MINOT, N.D. — The U.S. Supreme Court, weeks after a draft opinion leaked and set off a firestorm of debate and protest, has finally issued an opinion overturning the Roe v. Wade precedent. You’re going to hear a lot of strong opinions on that turn of events, and almost all of them will be rooted in…
Fargo’s hate-crime ordinance produces zero convictions in the first year
MINOT, N.D. — Almost a year ago, Fargo became the first jurisdiction in North Dakota to implement a policy specifically punishing hate crimes. Proponents of the law argued that it would deter crimes motivated by animus toward things such as race or sexual orientation, but in the year since the city commission acted, the ordinance…
Are we just going to accept rolling blackouts as our new normal?
MINOT, N.D. — It’s summertime, and that means the scorching weather is coming. Yet our electrical grids may not be prepared for what’s coming. North Dakota is served by two power grids. One is the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, and the other is the Southwest Power Pool, and both have been flagged as being at…
Plain Talk: Sen. Kevin Cramer on gas prices, gun control, and the Jan. 6 commission
MINOT, N.D. — Sen. Kevin Cramer and I will never agree about former President Donald Trump. I think the man was a disgrace to his office. Cramer would be fine if we elected him president again. But one thing we agree on, as we discussed the on-going hearings of the congressional committee investigating the Jan.…
We can’t fix gas prices until the left admits we need oil
MINOT, N.D. — President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are not to blame for spiking gas prices. There are many variables contributing to that situation, many of them beyond the control of American political leaders. For instance, nobody in America told Vladimir Putin to launch a bloody war of aggression against Ukraine. But Biden…
This week’s primary turnout was one of the worst for North Dakota in more than 20 years
MINOT, N.D. — How you feel about Tuesday night’s primary election results depends a great deal on what your politics are. Some candidates won, some lost, and there’s a lot to be said about the political ramifications. If you’re interested in that, we discussed it at length on the Plain Talk podcast, and you can…
Plain Talk: The winners and the losers in North Dakota’s primary
MINOT, N.D. — The North Dakota Republican Party, the dominant force in our state’s politics, is deeply divided. If anyone was hoping that primary night, which saw that divide driving the debate in legislative competitions across the state, was going to resolve things they’re in for a disappointment. Republicans across the state voted, and the…
Burgum’s bucks did more harm than good in legislative races
MINOT, N.D. — My June 11 column asked a question in the headline: “Has Burgum done more harm than good in North Dakota’s primaries?” Now that primary day has come and gone, the answer sure seems to be “yes.” As he’s done in previous cycles, Gov. Doug Burgum poured big money into a political messaging machine…
It’s time for the NDGOP to give up on its local endorsing conventions
MINOT, N.D. — Whatever the outcome of Tuesday’s primary vote, which saw the North Dakota Republican Party’s traditionally conservative majority challenged by a cadre of angry, Trump-aligned populists, it’s clear the party needs to change the way it endorses candidates. I’m writing this column for print, which means I’m writing it before Tuesday’s results are…
Senate candidate in battleground NDGOP primary accused of aggressive, threatening behavior
MINOT, N.D. — District 8, a mostly rural jurisdiction north of Bismarck, has become the battleground in the Republican legislative primaries that are roiling the NDGOP. And things are, at least according to some candidates there, getting ugly. According to Scott McCarthy, one of four candidates seeking the NDGOP’s nomination for two state House races,…