Featured Articles in Featured

CENTCOM Launches First Multinational Attack Drone Task Force

WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command is establishing its first multinational attack-drone task force, expanding the military’s use of relatively low-cost unmanned weapons as the Pentagon works more closely with regional partners to counter threats across the Middle East. The new unit, Task Force Falcon Strike, will combine American and allied one-way attack drones operating in Read More…

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CENTCOM Launches First Multinational Attack Drone Task Force

WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command is establishing its first multinational attack-drone task force, expanding the military’s use of relatively low-cost unmanned weapons as the Pentagon works more closely with regional partners to counter threats across the Middle East. The new unit, Task Force Falcon Strike, will combine American and allied one-way attack drones operating in Read More…

Lawsuit trial starts against Facebook, Instagram over youths

A consumer protection trial against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, started Tuesday in Oakland. A bipartisan coalition of attorneys general including California’s Rob Bonta made opening statements that Meta designed addictive, harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that drive excessive youth use, leading to severe mental and physical harm. The trial is Read More…

A sign reading "On Strike" is held by a participant during a strike. Photo: Spencer Pauley / The Center Square

Teacher unions dedicate money to political activism, lobbying

National teacher unions contribute at least 10% of their annual budget to lobbying and political activism, which includes calling for the impeachment of Republican President Donald Trump in the 2026 American Federation of Teachers handbook. Efforts also include supporting Democratic causes such as messaging against immigration enforcement. Some teachers raise questions about whether union dues are being Read More…

The Constitution, Not Steve Bullock, Sets Montana’s Term Limits

Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s decision to withdraw Steve Bullock’s 2012 term-limit opinion will undoubtedly be portrayed as a dramatic change in Montana election law. The history tells a different story. The real change occurred in 2012. In 1997, Democratic Attorney General Joe Mazurek interpreted the term-limit amendment Montana voters had added to the Constitution just Read More…

Attorney General Austin Knudsen

Knudsen Restores Pre-Bullock Term Limits Rule

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued a legal opinion reversing a 14-year-old interpretation of the state’s constitutional term limits — a move that could remove prominent Republican lawmakers from the November ballot just days before the state must certify candidates. The opinion withdraws a 2012 interpretation issued by then-Attorney General Steve Bullock, now a former Read More…

Treasury Permanently Ends Beneficial Ownership Reporting for U.S. Businesses

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department has permanently eliminated beneficial ownership reporting requirements for U.S. companies and individuals, cementing a major rollback of the Corporate Transparency Act that the Trump administration says will reduce regulatory costs for millions of businesses. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, issued a final rule Friday removing U.S. companies and Read More…

Treasury Opens Door for Employers to Help Fund Trump Accounts

WASHINGTON — American companies will have a new way to help employees build savings for their children under Treasury Department guidance that allows employers to make tax-free contributions to Trump Accounts. The Treasury Department this week outlined rules for employer-sponsored Trump Account programs, providing a framework for companies to contribute as much as $2,500 annually Read More…

Berkshire’s Abel Era Takes Shape

For years, one of the biggest questions surrounding Berkshire Hathaway was what would happen to its enormous cash pile once Warren Buffett was no longer running the company. Investors may be starting to get an answer. In his second full quarter as chief executive, Greg Abel is putting Berkshire’s capital to work at a pace Read More…

Gianforte’s 56 County Tour Makes Stops Across Western Montana

HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Greg Gianforte traveled across western Montana this week, visiting agricultural producers and manufacturers, opening a new manufacturing facility in Kalispell and recognizing a dozen veterans for their military and community service. The stops were part of Gianforte’s ongoing 56 County Tour, an annual swing through Montana aimed at highlighting local businesses, Read More…

Risch Holds Commanding Lead in Idaho Senate Race

BOISE, Idaho — Republican Sen. Jim Risch remains the clear favorite to win another term in one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states, but independent Todd Achilles is trying to turn Idaho’s Senate contest into a more competitive race by appealing to voters dissatisfied with both political parties. The contest has attracted unusual attention Read More…

Greg Hertz

Knudsen Was Right to Restore Montana’s Term Limits

Attorney General Austin Knudsen has withdrawn the 2012 opinion of then-Attorney General Steve Bullock and reaffirmed the reading of Montana’s term-limit provision set out in 1997 by Attorney General Joe Mazurek. He was right to do it. The charge that will follow—that Knudsen invented a new rule for a particular election—has the history backwards. Mazurek, Read More…

Applied Materials Report Seen as Bellwether for AI Capital Spending

Applied Materials is set to report fiscal third-quarter earnings Thursday after the market closes, with investors looking for signs that booming investment in artificial intelligence continues to drive demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The company reports Thursday, Aug. 13, and Wall Street is expecting another strong quarter. Analysts expect Applied Materials to report revenue of Read More…

Sheehy Bill Targets Foreign Drug Price Controls

Sen. Tim Sheehy introduced legislation that would create a dedicated pharmaceutical trade negotiator within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and expand federal oversight of foreign drug pricing policies. The Use Sovereignty to Reduce Rx Act, or USTRx Act, targets what its sponsors describe as price control regimes in wealthy countries that suppress payments Read More…

Treasury issues guidance for employer-sponsored contributions to Trump Accounts

Employers now have guidance from the Treasury Department on how to contribute to ‘Trump Accounts’ for their employees’ children, and the department says more than 50 companies have already committed to offering such contributions. The new guidance provides a framework for employers to contribute up to $2,500 annually to employees’ ‘Trump Accounts’ for their children. Read More…

Thick smoke rises from an industrial chimney. Photo: Kelly / Pexels

Financial officers applaud climate rule rescission

A coalition of state financial officers applauded the Securities and Exchange Commission for moving to rescind its 2024 climate disclosure rules that is estimated to save public businesses more than $7.9 billion. In March 2024, the SEC approved amendments to its rules that would mandate all public companies disclose greenhouse gas emissions, how it managed climate-related risks, Read More…

The Montana Democratic Party published a statement praising Democrat Alani Bankhead for suspending her Senate campaign before she had actually done so

Dems Announce Bankhead Dropped Out — She Didn’t

The Montana Democratic Party published a statement praising Democrat Alani Bankhead for suspending her Senate campaign before she had actually done so — a stunning blunder that laid bare how certain party leaders had become that their own nominee would step aside. The statement, first surfaced by Semafor’s Burgess Everett on X, reads: “The Montana Democratic Read More…

OPI Launches Redesigned School Report Card Platform

Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen has launched a new online platform intended to make state and district education data easier for the public to search and understand. The Community Engagement platform, built on software from PowerSchool, provides access to Montana’s annual report cards required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act at the Read More…

State Investigation Alleges Kalispell Bondsman Exploited Clients

Montana State Auditor James Brown has suspended the insurance producer license of a Kalispell bail bondsman accused of exploiting people under his supervision, including allegedly trading bond services for sexual favors. The suspension order, issued Aug. 3, bars Laine Kendall Callahan from operating as a bail bondsman in the state pending a revocation hearing, which Read More…

CoreWeave Set to Report Second-Quarter Results Tuesday

CoreWeave is set to report second-quarter earnings Tuesday after the market closes, giving investors another look at whether massive spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure is translating into sustainable growth. The AI-focused cloud computing company will report results Aug. 11, followed by an earnings call at 5 p.m. Eastern time, according to CoreWeave. Wall Street is Read More…

Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Further, Son Says

Former President Joe Biden’s cancer has spread beyond his bones and is causing him significant pain, his son Hunter Biden said in an interview with the BBC posted online Friday. Hunter Biden described the disease as “very painful” and “very debilitating,” saying it had “metastasized into his bones and further.” He did not specify where Read More…