President Donald J. Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate the nation’s largest meat packing companies for potential collusion, price fixing, and manipulation, with a focus on foreign-owned or heavily foreign-influenced firms. The probe targets the “Big Four” meat packers — JBS (Brazil), Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef — which together control Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced his co-sponsorship of the “H.R. 5818 Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025” (COOL Enforcement Act), legislation introduced by Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s colleague, Congresswoman Hageman of Wyoming. The bill seeks to strengthen labeling requirements for U.S. beef by clarifying that products marketed as “Product of the USA” must Read More…
(The Center Square) – States rely on federal dollars more than they have in modern history, according to a new report, with one of the report’s authors saying such dependency makes states easy victims to the whims of federal bureaucrats and turmoil. Co-author of the State Policy Network’s report as well as senior policy adviser Read More…
The federal government shutdown entered its sixth week this weekend, stretching into the longest in U.S. history and revealing the mounting toll of Washington’s political stalemate. With more than 1,000 flight cancellations nationwide for the second straight day and critical federal services strained, the crisis is now hitting ordinary Americans far harder than the politicians Read More…
WASHINGTON – There have been multiple reports of sexual harassment and hostile work environments at national parks, including Yellowstone National Park. Eight incidents occured from January 2016 to June 2017, according to the Office of Inspector General. Wednesday, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., addressed U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, saying if more is not Read More…
From Representative Gianforte’s Office WASHINGTON — Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) and a bipartisan group of legislators introduced Savanna’s Act, a bill to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. Native American women face a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, and 84 percent experience some form of violence in their Read More…
Barbara Barrett, a former U.S. ambassador and one-time Arizona gubernatorial hopeful, is President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Air Force. Barrett is well-known among business-minded Republicans, the cohort who attend Chamber of Commerce luncheons. She and her husband, former Intel chairman and CEO Craig Barrett, regularly donate money to Republican candidates. They’ve also given millions Read More…
This week, Austin Knudsen announced his candidacy for Montana Attorney General for the 2020 election. Knudsen is a 5th generation Montanan, current Roosevelt County Attorney and former two-time Speaker of the House. He told KGVO News there are two issues he wants to vigorously pursue if elected as the state’s Attorney General. “Meth is beyond Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Native American rights in a 5-4 decision in a case out of Wyoming. Justice Neil Gorsuch, the only Westerner on the court, provided the decisive vote in this case, showing himself again to be sensitive to Native American rights. The court held that hunting rights for the Crow tribe Read More…
BISMARCK, ND — A Courtenay, North Dakota man is behind an effort to change the state constitution and end prohibition of the cannabis plant. John C. Bailey is the chairperson of the sponsoring committee. He has turned in a petition request to the secretary of state’s office in Bismarck. The secretary and attorney general will review Read More…
DES MOINES, Iowa — The two dozen Democrats seeking the party’s presidential nomination have found few applause lines more likely to earn a standing ovation than a pledge to overhaul campaign finance rules. Now, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) is putting the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision at the center of his long-shot bid for Read More…
Montanans are constantly bombarded with robocalls and Congressman Greg Gianforte is trying to help solve the problem. At a Communications and Technology subcommittee hearing, Gianforte pressed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on the issue. “Montanans have told me one of the worst things they face day to day are illegal robocalls,” Gianforte said. “They’re Read More…
Former Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen announced Monday that he is seeking the Republican nomination for Montana’s Attorney General race in 2020. Knudsen served as a representative from Culbertson in the state Legislature from 2011 to 2017, serving as Speaker of the House during his last four years. He’s the second Republican to enter the Attorney Read More…
MEQUOKETA, Iowa — When Gov. Steve Bullock hits the campaign trail as a presidential candidate, his security detail of two Montana Highway Patrol officers comes along, too — at taxpayer expense. The Montana Republican Party, in a statement earlier this week, asked why state taxpayers “should have to swallow the cost of his executive protection Read More…
Top Democrats in Montana and Washington are really excited about Gov. Steve Bullock running — for the Senate, not the presidency. The Montana governor’s seemingly quixotic presidential run comes as nearly everyone in the party is begging him to challenge GOP Sen. Steve Daines and transform the 2020 Senate map. Unlike any other Democratic candidate Read More…
Sen. Kamala Harris, the California Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate, said she doesn’t support eliminating all private health insurance under Medicare-for-all after suggesting in January that she does. Harris told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview that aired Sunday that “supplemental” private health insurance wouldn’t be eliminated under Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare-for-all legislation, which she Read More…
By Valley News Gov. Doug Burgum has signed a bill into law making North Dakota the 25th state in the nation to eliminate the threat of jail time for possession of small amounts of marijuana. HB 1050 reclassifies possession of up to a half ounce of marijuana by adults 21 and older as an infraction Read More…
Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins announced Monday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate next fall, becoming the first to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines. “I’ve traveled this state, from every corner of this vast, rugged state. And what remains consistent is that for far too long and far too often, we Read More…
HELENA, Mont.—Yes, another Democrat running for president. Another white guy. Another politician most of the country has never heard of. Another candidate who doesn’t have a lot of money to start with, or any real hopes of meeting the low bar to make the stage for the first debates next month. Another dude whose last Read More…
President Donald Trump is “goading” Democrats to try to impeach him because he believes it would help “solidify his base” of supporters, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday. Pelosi has not been shy about publicly criticizing the president and his administration. But she has shown clear resistance toward the politically fraught prospect of impeaching Trump, Read More…
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department tracked 40 outdoors-related bills during the 2019 legislative session, 21 of which were passed by both chambers and signed into law by Gov. Doug Burgum. Here’s a closer look at the bills, which take effect Aug. 1 unless the bill includes an emergency clause indicating it already is Read More…
Most kids wouldn’t dare be seen with their parents within several miles of school. Not Sen. Steve Daines, though — he was bold enough to be seen with them in his office. Gasp! It’s apparently “bring your parents to work” day for the Republican senator, who shared a picture with mom and dad on Twitter. READ Read More…
Montana’s Democratic Senator Jon Tester spoke on the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday urging his colleagues to pass a handful of federal bills aimed at addressing what’s been called a crisis of missing and murdered Native American women and girls. “Now this bill directs the GAO [Government Accountability Office] to conduct a full review of how Read More…
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock signed or let become law 76 bills Tuesday, including ones to crack down on sexual abusers of children and to increase funding for state parks. But he also vetoed eight measures sponsored by Republicans, including a bill touted by GOP legislative leaders as a key economic-development incentive, creating tax credits Read More…
HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock signed or let become law 76 bills Tuesday, including ones to crack down on sexual abusers of children and to increase funding for state parks. But he also vetoed eight measures sponsored by Republicans, including a bill touted by GOP legislative leaders as a key economic-development incentive, creating tax credits Read More…
North Dakota has seen a small swell of storytelling on screen in recent years, but none of it filmed here. The FX television series “Fargo” was shot in Calgary, Alberta. “Woman Walks Ahead,” which portrayed an artist’s relationship with Sitting Bill on the Standing Rock Reservation, was filmed in New Mexico. And ABC’s “Blood & Read More…
(GILLETTE, Wyo.) — Wyoming Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi announced Saturday that he will not run for a fifth term in 2020, costing the GOP a loyal conservative senator but likely not the seat. Enzi, 75, announced his pending retirement in his hometown of Gillette, where he owned a shoe store and “never intended to Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana became the first state to legalize sports betting this year after Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill on Friday allowing the state lottery to oversee a system of wagering through kiosks and mobile applications that could be running by fall. Montana is at the head of a wave of states passing Read More…
BILLINGS – The current legislative session has closed and bills have made their way to the governor’s desk to be signed; One of those bills is Senate Bill 265 which revamps Montana’s medical marijuana program. When Montana’s medical marijuana program first debuted in 2004 it, unfortunately, had some difficulties “When this program was initially created Read More…
Gov. Doug Burgum on Thursday signed the last 53 bills remaining from the 2019 North Dakota legislative session, including one reforming civil asset forfeiture. Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, brought the original bill to eliminate the “perverse incentive” of “policing for profit.” Civil asset forfeiture applies to property involved in crime. The bill evolved greatly over Read More…
There are currently 20 announced Democratic candidates for president deemed “serious” aspirants. (That includes one candidate, Wayne Messam, who isn’t on some lists, although he is mayor of Miramar, Florida, which is larger than Pete Buttigieg’s South Bend). Now two others with solid résumés but little to no national name ID are joining the fray. Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines pushed ahead Wednesday with an attempt to cut retirement benefits to Indian Health Service pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber, who sexually assaulted Blackfeet children. The Republican senator for Montana questioned Assistant Surgeon General Michael D. Weahkee on Wednesday about Indian Health Service’s handling of reports against Weber. The questions came as the Read More…
Montana’s Congressional delegation has introduced legislation to increase investments in the Milk River Infrastructure Project that thousands of farmers use for irrigation water in north-central Montana. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines as well as Congressman Greg Gianforte introduced the St. Mary’s Reinvestment Act, which will ensure the federal government picks up 75 percent of Read More…
The Democratic Party is about to get its 21st candidate vying for the chance to face President Trump in the 2020 race for the White House. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, 53, will announced his bid for the White House in two weeks, according to MTN News. The 53-year-old, who has served for two terms as Read More…
With Stacey Abrams becoming the latest high-profile Democrat to say no to a 2020 Senate bid — and more rejections of party pressure possible on the horizon — running for the Senate no longer looks look like the step up the political ladder it may once have been. A few Democrats have chosen to run for president Read More…
U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte met with state telecommunication leaders Monday in Bozeman to understand how best to develop technology policies that benefit Montanans. “Rural broadband is critically important for our economy, for telecommuters, it’s important for health care delivery, it’s important for education and yet we’ve had a digital divide between rural areas and urban Read More…
HELENA — The future of the proposal to prolong the life of the Colstrip 4 power plant, by encouraging NorthWestern Energy to buy a larger share of the plant, appeared in doubt Tuesday, as legislative leaders held off on appointing a panel that could resurrect it. House Speaker Greg Hertz, R-Polson, and Senate Majority Leader Read More…
BOZEMAN – Monday night, the Bozeman City Commission approved a $22,000 settlement for plaintiff Roger Koopman, who brought a lawsuit claiming officials broke campaign laws around last year’s election to approve the city’s new Public Safety Center. The commission voted 4-1 in favor of the settlement, with the majority stating that the settlement would be much cheaper Read More…
President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings to block a subpoena of the president’s financial records from an accounting firm, escalating tensions between the White House and congressional Democrats who are investigating his business empire. In a new court filing, Trump’s attorneys asked for an Read More…
A huge majority of people responding to a Townsquare Media of Cheyenne poll over the past week say “good old boy” politics run Wyoming. While the poll was not a scientific sampling of public opinion, 504 out of 607 people taking the poll represents an overwhelming majority agreeing with the premise of the question. That Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Legislature is scrambling to finish its work and leave at least a handful of days on the books before the constitutional 80-day limit. Lawmakers had hoped to be finished in less than 75 days to give themselves a cushion that could be used in the future to address unforeseen Read More…
BISMARCK — The North Dakota House rejected a compromise bill creating a new income tax deduction for Social Security benefits Monday, April 22, sending legislative negotiators back to the drawing board. As introduced, House Bill 1174 would have allowed people to reduce their North Dakota taxable income by the amount of any Social Security Read More…
The state Legislature last week passed a resolution to examine how it might set up monetary compensation to support those wrongfully incarcerated upon their release. House Joint resolution 36, which passed through the Senate on Thursday following a 34-16 vote, requests an interim study for appropriate compensation for the wrongfully convicted. The results of the Read More…
Helena – Republican candidate for Attorney General Jon Bennion has signed on to a brief from the Attorney General’s office that asks a federal appeals court not throw out Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) even though the part of the law has been ruled unconstitutional. Mr. Bennion, a former lobbyist and current Justice Department aide, Read More…