The Rob Kendall Show

7/1/26 - Supremes side with illegals, Braun gets another IURC appointment, Rebels take over House

Today’s episode of The Rob Kendall Show opens with Rob focusing on another upcoming vacancy at the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission after David Valetta announced he is stepping down. Rob says Governor Mike Braun will get another chance to remake the board after his previous appointees helped approve a $70-million-plus AES rate increase. Rob argues utility rate increases are effectively tax increases because customers have no real ability to shop around or choose another provider. Rob says Hoosiers are increasingly angry because utility bills keep rising while data centers and major corporations appear to be driving more demand for electricity. He argues regular people are being forced to subsidize huge companies through higher rates while the utilities still benefit from government-protected monopolies. Rob also points to rising profits among Indiana’s major for-profit utilities as evidence that the system is not truly serving ratepayers. The discussion also turns to Braun’s claim that affordability is his top priority as he looks for a new IURC commissioner. Rob says that message is disingenuous unless Braun demands appointees publicly pledge not to approve rate hikes. He argues the real fix would require the General Assembly to change the laws that guide the IURC, because current statutes give utilities legal avenues to challenge the commission if rate requests are rejected. Another segment focuses on NPR briefly publishing and then retracting a report that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. Rob says the mistake shows how media outlets operate behind the scenes, with major stories written, queued, and ready to publish before they are confirmed. He argues the incident reinforces why taxpayers should not be forced to fund public broadcasting, especially when NPR had to retract a major Supreme Court story after the Court said it was inaccurate. Rob also comments on pressure from some Republicans for Alito and Clarence Thomas to retire while Donald Trump is in position to replace them. He says that would be foolish because Alito and Thomas remain among the strongest conservative justices on the Court, and there is no guarantee Trump’s replacements would be better. Rob points to mixed results from Trump’s previous Supreme Court nominees and argues conservatives should not rush out their best justices just because they are older. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

6/30/26 - Ballard's signature total, Supremes rule on election integrity, Rokita's threats

Today’s episode of The Rob Kendall Show opens with Rob reacting to Governor Mike Braun’s latest comments on whether he will extend Indiana’s gas tax suspension. Rob argues the entire debate proves his long-running point that Indiana is overtaxing people, because if the state can suspend the gas tax while still funding road projects through surplus money, then the tax was not truly necessary in the first place. He says “surplus” is just another word for overtaxation when government collects more than it needs to operate. Rob says Braun should not base the gas tax decision on the current price of fuel, the Middle East, or political concerns about Trump and Republicans. His argument is simpler: either the tax is needed or it is not. Rob says the state has spent years warning that roads would suffer without automatic gas tax increases, but Braun’s suspension has shown projects can continue without that money because the state already has too much taxpayer cash. The discussion also ties gas prices to the conflict with Iran and instability around the Strait of Hormuz. Rob says the tax suspension is masking the effect of higher fuel prices rather than giving Hoosiers the real benefit they should be seeing. He argues that if Indiana permanently eliminated unnecessary gas taxes during a normal price environment, drivers could see meaningful savings instead of merely being shielded from the cost of bad foreign policy decisions. Another segment focuses on Attorney General Todd Rokita threatening to sue Merrillville over its opposition to a potential ICE detention facility in local warehouses. Rob says he strongly supports immigration enforcement and deportation efforts, but believes local officials still have a legitimate duty to ask how a major detention operation would affect water, sewer, police, fire, emergency services, roads, land use, and taxpayers. He argues that raising those questions is not automatically the same thing as obstructing ICE. Rob says Rokita may have a case if Merrillville officials are actually blocking federal enforcement or retaliating against property owners, but based on what has been presented, the town appears to be expressing opposition and asking for protections before any facility moves forward. He compares it to other major land-use fights, arguing that local officials should not simply roll over for the federal government when their community may bear the costs. Rob says the key question is whether Merrillville has truly violated the law or whether Rokita is grabbing a headline before anything concrete has happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

6/29/26 - Jesse Brown rejects Bayh, Noblesville business blasts Mayor, Socialist takeover for Democrats?

Today’s episode of The Rob Kendall Show opens with Rob previewing Greg Ballard’s next step in the Secretary of State race, as Ballard’s campaign prepares to turn in signatures for independent ballot access. Rob says Nathan Gotch, the campaign’s leader, will reveal the final number and explain how the campaign pulled it off without a party machine. Rob argues every Hoosier should want more people to have access to the ballot, whether they ultimately vote for Ballard or not. Rob says the Secretary of State race will test whether frustrated Republicans are actually willing to leave the party when viable alternatives exist. He argues voters will have Beau Bayh as a mainstream Democrat, Greg Ballard as a serious independent with name ID and infrastructure, and a Libertarian option, meaning Republican voters can no longer claim they had no other choice. Rob says anyone who votes Republican this fall is effectively accepting the party’s record and should stop complaining about how Republicans treat taxpayers. The show also reflects on Rob’s interview with Indianapolis City-County Councilor Jesse Brown. Rob says Brown is one of the few Democrats willing to challenge corruption, oppose data centers, and criticize the system that produced Indianapolis’ fiscal problems. At the same time, Rob questions whether people like Brown can separate legitimate criticism of crony capitalism from democratic socialism, which Rob argues ultimately leads to absolutism and less free thought. Another major topic is Michael Hicks’ column on data centers and Indiana’s tax system. Rob says data centers consume major amounts of power, water, and land while receiving large tax advantages, including abatements, sales tax exemptions, and favorable treatment on business personal property. He argues the state keeps giving away the farm to companies that create few long-term jobs and do not clearly produce enough value for the communities they enter. The discussion also turns to a Capital Chronicle analysis of property taxes and the growing burden on homeowners. Rob says residential property now makes up more than three quarters of Indiana’s assessed value, while businesses continue receiving deductions, depreciation benefits, abatements, and incentives. He argues the system is rigged toward large corporations and against homeowners, and says local governments should have to explain where all the money went after years of rising assessments and pandemic-era revenue growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

6/26/26 - Supreme Court give Trump wins, Holcomb promotes AI economy, Indy Dems want ethics changes

Today’s episode of The Rob Kendall Show opens with Rob returning to the Chicago Bears stadium drama and saying Governor Mike Braun has finally admitted there is no signed deal bringing the team to Hammond. Rob argues Indiana officials have spent weeks misleading the public by acting like the move was inevitable, even though the Bears have only said they are advancing their pursuit of the Wolf Lake site. He says there is still no agreement, no commitment, and no proof the Bears are actually leaving Illinois. Rob says Indiana is being used as leverage while the Bears try to get a better stadium deal from Illinois. He points to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker telling the Bears to combine pieces of competing stadium bills and bring lawmakers a deal they can pass. Rob argues that if the Bears truly wanted the Indiana offer, they could have taken it months ago, but instead they keep giving Illinois more time. The discussion also focuses on the tax increases tied to the proposed Bears deal. Rob says Braun’s comments about Hoosiers accepting new taxes for “the greater good” should alarm anyone who thought Indiana Republicans were opposed to tax hikes. He argues both Republicans and Democrats have shown they are willing to move quickly for a billionaire sports franchise while asking taxpayers to carry the financial risk. The show also turns to two Supreme Court immigration rulings that sided with the Trump administration. Rob explains that one ruling allows the administration to end Temporary Protected Status protections for certain groups, including Haitians and Syrians, while the other allows border officials to stop migrants before they cross into the country and make asylum claims. Rob says both rulings are common sense and will matter in Indiana because immigration issues are affecting communities here as well. Rob also criticizes the Democratic-appointed justices for their dissents, especially Justice Sonia Sotomayor reading from the bench. He argues the rulings show why many voters still hesitate to support Democrats, even when they are frustrated with Republicans, because Democrats continue taking positions on immigration that seem disconnected from common sense border enforcement. Rob says Trump deserves credit on immigration, especially for prioritizing both deportations and preventing questionable asylum claims before they enter the legal system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

6/26/26 - Statehouse Happenings: Republicans Dump Diego, Ballard Produces Huge Signature Number

The Republican power structure completed its quest to rid themselves of Diego Morales. The incumbent Secretary of State was easily dispatched at the convention in Fort Wayne. Now the GOP turns to unvetted Max Engling to hold the office. A task that could get more difficult as Greg Ballard has eclipsed 64,000 signatures. On Statehouse Happenings, Rob Kendall, Jim Merritt, and Abdul-Hakim Shabazz discuss a wild week in the Secretary of State's race. You can find more information at RobKendallShow.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]