The Trump administration released a list Thursday of nine undocumented immigrants facing serious criminal charges across multiple states, using the cases to intensify pressure on congressional Democrats to approve additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security and end what the White House describes as sanctuary city policies that shield criminal offenders from deportation. The Read More…
A representative from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen’s office appeared before a legislative committee Thursday to answer questions from lawmakers about the office’s public mailings and their handling of state voter data. Jacobsen’s elections director and chief legal counsel spoke to the Legislative Audit Committee on questions about mailers, billboards and voter data. In Read More…
Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Thursday used his line-item veto authority to reverse a legislative cut to the state’s graduate medical education program, warning that the reduction would have disrupted the training of eight current medical residents mid-residency and undermined the state’s credibility with its healthcare workforce pipeline. Mr. Little signed but partially vetoed House Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Friday directed state agencies to prepare leaner budgets for the next two-year spending cycle, warning that a widening gap between ongoing revenues and expenditures represents an unsustainable fiscal trajectory that must be corrected by 2032. Speaking to agency leaders and fiscal officers at the state Capitol, Mr. Armstrong framed Read More…
The Trump administration released a list Thursday of nine undocumented immigrants facing serious criminal charges across multiple states, using the cases to intensify pressure on congressional Democrats to approve additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security and end what the White House describes as sanctuary city policies that shield criminal offenders from deportation. The Read More…
A representative from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen’s office appeared before a legislative committee Thursday to answer questions from lawmakers about the office’s public mailings and their handling of state voter data. Jacobsen’s elections director and chief legal counsel spoke to the Legislative Audit Committee on questions about mailers, billboards and voter data. In Read More…
Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Thursday used his line-item veto authority to reverse a legislative cut to the state’s graduate medical education program, warning that the reduction would have disrupted the training of eight current medical residents mid-residency and undermined the state’s credibility with its healthcare workforce pipeline. Mr. Little signed but partially vetoed House Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Friday directed state agencies to prepare leaner budgets for the next two-year spending cycle, warning that a widening gap between ongoing revenues and expenditures represents an unsustainable fiscal trajectory that must be corrected by 2032. Speaking to agency leaders and fiscal officers at the state Capitol, Mr. Armstrong framed Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Colorado Senate Health and Human Services Committee is postponing consideration of a bill to allow Medicaid recipients to choose “direct primary” care. Members voted 4-3 Thursday to delay action indefinitely on the House Bill 26-1096, the CO Medicaid Access to Primary Care Services bill, after public speakers told the committee they Read More…
A Montana Republican state representative, Llew Jones, received more than $4 million in low-interest federal loans through a program he helped create and sat on the commission formed to oversee — raising questions about conflicts of interest and possible violations of the program’s own lending caps, according to a report by Yellowstone County News. Rep. Read More…
The White House on Friday celebrated a stronger-than-expected March jobs report, saying the numbers validated President Trump’s economic agenda and signaled accelerating momentum heading into the second quarter of 2026. The economy added 178,000 jobs in March, nearly triple what economists had forecast, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.3% while Read More…
(The Center Square) – Democratic officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia announced Friday they’re suing to block President Donald Trump’s recent executive order regulating mail-in and absentee ballots. The suit was slated to be filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A copy of the lawsuit wasn’t available as Read More…
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed five bills into law aimed at supporting agriculture and rural communities, including a measure to expand broadband infrastructure in underserved areas. Among the bills signed was House Bill 1048, which provides an appropriation for the expansion of broadband access, a priority Rhoden said is critical to strengthening opportunities Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen praised the Helena City Commission after it voted Thursday night to rescind its immigration resolution, calling the move the right step to keep the community safe. “The commissioners made the right decision voting to keep the Helena community safe,” Knudsen said in a statement. “This resolution should never have been passed Read More…
The president on Thursday signed into law three measures authorizing the awarding of the Medal of Honor to U.S. service members for acts of valor in combat. Among the bills signed was H.R. 3377, which authorizes the president to award the Medal of Honor to James Capers Jr. for his actions while serving in the Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is urging swift confirmation of Katie Lane to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, calling her a principled, Montana-rooted attorney who would bring integrity and constitutional focus to the federal bench. Lane, a Bozeman native and nominee of Donald Trump, appeared this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee Read More…
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a coalition of 24 states in urging a federal appeals court to block a lower court order that could expand access to gender transition surgeries for prison inmates. The coalition, led alongside Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States Court of Read More…
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding access to cutting-edge medical treatments for veterans, particularly those suffering from mental health conditions such as PTSD and depression. The proposal, known as the Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act, seeks to ensure the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is equipped to evaluate Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has decided not to move forward with the removal of Hot Springs County Commissioners Paul Galovich and Robert Aguiar after reviewing a complaint filed by county electors and information gathered through investigations by both the governor’s office and the Wyoming Attorney General. The complaint, filed Sept. 10, 2025, by six qualified Read More…
House Speaker Mike Johnson sharply criticized Democrats following a House vote on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, accusing them of prioritizing immigration-related policies over national security and public safety. Johnson’s remarks came after what he described as the third vote in which a bipartisan majority of House members supported funding DHS operations, while Read More…
(The Center Square) – The majority of voters across the country support state bans on transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports, according to The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll. The Voters’ Voice Poll found that 68% of registered voters support allowing the Supreme Court to uphold state bans on transgender women competing in Read More…
(The Center Square) – With the ongoing partial government shutdown now the second-longest in American history, irritated Republicans are berating Senate Democrats, who for the fifth time Friday blocked the advance of the Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The failed vote highlighted how firmly Democrats are entrenched in their opposition to any fiscal year Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is accusing Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen of trying to mislead voters with a new ad in the increasingly heated Republican primary for Montana’s 1st Congressional District, as the fight over President Donald Trump’s backing becomes a central issue in the race. Jacobsen’s latest ad has drawn criticism from Flint Read More…
The Trump administration on Friday rolled out a sweeping national legislative framework for artificial intelligence, outlining a broad federal agenda aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness, protecting free speech, supporting families and securing American leadership in the global AI race. The White House said the framework is designed to give Congress a roadmap for tackling the Read More…
The U.S. Senate has passed Sen. Tim Sheehy’s bipartisan VA Home Loan Awareness Act as part of the broader 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, marking an early legislative win for the freshman Montana senator. The bill, which Sheehy introduced as his first piece of legislation in the Senate, is aimed at helping more veterans Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke traveled to Bozeman and Seeley Lake to mark the delivery of more than $11.1 million in federal funding for water infrastructure and law enforcement projects in Gallatin, Beaverhead and Missoula counties. The funding is part of more than $35 million Zinke secured for Montana in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process. The Read More…
New rules governing North Dakota’s public charter schools will take effect April 1, opening the door for supporters to begin advancing proposals for the state’s first charter schools. State School Superintendent Levi Bachmeier announced the regulations after a rulemaking process that followed the Legislature’s 2025 approval of public, tax-supported charter schools under Senate Bill 2241. Read More…
(The Center Square) – The American Legislative Exchange Council called on state legislatures to embrace limited tax regulation and greater investment in artificial intelligence to facilitate effective government processes. The council released its AI policy toolkit calling for a “light-touch” policy approach to AI. “U.S. regulators risk jeopardizing A.I.’s massive potential and benefits to consumers Read More…
(The Center Square) – Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson may be satisfied with the House of Representatives’ latest version of an income tax bill – so much so that he said he will sign it if it passes the Legislature – but plenty of others remain skeptical. In the wee hours of Friday morning, majority party Read More…
Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar is entering the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Montana, setting up what could become one of the state’s most closely watched political contests. Bodnar, a former Army officer and business leader, is launching his campaign with the support of prominent Democratic figures including former Montana Sen. 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…
Former President Bill Clinton told lawmakers Friday that he “saw nothing that gave me pause” during the time he spent with Jeffrey Epstein, offering closed-door testimony to congressional investigators examining his relationship with the late financier and convicted sex offender. Clinton appeared before members of the House Oversight Committee as part of an ongoing inquiry 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 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 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…
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…
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…