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…
More Minneapolis voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election than any other municipal election in recent history. The election drew a 54% turnout of eligible voters — the most for a city-only election in more than four decades, smashing the 1997 record of 46.5%. “Every voter felt like their vote counted, and indeed it did,” said Jeanne Read More…
The leading members of the “Squad” have remained noticeably silent regarding the election of Winsome Sears in Virginia. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar expressed their support for several liberal candidates from minority racial backgrounds who won their elections on Tuesday. The collection of liberal congresswomen refrained from mentioning Read More…
After education issues proved crucial to Republicans’ upset victories in Virginia, GOP lawmakers are turning their attention to Democratic plans to put the federal government in charge of education. Buried in the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act is a plan to nationalize preschool programs and place them under the direction of the Education Department. The bill Read More…
Republicans are eyeing Glenn Youngkin’s successful campaign for the Virginia governor’s mansion as a roadmap for the 2022 midterm elections. For the GOP, the victory is more valuable than simply gaining another governorship. Youngkin’s campaign, Republicans argue, offers a blueprint for dealing with some of their biggest challenges of the upcoming midterm elections, including how Read More…
As the South Dakota Legislature prepares to undertake impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, who killed a pedestrian with his car in 2020, a new poll shows that a strong majority of state residents is in favor of removing him from office. The late October poll of 500 registered voters in South Dakota showed Read More…
Another county in eastern Oregon voted to approve a measure to join the “Greater Idaho” movement in response to progressive policies in Portland. Sixty-three percent of voters in Harney County supported the non-binding Measure 13-18 as of Wednesday morning, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) reported. It’s the only countywide vote this year. READ FULL STORY
A fourth Democrat and former state lawmaker has joined the race for Montana’s new congressional seat. Tom Winter, a former state representative from Missoula, announced his run for the U.S. House on Wednesday, saying populism and progressivism can win. Winter joins fellow Democrats Laurie Bishop, a state lawmaker, Cora Neumann, who runs a public health nonprofit, and Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – While Americans head to the polls on Election Day during National Native American Heritage month, groups in Montana look to engage Native Americans in building political and personal power to address local community challenges. Western Native Voice, a non-profit, non-partisan organization in Billings continues to work to increase Native American participation and engagement Read More…
The Wyoming Senate voted 15-13 Friday to kill a bill fighting expected federal COVID-19 rules as the House advanced two heavily amended measures of its own. Senators voted down Senate File 3-COVID-19 discriminatory practices, one of three COVID-related measures being worked by the Legislature, after considering 13 amendments and adopting seven. As originally written, the measure Read More…
The differences between Kalispell mayoral candidates Mark Johnson and Sid Daoud came down to questions of small and smaller government during a virtual question-and-answer session with the Daily Inter Lake on Thursday. Johnson, the incumbent two-term mayor, and Daoud, the Ward 4 City Council representative, generally agreed in their desire to see reductions in development Read More…
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to offer police officers who refuse to get the coronavirus vaccine $5,000 to relocate to Florida, pledging “we will treat you better” than forces across the country threatening layoffs of those who don’t want the jab. “We’re actually actively working to recruit out-of-state law enforcement, because we do have needs in Read More…
The Biden administration is in touch with nearly 400 Americans who are stranded in Afghanistan, a figure that far exceeds the administration’s claims that about 100 Americans were left in the nation following the United States’ hurried exit from Kabul, according to a senior congressional source who was briefed Thursday by the State Department. With Read More…
Sen. Joe Manchin told reporters at the Capitol on Monday that Democrats could reach a deal on the framework of their spending package this week. Manchin has for weeks been a thorn in the side of liberals seeking a proposed $3.5 trillion spending package. Manchin, as well as Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, have raised objections to the Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – Next month’s abbreviated session of the North Dakota Legislature is intended to finish the job of legislative redistricting and to determine how federal coronavirus relief aid will be spent. But some lawmakers want to broaden the agenda. More than two dozen bills have been submitted ahead of the session planned for Nov. Read More…
The leaders of the Wyoming House and Senate have formally announced a special session of the Wyoming Legislature to deal with President Biden’s vaccine mandate. The session is scheduled for Oct. 26-28, according to Senate President Dan Dockstader and House Speaker Eric Barlow. According to a release from the pair on Tuesday afternoon: READ FULL STORY
BOISE — From now on when Idaho Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy looks at wildfire suppression budget proposals, she won’t ever again just see numbers or charts on a spreadsheet. Instead, she’ll see the faces of the firefighters and the equipment they rely on. Troy, R-Genesse, will see her family members standing with their arms wrapped Read More…
As visitation to Flathead Lake’s state-managed islands continues to increase, so do the negative consequences on wildlife habitat, including an uptick in instances involving human waste, garbage, vandalism, and unattended campfires. To that end, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) has released a draft environmental assessment on a suite of proposed rule changes, which the agency crafted Read More…
The commission in charge of drawing Montana’s new political boundaries remains stuck in a deadlock over how to split the state into two congressional districts. The bipartisan Districting and Apportionment Commission failed to find consensus Thursday. Instead of putting forth a single map for consideration as planned, they advanced two. Still, commissioners are getting closer Read More…
U.S. Senator Jon Tester visited with AP government students at Hamilton High School via Skype on Monday. Educator Kiah Nisly had arranged the opportunity for her students to have a visit with the senator. “The future electorate of America sits in my classroom so I like to create as many opportunities as possible for the future voters Read More…
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte traveled to the Texas-Mexico border as the fight to re-open the southern border continues. Gov. Gianforte joined nine other GOP governors addressing the issue of illegal immigrants and brought forth a security plan they believe will help the situation. The security plan includes 10 steps, like continuing Title Read More…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ trust in the media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly has edged down four percentage points since last year to 36%, making this year’s reading the second lowest in Gallup’s trend. In all, 7% of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” and 29% “a fair amount” of Read More…
White House press secretary Jen Psaki dodged specifics on Hunter Biden’s ownership stake in a Chinese government-linked investment firm, saying only that “he has been working to wind that down” and directing reporters to speak with the president’s son for further details. The lack of transparency comes despite promises from President Joe Biden that his family would not have Read More…
Gov. Burgum’s net-zero challenge to industry during the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference raised eyebrows — and maybe even a few hackles — back in May. It did something else, too, though. It has attracted what Burgum described as a multibillion dollar “cascade” of global investment interest. “Our announcement that we made in May Read More…
Idaho‘s feuding governor and lieutenant governor are at it again. As coronavirus cases spike in the state, Gov. Brad Little’s office disclosed Tuesday that he was mobilizing the National Guard again and adding hundreds of new medical personnel for state hospitals. And with hospitals strained due to unvaccinated patients, he called for more Idahoans “to receive the safe and Read More…
President Joe Biden’s pick for the nation’s top banking regulator received a scholarship named for Vladimir Lenin and praised the Soviet Union for paying the sexes equally. Biden last week nominated Saule Omarova to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates national banks. Omarova in 2019 praised aspects of the Soviet Read More…
WASHINGTON (TND) — In an apparent rebuke of ongoing parental concerns in Loudoun County, Va., Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday he does not think parents should tell schools what to teach their children. McAuliffe, who is seeking a second term as governor, and Republican Glenn Youngkin, who is a former businessman and a political Read More…
SIDNEY, M.T. — As part of his 56-county tour of Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte made a stop in Richland County, touring a local meat processing plant. Eastern Montana Meats is a family-owned plant that opened up last December. Governor Greg Gianforte met with owner Steve Lunderby and his son Dillon to see how things are Read More…
After years of laying groundwork, the future of Wyoming’s cryptocurrency banking industry now lies in the hands of federal regulators, officials with Wyoming U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ office told lawmakers Tuesday. In a presentation to the Wyoming Legislature’s Select Blockchain Committee on Tuesday, Lummis policy advisers Tyler Lindholm and Chris Land warned lawmakers that Wyoming Read More…
A Democratic state lawmaker Wednesday questioned the head of the state health department about whether medical experts were involved in making a controversial emergency rule issued last month regarding masking in schools. Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Adam Meier was questioned by a Democratic lawmaker from Bozeman about the origin of Read More…
BILLINGS – Whether three of Montana’s four new abortion laws will go into effect as planned next week hangs in the balance. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Gregory Todd heard arguments from the state and Planned Parenthood on Thursday morning. Judge Todd’s ruling will determine if there will be a preliminary injunction on the three Read More…
FIRST ON FOX: Experts are warning that millions of dollars in public state consumer protection lawsuit settlement funds are being funneled into progressive campaigns. Recently, a partnership between Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and one of the nation’s largest litigation firms, Motley Rice, was officially severed over its deep ties to the Democratic Party. The contract, established under former Attorney General Read More…
The Democratic mayor of a Texas border town is pleading with the Biden administration to do more to stop the flood of migrants at the southern border at the same time the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found that the federal government’s failure to test migrants for COVID-19 puts the health of Read More…
Dear Joanna Chiu, I am (Dan). I am from China. I just graduated from (a Quebec university). I hesitated for a whole night before deciding to write this email … Now I am living in Canada, but I am living with fear from the Chinese government. Dan, whose name I’ve changed to protect his identity, Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said Thursday that he has asked the state’s attorney general to be prepared to challenge President Joe Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which he called an “egregious example of big government overreach.” “I have asked the Attorney General to stand prepared to take all actions to oppose Read More…
House Democrats on Monday outlined a bevy of tax hikes on corporations and wealthy people to fund an investment in the social safety net and climate policy that could reach $3.5 trillion. The plan calls for top corporate and individual tax rates of 26.5% and 39.6%, respectively, according to a summary released by the tax-writing Ways Read More…
WASHINGTON (SBG) — Lawmakers had their first opportunity to hold members of the Biden administration accountable for the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan when members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee question Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Monday afternoon. It was the beginning of a series of congressional hearings to investigate America’s longest war. Blinken is scheduled to Read More…
Boots on the ground in Iowa. Accelerated fundraising. More national media interviews. A flood of new press statements. A rise in attack ads on the web. With a flurry of activity from his main political committee and hints dropped in private conversations with confidantes and advisers, Donald Trump is signaling a heightened interest in reclaiming Read More…
SIOUX FALLS | South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said Friday that she is looking to make widespread changes in the state’s prison system after meeting with tired and discouraged employees working short-handed at the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. The Republican governor fired the prison’s warden and deputy warden last week following an investigation Read More…
HELENA — Drawing two new, compact congressional districts for Montana in 2022 with equal populations is a piece of cake – but, when their political leaning is a consideration, things get prickly. Joe Lamson, one of two Democratic members of the five-member commission that will decide the boundary by November, says a goal should be Read More…
MISSOULA — Attention is once again turning to a legislative solution to wildfires as the Northern Rockies fire season winds down, and California’s rages on. MTN News takes a closer look at the proposals being floated by U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). Whether it’s logging projects to thin the forest or other measures like prescribed Read More…