomas, Harlan Crow, and the Speech No One Covered 01:11:26 Elite Rage, Class Violence, and the Breaking Social Contract 01:19:33 Indiana: ISTA Union Scandal and the Fight for Organized Labor 01:24:53 Hungary’s Election and the Fall of Orbán 01:30:52 New Jersey Special Election and the California Governor’s Race 01:39:43 Indiana Primary: Student ID Ruling, Braun’s Endorsements, and Bopp’s Ballot Gambit 01:46:03 Diego Morales and the Secretary of State Race 01:50:15 Indiana Roundup: Child Care Vouchers, Eli Lilly, and the Hospital Crisis 01:57:34 Closing: Support the Campaigns, Upcoming PIN Events IN DEPTH: * Middle East War * Allies try to puzzle out US blockade of Iran (Politico) * The U.S. began a naval blockade of Iranian ports Monday, targeting ships that have visited or paid tolls to Iran — including in the critical Strait of Hormuz. * The blockade’s biggest risk is confrontation with China or Russia, whose ships may simply ignore it and dare the U.S. Navy to stop them. * Logistics are murky — commanders don’t yet know how to verify toll payments, handle detained crews, or whether they have enough assets to enforce it. * American allies are sitting this one out, with Britain flatly refusing to participate and Spain calling the broader war a senseless downward spiral. * The White House is betting the blockade forces Iran to reopen the strait, but the strategy’s endgame remains publicly undefined. * Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue as U.S. hosts historic diplomatic talks (PBS) * The U.S. hosted the first direct Israel-Lebanon talks in over 30 years, with Rubio framing the goal as a permanent end to Hezbollah’s influence — not just a ceasefire. * Israeli strikes continued in Southern Lebanon throughout the day, including smoke visible on the horizon, even as the talks were underway in Washington. * Hezbollah was excluded from the talks and said it wouldn’t abide by any resulting agreement, including demands to disarm. * Israel’s ambassador called the most significant takeaway that both countries see themselves united against a common enemy in Hezbollah. * Italy announced it would suspend its defense cooperation agreement with Israel as consequences mount over the ongoing campaign. * 10-day Lebanon-Israel ceasefire begins after weeks of conflict (France24) * A ten-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire took effect Friday, with Israel striking over 380 targets in southern Lebanon in the hours before it began and killing at least seven people in a strike on Ghazieh shortly beforehand. * The ceasefire’s fine print is already contested — Trump says Hezbollah is included, but the State Department says Lebanon itself is committed to dismantling Hezbollah, a condition Netanyahu is also insisting on. * A Hezbollah lawmaker credited Iran’s pressure for making the ceasefire happen, framing it as Iran’s leverage — not a concession — tied directly to the Strait of Hormuz standoff. * Trump called a broader Iran deal “very close” and floated traveling to Pakistan to sign it, while over a million Lebanese remain displaced and 2,000 are already dead. * Iran says strait of Hormuz ‘completely open’ but sounds warning on US blockade (Guardian) * Iran’s foreign minister declared the Strait of Hormuz open Friday, but the IRGC gave only qualified support and Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned it would close again if the U.S. blockade continues — making the opening conditional at best. * Oil dropped below $90 a barrel on the news, but analysts warn few vessels will risk passage in such uncertain circumstances and any return to normality remains distant. * Trump claimed Iran agreed to never close the strait again, indefinitely suspend its nuclear program, and surrender enriched uranium — Iran has publicly rejected all three claims. * The Lebanon ceasefire is fraying before it’s a day old: Netanyahu posted a video saying Israel “has not finished the job” with Hezbollah minutes after Trump said Israel was “prohibited” from striking Lebanon, and an Israeli drone killed someone in southern Lebanon shortly after. * Iran closes Strait of Hormuz once again, fires on tankers (Axios) * Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Saturday, citing the ongoing U.S. blockade as “maritime piracy” — a direct reversal of the brief opening that had oil markets cautiously optimistic. * Iranian forces fired on at least three commercial ships in the strait, including two Indian vessels, with one ship hit after being given clearance to enter and then attacked anyway. * The escalation came hours after Trump declared a deal was “a day or two” away and claimed Iran had agreed to stop enriching uranium “forever” — claims Iran had already publicly rejected. * Trump’s response was to accuse Iran of getting “a little cute” — suggesting he’s still trying to project control over a situation that is visibly deteriorating. * US planning to seize Iran-linked ships in coming days (Jerusalem Post) * The U.S. is planning to board and seize Iran-linked oil tankers in international waters in the coming days — expanding “Operation Economic Fury” beyond the Middle East under the authority of the Indo-Pacific Command. * The target includes “dark fleet” vessels evading sanctions and insurance requirements, giving the U.S. broad latitude to interdict ships well outside the Persian Gulf. * Iran responded by reasserting military control over the Strait of Hormuz, attacking several ships Saturday, and with Supreme Leader Khamenei warning of “new bitter defeats” for its enemies. * The White House is framing the escalation as leverage toward a peace deal — but the gap between Trump’s optimism and conditions on the water grows wider by the hour. * Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,’ energy agency head warns (AP) * Europe has roughly six weeks of jet fuel remaining, and the head of the International Energy Agency is warning of flight cancellations “soon” if the Strait of Hormuz stays blocked — KLM is already cutting 160 flights citing rising fuel costs. * The IEA chief called this the largest energy crisis ever faced, warning that failure to reopen the strait by end of May could push weaker economies from high inflation into outright recession. * Even a peace deal won’t quickly fix it — over 80 regional energy facilities have been damaged, more than a third severely, and the IEA estimates it could take up to two years to restore prewar production levels. * The people who will suffer most are the ones with the least say: developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while the powers whose decisions caused the crisis insulate themselves from the worst of it. * Braun: Iron Nation-Indiana to create ‘strategic bridge’ between Indiana, Israel (FOX59) * Gov. Mike Braun announced Iron Nation-Indiana, a $60+ million initiative to attract Israeli tech companies to set up U.S. operations in Indiana. * The state is putting in $15 million; the private Iron Nation venture fund is committing more than $30 million. * The program targets connections between Israeli startups and Indiana’s corporate, healthcare, university, and industrial sectors. * Did the State of Indiana help strike an Iranian girls’ school? (Big Money) * According to this investigative piece, Indiana’s Applied Research Institute — a state-funded public-private part
