Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced his co-sponsorship of the “H.R. 5818 Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025” (COOL Enforcement Act), legislation introduced by Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s colleague, Congresswoman Hageman of Wyoming. The bill seeks to strengthen labeling requirements for U.S. beef by clarifying that products marketed as “Product of the USA” must Read More…
(The Center Square) – States rely on federal dollars more than they have in modern history, according to a new report, with one of the report’s authors saying such dependency makes states easy victims to the whims of federal bureaucrats and turmoil. Co-author of the State Policy Network’s report as well as senior policy adviser Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke announced his co-sponsorship of a constitutional amendment proposed by South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman that would prohibit Members of Congress from receiving pay during government shutdowns, with no back pay. Under current law, Members of Congress continue to receive salaries during a shutdown due to Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Read More…
The federal government shutdown entered its sixth week this weekend, stretching into the longest in U.S. history and revealing the mounting toll of Washington’s political stalemate. With more than 1,000 flight cancellations nationwide for the second straight day and critical federal services strained, the crisis is now hitting ordinary Americans far harder than the politicians Read More…
Senator Steve Daines underscored the importance of strong economic and strategic ties between the United States and Central Asia during the C5+1 Tenth Anniversary Business Conference this week, delivering both the opening and closing remarks at the event. Over the past 20 months, Daines has visited all five Central Asian nations, meeting with their presidents Read More…
(The Center Square) – With Chicago’s downtown office vacancy rate now at a record-high 28%, Illinois Policy Institute researcher LyLena Estabine says city policymakers have become their own worse enemy when it comes to addressing the area’s changing demographics. New data shows Loop vacancies ballooned over the recent third quarter as post-pandemic work trends continue Read More…
U.S. markets lost momentum this week as investors stepped back from recent highs, digesting mixed economic signals and growing uncertainty around the outlook for interest rates and growth. After several weeks of gains, the S&P 500 fell roughly 2.4% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 3%, its steepest decline since April. The Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) have released a draft programmatic Environmental Assessment (EA) for 318 Authorization applications and are accepting public comments through Dec. 8. The draft is available on DEQ’s website. The 318 Authorization regulates short-term turbidity, or water cloudiness caused by suspended particles, Read More…
President Donald J. Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate the nation’s largest meat packing companies for potential collusion, price fixing, and manipulation, with a focus on foreign-owned or heavily foreign-influenced firms. The probe targets the “Big Four” meat packers — JBS (Brazil), Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef — which together control Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced his co-sponsorship of the “H.R. 5818 Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025” (COOL Enforcement Act), legislation introduced by Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s colleague, Congresswoman Hageman of Wyoming. The bill seeks to strengthen labeling requirements for U.S. beef by clarifying that products marketed as “Product of the USA” must Read More…
(The Center Square) – States rely on federal dollars more than they have in modern history, according to a new report, with one of the report’s authors saying such dependency makes states easy victims to the whims of federal bureaucrats and turmoil. Co-author of the State Policy Network’s report as well as senior policy adviser Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke announced his co-sponsorship of a constitutional amendment proposed by South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman that would prohibit Members of Congress from receiving pay during government shutdowns, with no back pay. Under current law, Members of Congress continue to receive salaries during a shutdown due to Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Read More…
Congress has long recognized that stablecoins should not function as unregulated bank deposits. The intent of the recently enacted GENIUS Act is clear: to prohibit stablecoin issuers from paying interest or yield to holders, maintaining a distinction between payment instruments and bank deposits which are not only used for payment purposes but also as a Read More…
From unleashing the coronavirus, to controlling the social media app TikTok, or evading U.S. sanctions, Beijing has repeatedly attempted to exploit the American people. In recent years, communist leaders have looked to a dangerous new form of leverage against U.S. citizens – gaining control of our domestic agricultural and food supply chains. There is no doubt that Read More…
Montana renters are about to pay the price for one lawmaker’s political gamesmanship. Rep. Llew Jones of Conrad the self-styled architect of Montana’s property tax “reform” is now scrambling to explain how his signature legislation wound up raising taxes on apartment buildings across the state. That mistake, buried deep in hundreds of pages of last-minute Read More…
Hundreds of thousands of college students returned to campus last month. Yet the protests and violence that plagued our universities in the spring have not disappeared. Instead, the fall semester has also started down a dark path: Leading conservative voice Charlie Kirk was murdered in front of 3,000 people at Utah Valley University. In the wake of his assassination, universities have Read More…
(The Center Square) – With Chicago’s downtown office vacancy rate now at a record-high 28%, Illinois Policy Institute researcher LyLena Estabine says city policymakers have become their own worse enemy when it comes to addressing the area’s changing demographics. New data shows Loop vacancies ballooned over the recent third quarter as post-pandemic work trends continue Read More…
U.S. markets lost momentum this week as investors stepped back from recent highs, digesting mixed economic signals and growing uncertainty around the outlook for interest rates and growth. After several weeks of gains, the S&P 500 fell roughly 2.4% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 3%, its steepest decline since April. The Read More…
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) over a data breach that allegedly exposed the sensitive personal and medical information of hundreds of thousands of members. The filing comes as Montana State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown launched a separate investigation into the Read More…
Now that the United States has officially stopped making pennies, a nationwide scramble is underway among gas stations, fast-food chains, and major retailers to adjust prices and handle cash transactions — a shift that could quietly erode profits for many high-volume businesses. The transition follows President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to halt production Read More…