Republicans in Congress have voted to overturn a Biden administration rule that blocked new federal coal leases in the Powder River Basin of eastern Montana, marking a significant shift in national energy policy and a victory for coal-producing states. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reverse Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte joined thousands of students and community members at Montana State University this week for a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event honoring the late Charlie Kirk, urging attendees to continue Kirk’s mission of faith, freedom, and love of country following his assassination last month. More than 2,800 MSU students and several hundred Montanans Read More…
North Dakota State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler was confirmed Friday by the U.S. Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education, a top leadership role overseeing federal policy for the nation’s K-12 schools. “I am honored, humbled, and incredibly excited to have received this Read More…
(The Center Square) – Vice President JD Vance is calling for Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones to withdraw from Virginia’s Nov. 4 election after private text messages leaked in which Jones talked about shooting former House Speaker Todd Gilbert. The messages, first reported by National Review, include Jones writing in 2022 that Gilbert would Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — President Biden’s nominee to oversee federal lands in the U.S. West is facing Republican pressure to withdraw over her ties to environmental activists convicted of spiking trees to sabotage a national forest timber sale more than 30 years ago. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, the ranking Republican on the Senate energy committee, said Read More…
WASHINGTON – Senator Mike Braun, Senator Steve Daines, and Senator James Lankford’s amendment to the Endless Frontier Act that would make it a crime to engage in chimera research, or the creation of animal-human hybrid organisms, received a vote on the Senate floor tonight. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey introduced the original legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. READ FULL Read More…
Gov. Mark Gordon announced Tuesday that up to $12 million of Wyoming’s currently remaining $67 million of CARES Act money will be put toward oil and gas projects through the Energy Rebound Program. The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will accept applications for funding from June 15 through 25. The program, which was created in Read More…
HELENA — Montanan Tracy Stone-Manning, nominated to head the U.S. Bureau of Land Management under President Biden, faced some pointed questions Tuesday from Republicans at her Senate confirmation hearing. GOP senators – including Montana’s Steve Daines – grilled Stone-Manning about her past positions on natural-resource development on federal lands, suggesting she would be an opponent Read More…
KALISPELL, Mont. – Negotiations are on the table between the nurses’ union and hospital administration. However, a separate group’s formed and is looking to end the nurses’ relationship with its current union, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. The group, formed on Facebook, is called Nurses and Community Unite. As of now, the Facebook group has 101 members. On June 1, they Read More…
Montana will be getting a second seat in Congress. The lines for the two new districts will soon be drawn. On top of that, the lines for state legislative districts will also be drawn. The big battles on both of those fronts have not really yet begun, but some of the battle lines are now being Read More…
First son Hunter Biden repeatedly called his white attorney the N-word in a pair of bizarre and occasionally lewd text conversations late in 2018 and early 2019, according to newly unearthed messages. In an exchange on Dec. 13, 2018, taken from Hunter’s abandoned laptop and first reported by DailyMail.com, the younger Biden asked Chicago-based corporate attorney George Read More…
Corrected 12:08 P.M. | Two key senators want travel records of Supreme Court justices as part of a broader congressional look at financial disclosure standards for the receipt of gifts, travel and other financial gains by senior government officials. Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy asked the Justice Department and the U.S. Marshals Service Read More…
WASHINGTON — New focus groups conducted by a prominent Democratic pollster warn that many voters “have trouble describing a clear positive vision of what the Democratic Party stands for.” The study of swing voters and liberal “surge” voters in competitive districts, led by Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners and requested by the Congressional Progressive Read More…
Former President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will go on a “history tour” to discuss his presidency for paying customers at arenas in Florida and Texas in December. Mr. Trump will attend four events with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly in a series of live discussions to address “exactly how things were accomplished, as well as challenges, both good and bad,” Read More…
Democratic congresswoman Marie Newman (Ill.) promised a six-figure, taxpayer-funded job to a local activist that he says was a bribe to keep him out of a tight primary race—an apparent violation of federal law. Columbia College Chicago adjunct professor and Palestinian activist Iymen Chehade sued Newman in January for breach of contract. Included in the Read More…
NAMPA, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —Transgender Democrat Melissa Sue Robinson announced on Tuesday her candidacy for governor of Idaho. Robinson says she’s running to help save the educational system in Idaho and fight fascism that has been “brought forward by Lt Governor, Janice McGeachin, Rep. Barbara Ehardt, The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Wayne Hoffman, and other far-right-wing Republicans.” Read More…
CHEYENNE — Governor Mark Gordon and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) welcomed news that the Federal Reserve has announced the opening of a comment period for proposed “Account Access Guidelines for the Reserve Banks.” In a press release, Gordon and Lummis said this is “a critical step towards approval of Wyoming-chartered special purpose depository institutions (SPDIs).” READ FULL STORY
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has formed a federal political action committee, indicating her growing fundraising prowess and national ambitions. The Republican has insisted she is focused on getting reelected as governor next year, but her nationwide fundraising network has fueled speculation she could be eyeing a 2024 presidential bid. Last week, her campaign registered a Read More…
A member of Montana’s House of Representatives resigned his seat late last month to accept an appointment to the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole, even after an attorney for the legislature questioned the constitutionality of the move, a Montana news outlet reported. Republican Rep. Jimmy Patelis of Billings announced May 23 on social media Read More…
There’s two stories taking place with the hospital in Kalispell this week. The first big story is the fact that nurses affiliated with the SEIU union are in the middle of a three day strike. The other big story is that several nurses do not support the SEIU and have now filed a petition to break ties with the Read More…
HELENA — Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on federal Covid-relief funds in Montana – which will top $7 billion. While the 2021 Montana Legislature has left town, one of its biggest projects is just getting under way: The distribution of more than $1.6 billion of federal Covid-relief funds, from the Read More…
HELENA — Former U.S. Interior Secretary and GOP Congressman Ryan Zinke told MTN News on Thursday that he’s running for Congress in Montana in 2022 – in whatever district he lives in, after lines for new districts are drawn in the state. “We’ll see what the (redistricting) commission decides,” he said in an interview. READ Read More…
Governor Doug Burgum has signed on to 3 House Bills and 2 Senate Bills. The governor also signed Senate Bill 2030, but vetoed Section 5 of said bill. Senate Bill 2030 is an act to provide an appropriation to the state board of higher education for the higher education challenge matching grant program. Burgum signed the bill Read More…
Two legislators are asking North Dakota’s Health Department to end phone calls to residents that inform them of how and where to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The state health officer in a response said immunization reminders are routine, callers are state-employed and trained on federal privacy law, and people can opt out of state-issued Read More…
HELENA — A new Montana law effectively removes the attendance requirements for a child who is not in public school to participate in a school district’s sports or other extracurricular programs. On April 28th Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 157 into law, which prohibits school districts from excluding private and home school students that Read More…
Montana this month ended its relationship with a law firm that has deep ties to the Democratic Party, a victory for conservative legal figures pushing other red states to stop doing business with the firm. The firm, Motley Rice LLC, has a healthy portfolio of red state clients, even though its partners have long histories Read More…
Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy has filed paperwork with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office indicating he intends to run for governor in 2021, writes Idaho Press reporter Ryan Suppe. The Secretary of State’s campaign finance portal shows Bundy’s name, with a Republican party affiliation. His treasurer appointment filing is dated May 21; he sought to Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A Missoula woman’s Freedom of Information Act request for emails about a temporary safe outdoor space reveal county officials have been discussing another location for a potential homeless camp. In November 2020, county officials and community partners opened an outdoor shelter to help the homeless during the pandemic, but some residents have been Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Federal Judge James Boasberg has denied the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline. This opinion will allow for oil to continue to flow through the pipeline while further environmental review continues, despite earlier rulings from the court that vacated the pipeline’s permit to cross beneath Read More…
This summer will be the furthest thing from a vacation for congressional Democrats. President Joe Biden’s party is gearing up to sprint through Washington’s sweltering season, trying to squeeze through a long list of top legislative priorities in barely two months. With Biden’s sprawling infrastructure plan stuck in bipartisan talks, a voting rights bill mired Read More…
Lansing — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an apology Sunday after a photo emerged showing her at a restaurant with 12 other people gathered around tables pushed together in violation of her health department’s current epidemic order. The May 15 order from the state Department of Health and Human Services says no more than six people Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has identified the areas on which he will focus to administer federal dollars awarded to the state under the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. According to a release, Wyoming just recently received the first half of the state’s allocation. The Read More…
Nineteen Republican state attorneys general on Monday urged President Joe Biden to reverse his cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline project following the recent cyberattack of the Colonial Pipeline that created fuel shortages on the East Coast. In a letter led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the group pointed to Biden’s own relaxing of environmental Read More…
Lincoln County Commissioner Mark Peck is stepping down effective June 4 to take a new role with the Lincoln County Port Authority. Libby’s representative to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, Peck described his decision to resign after about six-and-a-half years “a bittersweet thing.” Upon his formal departure from the board, he will assume his Read More…
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will decide whether to prohibit state and local police officers from enforcing a host of federal firearms restrictions after lawmakers on Friday approved a ban long sought by conservative gun owners fearful of future overreach by liberal politicians in Washington. Gun registration requirements, firearm tracking rules and limits on certain people Read More…
Andrew Giuliani has dreams of turning next year’s gubernatorial race into another “Fight of the Century.” The son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will announce Tuesday that he’s officially running for the Republican primary in 2022 — and is confident he can not only knock out veteran GOP competition but then go on Read More…
Recruiting the sitting governor of New Hampshire for one of the country’s tightest Senate races paid off for Democrats six years ago. Now the GOP is aiming to replicate that strategy. Republicans have launched an all-out effort to woo Gov. Chris Sununu into a challenge to Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan next fall. With the Senate Read More…
BOSTON (AP) — A former Massachusetts mayor first elected at the age of 23 by touting himself as a successful entrepreneur was convicted Friday of stealing money from investors in his start-up to bankroll his lavish lifestyle and soliciting bribes from marijuana vendors who wanted to operate in the struggling mill city. Jasiel Correia was Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has denied the Montana Legislature’s effort to disqualify the Supreme Court Justices, stating that ‘were the Court to succumb to the Legislature’s request and evade our responsibilities and 16 obligations as a Court, we are convinced that public confidence in our integrity, honesty, leadership, and ability to function as the highest Read More…
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Thursday signed into law a package of legislation containing more than $500 million to fund infrastructure projects across the state. That’s mostly in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars that will be flowing into Montana from the federal American Relief Plan Act (ARPA). Most of that money was Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On a prairie hill on the rolling highway into Wyoming’s capital city looms a billboard with the beaming face of the state’s lone congressional representative, Liz Cheney. In huge letters it declares: “Thank you Rep. Cheney for defending the Constitution.” Some local Republicans see Cheney’s lonesome stand against former President Donald Trump’s Read More…
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, is flatly opposed to removing former President Donald Trump’s cap on what’s known as the SALT deduction on state and local taxes, saying lifting it would send a “terrible” message. In an interview with Axios, Sanders was asked about what’s been called the “a tax break for rich Read More…
WASHINGTON — Every spring the Supreme Court seems to find itself in the headlines with consequential rulings on the horizon. This spring is no different. Over the coming weeks, major cases impacting various aspects of American life are poised for rulings. READ FULL STORY
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell toughened their positions Monday over the tax increases for millionaires and corporations that Biden has proposed to fund his sweeping infrastructure and education plans. “We’re open to doing a roughly $600 billion package which deals with what all of us agree is ‘infrastructure,’” Read More…