Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed a memorandum directing military installation commanders to permit service members to carry privately owned firearms while off duty on Department of War property within the United States, marking a significant shift in how the Pentagon approaches personal firearms on military bases. Hegseth announced the policy change in a social Read More…
(The Center Square) – A student at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego was suspended after posting a pro-Immigration and Customs Enforcement flyer reading, “We [heart] ICE – Real Americans,” following an anti-ICE walkout on campus, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Student-led anti-ICE walkouts have continued to rise nationwide. In Read More…
Hi-Country Snack Foods, a nearly 50-year-old Montana jerky maker and one of the largest employers in the small mountain community of Lincoln, has paused production — a development that raises new concerns about the company’s future and the economic health of the town it has long anchored. The production halt comes less than a year Read More…
A lawsuit filed by the American Prairie, a liberal nonprofit,is setting up what state officials say could be a defining legal battle over the future of Montana’s public lands — and who gets to decide how they are used. American Prairie sued the Montana State Land Board and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Read More…
In a surprise move that stunned Montana’s political circles, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew from the 2026 Senate race just minutes before the state’s candidate filing deadline, abruptly ending his reelection bid and reshaping the field for one of the state’s most powerful offices. Daines, a Republican who has represented Montana in the U.S. Senate Read More…
Conservative commentator and radio host Aaron Flint has announced he will run for Congress in Montana’s 1st Congressional District, seeking the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke. Flint, best known as the host of the statewide radio program Montana Talks, said he is entering the race to bring what he describes as a Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte joined the Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC) last week to outline his tax cut priorities ahead of the 2027 legislative session, emphasizing a renewed push to move Montana to a flat income tax. Speaking at an event in Helena alongside MSPC Founder and President Chris Cargill, the governor highlighted what he described Read More…
A liberal majority of the Montana Supreme Court has cleared the way for a sweeping ballot initiative backed by a coalition of liberal advocacy organizations, reversing Attorney General Austin Knudsen and allowing the measure to move forward. In a sharply divided ruling issued Thursday, the Court held that proposed Ballot Issue 8 (BI-8) qualifies as Read More…
The Center Square) – Nearly a year after a nine-person jury found Greenpeace liable for $667 million in damages in a case related to the Dakota Access Pipeline, a North Dakota judge has said the environmental organization will soon be ordered to make good on the damages. In court papers filed Tuesday, Judge James Gion Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced a landmark settlement agreement with The Vanguard Group, Inc. this week, resolving allegations that the asset manager conspired to artificially constrict the coal market through anticompetitive trade practices. The settlement stems from a 2024 lawsuit filed by Knudsen against Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street Corporation. The suit alleged the firms Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines visited the Sibanye-Stillwater Columbus metallurgical complex last week, meeting with miners and touring operations as he praised recent federal trade action aimed at protecting Montana’s palladium industry. Daines credited Donald Trump for imposing a preliminary 132% tariff on Russian palladium imports, describing the move as a critical step toward leveling the Read More…
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Thursday signed an executive order barring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from operating on city-owned property and directing local police to protect peaceful protesters during federal immigration enforcement actions. The order prohibits ICE agents from staging or conducting operations in city buildings, parks, shelters, parking facilities, libraries, and other municipal Read More…
Spring 2026 enrollment numbers are in, and for the fifth consecutive year, the University of Montana reported more students than the previous year. “The consecutive years of growth at UM are a testament to the aggressive steps we have taken to ensure our campus experience is robust and vibrant,” said Leslie Webb, UM vice Read More…
(The Center Square) – Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio on Thursday backed a bipartisan proposal to cap annual deficits at 3% of gross domestic product, a resolution that would allow Congress to continue to spend more taxpayer money than it collects for years to come. House Resolution 981 would limit yearly deficits to 3% of GDP Read More…
The Center Square) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday afternoon signed legislation that involves a $590 million loan for Bay Area public transportation. Speaking before reporters in San Mateo County, Newsom said the loan will be paid back in 12 years. The first two years will be interest-free. “This is not just about transportation. Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Seattle City Council has unanimously passed a bill prohibiting city employees and departments from sharing nonpublic personal information with federal immigration authorities for civil enforcement purposes without a warrant. Council Bill 121158 is meant to protect immigrant communities, align city policy with the state’s Keep Washington Working Act, and remove Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on April 1 over whether to uphold birthright citizenship in the United States. Trump v. Barbara challenges President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025, executive order that denies birthright citizenship to children in the U.S. born after Feb. 19, 2025, whose parents are either illegally Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump announced a new round of tariffs on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated most of the tariffs underpinning his economic agenda. Hours after the Supreme Court reined in Trump’s use of a 1977 law to impose tariffs on imports from around the world, the president said he Read More…
When Cedar Stellon O’Donnell was in high school in Fairbanks, Alaska, she visited Montana State University as part of a tour of colleges she was considering. She wasn’t expecting to decide on attending MSU so quickly, but she said the energy of the campus during that visit made a lasting impression. “Everyone here seemed proud Read More…
(The Center Square) – American colleges and universities have received $5.2 billion in foreign gifts and contracts in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. The department released data compiled from foreign funding disclosures submitted by American colleges and universities, documenting over 8,300 transactions worth more than $5.2 billion in reportable foreign Read More…
(The Center Square) – On Tuesday, a judge will decide whether or not to approve a $29 million settlement between the city of Seattle and the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India who, in January 2023, was struck and killed by a police SUV speeding at 74 mph in a 25 Read More…
(The Center Square) – Climate and energy experts have praised President Donald Trump’s recent elimination of former President Barack Obama’s Endangerment Finding, with several noting the freedom the action will bring to the auto industry and others stating this is only a beginning step. American Energy Institute CEO Jason Isaac told The Center Square that Read More…
July 4, 2026, marks our nation’s 250th birthday. For two and a half centuries, patriotic men and women have fought and sacrificed so this country remains free, sovereign, and governed by “we the people,” not by federal bureaucrats. A 250th anniversary is rare in a nation’s life. It is also a unique opportunity for a Read More…
The Trump administration on Wednesday pointed to a stronger-than-expected consumer inflation report as evidence that price pressures are easing and real wages are rising, arguing that the economy has rebounded from what officials describe as the prior administration’s inflation surge. In a statement, White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said the latest Consumer Price Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, has co-introduced bipartisan legislation to extend a federal $450 million water recycling grant for Western states until 2032. The federal grant, signed by former President Joe Biden in 2021, has already allocated roughly $308 million on water recycling projects in Colorado River states. Without its Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury moved Thursday to disrupt what officials described as two key financial pipelines sustaining Hezbollah, targeting a Lebanon-based gold exchange and an international procurement and shipping network tied to the Iran-backed group. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Jood SARL, a Lebanese gold exchange company it said operates Read More…
Navy Lt. Carlton Barmore Hutchins was a skilled aviator who did his best to save his crew during one of the worst naval air disasters before World War II. He kept his damaged plane in the air long enough for a few crewmates to parachute out. Hutchins went down with his aircraft, but his bravery Read More…
Greg Gianforte and Austin Knudsen announced Thursday that the state will investigate whether recent actions by the Helena City Commission violate Montana’s ban on sanctuary city policies. The announcement follows a vote by the Helena City Commission approving a resolution that prevents local law enforcement officers from assisting with certain federal immigration enforcement operations. “In Read More…
(The Center Square) – A national taxpayer advocacy group is calling on President Donald Trump and Congress to address the nation’s rising debt, warning that interest payments and long-term spending commitments are putting increasing pressure on the federal budget. The warning comes after the Congressional Budget Office projected that federal debt held by the public will reach Read More…
January 26 marked the start of tax filing season, and 140 million taxpayers are once again gathering W-2s, logging into tax software, and bracing for the familiar anxiety of figuring out what they owe Uncle Sam. It’s never a fun process, but this year will be a little better for taxpayers and working families. Thanks Read More…
The campaign of Steve Daines that Danielle Bradley will serve as campaign manager for his 2026 re-election effort, formalizing leadership for what is expected to be a closely watched Senate race. Ms. Bradley, who most recently served as executive director of the Montana Republican Party from 2021 to 2025, has longstanding ties to Mr. Daines’ Read More…
Energy markets faced renewed pressure this week as crude prices softened amid mixed signals on global demand and steady U.S. production. Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude drifted lower, weighing on shares of major producers and oilfield services companies. Analysts cited cautious demand forecasts from Asia and Europe, along with stable output from U.S. shale basins, Read More…
Steve Daines praised the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 132.83% anti-dumping duty on Russian palladium imports, calling the move a critical step to protect Montana mining jobs and counter what he described as market manipulation by Moscow. The Commerce Department’s duty, enforceable upon publication in the Federal Register, is aimed at offsetting what U.S. Read More…
Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 19 state attorneys general urging the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether more than 150 U.S.-based climate organizations have violated federal law by accepting foreign funds to influence American energy policy. In a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General for National Security Read More…
Donald Trump has nominated Montana attorney Katie Lane to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, filling a vacancy created by the departure of Judge Susan Watters. “Katie is Highly Qualified and Respected, and will boldly defend our Constitution,” Mr. Trump wrote in a post announcing the nomination. Read More…
Logan Head is a lifelong entrepreneur and the co-founder and chief technology officer of Whatnot, the largest live shopping platform in North America, the U.K. and Europe. Head will present the next installment of the Gilkey Executive Lecture Series at the University of Montana College of Business. This in-person event at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. Read More…
(The Center Square) – The House Oversight Committee is investigating the rapid rise in value of two companies owned by Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband, amid concerns over financial transparency and potential influence. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Omar’s husband, Timothy Mynett, has ownership stakes in two companies, eStCru Read More…
(The Center Square) – A majority of Americans say they prefer President Donald Trump’s approach to border security and immigration than they do former President Joe Biden’s, according to new polling data. The poll from Napolitan News Service found that 52% prefer Trump’s handling of the issues to 33% who prefer Biden’s. The remaining 15% Read More…
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, are fast approaching. As always, there’s a contingent of U.S. military athletes who have qualified to represent their country on the biggest sports stage in the world. While this Olympics will not feature any athletes from the Navy or Marine Corps, there are plenty of Read More…
On Jan. 1, 2026, China made its digital yuan interest-bearing. Fourteen days later, the U.S. Senate postponed a critical vote on whether digital dollars can pay interest, too. This American hesitation feints at unilateral financial disarmament. China is weaponizing its currency to attract global capital while the U.S. is captured by its capitalists. Wall Street Read More…
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today announced the War Department would sever its academic ties with Harvard University, because attendance at the school no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services. “For too long, this department has sent our best and brightest officers to Harvard, hoping the university Read More…
The War Department announced today that 25 vendors have been selected to compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), a sweeping acquisition reform initiative aimed at rapidly fielding low-cost, unmanned one-way attack drones at scale to strengthen America’s Arsenal of Freedom. The program reflects one of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s core Read More…
A class-action lawsuit filed by two Montana property owners alleges the Montana Department of Revenue (DOR) used illegal appraisal methods that artificially inflated property valuations statewide, forcing many taxpayers to pay more in property taxes than required by law. Attorneys from Silverman Law Office and Edwards & Culver filed the lawsuit Feb. 2 in Madison Read More…
Governor Larry Rhoden has signed six bills into law, advancing legislation that addresses ballot transparency, administrative rulemaking, education policy, and state regulatory updates. The bills signed include: SB 5, which requires disclosure of whether a ballot question was proposed through a citizen initiative or by the Legislature; SB 56, which requires state agencies promulgating permanent Read More…