Volkswagen Group will invest 160 billion euros—approximately $186 billion—through 2030 as the automaker tightens its long-term spending plans in response to mounting challenges in its two largest markets, CEO Oliver Blume announced this week. The updated figure is part of Volkswagen’s annual rolling five-year investment plan and reflects a continued pullback from previous spending peaks. Read More…
Lawmakers on the House Committee on Homeland Security are pressing Google and Apple to remove mobile applications that allow users to track federal immigration officers, citing concerns that such apps endanger Department of Homeland Security personnel. In letters sent Friday to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, committee leaders highlighted ICEBlock, an Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is pressing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to halt taxpayer-funded coverage of elective abortions in health plans available to Members of Congress and congressional staff. In a letter sent to the OPM this week, Daines urged the agency to comply with the Smith Amendment, a long-standing federal law that Read More…
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, has entered into a series of commercial AI agreements with prominent news publishers, including USA Today, People Inc., CNN, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, and Le Monde, the company announced Friday. The partnerships will allow Meta to provide “real-time” news and updates through its AI Read More…
Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) has introduced the Written Informed Consent Act, a measure designed to ensure veterans are fully informed about the intended effects and potential risks of certain high-risk medications prescribed through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill also aims to combat widespread overprescription within the VA system. “America’s veterans put their Read More…
Governor Mark Gordon has highlighted economic development as a central focus of his administration, stressing the importance of creating a climate that encourages business growth and job creation across Wyoming. “Economic development is truly economic growth. Wyoming’s government must foster an environment where individuals who create and build businesses can flourish,” Gordon said in his Read More…
On the fifth day of his annual “12 Days of Giving” campaign, Governor Greg Gianforte spotlighted Underwater Soldiers, a Montana nonprofit that provides therapeutic scuba diving for veterans while helping clean the state’s waterways. “Montana veterans have given so much to protect our freedoms and serve our communities,” Gianforte said. “Underwater Soldiers gives veterans a Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines on announced that his bipartisan “BABES Enhancement Act” has been signed into law by President Donald Trump, marking a significant win for parents traveling with breast milk, formula, and other infant nutrition products. “I’m thrilled to see our bipartisan BABES Enhancement Act officially signed into law by President Trump,” Daines said. Read More…
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has agreed to sell its iconic studio and streaming assets to Netflix (NFLX) for $72 billion, a blockbuster deal that will reshape Hollywood and create a vertically integrated media powerhouse. The deal ends a weeks-long bidding war with Paramount Skydance and Comcast, coming amid sweeping changes in the media industry as Read More…
The Montana Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) unveiled a redesigned driver license and identification card today, featuring enhanced security elements aimed at reducing driver license fraud and identity theft. The new credentials, described as among the most secure in the nation, will begin issuance in December 2025. Current cards will remain valid until their expiration dates. Read More…
President Donald J. Trump announced a major rollback of the Biden Administration’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, calling the move a relief for American families facing rising costs. The reset lowers fuel economy requirements for passenger cars and trucks to levels achievable with conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles. The Biden-era standards, Trump argued, set Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines highlighted two key bills aimed at strengthening Montana’s rural counties during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing this week. Daines discussed his Small County PILT Parity Act, designed to ensure that counties with populations under 5,000 receive fair compensation through the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Read More…
Governor Brad Little joined U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) Director Dustin Miller today to renew and expand Idaho’s Shared Stewardship agreement with the federal government, aiming to increase the pace and scale of forest management across the state. “Idaho’s early leadership with the Good Neighbor Authority laid the Read More…
The FBI hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to officially open its 56th field office in Billings, Montana. The new FBI Billings Field Office will assume responsibility for all existing FBI resident agencies across the state and be led by Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Justin Gerken. SAC Gerken welcomed Governor Greg Gianforte, U.S. Attorney for Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide the legality of former President Donald Trump’s directive aimed at restricting birthright citizenship, a key and controversial part of his immigration agenda. The high court will consider an appeal from the Justice Department following a lower court’s ruling that blocked Trump’s executive order. The order instructed Read More…
Gov. Kelly Armstrong today informed legislative leaders that he has tentatively set Jan. 21 for a special session of the 69th Legislative Assembly to act on anticipated federal funding for North Dakota’s Rural Health Transformation Program. North Dakota submitted its funding application to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Nov. 3. The Read More…
The Center Square) – Assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are up 1,153% in 11 months, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As ICE officers continue to arrest the most violent criminals nationwide, U.S. citizens have increasingly obstructed their efforts, including physically attacking them and threatening to kill them, according to Read More…
Montana State University junior Molly Coonfield, who is studying electrical engineering with a minor in mechatronics, recently received a $10,000 scholarship from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Power and Energy Society. The society provides up to 20 scholarships and real-world experiences annually to undergraduates who are interested in building a career in power Read More…
(The Center Square) – Secretaries are well known for earning modest wages, but not the ones who work at Pocantico Hills Central School District. At the school district of 500 students outside New York City secretaries make $130,000 and $190,000 a year, an investigation by The Center Square found. The highest paid is Gina L. Downes, a confidential secretary. Her salary is $110,538 this school year, and she will receive $79,281 in benefits and Read More…
Our region boasts three states in the top 10 for having the most competitive tax structure, according to the Tax Foundation. The latest numbers show that Wyoming is the most taxpayer-friendly state, Montana is sixth, and Idaho is ninth. While this is impressive, Washington coming in near last at 45th is cause for concern. The Read More…
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced Friday a judgment and permanent injunction against Arenal Outdoor Center and its owner, Keith Craig Fletcher, in a consumer protection lawsuit. The ruling bars Fletcher from offering travel-related goods and services within the state. Fletcher’s record extends far beyond the current case. Over the years, he has faced numerous Read More…
Montana attorney Katie Verderber has been selected to represent Team USA in Wheelchair Mixed Curling at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The announcement was made Monday, Nov. 24, by USA Curling, the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic curling in the United States. Verderber will join teammates Matthew Thums of Read More…
Google on Friday withdrew its European Union antitrust complaint targeting Microsoft’s cloud computing practices, just a week after EU regulators opened an investigation into whether Microsoft should face scrutiny under rules designed to curb market dominance in the sector. The EU’s move, announced last week, signaled growing concern about Microsoft’s influence in cloud services, including Read More…
Lana Batts likes to say if you got it, a truck brought it. As a former president of the Truckload Carriers Association and a senior vice president of government affairs with the American Trucking Association, Batts became a standout figure in the male-dominated transportation sector. She has been described as a trailblazer for women who Read More…
North Dakota Supreme Court Justice Daniel Crothers has notified Governor Kelly Armstrong that he will retire from the state’s highest court on February 28, 2026, after more than two decades of service. “Justice Crothers has faithfully served the citizens of North Dakota and applied the laws of our state with the utmost dedication, fairness and Read More…
Warburg Pincus has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Raptor Technologies from private equity firm Thoma Bravo, in a transaction valuing the school safety software provider at roughly $1.8 billion, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Sources said the deal could be announced imminently. They requested anonymity because the details are Read More…
Russia’s state communications watchdog warned Friday that it may impose a full nationwide ban on WhatsApp if the platform fails to comply with Russian data and security laws, according to multiple Russian news agencies. The regulator, Roskomnadzor, issued the threat amid escalating tensions between Moscow and foreign-owned tech platforms. In August, Russian authorities began restricting Read More…
Sixty-four new officers who will serve in 41 agencies across Montana graduated Friday from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA), part of the Montana Department of Justice. The academy provides both basic and advanced training for state, county, city, and tribal law enforcement officers. Attorney General Austin Knudsen attended the ceremony to congratulate and address Read More…
The Montana Historical Society (MTHS) announced today that its $60 million fundraising campaign for the Montana Heritage Center has been successfully completed, thanks to a final $165,000 gift from the Oakland Family Foundation of Great Falls. The state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to open to the public on December 3 with free admission. After MTHS reported Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump said Thursday he will pause migration from some countries following the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House. The suspected gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 under a Biden-era immigration program for Afghans fleeing the Taliban movement. Read More…
The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act – which was sold as temporary help during the challenges of COVID-19 – expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies in a way that reshaped who the program serves and who profits from it. New enrollments were concentrated in states that had previously declined the federal government’s offer to expand Medicaid, fearing Read More…
Shares of companies that stockpile bitcoin and other digital tokens are coming under renewed pressure as fresh volatility sweeps through the cryptocurrency market, raising concerns about stress in a niche but rapidly expanding corner of the financial world. The selloff follows months of enthusiasm fueled in part by President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance and the Read More…
The University of North Dakota is seeking candidates for the position of Dean of its School of Law, reopening the search for a leader to guide the institution into the next phase of growth and development. Reporting to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean will serve as the chief executive officer Read More…
Starbucks’ workers’ union significantly widened its ongoing strike on Black Friday, extending the walkout to more than 120 stores nationwide—nearly double the number that began the action earlier this month—amid demands for better pay and improved staffing levels. The strike, which the union says is now the longest in Starbucks’ history, began on Nov. 13 Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte are inviting Montanans to the 2025 State Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Monday, December 1. “We’re excited to welcome Montanans back to the Capitol to kick off the Christmas season,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Susan and I hope families from across the state will join us, enjoy Read More…
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Eric Hastings, a Montana State University alumnus and founder of a national organization that serves traumatically injured servicemen and women, will receive an honorary doctorate degree from MSU during the university’s fall commencement ceremony on Friday, Dec. 12, at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Today, the Montana Board of Regents approved Read More…
Texbase, Inc., a leading cloud-based platform that manages supply chain traceability, compliance, certification, and sustainability data for retail, manufacturing, and textile brands, announced today that Randy Harward has joined its Advisory Board. Harward brings more than two decades of experience in product development, materials research, and manufacturing innovation. He spent much of his career at Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the creation of a new Advisory Task Force Committee to review the state’s Open Meetings Laws. The group is scheduled to hold its first meeting Tuesday, Nov. 25, in Pierre. This new task force differs from the South Dakota Open Meetings Commission, a five-member body of state attorneys Read More…
Fargo North High School’s Law and Justice students took a trip to Bismarck on Thursday, November 20th, for a firsthand look at the judicial process. Led by Social Studies teacher Melissa Evensen, the students attended a live oral argument at the state Supreme Court and had the opportunity to meet with the justices. https://bigskyheadlines.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DOJ-Scam1.mp4 During Read More…
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman is preparing to take his hedge-fund empire public in a bold two-step move, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Ackman is in early-stage discussions to list both his flagship Pershing Square Capital Management and a new closed-end fund, Pershing Square USA, on the New York Read More…