Montana State Auditor James Brown announced his office has helped stop more than $5 million in unsupported payouts by Mountain Health Co-Op, making it the second health insurer in Montana identified as a victim of a fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable Native communities using a loophole in the Affordable Care Act. The latest announcement brings Read More…
The man who led the U.S. response to the global pandemic in 2020 told Congress on Wednesday he wouldn’t answer questions about it. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right to protect against self-incrimination in a hearing about his role as Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions Friday on four individuals and nine entities tied to Iranian financier Babak Zanjani’s sprawling sanctions evasion network, targeting his domestic conglomerate and a web of foreign firms that supported his cryptocurrency exchanges. “The Iranian regime continues to pay a steep economic price for its reckless behavior, with Read More…
Montana’s U.S. Senate race entered a turbulent new phase as the national Democratic Party’s campaign arm publicly declared it would not support the party’s own nominee, a major veterans organization endorsed independent candidate Seth Bodnar, and President Trump weighed in to attack Bankhead on social media — all while both candidates insisted they were staying Read More…
Sen. Tim Sheehy announced that Montana projects will receive $12.2 million under a federal funding bill passed by the U.S. Senate and sent to President Donald Trump for signature. The measure is part of a recently approved appropriations minibus and directs funding toward higher education, public safety, water and wastewater infrastructure, and local law enforcement Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled this week that Anaconda police officers did not violate the Fourth Amendment when they entered a man’s home without a warrant during a suspected mental health emergency, delivering a major legal victory aligned with arguments advanced by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and sharply rejecting a dissent by Montana Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte recognized ten Montana youth during a ceremony at the State Capitol, celebrating the winners of his fourth annual Youth Hunting Story Contest and highlighting the state’s long-standing hunting traditions. The contest, created by Gianforte in 2022, is open to Montana resident youth and apprentice hunters between the ages of 10 and 17. Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has announced a new low-interest loan program aimed at reducing energy costs and improving efficiency in existing multifamily affordable housing across the state. The Multifamily Energy Retrofit Loan program, known as MERL, will provide financing to owners of multifamily housing facilities seeking to make energy efficiency upgrades. The program Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate increased to 3.3 percent in November, continuing a streak of more than four consecutive years with unemployment at or below 3.4 percent, state officials announced. The state’s jobless rate remained well below the national unemployment rate of 4.6 percent for November, leaving Montana about 1.3 percentage points lower than the U.S. average. Read More…
MoFi, a nonprofit community development financial institution serving Western states, has received an $85 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The award comes as part of a record $10 billion allocation round that included 142 organizations nationwide. The New Markets Tax Read More…
Montana Supreme Court Justice Laurie McKinnon is facing a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment of emergency personnel stemming from a November traffic stop in Broadwater County, a case that has drawn added scrutiny because of her public comments and separate, pending ethics complaints. McKinnon, 66, was cited after a Broadwater County sheriff’s deputy alleged she Read More…
A growing field of Democrats is lining up to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke in Montana’s western U.S. House district, as the party looks to mount a competitive bid in a seat national analysts still rate as safely Republican. On Thursday, Ryan Busse, an author, climate activist and gun control advocate from Kansas, announced Read More…
House Speaker Johnson spoke yesterday at the kickoff of the House Republican policy summit, delivering a wide-ranging address that touched on the party’s legislative agenda, U.S. military action in Venezuela, Democratic opposition, and the sudden passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Republicans Leading on Tax Policy, Speaker Says Speaker Johnson emphasized Republican achievements on tax policy, Read More…
The White House announced Friday that the United States will begin withdrawing from a broad range of international organizations, conventions, and treaties deemed “contrary to the interests of the United States,” according to a presidential memorandum. The memorandum, issued to the heads of executive departments and agencies, follows Executive Order 14199, which directed a comprehensive Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte joined Johnson Metal Works in Bozeman to celebrate the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities that prepare Montana students for high-demand, well-paying careers. “Apprenticeships open doors for Montanans to learn valuable skills, earn while they learn, and step directly into rewarding careers,” Gianforte said. “Thanks to employers like Johnson Metal Works, we are connecting Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen has appointed Anne Dormady as the new administrator of the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA), following the retirement of former administrator Joel Wendland. Dormady previously served as bureau chief for the Division of Criminal Investigation’s (DCI) Crime Information Bureau. “I am proud to appoint Anne to lead the Montana Law Enforcement Read More…
The Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) has confirmed that an animal from a Gallatin County livestock herd within Montana’s Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) tested positive for brucellosis, marking the second detection of the disease in Montana livestock in 2025. State officials said the affected herd has been placed under quarantine and an epidemiological investigation is Read More…
(The Center Square) – Following U.S. strikes against Venezuela resulting in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Saturday the Maduros have been indicted in the Southern District of New York and will be tried on U.S. soil. In a social media post, Bondi confirmed Maduro and Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has rejected a recommendation that Attorney General Austin Knudsen be temporarily suspended from office, ruling that the misconduct proceedings against him violated his due process rights. In a 149-page decision issued Wednesday, the court concluded a five-year legal dispute rooted in a broader separation-of-powers conflict between Montana’s legislative and judicial branches. Read More…
The state of Montana has revoked the medical license of Dr. Thomas Weiner, the former director of St. Peter’s Health Cancer Treatment Center, following findings that he harmed patients through unnecessary treatments and violated professional standards of care. The Adjudication Panel of the Montana Board of Medical Examiners voted unanimously last week to revoke Weiner’s Read More…
The Montana Lottery on Friday announced the winning numbers for this year’s Montana Millionaire game, which awarded five $1 million prizes. The winning ticket numbers are: #1: 200837 #2: 315500 #3: 387095 #4: 582688 #5: 589431 Players holding winning tickets are encouraged to begin the claims process by visiting the Montana Lottery’s website at montanalottery.com/claim-your-prize. Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte has appointed Eric Strauss as director of the Montana Department of Corrections, with Strauss set to assume the role on Jan. 6. The appointment follows the announcement in October that current DOC Director Brian Gootkin was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to serve as U.S. marshal for the District of Montana. Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte on donated a quarter of his annual salary to the Mountain Shadow Association in Lodge Grass, marking the twelfth and final day of his fifth annual 12 Days of Giving campaign. The donation supports the nonprofit’s work strengthening families, restoring parent-child relationships, and advancing community-led healing and addiction recovery efforts in Lodge Read More…
Prosecutors in the Montana Attorney General’s Office filed official misconduct charges against state Sen. Jason Ellsworth, alleging he acted outside the scope of his lawful authority as a public servant and improperly handled a state contract. Prosecutors also asked the court to suspend Ellsworth from office pending final judgment. The charges stem from a Montana Read More…
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy is leading a bipartisan effort in the Senate to expand free access to national parks and federal recreation lands for law enforcement officers and firefighters, including wildland firefighters. Sheehy, a Montana Republican, joined Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., in introducing the Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act, legislation that Read More…
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation has uncovered massive fraud and systemic weaknesses in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, including fake identities receiving subsidies, misuse of Social Security numbers, billions in unreconciled payments, and insurers collecting tax credits for deceased individuals. The report validates longstanding Republican concerns that the ACA subsidy system lacks Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has called on the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and the Attorney General Alliance (AGA) to deny membership to Virginia Attorney General-elect Jay Jones, citing a series of “abhorrent” text messages Jones sent in 2022 that expressed violent fantasies toward his political opponent and the opponent’s children. The texts Read More…
More than 32,000 Montana businesses will see a reduction in unemployment insurance (UI) tax rates in 2026, resulting in over $23 million in savings, the Montana Department of Labor & Industry announced. “By reforming our tax code and cutting back the thicket of red tape tying up job creators, we’re helping Montana businesses grow and Read More…
The U.S. trade deficit has narrowed to its smallest level since mid-2020, falling more than 35% compared with last year, underscoring the impact of President Donald J. Trump’s America First trade agenda. U.S. exports are up 6% over last year, reaching their second-highest value on record, while inflation-adjusted exports of consumer goods hit an all-time Read More…
The Israeli military announced that it killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saed in a strike on a car in Gaza City. Saed was reportedly one of the key planners behind the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. The strike, which Gaza medics said killed five people, marks the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure Read More…
North Dakotans can now review updated school accountability reports and the first results from the state’s new ND A+ summative assessment, State School Superintendent Levi Bachmeier announced Friday. The information—published on the state’s Insights education portal—comes as part of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, which requires states to release annual accountability reports for every Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce announced that six organizations will share more than $8 million in federal funding through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the Housing Trust Fund (HTF), and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The grants support the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing while bolstering the state’s economy with good-paying jobs. Read More…
The Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is warning residents about scammers operating fraudulent county jail websites that target families of inmates in an effort to steal personal and financial information. OCP has received reports of a fake website, musselshellcountyjail.org, which impersonates the official Musselshell County Detention Center. The site falsely offers 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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…