Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says he’s reaching out to members of Congress, asking them to revisit the federal Do Not Call Act. A federal judge in Indianapolis ruled this week that the state cannot prohibit the often automated political calls made from out of state, but can still bar in-state calls. Zoeller says he’s appealing the ruling, but in the meantime, Hoosiers won’t be able to block any interstate political calls. "The irony of this is that it’s the federal Do Not Call Act that they say preempts the ability of the state of Indiana to enforce our own robo-call ban," he said. The judge’s ruling came in a suit filed last year by a group called Patriotic Veterans, Incorporated. Kentucky law allows residents to block most telemarketers but there’s no ban on political calls.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.