
State Leaders Show Support for Israel | October 13, 2023
Season 36 Episode 7 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
State leaders respond to terrorism in Israel. Kokomo to gain a second EV battery plant.
Governor Eric Holcomb, Senator Todd Young, and Senator Mike Braun declare support for Israel after terrorist attacks this week left hundreds dead and more than a thousand injured. Stellantis will build a second EV battery plant in Kokomo, adding a combined 2,800 jobs in the region. Indiana receives $3 million for environmental programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Indiana Week in Review is a local public television program presented by WFYI

State Leaders Show Support for Israel | October 13, 2023
Season 36 Episode 7 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Governor Eric Holcomb, Senator Todd Young, and Senator Mike Braun declare support for Israel after terrorist attacks this week left hundreds dead and more than a thousand injured. Stellantis will build a second EV battery plant in Kokomo, adding a combined 2,800 jobs in the region. Indiana receives $3 million for environmental programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(Music plays) >> State leaders react to terrorism in Israel.
Another electric vehicle battery plant in Indiana.
Plus, first meeting on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and more.
From the television studios at WFYI, it is Indiana Week In Review for the week ending October 13 23.
>> Indiana Week In Review is made possible by the supporters of Indiana public broadcasting stations.
>> This week, conflict in Israel following attacks by a Palestinian militant group has left more than 1,000 people injured and hundreds more dead.
Indiana public broadcasting's Violet Comber-Wilen reports.
Some of Indiana's top politicians are showing their support for Israel, which announced a full siege of the Gaza Strip Monday.
>> The attacks come following a long-standing dispute between Israeli and Palestinian residents in the region.
On X, formerly known Twitter, Governor Eric Holcomb called the attacks injuries, and debts that resulted during fighting, tearjerking.
He added he is praying for peace and that is really citizens have his support.
Also on X, US Senator Todd Young called the attacks on Israel, appalling.
US Senator Mike Brock called for the country to stand strong with Israel during these conflicts.
President Joe Biden also condemned the attacks, saying his administration support for Israel is unwavering.
>> What can be the political and policy consequences in the US of the violence in Israel?
It is the first question for our Indiana Week In Review panel.
Democrats Ann DeLaney.
Republican Mike O'Brien.
Jon Schwantes, host of Indiana Lawmakers, and Lindsey Erdody, editor for Axios Local.
I am Indiana Public Broadcasting Statehouse Bureau Chief Brandon Smith.
Ann DeLaney, first and foremost, the first, second, fifth, thousand most thing is life that have been lost and the innocent lives that are still living in peril.
This is not to diminish that in any way.
Here at home, from its effect on who is going to run the US House of Representatives, to support for Ukraine, which you would not think is connected but is becoming connected, how wide-ranging might the ripple effects of this be?
>> I think it has the potential for being very wide range.
When you see the inability of Congress to deal with any of the issues that are so crucial for Israel, for Ukraine, and for this country, you have basically have those Republicans in the house fiddling while the Middle East is burning.
We cannot even pass a resolution.
Supporting Israel, because we cannot govern until they get a speaker.
We cannot provide the aid we need to provide.
You look at that and you look at that goofball Senator Republican Senator from Alabama who will not let the generals, even the generals six of them have expertise in the Middle East.
They cannot be confirmed.
We are at the shutdown position.
There are no adequate words to describe how bad Hamas conduct was in this.
We had a peaceful relatively peacefl demonstration downtown from Palestinians not supporting Hamas, but talking about legitimate Palestinian problems, and had others in supporting Israel, which is also absolutely fine.
Then you have Shreve demagogue about that in a desperate attempt to gain some votes in his unsuccessful campaign for mayor.
You are saying you should not have been given a permit.
He does not need a permit and does not understand displays estate land not city land.
The First Amendment guarantees people the right to peacefully protest, no matter how much you disagree with what they do.
It is having effects already.
I just hope that the Republicans in Congress can get their act together so we can provide the aid that Israel needs, and the support Israel needs.
I am not confident that is happening anytime soon.
>> It does seem like the most immediate impact is trying a brighter light on what is going on at the house we Republicans are struggling to come up with a new speaker.
We already knew, there was already going to be a Sprint to figure this out, certainly.
Then this happens.
Israel needs aid.
We cannot get into them presently, the rules of the house stop that that maybe change, doesn't change anything in trying to figure out who the next speaker is?
>> It has been hard to figure out who's going to break this dysfunction.
If it is not this, I don't know what else is on the list.
We are kind of at the end of the list.
This has got to push that.
He removed his name from nominations because Jim Jordan supporters, of which there is five, did exactly what they did when they took McCarthy out.
The 5% of the caucus wants to go one direction, and the other 5% is not.
That is why America on both sides looks incredibly dysfunctional.
As a consequence.
It is fun to kind of laugh at it what Donald Trump is taking his shots and fun to poke fun or kick DC while it is down.
The rest of the world sees that.
When you have every hotspot on the planet that for 80 years since we reorganized this world way it is organized, on purpose, that purpose was security and safety and prosperity for America, more than anybody.
When you take your eye off the ball, these are not just theoretical things I am saying.
This is what Clinton is saying.
We are paying attention to the dysfunction of the American clinical system.
That is why China is going to Taiwan, guys like Hamas and Gaza is in Israel.
That is why Putin is in Ukraine.
Who knows what is coming next.
The small bowel of electing a speaker matters, and getting out of this endless cycle of complete dysfunction that Donald Trump comes in and raises his flaw.
We needed one more thing.
Are we on Iran's side of the Republican Party?
>> Looking at the speaker's race, because I do think that is the most immediate impact in trying to get something out of Congress, we are talking about potentially ending the powers of the interim speaker which Patrick McHenry is right now.
Scalise just pulls out, Jordan's camp seems entrenched.
Is this the sort of thing that might be controlled?
>> You would think so, or you would have thought so as I have said before on this show, I think our beacon in these sort of things, or our guide is history accident.
We look back at sea how these sorts of conundrums have been resolved in the past.
The rules of engagement are still fundamentally different.
Because of the intransigence of some of these very small factions.
I don't know, to them, this is a badge of honor.
What dysfunction they can bring upon the house in which they serve, or seemingly the country, the better.
So, I don't know what the answer is.
It is an interesting vacuum, because the dysfunction in Washington, you have states, of course they constitutionally have little ability to do much, but that has not stopped brought DeSantis this week from promising the harshest sanctions against Iran.
Nobody has formally made a connection.
There is a certain speculation about Hamas and its backing in any tangible way by Iran.
That has not stopped brought DeSantis from promising state action.
In the absence of real action, do get a lot of politicians who are not in position to get much, trying to make hay on all sides of the issue it seems.
>> There is also the speaker question, if Republicans are increasingly at an impasse, is it up to a few Republicans and districts that Joe Biden one, to go to Democrats and say "Maybe not Hakeem Jeffries for speaker" Although that is what Democrats would want, but is there a Republican you will all vote for and a few of us will vote for, and that we move forward?
Is that getting increasingly likely?
>> Probably.
I think we have already started to seem subreports of that.
Whether or not that works out, who knows.
Democrats were mad.
We were promised to this.
We saw this with McCarthy.
It does not, Democrats ended up not being there.
>> They do it over and over.
>> They want something.
@ >> Is also a question of trust.
>> Right.
I think it will come down to that.
I don't know.
To John's point, you would think that is maybe the baby will go, but I don't know that any of us.
We just truly don't know what is going to take to get a speaker.
>> What if they repealed the rule that allowed them to take McCarthy out?
>> That is part of the whole thing for letting under speaker.
Commitment for keeping that rule in place where one member can trigger the motion.
>> That is mostly destructive.
That has to go.
>> The problem with compelling everybody to stay good on that deal, is the facts change.
The decisions you are making change.
The policy changes.
What do the Democrats do in that scenario?
>> I think a few Democrats agreed to it the rest of the Democratic Party and Congress will be mad.
Why did you do that?
>> The Democrats feel incredibly in mind on this.
>> If you still have the one person challenge, you are backed to square one again.
>> Stellantis, the parent company of GM and Chrysler announced it plans to build a second electrical vehicle plant in Kokomo.
In the public broadcasting's Adam Yahya Rayes reports.
This comes as United Auto Workers presses the company to protect union jobs in the shift to EVs.
>> The first mobile battery plant is set to begin production by early to be fine.
The second is slated to open by 2027.
Total, are expected to employ 2,000 hundred people.
They are a part of a separate company formed by a partnership between Stellantis and Samsung SDI.
Such joint venture battery plants are a sore spot for United Auto Workers union.
They are pushing Stellantis as well as GM to be several contract demands through a month-long strike campaign.
Several demands seek to address concerns over the electric transition.
The three companies have resisted making their joint venture plans part of the same UAW national contract covers most of their current hourly manufacturing workers.
GM agreed on Friday to make its joint venture battery plants part of the national contract.
The union wants Stellantis and Ford to do the same.
>> Mike O'Brien, Talk much about the UAW strike on the show yet, because it has not hit hope squarely in Indiana yet.
That might come at a day as the UAW announced they are no longer going to wait until the end of the week.
I imagine we will be talking about that at some point.
On this issue with Stellantis announcing a second plant in Kokomo, Brad Chambers, the governor sent out a statement celebrating this.
The focus secretary accomplished.
Can announcements like this one, big jobs announcements.
This is good news undoubtedly.
Can't that be a boost for his campaign specifically?
>> Sure, especially in communities where these jobs are being brought.
US Secretary commerce when the first big battery plant was announced, this is the second announcement.
He stuck it overnight.
Presumably this happened mostly on his watch when he was secretary comps.
It is his niche.
It is what he is running on.
This is what I do.
So to be able to show a tangible result in that, what is interesting is the UAW strike the arguments for the strike, it requires fewer workers to build electric cars.
We always go through this as industries transition.
Biden is in a weird position where he is pushing it hard but also trying to protect union jobs, understandably, but the answer to, it takes half as many people to build the car.
You work at the battery plant.
That did not exist before.
Creates the ecosystem in the economy.
>> Which is why they have been such a focus of this UAW strike.
On the topic of Brad Chambers, we talked many times about this gubernatorial campaign stop with this many high-profile, serious candidates, want something to be your trump card which is Donald Trump yet, but you want something to be your trump card that will break through the pack.
Is stuff like this Brad Chambers?
>> I think it helps him.
I assume they will look into a cost analysis of how much it costs us.
It looks like it is a good thing for Indiana.
Was it Suzanne Crouch also Lieutenant Governor during this time?
Isn't this part of her, I am sure Brad Chambers would share credit with her for that.
I am sure, right?
>> This actually brings me probably to my question.
Thank you for the transition.
It is almost like we planned it, but we actually didn't!
Suzanne Crouch is trying to play what this very fine line, where she is absolutely part of the whole administration that takes care of things, but thinks that the ministration has done, and things she has also worked on as part of the ministration, particularly mental health care.
She has also been, has not shied away from criticizing things the governor has done, when she has just defeated them.
Saying "I know I am part of the ministration, but I would not have done this."
Is that to find a line to walk?
>> I guess we will see.
She will continue to do it from now until primary election.
I thought it was, my initial reaction was it was interesting that she wasn't out there telling this announcement at all, and Brad Chambers was, but I thought I don't know, I get she is trying to distance herself from the Holcom administration, even though she is the part that as we all know.
If you think about the primary voters are, are they super excited about electric vehicles?
Are they super excited about a record-breaking incentive and tax dollars being spent to keep this project?
>> Opponents would find negatives to point out in campaign ads.
I think she's just going to continue to do it.
We will see if it works for her or not.
>> I will circle back to the original question, which is this a categorical winner for Brad Chambers?
>> I will go back to my last answer I said additionally one would think this would be a winning strategy and would be a feather in his cap in precedent in history would suggest that.
To echo I said a moment ago, the rules have changed.
We got flavored this last week were we so the potential of a wedge issue entering into the race.
You brought it up, was it last week we talked about the LEAP project.
The state wants to make sure everything is in place, ample amounts of water, even if it is brought from someplace else.
We saw how Republican primary candidates are starting to pick sides, presumably to tap into this undercurrent of populism and antiestablishment terrorism.
If it is good for America, it must be good as little guys and girls.
It depends on who is motivated to vote on election day in the area.
To go back to what I said, one would think that a good job announcement is as agreement.
I get a little history longer until it proves me wrong again.
>> Time for your feedback.
Each weekly post an unscientific full question.
This question, William of the second electric vehicle plant if you get help reason Indiana, Secretary Brad Chambers before governor?
A: I guess, B, and O. Lastly the Democrats and healthy Kevin McCarthy in the U.S. House speakership.
30% say yes, 70% say no.
If you would like to take part in the pool, go to WFYI.org/IWIR and look for the pole.
She Indiana received $3 million from the federal government to develop a plan to reduce greenhouse definitions.
Indiana public broadcast Rebecca Thiele imports from this Indiana public broadcasting State Department environment to management.
>> Some of the projects the agency is considering ways to expand clean energy, improve energy efficiency, increase electric vehicle use, expand access to public transit, and reduce food waste.
About 40 cities in Indian Albany have a working action plans.
Shannon Anderson works with cities and youth activists through the nonprofit Earth Charter Indiana.
She says it is the state funds and serve the individuals are arranged with his work.
>> I think moving some of that back into our communities not only helps build equity and resilience, but it also helps serve the people.
>> Several participants expressed concern the state may prioritize a companies and institutions that can more easily apply for funding.
Anderson says the state should also consider projects that make solar more available to schools, which can empower disadvantaged communities.
>> Jon Schwantes, is there a reason for Hoosiers to be skeptical of what the state ends up doing?
>> There will be people who are skeptical.
He, the state is trying to delay those concerns with the hearings, with trying to solicit input from the cross-section of the state of Indiana.
There will be those critics.
This is not the big-ticket debate.
This is the noncompetitive brands that we are awarded as part of $250 million overall, as part of the $5 million admissions for clean air initiative that was part of the inflation reduction act at the federal level.
What is to come once the state puts forth that plan and submits their plans would be a competitive base of this, is worth of, do the math, for six or $7 billion.
That is where the truth will emerge.
Under the weather skeptics should cheer this as a sincere move on the part of Indiana environmental forces within the state of Indiana, whether it is some way to play to critics.
>> There are folks who are skeptical of anything the state does when it comes to environmental management because Indiana does not exactly have a good record of that for the last forever.
The specific concerns I was curious about was this idea that even if the state is going to do the right thing here, and put the money where it is going to help, is it going to only put in for lack of better term, the big boys, and not be sure this is getting to the communities that don't get the sorts of efforts, invite mental efforts as often as they should?
>> I think that goes to the skepticism that we will probably see in that and I think we have already seen, that is certainly a concern.
I think the one thing I would be watching for his but happens OK, so they create this plan.
What happens to implement the plan?
That will depend a lot on I would imagine, whoever next governor is as we were just discussing, and they put in charge of the item.
There is going to be a totally new administration.
I think the candidates who are running, that could go a lot different ways.
The question, whether or not it just goes to the big boys, again, I think the lower next governor is into the head is.
>> These meetings, obviously we have the money for these meetings, they are good, but to a certain extent, do they kind of don't matter who is going to be in charge after 20 before?
>> It depends how fast they come out with the plant.
It is one thing to leave it open ended to the next governor.
It is another to have a plan in place they are submitting to the federal government and that you may be somewhat corralled, despite your animosity towards clean air as we have seen from some of our candidates on the Republican side.
They might feel an obligation to spend the money.
I want to see what the state comes up with.
>> When it comes to the campaign itself for governor, environmental issues don't often get a lot of attention - from Indiana.
A lot of voters don't go to the voter box with those issues in mind.
It is jobs, education, inflation, sometimes abortions.
We are now seeing real money on the table when it comes to environmental issues.
Real federal money, that UV plant is not entirely separate from the idea -- the EV plant.
When you're talking about billions of dollars being outplayed, is it something candidates will have to speak to mother the past?
>> That the EV plant was not highlighted.
Wind is being built.
There is this portion of consumer demand for vehicles and all of these things.
I think the state has, the state legislature a couple years ago passing the framework for administration.
Large-scale manufacturers and producers could sequester carbon.
There are things the legislature has done in recent years, but also, we have a lot of developers that are trying to build in the state.
The state two years ago tried to past standards.
A town Council reported zoning appeals is elected appeals.
There are things the legislature could do to encourage the private industry of the market that is already going that way.
>> Is not interfering, is making sure the market is fair.
@ >> The other part of that as well, it may not have been at the forefront of a lot of people's mind, but in the younger generation, it really matters.
>> It is really an issue to your question of why this is not fair profile case in Indiana.
It is not, but when it is, it comes onto the scene.
Marble Hill, DNS nuclear facility.
Then you have the debate of out-of-state trash during the buying administration.
There are times when it comes a big issue.
It is not like some states, we are not California.
There is a heightened sensitivity 355 days a year in other states.
>> Until recently, Indiana received the second lowest amount of funding per person from the Inflation Reduction Act and the federa infrastructure law.
That is according to a report by Atlas Public Policy.
Indiana Public Broadcasting's Rebecca Thiele reports that the state could be catching up.
>> As of last month, Indiana has not secured more than $450 million, or $66 per person.
While it may sound like a lot company bring Kentucky in Michigan received about twice as much.
Annabelle Rosser is a senior policy analyst at Atlas Public Policy.
She says it can be hard for some state agencies to find the staff time to implement this funding.
Great Britain is a complicated process.
Chevy, she says their resources to help and there is still time, about 1/5 of federal governing climate programs have been awarded.
>> So there is also still ample opportunity for communities in the states, state agencies to continue to take advantage of these funds.
>> The Indian office of management and budget says the state is working to evaluate which grants to pursue and has applied for some that have not been awarded yet.
>> Lindsay, we got news this morning in Indiana that the Midwest alliance that Indiana is a part of, is one of the winners of the hydrogen hubs as part of this federal legislation.
That is a huge win for Indiana.
Something that is excited to say we are working on this to get this number off.
Is that good news, or is there still politics at play?
>> I think it is good.
To the politics question, we saw Senator Todd Young and representative romance in a joint statement together.
That is a real bipartisanship.
Both of them are happy.
That says a lot.
>> That is Indiana Week In Review for this week.
Our panel is a Democrat Ann DeLaney, Republican Mike O'Brien, Jon Schwantes of Indiana Lawmakers, and Lindsey Erdody, of Axios Local.
You can find Indiana Week In Review's podcast and episodes at WFYI.org/IWIR on the PBS app.
I am Brandon Smith of Indiana public broadcasting.
Join us next time because a lot can happen in Indiana week.
(Music plays) >> The opinions expressed are solely those of the panelists.
Indiana Week In Review is a WFYI production in association with Indiana's pub

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