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A6 FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2025 INDIANAPOLIS RECORDERFind more tips at CitizensEnergyGroup.comI LOVE A SCHEDULE, SO I WATER MY LAWN NO MORE THAN 2X A WEEK.Client/Filename: Citizens Energy Group 13971-08 W2SM Game Show_5.075x10.5_FINALJob #: 13971-8Job Name: 2025 W2SM Game Show Ad CD:Size/Specs: 5.075%u201d x 10.5%u201d; 4 color AD:Insertion Date: June 2025 CW:Pub: Indy Recorder Acct. Serv.701 E. New York St./Indianapolis, IN 46202/t 317/632/6501 /CVRindy.com/Water no more than twice a weekWater for 30 minutes or lessWater before 7AM It%u2019s easy to be WaterWise this summer. Conserve and save water at home when you:Find more tips at CitizensEnergyGroup.comBIG%u00a8Continued from A1By NORAL PARHAMnoralp@indyrecorder.comThe Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) will offer free, walk-in vaccination clinics for children entering kindergarten through 12th grade throughout the summer, prioritizing back-to-school immunization readiness.Parents or guardians must accompany children and present a photo ID along with the child%u2019s vaccination records. Insurance cards are requested if available but are not required for the free service. Depending on the vaccine, Sue Cosper receives Harvest Girls Presidential AwardRetired IPS educator and Indy native Evelyn Sue Cosper received Harvest Girls International%u2019s Presidential Award at its 2025 %u201cIf The Shoe Fits%u201d Gala.The nonprofit honored Cosper for decades of transformative community service. Her work includes ministering through senior line dance troupes, mentoring with Indy Aquatics Masters and involvement with Girl Scouts and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Harvest Girls lauded her as an %u201cunsung hero%u201d embodying their mission.a multiday vigil, all intended to highlight the most controversial elements of Trump%u2019s %u201cbig beautiful%u201d bill: deep cuts to the nation%u2019s safety net that will leave nearly 12 million more people without health coverage and millions of others without food assistance, according to the%u00a0nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.In political battlegrounds across Alaska and Iowa, Pennsylvania and California, Democrats have begun to use the bill against Republicans. Democrats are promising that the Republican president%u2019s domestic policy achievement to date will be the defining issue of every major election between now and next fall%u2019s midterms.%u201cOne thing is abundantly clear: Republicans own this mess and it%u2019s an albatross around their necks heading into the midterms,%u201d Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin told The Associated Press. %u201cThis is the least popular legislation in modern history, and the more voters learn about it, the more they hate it. That%u2019s a clear directive for Democrats %u2014 we%u2019re going to make sure every single voter knows who is responsible.%u201dEven with early public opinion on their side, however, it%u2019s far from certain that the legislation will be the political winner Democrats hope.The Democratic brand remains deeply unpopular, the party has no clear leader, its message is muddled and core elements of the Democratic base are frustrated and drifting. Some of the bill%u2019s provisions will not take effect until after the 2026 election, so voters may not have felt the full impact by the time they vote. At the same time, it%u2019s unclear how many voters are paying attention to the Washingtonbased debate.The Democratic super political action committee Priorities USA warned this week that Democrats must work harder if they want their message to break through.%u201cWe can%u2019t just assume that because we%u2019re angry that the voters that we need to communicate with are angry. Everyone needs to step up and realize the enormous challenge that%u2019s in front of us,%u201d executive director Danielle Butterfield said. %u201cWe%u2019re nowhere near a good starting place.%u201dThe bill provides for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks that were enacted in Trump%u2019s first term and would have expired if Congress failed to act. New breaks will allow workers to deduct tips and overtime pay. There are $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps and a major rollback of green energy investments. The%u00a0nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office%u00a0estimates the package will add%u00a0$3.3 trillion to the deficit%u00a0over the decade.Democrats%u2019 challenge on displayPrivately, some Democrats conceded that Republicans were smart to pass the bill on the eve of a holiday weekend when fewer voters would be paying attention.As some Democrats in Washington predicted a political backlash across America, the response was somewhat muted July 3 at a Democratic event in Iowa, barely 10 miles from the State Fairgrounds where Trump later drew thousands for an evening rally.An audience of roughly 100 people listened as local Democratic officials railed against the legislation and called on voters to oust Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, the local congressman, for supporting it.Audience member Michael Rieck, 69, said Iowa Democrats left him a message about the rally, but when he went online to learn more, %u201cthere was nothing.%u201d%u201cI texted back to them that I didn%u2019t see any advertisement,%u201d he said. %u201cThey slowly corrected that. I%u2019m still not impressed with what they did to advertise this event.%u201dRieck said he wants to see different factions of the party better coordinate their message.Progressive activists were moving through Minnesota in a big green bus as part of Fair Share America%u2019s 29-stop %u201cstop the billionaire giveaway%u201d tour. The group is focused on Republican-led congressional districts where elected officials have largely stopped having in-person town halls with constituents.%u201cWe know we%u2019re fighting upstream,%u201d said Fair Share%u2019s executive director, Kristen Crowell. %u201cBut when people hear exactly what%u2019s in this bill, they%u2019re adamantly opposed.%u201dWhat the polls sayThe bill is generally unpopular, according to polling conducted throughout the month of June, although some individual provisions are popular.For example,%u00a0a Washington Post/Ipsos poll%u00a0found that majorities of U.S. adults support increasing the annual child tax credit and eliminating taxes on earnings from tips, and about half support work requirements for some adults who receive Medicaid.On the other hand, the poll found that majorities oppose reducing federal funding for food assistance to low-income families and spending about $45 billion to build and maintain migrant detention centers.The price tag could be a sticking point. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults in the poll said it was %u201cunacceptable%u201d that the bill is expected to increase the U.S. national debt, currently at $36 trillion, by about $3 trillion over the next decade.But polling indicates that most Americans aren%u2019t paying attention to the nuances of the bill, either.The Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that only about one-third of U.S. adults have heard %u201ca great deal%u201d or %u201ca good amount%u201d about it.Democrats are planning a summer of organizingThe Democratic National Committee and its allies plan an %u201corganizing summer%u201d that will feature town halls, training and voter registration drives in at least 35 competitive congressional districts. The message will be focused heavily on Trump%u2019s bill.Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, said her party must keep the bill%u2019s contents at the forefront of people%u2019s minds to ensure it%u2019s an issue in the midterms and even the next presidential election in 2028.%u201cWe%u2019ll just have to keep that on the radar,%u201d she said.Progressive groups are planning a %u201cFamilies First%u201d day of action for July 26 in all 50 states. They will highlight people hurt by the new Medicaid cuts and will hold a 60-hour vigil at the U.S. Capitol.%u201cWe have made a promise to each other and to future generations that there will be a safety net in place when we need it. And this is what%u2019s being ripped away. And people will not stand for it,%u201d said one of the Families First organizers, Ai-jen Poo, president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington, John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.MCPHD launches free walk-in vaccine clinics for childrenmultiple doses may be necessary for full immunity.%u201cNot only are certain vaccines required for children to attend school, but they are also very important for protecting the health of the child and the health of others,%u201d said Virginia A. Caine, M.D., director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department. Ten clinics will operate at varied locations across July, August and September:%u2022 Aug. 6: Eskenazi Health Grande Campus (6002 E. 38th St.), 3-7 p.m.%u2022 July 12: Pike High School (5401 W. 71st St.), 9 a.m. to noon%u2022 July 12: MCPHD (3838 N. Rural St.), 8:30 a.m. to noon (Back to School & Family Resource Day)%u2022 July 19: George Washington High School (2215 W. Washington St), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.%u2022 July 25: Matchbook Learning (1163 N. Belmont Ave.), 12:30-4 p.m.%u2022 July 31: Shortridge High School (3401 N. Meridian St.), 2-5:30 p.m.%u2022 Aug. 14 & Sept. 11: Eskenazi Health Center West (5515 W. 38th St.), 3-7 p.m.%u2022 Aug. 16: Eskenazi Health Grande Campus, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.%u201cI urge each parent to take advantage of this opportunity to make sure their child is up to date on vaccinations and ready for school,%u201d Caine said.For information, visit marionhealth.org.Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or via email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Facebook @HorsemenSportsMedia.Pierce-Hicks receives IUAA%u2019s highest honorIndiana University alumna Evelyn Pierce-Hicks received the IU Alumni Association%u2019s President%u2019s Award at the Alumni Leaders Dinner.The award recognizes her decades of transformative volunteer service. Hicks, a two-time IU School of Education graduate, has led the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club since 2008, serves on the IUAA Executive Council, mentors Warren Township youth, and champions educational equity. The award was established in 1990.(Photo provided/Quin Wright)(Photo/Quin Wright)