Remembering Bill Moyers, Who Spoke Truth to Power; the State’s (Possible) Plan to Save Honeybees–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: June 26, 2025

Indy Digest: June 26, 2025

In the 30 years I’ve been in journalism, the job has gotten increasingly difficult. One significant reason: The truth is no longer always the truth, in the eyes of many.

The likes of Newt Gingrich and Karl Rove, with their win-at-all-costs attitudes, made overly negative rhetoric—against their opponents, the media and their detractors—more commonplace, a tactic Trump and co. have taken to a democracy-jeopardizing level of perfection.

As a result, many journalists—including yours truly—are often criticized of being biased, simply for telling the truth. An objectively provable statement like, “There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the last two presidential elections,” is questioned by disconcertingly large numbers of Americans on both the left (the 2024 election) and, especially, the right (the 2020 election).

Bill Moyers was one of the journalists who was often criticized by Rove et al, for the “sin” of telling truths they didn’t like. Once the presidential spokesperson for President Lyndon B. Johnson—before the two developed a lifelong rift, largely because Johnson didn’t consider Moyers to be sufficiently loyal—Moyers later became one of the country’s great journalists and commentators, and a staple on PBS.

Moyers died earlier today. He was 91. His New York Times obituary says:

To admirers, many of them liberals, Mr. Moyers was the nation’s conscience, bringing to his work what one television critic called “a sense of moral urgency and decency.” Others, mostly conservatives, found him sanctimonious and accused him of bias. In a 2004 retrospective, the conservative website FrontPageMag.com called him a “sweater-wearing pundit who delivered socialist and neo-Marxist propaganda with a soft Texas accent.”

Socialist. Marxist. The far-right’s slurs regarding the people with whom they disagree don’t really ever change.

The Associated Press’ Moyers obit said:

So long, Mr. Moyers. Thank you for speaking truth to power.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• The man accused of assisting the IVF-clinic bomber has died in federal custody, apparently due to suicide. The Los Angeles Times reports: “Daniel Park, 32, was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, officials said. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has yet to announce a determined cause of death. Two sources, not authorized to discuss the death, told The Times that information gathered shows Park climbed onto a surface and then jumped off a high balcony, fatally injuring himself. TMZ.com first reported the cause of death.”

• Our partners at Calmatters explain a plan to bolster the declining honeybee population in the state … although the budget deficit could jeopardize the idea: “Honey bees across the country are under attack from tiny, eight-legged parasitic mites. These mites burrow between the segments of the bees’ adult bodies or invade their larvae and infect them with viruses—deforming their wings and leaving them flightless. That’s not only problematic for the bees—whose entire colonies can be destroyed by an unchecked mite invasion—but also for California, which relies on the bees for its food production and economy. Earlier this month the state Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill that would direct the California Department of Food and Agriculture to establish a health program for managed honey bees. The department would work with beekeepers, farmers, scientists, agricultural commissioners and other stakeholders to provide grants for projects and research that support managed honey bees. … While there is no formal opposition to the proposal, securing the funding could be a tough sell for lawmakers as they grapple with a $12 billion budget shortfall.“

• Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff—and the primary person pushing for ICE raids and mass deportations—owns stock in a company that’s making big bucks from these ICE raids and deportations. The Independent (U.K.) says: “White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the architect of much of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda, owns up to $250,000 dollars in stock in government contractor Palantir, according to disclosures. The investment, held in one of Miller’s children’s brokerage accounts, raises conflict of interest red flags as the tech company continues to play a substantial role in the work of U.S. immigration officials. ‘Given Palantir’s contracts with ICE, and Miller’s work with the agency, that raises ethics concerns,’ watchdog group Citizens for Ethics in Washington wrote on X on Tuesday. The government dismissed the concerns over the holdings, which were disclosed in financial filings obtained by the Project on Government Oversight watchdog group, showing revisions as recent as June 4. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin called the group’s report ‘very silly’ while the White House claimed that Miller confirmed to ethics officials that ‘he has and will continue to recuse from participating in official matters that could affect those stocks.’”

• Related, and horrifying: Wired used the Freedom of Information act to get the records of 911 calls from immigrant detention centers. The results are awful. Details: “A WIRED investigation into 911 calls from 10 of the nation’s largest immigration detention centers found that serious medical incidents are rising at many of the sites. The data, obtained through public records requests, show that at least 60 percent of the centers analyzed had reported serious pregnancy complications, suicide attempts, or sexual assault allegations. Since January, these 10 facilities have collectively placed nearly 400 emergency calls. Nearly 50 of those have involved potential cardiac episodes, 26 referenced seizures, and 17 reported head injuries. Seven calls described suicide attempts or self-harm, including overdoses and hangings. Six others involved allegations of sexual abuse—including at least one case logged as ‘staff on detainee.’”

• ProPublica investigates the ways in which U.S. banks are helping scammers do their scamming: “A huge portion of such fraud is transacted in cryptocurrency. But given that the typical consumer doesn’t own crypto, many scams unfold with a victim tapping a traditional bank account to wire dollars to swindlers, who receive the funds in their own accounts, then convert them into crypto to move across borders. Later in the process, the scammers will typically transfer their crypto back into standard currency. Bank accounts are so crucial to this process that a thriving international black market has developed to rent accounts for fraud. … The huge demand for accounts used for misbehavior gives banks a crucial, and not always welcome, role as gatekeepers—a responsibility required by U.S. law—to prevent criminals from opening accounts or engaging in money laundering. Yet from the U.S. to Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong, banks have consistently failed at that responsibility, according to experts who have investigated money laundering, as well as reviews of fraudulent account details shared by victims and court cases reviewed by ProPublica. The list of financial institutions whose accounts pig-butchering scammers have made use of includes global behemoths like Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, HSBC and Wells Fargo and many other U.S. and foreign lenders.”

• And finally … today’s recall news involves … Chevys! The issue: The brakes could catch on fire. USA Today says: “General Motors has recalled over 62,000 vehicles due to a brake pressure issue that could lead to fires. Impacted vehicles include the 2019 to 2024 Chevrolet Silverado models in 4500 HD, 5500 HD, and 6500 HD, General Motors told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a memo on June 25. … According to General Motors, the brake pressure sensor assembly on the recalled vehicles may leak brake fluid into the brake pressure switch, causing a short circuit. An electrical short in the brake pressure switch can overheat the circuit, increasing the risk of a fire while consumers are driving or parked.”

• And … Fords, too! We’ll return to USA Today: “Ford is recalling nearly 133,000 SUVs because some parts, including rear door window bars, may disconnect due to not enough adhesive, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration announced. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker reported the rear door window bars and C-pillar trim may have insufficient adhesive bonding, which can allow the trim to detach from the SUV, the NHTSA reported on June 17. Detaching parts may pose a hazard to other road users and increase the risk of crashes, according to the NHTSA report. … The recall affects 2020-2025 Lincoln Aviators.”

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