Minot, N.D. — One of my favorite stories from American history is about the time the National Socialist Party of America – an offshoot of the American Nazi Party – tried to march in Skokie, Illinois. That was a largely Jewish community at the time – one out of six Jewish residents there was either a…
Democrats, how can it be that you’re losing?
MINOT, N.D. — “Federal judge rejects RNC lawsuit against Jan. 6 panel,” reads a headline from The Hill that went online just before I began writing this column. The congressional committee investigating the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol building perpetrated by Trump supporters had requested emails from the RNC. The committee wants to measure the RNC’s…
What happens in North Dakota if Roe v. Wade is overturned?
MINOT, N.D. — For the first time in American history, a Supreme Court draft opinion has been leaked to the press prior to the court’s final ruling. And, of course, it pertains to one of the most intractable political issues in our country’s history. First, let’s acknowledge that this is a terrible thing. Continue reading…
Republicans must find the courage to speak out loud about Donald Trump
MINOT, N.D. — Many Republicans know that disgraced former President Donald Trump, and the political movement loyal to him, are a threat to our nation. We know this because many of them have said as much in private. The most recent example is House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who, immediately after Trump’s supporters attacked Congress…
The dumbest thing about the new Disinformation Governance Board is that anyone thinks it will work
MINOT, N.D. — President Joe Biden’s administration has announced a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security aimed at combating misinformation. It’s called the Disinformation Governance Board, or DGB, and since this idea comes from a Democratic administration, the winds of outrage it has inspired are blowing from places like Fox News where commentators have been…
Fractures in the North Dakota Republican Party loom over proposed carbon pipeline
MINOT, N.D. — According to Daryl Lies, president of the North Dakota Farm Bureau, the CO2 pipeline proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions is the most pressing issue facing our state right now. I know because a visibly angry Lies shouted this at me during an angry rant at the North Dakota Republican Party’s state convention…
It’s just Twitter, you guys
MINOT, N.D. — A simultaneously annoying and amusing reality of journalism is that what constitutes “news” tends to skew heavily toward what journalists are, themselves, experiencing. That’s why things that happen in New York City tend to be reported as national news, even if it is of little import to those of us who live…
Ray Holmberg resignation spares his fellow lawmakers the pain of expelling him
MINOT, N.D. — In the first 131 years, four months, and two days of its history, North Dakota’s lawmakers had never exercised their constitutional authority to expel an elected member of the state Legislature. Then on March 4, 2021, a supermajority of House members voted to expel Rep. Luke Simons , a Republican from Dickinson, after my reporting…
Man’s sexual assault claim surfaces amid scrutiny of North Dakota lawmaker
MINOT, N.D. — A 2020 Twitter thread about an alleged sexual assault has risen to the surface as a North Dakota lawmaker faces growing scrutiny. Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, announced on Wednesday, April 20, that he was resigning as chairman of the Legislative Management committee . That announcement came in the wake of a story by…
Sen. Ray Holmberg resigns from powerful committee, hires criminal defense attorney
MINOT, N.D. — State Sen. Ray Holmberg is stepping down as chairman of Legislative Management, a powerful committee that oversees the North Dakota Legislature’s interim work. “Recent events and discussions have made it clear to me that the interim governing body of the legislature, Legislative Management, does not need to be any part of that…