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…
(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1950, prompting strong backlash from medical, disability, religious and legal groups who say it was rushed and violates key ethical and legal protections. State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, a practicing physician, said Pritzker showed signs of hesitation but ultimately “his leftist ideology took over and he Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen will lead the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) into what the group calls the most consequential election year in its history. Knudsen was unanimously elected chairman by his GOP attorney general colleagues on Tuesday, putting the second-term Montana Republican at the helm as the organization prepares for 30 attorney general Read More…
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a series of bills aimed at expanding the impact of the Working Families Tax Cuts by reducing regulatory barriers, streamlining permitting processes, and promoting economic growth. House Republicans framed the legislation as part of a broader pro-growth agenda to accelerate infrastructure, energy, and investment projects across the nation. “House Read More…
Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen announced Monday a new legislative effort aimed at ending the practice of Montana teachers receiving educational credit for attending conferences that they say promote “extreme leftist ideology” and “classroom indoctrination.” The announcement follows reports about the Montana Federation of Public Employees’ (MFPE) Read More…
U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy released a joint statement praising the Senate’s confirmation of William Mercer to serve as U.S. District Judge for the District of Montana. “We congratulate William Mercer on his long-awaited confirmation to serve as U.S. District Judge for Montana,” the senators said. “Bill will have a lasting impact on Read More…
Senator Sheehy hosted a Common Ground Summit in partnership with the Livestock Marketing Association to address current challenges facing American agriculture, recent developments in the beef industry, and strategies to ensure American producers remain central to agricultural policy. Following the event, Sheehy emphasized the importance of supporting domestic ranchers while protecting national food security. “Lowering Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a 14-state coalition of Attorneys General supporting a petition aimed at strengthening the integrity of federal elections. The coalition submitted a letter backing the American First Legal Foundation’s petition to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The petition calls on the EAC to require documentary proof of Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte on Friday announced the appointment of Seth Cunningham and Edward Zink to serve as district court judges in the Thirteenth Judicial District, which covers Yellowstone County. “As accomplished attorneys with careers distinguished by their dedication to public service, Seth and Edward will continue the fair, consistent, and objective application of the law,” Read More…
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…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Energy will be returning to American taxpayers $13 billion in “unobligated wasteful spending” that was originally intended for former President Joe Biden’s climate agenda. In response, Larry Behrens from Power the Future told The Center Square that “by returning $13 billion, the Department of Energy under President Read More…
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to continue its investigation into imports of unwrought palladium from Russia, ruling there is reasonable indication that the U.S. mining industry is being harmed by unfairly priced and subsidized Russian imports. The decision follows a letter last month from Montana’s congressional delegation urging the Trump administration to Read More…
Senator Steve Daines has introduced the Equal Campus Access Act of 2025, legislation aimed at ensuring public colleges and universities do not discriminate against religious student organizations. Daines said the measure is designed to safeguard religious liberty for students of faith, requiring schools that receive federal funding to treat religious groups the same as any Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 27-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down California’s ban on firearm magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The group of attorneys general filed an amicus brief in Virginia Duncan, et al. v. Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California, arguing that the Ninth Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke voted Thursday in favor of a short-term measure to keep the federal government funded and avoid a shutdown, as Congress works to finalize annual spending bills. The measure, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), extends government funding through November 21, giving lawmakers roughly seven more weeks to complete the 12 Read More…
(The Center Square) – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has no intention of complying with a U.S. Department of Justice request for information from the state’s voter registration list. On Sept. 8, the DOJ sent a letter to Hobbs requesting a copy of the state’s voter registration database within 14 days. The request included sensitive personal Read More…
The U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Fire Ready Nation Act by unanimous consent, advancing legislation aimed at strengthening the nation’s ability to prevent, forecast, and combat wildfires. The bill, introduced in January by Senator Tim Sheehy (R–Mont.) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D–Wash.), formally establishes the Fire Weather Services program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 27-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Washington state’s ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The coalition filed an amicus brief Monday in Gator’s Custom Guns, Inc. v. State of Washington, arguing the law violates the Second Amendment. In May, the Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines praised the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) recent proposals to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Public Lands Rule and restore multiple-use land management, along with actions to increase timber sales in Montana. “President Trump and Secretary Burgum are bringing back commonsense land management policies that will benefit Montana Read More…
Governor Brad Little announced Thursday the appointment of Amanda Ulrich as a District Judge in Idaho’s Seventh Judicial District. Ulrich, a trial attorney with more than 15 years of experience, is a partner at Casperson Ulrich Dustin, where she has practiced since 2018. Her work has focused primarily on civil litigation and employment law. She Read More…
(The Center Square) – Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and executive director and close ally of President Donald Trump, was assassinated Wednesday at a Utah Valley University event. A manhunt for the shooter is ongoing. During an American Comeback Tour, sponsored by the Turning Point USA chapter at Utah Valley, Kirk, 31, was seen Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Biden administration spent more than $10 million over three years on a security detail and related expenses for former First Son Hunter Biden after denying similar protections to other high-profile political figures, documents obtained by the Center to Advance Security in America and shared exclusively with The Center Square show. The Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is leading a bipartisan effort to increase transparency and accountability in the federal Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, introducing the CDFI Fund Transparency Act alongside Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). The legislation would require the Secretary of the Treasury to testify annually before Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Trump administration directed 46 states and territories to remove gender ideology from their sex ed materials or else face possible termination of federal Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funding, with a family advocate praising the move. Policy director for family advocacy group American Principles Project Paul Dupont told The Center Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is spearheading a 23-state coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt grants to the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), a group that has been providing climate-focused trainings for judges nationwide. In a letter sent Tuesday to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Knudsen raised concerns that taxpayer Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with 21 other state attorneys general, has filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case challenging a Massachusetts school district’s policy on student “social transitioning” without parental consent. The case, Foote v. Ludlow School Committee, involves Ludlow Public Schools and parents Stephen Foote and Marissa Read More…
U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy led a letter from Montana’s congressional delegation urging President Donald Trump to take immediate action against Russia’s palladium exports, calling for a 50 percent tariff on unwrought palladium imports from Russia to protect American jobs and domestic mineral production. The letter, also signed by Senator Steve Daines, Rep. Troy Downing, and Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging the U.S. Department of Labor to quickly implement President Trump’s recent Executive Order expanding access to alternative investments for Americans with 401(k) and other defined-contribution retirement plans. The letter, sent to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, was also signed by Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Read More…
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using Medicaid data obtained from Washington and 19 other states for immigration enforcement purposes. The order also bars the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from sharing such data with DHS. The injunction comes after Washington and Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines visited the Bull Mountains Mine in Musselshell County on Friday, celebrating what he called a major victory for Montana jobs and American energy. The mine, one of the state’s three large-scale active coal operations, had faced the prospect of closure in recent years but will remain open due to a provision Read More…
Tyler Newcombe has stepped down as executive director of the Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) after serving in the role since January, the party announced this month. “It has been an incredible honor to work with such a dedicated team on advancing conservative values across Montana,” Newcombe said in a statement. “I’m proud of what we Read More…
Governor Brad Little signed Executive Order 2025-05, known as “The Idaho Act,” aimed at creating efficiencies in state government, reducing spending, and supporting public schools while implementing federal tax cuts for Idahoans. The order directs state executive branch agencies — excluding K-12 public schools — to identify opportunities for consolidation, revert unfilled positions, reduce contract Read More…
Republican candidates are increasingly turning to WinRed as their go-to fundraising platform, with new figures showing record-breaking growth across the 2024 election cycle. According to data released by the GOP-backed digital fundraising service, Republicans raised a total of $5.6 billion through WinRed over the past three election cycles, with contributions from 8.8 million individual donors. Read More…
(The Center Square) — President Donald Trump’s job approval rating in California is slightly higher than what it was at this time in his first term and from when he left office in January 2021, according to a poll from Civiqs. Trump’s job performance had a 68% disapproval rating and a 29% approval rating among California Read More…
A Jefferson County man, backed by the liberal advocacy group Upper Seven Law, has filed a lawsuit against Republican Governor Greg Gianforte over his appointment of former state legislator Marta Bertoglio to lead the Montana Department of Commerce. Bertoglio, a three-term lawmaker from Clancy, was appointed on June 16 while still representing Jefferson County in Read More…
A coalition of Montana’s top elected officials, lawmakers, and local leaders is pushing back against criticism of Governor Greg Gianforte’s appointment of Jessica Flint to the state’s Criminal Justice Oversight Council, calling it a decisive move toward accountability and balance in Montana’s justice system. In a letter released Monday, 56 officials—ranging from members of Montana’s Read More…
Newly declassified documents released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard are reigniting fierce political debate over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, with conservatives alleging they show top Obama administration officials helped fabricate the narrative of collusion to discredit then-candidate Donald Trump. The documents include a previously unreleased annex to the 2023 Durham report Read More…
(The Center Square) – The nation’s largest nurses’ union is blasting Kaiser Permanente for pausing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 starting next month, due to pending litigation and pressure from the Trump administration. “As the legal and regulatory environment for gender-affirming care continues to evolve, we must carefully consider the significant risks being created Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte has urged Congress to support two joint resolutions aimed at overturning a Biden administration policy that threatens Montana’s coal industry and could cost the state’s public schools over $4 billion in future revenue. In a letter to lawmakers, Gianforte expressed strong backing for Senate Joint Resolution 61 (S.J.Res.61) and House Joint Resolution Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) has introduced bipartisan legislation to end wage discrimination against workers with disabilities and support their transition into competitive, integrated employment. The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act seeks to phase out the use of subminimum wages for individuals with disabilities—still legal under federal law—and invest in programs that promote inclusive Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke (R-MT), former Secretary of the Interior, and Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) today unveiled new legislation aimed at shoring up funding for America’s national parks by charging most foreign tourists a dedicated entry fee. Joined by Representative Riley Moore (R-WV) and Senator Jim Banks (R-IN), the group introduced the Protecting America’s Treasures by Read More…