Trump and Musk facing potential legal consequences for union-busting language

Plus, Wisconsin’s Senate election is set: It’s Baldwin vs. Hovde.  

In Indiana, Republican efforts to undermine a lawsuit filed by the city of Gary — which is attempting to make gun manufacturers liable for illegal gun sales — failed following a Monday ruling by a state judge. 

The GOP-controlled Indiana General Assembly explicitly sought to legislate a law that would prevent cities in Indiana from suing gun manufacturers. The city of Gary argued that such restrictions were crafted to target their specific lawsuit — which would be unconstitutional.

That argument didn’t convince Indiana Superior Court Judge John Sedia, but he ruled that crushing Gary’s suit “would violate years of vested rights and constitutional guarantees.”

“This is the Indiana legislature’s latest attempt to jettison the longest-lasting gun lawsuit in U.S. history, thwarting the judicial process to ensure that the firearms industry remains above the law,” Jody Madeira, a law professor at Indiana University who focuses on the Second Amendment, said during a hearing on the Republican-authored bill. 

“Now old enough to drink, Gary’s lawsuit is the last of its kind. The Indiana Supreme Court has continuously affirmed Gary’s right to bring this lawsuit. It’s not frivolous.”

Today the United Auto Workers (UAW) filed federal labor charges against former President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk on the grounds that they were violating workers' rights. The claim comes after Musk interviewed Trump on his X platform (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, which was marred by delays and technical difficulties. 

“I mean, I look at what you do,” Trump told Musk, who recently endorsed his presidential campaign. “You walk in, you say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike. I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike, and you say, ‘That’s okay. You’re all gone. You’re all gone. So, every one of you is gone.’”

Such statements, the UAW says, violate laws that protect a worker’s right to organize a union without fear of retaliation by their employer. UAW president Shawn Fain, who recently backed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, said in a statement that “both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It’s disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns.” 

The AFL-CIO, the largest union in the United States, also responded to Trump and Musk’s potentially illegal actions. 

“It’s no surprise coming from Trump and Elon Musk — two notorious union-busters who boast a combined record of crossing picket lines, underpaying workers, flouting health and safety laws, and retaliating against workers for demanding the rights and fair pay we deserve, with Musk even suing the National Labor Relations Board rather than being held accountable for charges he illegally fired workers,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said. 

Such comments by Trump contrast with his opponent’s vice-presidential selection, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who bragged during a recent speech to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) members on Tuesday that he passed some of the strongest state-level worker protections in the country. 

“Vice President Harris and I have both had the privilege of joining workers on the picket line,” Walz said.

Walz then took aim at captive audience meetings, wherein employers can force workers considering union membership to sit through presentations that present union membership as undesirable.  

“And it's why, as governor, I signed one of the biggest packages of pro-worker policies in history into law in Minnesota, we made it easier for workers to form unions, we strengthened workers protections, and yes, we banned those damn captive audience meetings for good in Minnesota.”

He also asked the crowd to imagine Trump working at a McDonald’s.

Wisconsin Senate race officially set as Tammy Baldwin vs. Eric Hovde

By Clare Olson 

Republican Eric Hovde officially secured the Republican nomination Tuesday for the competitive swing state’s open Senate seat. He is set to be up against Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

AP News called the race for Hovde at 8:20 p.m. CST, 20 minutes after the polls closed. As of 9:15 p.m., Hovde was leading the three-person Republican primary with over 87% of the vote. Baldwin ran uncontested in the Democratic primary.

Hovde first ran for Senate in 2012 but lost in the Republican primary to Tommy Thompson. The seat was ultimately won by Baldwin, who is now seeking reelection for a third term. This time around Hovde has received an endorsement by former President Donald Trump.

Though he was born and raised in Wisconsin, Hovde has been dubbed “Wisconsin’s California candidate” by a column in The Los Angeles Times. He has credited his Utah-based company, Sunwest Bank, as his main company and owns a $7 million mansion in Laguna Beach, Calif.

Sunwest Bank, under Hovde’s leadership, has reported significant investments from undisclosed foreign entities. He also has not said if he will divest from the bank if elected, raising concerns of conflicts of interest should he be assigned to a banking committee. Yet, he believes that only a “small handful” of voters are concerned with these issues.

The Republican nominee has also found himself at the center of multiple controversies regarding past comments on social issues and different groups of people since declaring his candidacy last February.

Hovde has sparked criticism for his remarks about the 2020 election, asserting that while he does not believe it was stolen, he found certain aspects “very troublesome.” He questioned the validity of votes cast by nursing home residents, suggesting that “if you’re in a nursing home, you only have five, six-month life expectancy. Almost nobody in a nursing home is in a point to vote.”

During his previous Senate bid in 2012, he voiced that he was “very concerned where this country is heading socially and morally,” specifically criticizing single-parent households. 

He has also made remarks about young adults and the Affordable Care Act’s provision allowing them to stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26, calling it a “stupid idea” that delays maturity.

In an interview during a Juneteenth celebration, Hovde claimed to be well-connected with Black culture. “I’ve spent a lot of time in places like Africa because I have homeless shelters for abandoned kids and rescuing kids out of the street,” Hovde continued during an interview on Juneteenth. “And I’ve been involved in schooling, charter schools, and things of that nature.