(Music) Jim Banks charts his future in the Senate.

Micah Beckwith criticizes fellow Republicans.

Plus IUs president faces criticism from lawmakers and more.

From the television studios at Wfyi, it's Indiana Week in Review for the week ending November 15th, 2024.

Indiana Week in Review is made possible by the supporters of Indiana Public Broadcasting stations.

This week, US Senator elect Jim Banks says he wants to be a conservative fighter for Indiana in the Senate.

Bank says one of his first priorities as Indiana's newest US senator will be building a statewide team.

Banks has spent his political career representing northeast Indiana, both in the state Senate and Congress.

It's a diverse state, so I have a lot to learn about local issues, from Evansville to the region to Indianapolis and places that I haven't represented before.

A military veteran bank served on the Armed Services Committee in the House.

He says he hopes to continue that work in the Senate.

A bigger role, a bigger platform on those national security issues, which affects every Hoosier.

But we have a lot of employers in the state, in the defense industry.

Banks says he looks forward to being the same kind of conservative lawmaker he was in the U.S. House.

How big a role can Jim Banks play in the Senate?

It's the first question for our Indiana Week in review panel.

Democrat Ann DeLaney.

Republican Whitley Yates.

Jon Schwantes, host of Indiana lawmakers.

And Ebony Chapell, market director for Free Press, Indiana.

I'm Indiana Public Broadcasting Statehouse bureau chief Brandon Smith.

Whitley, Banks will be a freshman, one of 100 senators.

But how influential a role can Hoosiers expect him to carve out for himself?

I think when you look at his entire history, from serving in Afghanistan and serving on the county council to serving in the statehouse and then in the United States House, him going to Senate is just a continuation of his service consistently.

And so utilizing the relationships that he has built, we saw during the RNC convention how close he was not only with Trump, but JD Vance as well.

So you should expect that he is going to not only make a name for himself, but consistently fight for Hoosiers.

I mean, you got to keep expectations, you know?

I'm not you can't expect too much out of a freshman senator.

But at the same time, he is very popular in Trump world, which obviously is a controlling interest in the United States Senate and in Congress in general going forward.

So can Jim Banks do play a big role even as a freshman?

Oh, I think he can have some significant influence because he is such a sycophant of a Trump.

But what he's got to do is, is talk to the senior senator, and figure out a strategy for Indiana.

I mean, you've got Trump already threatening the Chips act, and you've already threatening the battery, facility in Indiana.

And if they get together and work hard, they can protect Indiana's economic development, because Trump is going to he's going to make an assault on some of these items.

So I think he can have influence.

And the question just is, is he moderate enough and is willing enough to put Indiana first, rather than just simply do whatever Trump tells them to do?

And that's a question we'll have to wait and see.

I want to ask a little bit about the dynamic between banks and young, because I think as much as Jim Banks is obviously a close ally of Donald Trump's, I think it's fair to say Todd Young, not quite so much a close ally of Donald Trump's, certainly didn't endorse him.

in neither of his runs for president, in any of his runs for president up to this point.

And on election night.

Last run.

On, on on election night, a close political ally of banks tweeted that after banks was announced the winner, that that Indiana would finally have a conservative voice in the Senate.

Obviously, a pot shot at Todd Young.

Are you concerned about that relationship, about the relationship between Young and Banks?

Yeah, I think that that is something for them to sort out.

I think that, Senator Banks has made it clear where his allegiance lies.

this week, being on CNN with Dana Bash, speaking about his commitment to deport all illegals, referring to people that are undocumented.

So I think he's made it clear where his allegiance lies.

So we will have to wait and see how that plays out.

How how important is it, though, that Banks and Young are pulling, you know, rowing in the same or whatever the phrase is, it can the same boat?

Yeah.

Can they work relatively independently at a.

Time when both members of the Senate delegation from Indiana would share office space and share staff?

I mean, that's in the the quaint, you know, idyllic past.

but that's what, for instance, Coates and Lugar, I believe, used to to do so.

I don't know if it matters on most issues.

Perhaps, if there's an area of disagreement, it might be over the Chips act.

Since Todd Young was co-sponsor with Chuck Schumer, coauthor, I should say, of that piece of legislation which has already paid dividends.

you know, people think it's just Chip because of its name, the, the, the acronym that it's just about chip manufacturing, but it's actually much broader.

It's it's, science funding, Stem funding in any number of, realms across the country so.

That it has three different high tech hubs that are coming out of it.

And could be a point of friction for us, but to the notion of what kind of career or impact Jim Banks could have, is it several things are going for him.

One, he's 45.

The average age I just checked of the U.S. and it's getting a little older.

Surprisingly, it's 65.3.

So he comes in with the vim and vigor of youth.

And that also suggests in a in a body where seniority matters, because the longer around you tend to take on more chairmanships and gather more IOUs and political chits.

So that's time's on his side.

But he's not the typical newcomer either.

45 years old, but you have somebody who was in county office on a county council for two years, was in the state legislature as a state senator for six years, was in the U.S. House for eight years.

So he starts any end in one of those, times.

He was the head of the Republican Study Committee, which is a conservative caucus within which.

Peninsula life.

And so people have gone through there, including one guy, what's his name, Mike Johnson.

Yeah, I had that same role now.

Speaker.

so he he's not the typical freshman.

And I don't think you.

It also feels like a throwback to like, that kind of used to be the way it was.

It was you start in local government, then you'd move to state government.

Then you'd use what you the house and then.

You by the seat.

Well, but he didn't by any I mean he's not buying any seats.

He's saying he is the norm is you put a billion in there and.

But then you don't buy it, you lose it.

Well you talked about well.

You put Trump in who held no office, but he did.

President.

He didn't buy it.

He was he bought it.

Of course he bought it.

He talked about needing to go around the state and between himself with the entire state.

But to your point, he this is more about geography.

He may want to see what's in southwest Indiana, but in terms of what makes local government tick, what are the issues at county level?

What are the issues that the General Assembly and state policymakers make?

He has that geography.

The more figurative geography.

So it's going to be probably.

Well, the only question is because it is a throwback.

Does now he become a career politician?

Yes, a career politician.

He absolutely is.

But I don't know.

I don't know how much I.

Don't ever think about that.

Yeah, it's all right.

For the first time in nearly two decades, U.S. Senate Republicans have a new leader.

The caucus this week narrowly elected South Dakota Senator John Thune to lead it following longtime leader Mitch McConnell's decision to step back from the position.

Neither Senator Todd Young nor Senator elect Jim Banks revealed who they voted for to become majority leader.

In statements, both congratulated Thune on his victory and pledged to work to advance president elect Donald Trump's agenda.

But Thunes win wasn't met with excitement from every Republican.

Earlier in the week, after a report circulated that both Young and Banks were supporting Thune, Lieutenant Governor elect Michah Beckwith criticized them on social media, posting that a vote for the South Dakota Republican wasn't conservative or America First.

Beckwith later deleted that post and replaced it with one that called for an open and transparent vote on Majority Leader.

Ann is this a preview of Micah Beckwiths willingness to clash with fellow Republicans in a public way?

And I don't think there's any doubt about it.

He's you know, he's ready.

Fire!

Aim.

That's what he does.

And, whether it's banning books or whether it's criticizing the Indiana Daily Student or any of those things, he is going to be a thorn in the side of the Republican Party and particularly of Mike Braun, because that that was a self-inflicted wound that was not necessary at all.

It wasn't going to influence their vote, certainly.

And he doesn't even know how they voted.

So it it just is symbolic of the fact that all he wants to do as a Christian, I think you only read the Old Testament.

I don't think he read the New Testament, the Christian Nationalists, which I really do think that you substitute the word white for the word Christian, and you could have KKK right after your name.

And that's what he's doing with with all of the things that he advocates and all the positions he's taking.

And I think he's going to be an embarrassment to Braun.

That's why Braun didn't want him in the first place.

I mean, this is exactly what Michael Beckwith ran for lieutenant governor on the idea that he was going to be a voice, that it didn't matter what the people in power wanted him to do, that he was going to be a voice criticizing them when he felt that was necessary.

So isn't this exactly what the people of Indiana, or at least the people of the Republican Convention party?

I don't think the voters vote for lieutenant governor.

No, they don't directly vote for the commonalities.

They don't directly vote for lieutenant governor.

But this is isn't this exactly what he campaigned on and what people want to see from him?

I would say yes.

I think he is someone who believes that he's going to hold people accountable, even if they're on your side of the aisle, which a lot of times we don't see happening on the left, in particular within the Democratic Party in Indiana.

But I also think that there is a nuance here that we are forgetting specifically with this tweet.

So the tweet goes out, it gets erased, and everyone is up in a in a tizzy about why he erased it.

But knowing the back channels that Trump supported then it could be because he found out, realized, or had conversations with those in positions of leadership of where they sat.

And so it is okay to call for transparency, and it is okay to voice concern and criticism.

That shouldn't be the end of the world.

I don't think it's the end of the world.

It just it's he is ready.

Fire, aim.

He doesn't think through what he does and he doesn't care what he does.

And I'm not just talking about calling out people that do the wrong thing.

I mean, he does things that if he.

If any thinking person looked at it would say that's just not appropriate and that's where it's going to get him.

And that's where I landed with it.

I wonder what the usefulness was of this to begin with.

Like, why not take the pause and find that information out ahead of time?

Is that if that's something that you're really concerned about?

Furthermore, it appears that Thune is in lockstep with what the expectation is of leaders in this party.

So what exactly is Michael with Michael Beckwith problem outside of wanting to stir up some controversy for contributions from John?

When, when when governor elect Braun talked to reporters last week after Election Day, he was asked about Michael Beckwith and and said that, you know, what Beckwith has done that he apprec that Braun appreciates is that he felt like he united by joining the ticket, by being elected onto the ticket.

He united the Indiana Republican Party because obviously, Beckwith represents a further right wing of that party, the which Braun called the the more enthusiastic wing of the party, with with with what Braun somewhat represents, but certainly Eric Holcomb resents which just the more of the establishment, slightly more centrist wing of the of the Indiana Republican Party, which is a lot of the people in sort of central positions of leadership within the party structure.

Does it feel like Micah Beckwith is going to be a uniter of the Indiana Republican Party?

No, I don't think I think you have to be more in agreement, alignment with your your co officeholder to be, a uniter in that sense.

When you look at some of the dust ups this week, whether it was over, the US Senate, election of the majority leader or whether it was over the Indiana Daily students, and you heard some of the coverage, you know, this is what he said, afterward.

But when asked for comment, the governor's office didn't really weigh in.

I mean, there's there's silence in a lot of these issues.

And I think, the message there is we just assume, not have to, to deal with this.

I think the bigger thing this week we saw with, in terms of uniting elements of the party is, would be the development of or announcement of these transition councils that the governor's administration came forth.

Everything from you know, health to transportation to government efficiency.

and because if you look at the, the not just the chairs, but the advisory members of those, it spans everything from the, the bone and or administration and the very much the establishment wing of the party, up to more of the firebrands, more of the enthusiastic.

So clearly to me, that's a those councils, advisory councils, it's a way to get everybody bought in in a pretty savvy and pretty sophisticated way.

And that he even took it further by one of the, I don't know, 7 or 8 of these councils, lieutenant governor's transition council by suggesting that I'm appointing members of lieutenant governor's transition Council does send the message.

It seems to me suddenly that I still run the show.

My council and Mike Brown hasn't been subtle about that.

He said he he's at the end of the day, I'm the one in charge.

It was Lieutenant governor's incoming chief of staff.

I was going to Karen.

Sorry.

Subtleties and.

Nuance.

And that's right.

And Braun has done that.

The problem is you can't shut him up.

That's the problem.

Well, maybe that's what we don't need, right?

We need to be able to have people to speak their minds and to say things as opposed to consistently being like, except specifically when they don't agree.

And that's why he decides.

The Indiana Daily Student.

Criticized the Indiana Daily Student for the article that was written because he's writing is what I was going against.

It's okay to have criticism, especially constructive criticism, in a country where we value democracy.

So then that's right.

When you threaten the student, you the student newspaper who wrote the article expressing you.

Have the opinions of everyone represented, I think that's.

Important.

You see.

All right.

Time now for viewer feedback.

Each week we post an unscientific online poll question.

And this week's question is will Micah Beckwith frequently clash with Mike Braun while they serve together in office?

A yes or A no?

Last week we asked you whether governor elect Mike Braun's margin of victory gives him leverage with the legislature.

42% of you say yes, 50 to 58% say no.

If you'd like to take part in the poll, go to wfyi.org/iwir and look for the poll.

Well, speaking of IU, Indiana University President Pamela Whitman faced criticism from some state lawmakers this week as she presented the university's budget request.

The criticism centered on Whitney's handling of Israel Palestine protests earlier this year that spawned arrests and an overwhelming no confidence vote from IU faculty.

Democratic Senator Fady Qaddoura says Witten needs to rebuild trust at the university.

We can still continue to operate the university.

We can continue to have record enrollments.

But I think what are we losing in the long term if we take biased positions?

I'm not against enforcing policies as long as they are equally enforced against everyone.

Qaddoura says Witten shouldn't be influenced by outside political forces.

Witten rejected that claim.

Just because you read in the paper, you see on social media that something happened as a result of something, I would not necessarily assume that to be true.

Republican lawmakers largely applauded Witten's leadership, and Senator Ryan Mishler argued legislators should get to influence university policy.

Because we help fund the university.

So to say politicians shouldn't have any say, I think is is a little extreme.

Lawmakers will write a new state budget in the 2025 session.

Jon Schwantes its an IU question.

So of course we're going over to you first.

But are you buying that Pamela Witten isn't being influenced by outside political forces?

So the question is, will IU beat OSU next week?

I I'll get to that later.

she is being influenced.

I think it would be disingenuous to say otherwise.

Now, you can make the argument that the head of a the CEO of a public flagship institution at state should heed and pay attention.

You don't want to be the proverbial island or ivory tower that's, you know, that's been the knock for you.

You don't know what's going on in the world, you know.

And and she has certainly listened to Jim Banks, about whom we discussed, some of his policy pronouncements.

And he had said in a letter and sort of a fired a shot across the bow earlier in terms of her response to some things.

So I think it's had an effect.

But I do feel for her and for virtually every other college university president now, there, she's kind of damned if she does and damned if she doesn't.

She?

Let's look at back at last year's Senate bill 202, which was basically many thought, putting clamps on the academic freedom within Indiana's public higher education institutions.

Unlike Purdue's administration, she did come out with a statement, saying, this is not what we want to see.

This is bad legislation.

It threatens academic freedom.

It threatens our ability to recruit the best and brightest, etc., etc.. She was criticized for that being too lukewarm or tepid.

When Doctor Bernard, an IU faculty member who, performed the abortion on the ten year old from Ohio, and took a lot of incurred the wrath of Todd Rokita, the attorney general and others.

She did come forth with a statement defending Doctor Bernard, but again, lukewarm.

So she's basically hammered on this issue.

And this is why I talked to so many lawmakers.

As you have this say, this is an issue unlike what I'm talking about, the Palestinian Gaza situation, this is a this is the third new third rail of politics.

You know, forget Social Security, no matter what stance you take, you're going to get hammered one way or the other.

So I do feel for her from that standpoint, but clearly there've been some missteps.

But back to that football program, which about what she's been very supportive, very, very successful.

I agree with you, Jon.

I think it would be crazy to think she hasn't been influenced by the people in power in this state, criticizing or saying what they'd like to see out of IU.

And with some of these protests and things like that.

But based on the response from Republicans in this committee, they're clearly she's clearly doing the right thing in their eyes.

Why not say yes?

Of course, we were influenced by political forces.

We take influence from all over.

Why?

Why try to pretend like that isn't something that happens?

I think, a big part of it is wanting to present yourself as an independent thinker and someone that is not under the thumb or under the control, of any particular group over another.

I do think that, she has to if she wants to instill that sentiment with people.

I am not under this type of influence.

She needs to work a little bit harder at that.

So this week, there was an op ed apparently penned by her, had her name on a byline that ran in the Indy star, where she talks about her travels to all 92 counties throughout the state.

What I found really interesting about that is that in her highlighted portions, there is no mention of any visits to Marion, Allen, County or Lake County, which are politically diverse counties in our state.

So I found that to be very, very interesting that that's what she chose.

I think if I was an IU student or the parent of an IU student, I would be concerned that she is under too much influence in that direction.

I mean, Ryan Mishler pointed out before the quote you heard in the piece, I think he pointed out it's something like 19% of their operating budget, and almost all of their capital budget comes from the Indiana General Assembly.

Should the Indiana General Assembly have information.

So should they.

It's really only a third used to me when I was first covering the state House, two thirds.

So my argument is that you should have had your insurance reduced by a person.

Should.

I wasn't suggesting that's not that that's intact, and Mishler wasn't suggesting that they're going to have all of the say the only say.

But shouldn't lawmakers have a say in.

What's going on with your reporting?

They're saying absolutely too much actually.

In what what are you or Purdue or any other higher education institution does?

I think her biggest mistake on this, I understand she's pulled both ways and I understand she's walking, as you say, the third rail of politics.

But changing the rules on Dunmow.

I bring the 11th hour, you know, without without any notice and then violating their right to permits.

This is not Berkeley.

This is not California.

Okay.

Who's your students?

Can can go in mass to express their views and do it peacefully.

Having those students arrested.

Thank heaven.

We have a prosecutor down there who had enough sense not to file any charges, but changing the rules like she did in the in the 11th hour.

It really struck people the wrong way and there was no precedent for it.

There hadn't been no violence down there.

I agree with you completely on also just point out the board deserves blame too.

Let me just point this.

Out to you more.

Recently.

And I think you did.

This is this is this this comes down to in terms of panel I, I'm not going to pretend to know what she's thinking about when she's doing this.

but fundamentally, this is in part at least this hearing is about the state budget and the money, the important money that they're going to get.

Isn't it important at the end of the day, when Pamela Whitten's walking out of there, do you think the only thought in her head is Republicans were happy with the job I'm doing?

I hope that's not our only.

Option, I would hope, no.

And I don't believe that that is even what this should have been about.

But what happens when you begin asking for money is that they want to look at what you've done that they like and what you've done that they don't like.

And that could be a part of the issue.

As someone who went to IU as someone who graduated and alumni as someone who led protests on the campus, myself in particular, there is a huge Jewish population on the campus.

They have Hillel Center, right by Dunn Meadow.

We all know this.

And when I was in school, which was not too long ago, but it was a little bit ago, there were issues with how the Jewish students were being treated.

There were swastikas on the buildings.

This is what I experienced when I was there.

So her and the board wanting to make those changes so we don't become a Berkeley and be proactive.

I believe you do it in the 11th hour.

If you don't do it the night before and give no, no okay.

So but that but that's also okay.

So we talked a little bit about this at the time it was happening.

And I think it's relevant to now bring it up because we are six months after the the peak of those, those protests and the decisions she made.

You have a new expressive power, activities policy, which we've also talked about on the show.

And Jon was happy to criticize.

But again, I want to talk about like from the state budget perspective, we are now starting to get into session preview mode, around Indiana, we can review and around the state House, do you think?

And I'll start with you, John, on this one.

Do you think that all of the stuff that happened in April, in May of 2024 is going to impact what happens in January through April of 2025 at the state House?

When it comes to are you?

It will, in part because there are strong feelings on both sides within the stakeholder groups that will make sure it's still front and center, because the students who are there now haven't forgotten, even if the administration wants to move on, if even if, others want to, to turn the page.

So that will linger and I and I'm you're going to think I'm being flippant here and I'm not.

The best way to resolve this in a budget cycle is for unforeseen, tremendous success on the athletic field.

This.

I'm not joking.

No, it does make sense.

It does mean I don't know how many millions of dollars you attach that in the state budget, but that goodwill, human nature of human nature will have it.

And it's also it's also an economic activity driver.

Like we talk about things like Taylor Swift.

And she had a huge economic impact.

But a winning football program like this does make a.

Basketball, too.

But the other thing that they need to be concerned about in the legislature is the fact that so few people are now going on to higher education.

I mean, the numbers have dramatically declined.

But at the same time, we have.

We I imagine things like this doesn't help when you're looking at.

If they cut the budget, it won't help either.

But at the same time, I don't think they're looking at cutting the budget.

I think small growth is going to be the watchword of the of the new state budget.

But at the same time, when you have IU talking about record enrollment, are the concerns of students bearing bearing out in the numbers?

No, it depends on where they come from.

Not at IU.

This is not.

I think it could hurt student well students less.

The bigger impact on on recruitment and retention is faculty not students.

And that's a real threat.

If this university is perceived to to have abandoned its long standing support of academic freedom, which look what Herman Wells he gained his reputation by standing up against the General Assembly and others, in the McCarthy era.

And even before that actually was before that.

But, that's what why IU is what it is today.

And if that goes away, then you do have come over.

I also think that's a big if.

If but if we win the national championship.

Then that that's.

I'll go back to that to say.

Thank you guys for your support.

That's Indiana Week in Review for this week.

Our panel is Democrat Ann DeLaney.

Republican Whitley Yates.

Jon Schwantes of Indiana Lawmakers and Ebony Chappell of Free Press Indiana.

You can find Indiana Week in Reviews podcast and episodes at wfyi.org/iwir or on the PBS app.

I'm Brandon Smith of Indiana Public Broadcasting.

Join us next time because a lot can happen in an Indiana Week.

(Music) The opinions expressed are solely those of the panelists.

Indiana Week in Review is a WFYI production in association with Indiana's public broadcasting stations.