The Minot City Council convened Monday to recognize National Public Works Week, receive a legislative update, and tackle a packed agenda covering budget planning, infrastructure, and public safety. Finance Director Dave Lakefield outlined multi-year budget projections and the city approved a new HR Director while announcing a June 5 town hall on flood control. Three finalists for Police Chief will participate in a public meet-and-greet on May 27. Routine items passed smoothly, though a mosquito spraying contract drew dissent from Alderman Blessum over health concerns before passing 5-1. The Council also approved its five-year Capital Improvement Plan, removing an unfunded $8 million bridge project. The most contentious issue centered on the proposed use policy for Flock license plate readers; amendments passed unanimously, but the Council voted 4-2 to delay a final decision until the full body is seated, amid transparency concerns and warnings of potential surveillance overreach.
At the inaugural People’s Session held on May 16, 2025, at the North Dakota Heritage Center, approximately 40 progressive residents convened to craft a legislative agenda for the 2027 session. Organized by groups including the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and the ACLU of North Dakota, participants emphasized the need for stronger public education funding, expanded early childhood education, economic reforms such as raising the minimum wage and taxing out-of-state interests, and protections for personal freedoms including reproductive rights and gender-affirming care. The event aimed to translate community concerns into actionable policy proposals, with plans to draft bills over the next year and revisit the issues in spring 2026.
On May 19, 2025, North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong issued seven line-item vetoes across six bills, aiming to remove policy provisions he deemed improperly embedded within budget legislation. Notably, he vetoed a section of the Ethics Commission’s budget that would have granted lawmakers immunity from prosecution for conflicts of interest if they adhered to internal ethics guidelines, arguing it could shield legislators from accountability under state law. Armstrong also struck down measures including a restriction on judges waiving fees for the 24/7 sobriety program, a $150,000 grant for a Native American homelessness liaison, a $250,000 study on post-oil economic development, and a requirement for legislative approval to rename state parks. He contended that such provisions, lacking direct appropriations, encroached upon executive authority and disrupted the separation of powers. Senate Majority Leader David Hogue acknowledged the vetoes but indicated they were unlikely to prompt a special legislative session.
In the 2025 legislative session, North Dakota lawmakers approved three constitutional amendments to be placed on the 2026 ballot. The first measure proposes raising the threshold for passing constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%, aiming to make such changes more deliberative. The second introduces a single-subject rule, requiring ballot initiatives to focus on one issue, thereby preventing multifaceted proposals. The third seeks to amend the state’s term limits law, allowing legislators to serve up to 16 years in one chamber and clarifying that partial terms do not count toward the limit. These measures have sparked debate, with supporters advocating for more structured governance and opponents expressing concerns over potential restrictions on direct democracy and voter participation.
North Dakota soybean farmers are adapting to a shifting global market landscape, marked by ongoing trade tensions with China and the emergence of new domestic processing opportunities. Historically reliant on exports to China, which has been a significant buyer of U.S. soybeans, farmers like Jim Thompson acknowledge the challenges in replacing such a vast market. However, the recent establishment of two soybean crushing plants in the state—Green Bison at Spiritwood and North Dakota Soybean Processors near Casselton—has provided alternative avenues by producing soybean oil for renewable fuels and soymeal for livestock feed. These developments have lessened dependence on exports, offering some insulation against international market fluctuations. Despite a temporary reduction in tariffs between the U.S. and China, American soybeans remain less competitive compared to Brazilian exports, which currently dominate China’s imports. Efforts to diversify markets include outreach to countries like Cambodia and Kazakhstan, though logistical challenges persist. As the global trade environment remains uncertain, North Dakota farmers continue to seek strategies to stabilize and expand their market presence.
By: Jeff Beach (ND Monitor)
Soybean grower Jim Thompson said there is no way to replace a customer the size of China, but North Dakota farmers have more options than they did in the 2018 Trump administration trade war.
The first Trump administration paid out $23 billion in relief to farmers who suffered a loss of trade because of high tariffs. Most of the North Dakota soybean crop has traditionally been shipped to China, the focal point of ongoing trade negotiations.
According to the North Dakota Soybean Council, 90% of the state’s soybean production leaves North Dakota, with about two-thirds shipped to China and countries in Southeast Asia.
But in recent years, two soybean crushing plants have opened in North Dakota, capable of crushing about half the soybeans grown in the state.
“That’s huge for us, because now we’re not so dependent on China,” Thompson said.
The Green Bison plant at Spiritwood and the North Dakota Soybean Processors near Casselton produce soybean oil for renewable fuels, soymeal for livestock feed and other products.
Thompson, who farms about 50 miles northwest of Fargo, has sold soybeans to the Casselton plant that opened in 2024.
Without the crush plants, “I’d have to think that our local cash price would be suffering quite a bit more than what it is,” Thompson said.
The soybean market has been affected by the tariff policies, said Alan Poock, of the American Soybean Association.
“With all the tariffs and everything going on, the prices have dropped,” Poock said of the soybean market.
Poock is the director of the Asia Division for the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health. He was in Fargo this month as part of a soybean trade team hosting representatives from Cambodia and Kazakhstan.
He emphasized the quality of the soybean grown in the Upper Midwest for livestock feed.
The higher quality, specifically soybeans higher in amino acids, can mean better quality hogs or fish that are fed the soybean meal, Poock said.
“I tell them, ‘Don’t look at the initial sticker cost … Look at your end result,’” Poock said.
Thompson said the trade teams are key to developing alternatives to China.
“You can’t just replace that customer with a couple customers here and there. You need to expand your footprint into many different areas,” Thompson said.
Exporting to small markets comes with some challenges. Poock notes that Kazakhstan is land-locked, so the soybean products will have to go by rail through other countries. Cambodia has ports, but not with the same size and capability of Chinese ports that can take huge shiploads of whole beans.
Poock said Cambodia prefers soybeans to come in a container like those seen on railcars and cargo ships.
The availability of containers and the cost of shipping could be a concern if the trade war drags on, he added
“Right now, things are looking OK, but it seems like every day there’s a new announcement on tariffs or what is going on (with trade),” Poock said. “No one knows what’s going to happen.”
The United States and China last week announced an agreement to temporarily slash the tariffs that had built up in recent weeks as negotiations continue.
The China tariff effect has been delayed somewhat because the U.S. usually sells and ships soybeans to China later in the year.
Nancy Johnson, executive director of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association, said this is the time of year when China is buying soybeans from South America, which is finishing up its growing season.
The U.S. and China negotiated what is known as the Phase 1 agreement for soybean trade under the first Trump administration, which is still in place.
While North Dakota has the shortest route of a major soybean growing state to ports on the Pacific, China tariffs are an issue for soybean growers nationwide.
In the most recent marketing year, U.S. exporters shipped 46.1 million metric tons of soybeans to foreign markets, accounting for over $24 billion in sales. Of those exports, nearly 25 million tons of soybeans went to China — 54% of U.S. soybean exports.
Those China exports total $13 billion in value, according to the American Soybean Association.
Caleb Ragland, a Kentucky farmer who is the American Soybean Association president, said in a post on the organization’s website after last week’s trade truce announcement that the 90-day pause on the increased tariffs will end in August — right before the U.S. harvest season.
“We need the administration to continue its negotiations with China to find a long-term, sustainable solution that removes retaliatory tariffs and protects market access for our agricultural products,” Ragland said.
MINOT— A long-standing cap on liquor licenses in Minot could soon be lifted or changed, as city leaders weigh reform options aimed at making the local alcohol ordinance more business-friendly.
The proposals discussed are part of a broader rewrite by the Alcohol Ordinance Review and Rewrite Committee, and includes four options for the future of the city’s retail liquor license structure. At the center is a push to remove the cap entirely, a relic of Prohibition-era policy that has inflated license values to well over $100,000 in recent years. Council discussed a number of options and alternatives of how to best move forward.
The Four Options
Option 1 would simply maintain the status quo, keeping the cap in place. It’s the most cautious approach, preserving current market values and shielding existing license holders from new competition, but it does nothing to address long-standing concerns about market fairness and barriers to entry, but could be amended to allow for more licenses under the cap.
Option 2 calls for removing the cap entirely and reducing the license fee to a more accessible figure. Crucially, this approach offers no compensation to current license holders. While likely legally sound, it would be politically divisive, especially among business owners who paid six-figure sums for their licenses.
Option 3, proposed by committee member Kevin Black, seeks a compromise. It would remove the cap but maintain a high minimum license fee — around $100,000 to $125,000 — and give existing holders the first right of refusal on new applications. Supporters say it protects license value; critics argue it still blocks new businesses and keeps prices artificially high.
Option 4, known as the Pitner Proposal, goes further in balancing market reform with fairness. It would remove the cap, drop the license fee price, and compensate current license holders with a one-time $25,000 payout plus a 20-year waiver on renewal fees, adjusted to inflation. The waiver would be transferable alomg with the license as well, providing added long-term value. In exchange, license holders would sign a waiver of legal claims against the city, reducing litigation risk.
No formal decision was made this week, as the discussion was informational only. While most council members agreed some form of reform is needed, there was no clear consensus on how best to proceed. A public hearing and formal vote are expected at a future council meeting. In the meantime, city leaders are encouraging feedback from business owners and residents across Minot.
By: Mary Steurer(ND Monitor)
A committee of lawmakers on Tuesday endorsed a bill that would allow the state to shift health insurance premium costs onto employees.
Senate Bill 2160, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Davison, R-Fargo, would change the state employee health care plan to comply with the federal Affordable Care Act. This change would be irreversible.
The House Appropriations Committee voted 15-7 to give the bill a do-pass recommendation.
It will soon go to the House floor for a vote by the whole chamber.
Supporters cite two main benefits to the policy. For one, it would cover a greater swath of services for employees — including contraception and preventative procedures like colonoscopies and mammograms.
Under the new plan, co-pays would also apply toward out-of-pocket maximums.
The new plan would cost about $6.6 million to implement for the 2025-2027 budget, according to an analysis attached with the bill. It says it would cost more than $25 million for the 2027-2029 biennium.
One of the more divisive components of the proposal is that it’d give the state the ability to make employees pay a portion of the insurance premiums. Right now, the state covers that cost.
Some said this would allow the state greater flexibility to address rising expenses for medical care.
“We have to start looking at ways to make a change for our budget, because we are not going to have the revenue coming in next time that we’ve had in the past,” said Rep. David Monson, R-Osnabock. “To ask people to kick in a little more out of their pocket, put some more skin in the game, I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”
Critics have said there isn’t enough concrete evidence to suggest the policy change is a good idea.
Molly Herrington, chief people officer of the state’s Office of Management and Budget, submitted testimony last month in opposition to the bill.
She said the state doesn’t have data on how many employees would prefer to change to an Affordable Care Act compliant plan.
“Funding increases for the upcoming biennium are planned to be covered through PERS reserves, but we are concerned with how future costs will be covered long term and the risk that costs would be paid by employees,” Herrington wrote, referring to the North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System. “If increased costs are pushed to employees, this would significantly dilute the strength of our total rewards package.”
Her testimony included survey results from 2022 and 2024 that indicate employees consider health insurance the most important benefit offered by the state.
“I think we’re treading down a very treacherous path that we may not fully appreciate with regards to retention and employees,” said Rep. Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, who voted against the bill.
North Dakota United, the union that represents public employees, opposes the bill. President Nick Archuleta said the state Legislature should study the issue during the upcoming interim session to field more thorough feedback from state employees about what kind of health insurance they want.
“They should not fear taking the time that it takes to get the information needed to make a good decision,” he said.
Some have testified that they believe the new policy could be a draw for state employees, however.
“We see this bill as, frankly, a retention tool for some of our employees, for the different benefits that are covered that are not covered right now,” Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread told lawmakers at a previous committee hearing.
In written testimony, Insurance Department Deputy Commissioner John Arnold elaborated that the agency still worries about the long-term impacts of changing the plan.
“A shift in costs could create an additional financial burden on state employees, ultimately affecting the workforce’s morale, retention, and the state’s ability to attract top talent,” he wrote.
Arnold said the department would support adding an Affordable Care Act plan as an option for employees if it also allowed them to remain on the existing plan.
By: Jeff Beach(ND Monitor)
North Dakota lawmakers on Friday sided with hunters in the debate over whether the state Game and Fish Department can restrict using bait when deer hunting on private property.
The House passed Senate Bill 2137 after rejecting a proposed amendment. The bill is the same version that passed the Senate.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has banned landowners from setting out feed for deer for the purpose of hunting in some areas of the state. The department testified against the bill, saying that feeding bans are part of an attempt to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer.
Charlie Bahnson, wildlife veterinarian for Game and Fish, said in written testimony that chronic wasting disease is still rare in North Dakota, but the department needs the feeding restrictions as a management tool.
But Rep. Matt Ruby, R-Minot, argued that the bans have no effect on the spread of the disease that can be fatal in deer.
Some states have seen large declines in deer populations. Ruby said North Dakota should continue to monitor for the disease.
North Dakota has had 122 positive tests of chronic wasting disease in deer since 2009, The Bismarck Tribune reported, citing Game and Fish Department data. Of those, 119 cases were from deer killed by hunters.
Supporters of the bill argue there has only been one confirmed case of chronic wasting disease in the state, a deer that was found dead by a landowner near Williston that tested positive for the disease.
An argument against feeding is that it encourages deer to congregate in large groups, helping disease spread. Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, said the state should encourage feeding because with more feed sources, the deer groups would be smaller, he said.
The failed amendment would have put limits on how much feed could be put out and put restrictions on where feed could be placed. It also called for a Game and Fish report on chronic wasting disease to Legislative Management.
Hunters have turned out in large numbers at the Capitol to show support for the bill.
The bill heads to the governor for his signature.
(With deep thanks to the Minot Daily News for preserving the historical record through its extensive public archives via the Minot Public Library)
On April 4, 1987, a thick black cloud billowed into the skies above Minot, carrying with it the haze of smoke, the stinging acrid stench of chemicals, and the uncertainty of an unfolding disaster. What began as a routine Saturday morning soon transformed into a public emergency, forcing more than 10,000 Minot residents to flee their homes. The source: a fire ignited inside a chemical warehouse on Minot’s southeast edge, sending toxic fumes drifting North over not just the bulk of Minot, but all the way into Canada. Today, the memory of the Westchem fire lives on in the city’s distant memory, but it offers a great view into a disaster that could've ended much worse.
At approximately 11:05 a.m., flames erupted from a Ford F-250 pickup truck parked inside the Westchem Agricultural Chemicals Inc. warehouse on 27th Street SE, where today's Menards is located. The truck, later found to have an "improperly wired aftermarket dome light connected without proper circuit protection", became the unexpected ignition point. The fire spread rapidly through the cement block warehous, and quickly reached barrels of pesticides and herbicides, including parathion and malathion, two toxic insecticides.
The fire grew at an intense pace, feeding on chemical fuels and actually exploding drums. Flames soared more than 40 feet in the air, sending fireballs mushrooming into the sky that were seen from North Hill. Within minutes, a thick black toxic cloud began to drift northward over the city. Winds, which are predominently out of the NW, were gusting up to 30 miles per hour, and coming out of the South. This carried the cloud straight up Broadway, cutting a swath of fumes up to seven miles north, with some smoke reportedly reaching 50 miles into Canada.
With little time and no formal evacuation orders in place, police, fire, and civil defense officials scrambled to act. Firefighters from Minot and nearby rural departments poured in, along with reinforcements from Minot Air Force Base and the city airport station. But as the first 3,000 gallons of water were used to slow the spread, responders quickly realized that water only worsened the situation, potentially pushing chemicals into storm drains and the water table. By noon, foam was ordered, but responders had to wait for the fire to burn down before applying it at the danger of mixing water with unknown chemicals. The warehouse was reduced to a skeletal shell by 4 p.m., with flames smoldering well into the night.
Over 10,000 residents were told to flee their homes all across Minot with smoke traveling through some of the most densely populated parts of the town. Emergency shelters were established in Surrey, Burlington, and even inside a state highway department garage, with sirens blaring every ten minutes. Police warned residents to shower, bag their clothes, and stay indoors if they’d been exposed. Emergency rooms across Minot overflowed with people suffering from headaches, dizziness, stinging eyes, nausea, and shortness of breath. Firefighters and police officers were among the 40+ treated. Thankfully, despite the seemingly massive fallout, no lives were lost.
By Sunday morning, federal officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arrived from Denver, joining state health officials, North Dakota’s fire marshal, and Governor George Sinner to assess the damage. Soil and water contamination quickly became the central concern. Toxic runoff had already pooled in drainage ditches, with officials plastering the area with specialized sponges to soak up the chemicals. Lab testing later confirmed traces of pesticides like 2,4-D and MCPA, prompting the city to erect sand dike barriers to prevent any further spread.
Officials feared long-term leaching into Minot's underground aquifer system. The State Health Department began what would become a multi-year soil monitoring program, with testing continuing into 1992. Instead of transporting the contaminated soil to a landfill, Westchem’s general manager Harold Schultz opted for an emerging technology: bioremediation. The company Ecova Corp. was hired to introduce microorganisms into the soil. The microbes, fed with water and nutrients, consumed 96% of the hazardous chemicals within three months, becoming one of the first large-scale uses of microbial cleanup in U.S. history, preventing what could have been a decades long contamination.
The disaster,as is common place in America, inevitably led to litigation. In 1986, Westchem had purchased the Ford F-250 pickup from Westlie Motor Company in Minot. The vehicle included a trailer tow wiring harness with a hot wire, protected by a fusible link. But a Westchem employee had spliced an aftermarket dome light into the truck’s wiring, without adding fuse protection, and then proceeded to wrap the new wire around a nylon gas line. When the wire shorted out, it melted through the gas line, igniting the truck and starting the fire.
Westchem sued Ford and Westlie, alleging the truck was defectively designed and that neither manufacturer had warned of such risks. But in 1993, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that Ford bore no liability. The court found the truck to be safe as it was designed, and that Ford had no duty to anticipate unsafe aftermarket modifications. The claim against Westlie was mostly dismissed as well, though one narrow claim of negligent maintenance was remanded for further proceedings. Ultimately, Westchem was found responsible for its own loss, since Westlies didn't make the aftermarket modification. A legal conclusion that capped a saga of fire, smoke, and fallout spanning over 7 years.
In the wake of the fire, Minot’s City Council passed numerous ordinances to regulate the storage of hazardous materials, no longer allowing them to be stored in mass quantities in town. Businesses were required to submit chemical inventory packets, install lock boxes for emergency responders, and clearly label tanks and containment areas. The fire cost Westchem an estimated $8 million and forced the company to relocate its storage operations outside city limits. The Minot Fire Marshal at the time would later describe it as the first major U.S. chemical fire involving agricultural pesticides, a grim milestone that placed Minot in the national spotlight. Officials across the country would go on to study the city’s response as a case study in emergency preparedness.
Though the flames of April 4, 1987, have long since faded, the Westchem fire continues to cast a long shadow for those thst remember. It remains a cautionary tale about preparedness, responsibility, and the delicate balance between industry and community safety. There were no fatalities, but the fire left behind thousands of disrupted lives, a costly environmental cleanup that helped prove the merit of microbes, and a lasting lesson in how quickly what is seemingly minor negligence could ignite disaster.
And again, a big thanks to the Minot Daily News archives, preserved through the Minot Public Library, so we are able to remember not just the details, but the urgency, confusion, and resilience that defined Minot in the immediate aftermath.
By Robert Schmad (Daily Caller News Foundation)
Federally-funded progressive pet projects and wasteful spending alike could be on the way out if Elon Musk succeeds in his quest to improve the administrative state’s efficiency.
Right-of-center policy experts previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they hope Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency will improve federal data collection practices and cut wasteful expenditures. Musk took to X on Thursday to express his openness to reeling in federal spending on transgender research and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
In July, the United States of America’s debt surpassed $35 trillion for the first time in history, with the balance expected to exceed $36 trillion in the near future.
Over the past year, the DCNF has collected dozens of examples of wasteful or otherwise strange programs the Biden-Harris administration has pumped public funds into, feeding the deficit. Here are five examples of what could come under scrutiny from Musk’s efficiency agency.
1. Improper Payments
The Biden-Harris administration is on track to have paid out over $1 trillion in improper payments by the time President-elect Donald Trump takes office and the Department of Government Efficiency gets to work in January 2025. Federal guidelines define an improper payment as any disbursement “made by the government to the wrong person, in the wrong amount or for the wrong reason.”
Common examples of improper payments include erroneous payments made through the Medicaid and Medicare systems, misallocated COVID-19 aid, benefits paid to dead people and taxpayer funds lost to fraud. Large sums of improper payments are not a problem unique to the Biden-Harris administration. During Trump’s first administration, the government disclosed $814 billion in inflation-adjusted improper payments.
Not all improper payments are totally lost after being sent out. The Biden-Harris administration managed to recover about $51 billion of the $235.7 billion it erroneously disbursed in 2023.
Both parties have expressed concern about the magnitude of improper payments put out by the federal government, with a bipartisan group of legislators in the House pushing the Improper Payments Transparency Act, a bill introduced in May that would require the president’s budget request to identify common payment errors and formulate ways to address them.
2. Tax Dollars Funding LGBT Activism Abroad
Spokespeople for the State Department have previously told the DCNF that promoting LGBT inclusion in other countries is a “foreign policy priority” of the Biden-Harris administration, a statement supported by materials the agency publishes.
Under President Joe Biden, the State Department and The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have spent millions working to fund transgender surgeries, bankroll LGBT activists and engage pro-transgender in social engineering abroad.
USAID, for instance, gave $2 million to Asociacion Lambda, a Guatemala-based organization, to both engage in pro-LGBT activism and to provide people with “gender-affirming care,” federal records show. Asociacion Lambda attempts to influence elections in Guatemala and meets with government officials to engage in advocacy.
The State Department, meanwhile, funded the production of a play in North Macedonia where God is portrayed as a bisexual that has constant sex with hermaphroditic angels and communists are painted in a positive light.
“Americans are far from agreeing on how to deal with race, sex, and ‘gender’ in schools and workplaces,” Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Simon Hankinson wrote in a 2022 report. “Even when U.S. national consensus is there, restraint is always necessary in attempting to convince other nations that one’s own values should be theirs. The U.S. must balance the likelihood of convincing potential allies with the likelihood of hostile reactions to perceived interference or ‘cultural colonialism.’”
Other programs the Biden-Harris administration approved to push homosexuality and transsexuality abroad included bankrolling the creation of 2,500 “LGBTQI+ allies” in India, using tax dollars to “foster a united and equal queer-feminist discourse in Albanian society,” staging a film festival in Portugal featuring incestual and pedophilic themes, funding gay pride events across the globe and deploying public funds to support the work of “queer” Muslim writers living in India.
3. ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ Grants
In November 2022, the Biden-Harris administration released a memo defining indigenous knowledge as “a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, innovations, practices, and beliefs developed by Tribes and Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with the environment” that “is applied to phenomena across biological, physical, social, cultural and spiritual systems.”
From 2021 to 2023, the Biden-Harris administration approved more than $831.8 million in grants that encouraged the use of indigenous knowledge in service of achieving the Biden administration’s goals.
The Department of Commerce, for instance, earmarked $575 million in June 2023, asking third parties to utilize indigenous knowledge to help mitigate the impact of weather events caused by climate change. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, made an estimated $18.75 million available in August 2023 for grantees to apply “Indigenous knowledge methods,” alongside other approaches, as part of a program intended to test experimental methods of reducing drug overdose.
The 2022 Biden-Harris administration memo ordered agencies to “recognize and, as appropriate, apply Indigenous Knowledge in decision making, research, and [their] policies.” Agencies were also instructed to consult with Indian spiritual leaders and not to assume that indigenous knowledge is incorrect when “Western” science contradicts it, with the memo calling science a tool of oppression.
“When I start hearing things about how there’s this other dimension where, you know, the animals interact with humans at a different level of reality, that’s just not a thing,” City University professor and biologist Massimo Pigliucci told the Washington Free Beacon, in reference to their reporting on the subject. “You can believe that and you have the right to believe it but it’s not empirical evidence.”
4. DEI at the VA and Beyond
As hundreds of thousands of veterans were stuck on benefit waitlists, Biden’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) took at least a dozen actions aimed at expanding DEI within the agency.
The VA had 378,000 claims from veterans that had been pending for at least 125 days at the end of 2023, according to the agency. In September 2021, shortly after Biden took office, the VA had just 210,854 claims that had been backlogged for the same length of time.
While the number of disabled veterans waiting on support grew, the Biden-Harris VA was focused on doing things like establishing an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Council, working on making its contractors more racially diverse and engaging in marketing campaigns aimed at reaching out to the “LGBTQ+” community and female veterans.
The VA is far from the only federal department that leaned into DEI in recent years as the various branches of the federal government collectively spend millions per year on diversity trainings. The Department of Health and Human Services alone spends tens of million per year on DEI programs and staff. Roughly a third of the funds disbursed by the National Science Foundation promoted DEI, according to a recent Senate Commerce Committee report.
5. Inventing Gay Landmarks
America’s national parks faced an estimated $23.3 billion maintenance backlog at the end of the 2023 fiscal year, according to a July report from the Congressional Research Service. While public parks languished, the National Park Service (NPS) diverted public funds to its “Underrepresented Communities Grant Program,” which is designed to diversify America’s historical landmarks to better include racial and sexual minorities.
During Biden’s tenure in office, NPS paid an array of government agencies and nonprofits to seek out “historic” LGBT locations to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. When NPS approves a landmark to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, its owner becomes entitled to special tax breaks, with many state and local governments offering special grant programs for such locations.
NPS, for example, paid out $75,000 to Washington State’s Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation for it to identify an “outstanding representation of queer history” and nominate it to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The service has spent $7.5 million on its Underrepresented Communities Grant Program since 2014, with Congress apportioning $1.25 million for the 2024 iteration of the program.
America’s national parks are billions of dollars behind on maintenance related to roads, buildings, water systems and campgrounds, according to the congressional report.
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress rejected political violence Saturday after a shooting at Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania left at least one rallygoer dead and forced the Secret Service to rush the former president off stage.
Local authorities confirmed the shooter was killed, according to The Associated Press.
The shooting at a crowded outdoor rally in Butler, just an hour outside Pittsburgh, occurred less than 48 hours before the Republican National Convention is set to begin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump is expected to become the party’s official presidential nominee on Thursday.
Video footage of the rally shows Trump bringing his hand to the right side of his face and ducking down behind the podium just after several gunshots and screams were heard. U.S. Secret Service agents huddled around the former president and raced him off the stage as he reached out to pump his fist in the air toward the crowd.
Trump campaign spokesman Steve Cheung issued a statement shortly after that the former president is “fine” and that he thanked law enforcement.
‘Praying for President Trump’
Members of Congress from both political parties uniformly condemned violence in a wave of social media posts and official statements.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, posted on social media that he was “Praying for President Trump.”
“Kelly and I are praying for President Trump and all the attendees of the campaign rally today in Pennsylvania, and we send our gratitude to the law enforcement who responded at the scene,” Johnson wrote.
“I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments,” Johnson added. “This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, released a written statement saying that he was “horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe.”
“Political violence has no place in our country,” Schumer wrote.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, wrote on social media that “all Americans are grateful that President Trump appears to be fine after a despicable attack on a peaceful rally.”
“Violence has no place in our politics,” McConnell wrote. “We appreciate the swift work of the Secret Service and other law enforcement.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, wrote on social media that his “thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump.”
Members of Congress react with horror
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania issued a statement that he was monitoring the situation that unfolded in Western Pennsylvania.
“(A)nd I’ve reached out (to) the State Police to offer support. Political violence is never acceptable and I am hoping former president Trump & all attendees are safe. Everyone in Butler should listen to law enforcement,” Casey wrote on social media.
Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, whose wife Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman, was shot in 2011 at an event, posted that they were both “horrified.”
“Gabby and I are horrified by the incident in Pennsylvania,” Kelly wrote. “No one should ever have to experience political violence — we know that firsthand. We’re keeping former President Trump, his family, and everyone involved in our thoughts.”
Giffords wrote on her own social media feed that “Political violence is terrifying. I know.”
“I’m holding former President Trump, and all those affected by today’s indefensible act of violence in my heart. Political violence is un-American and is never acceptable — never,” Giffords wrote.
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, wrote on social media that “(p)olitical violence is despicable, and there is no place for it in America.”
“I’m grateful that former President Trump is safe, and to the law enforcement officials who risked their lives to take action” Peters wrote. “I will continue to closely monitor this developing situation.”
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins wrote on social media that she was “very relieved that President Trump appears to be OK; however, this violence is absolutely appalling.”
“Thank God for the Secret Service and first responders who hurried President Trump out of harm’s way,” Collins wrote.
Quick response
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, commended the quick response of Secret Service agents and other authorities on the scene.
“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Donald Trump and his family after hearing news of a shooting at his campaign rally today,” DeLauro of Connecticut posted on social media.
House Republican Mike Turner of Ohio, chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued a statement saying “As the situation unfolds in Butler, Pennsylvania, I urge everyone to join me in praying for President Trump and our country.”
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York wrote on social media that “AMERICA IS PRAYING! GOD BLESS PRESIDENT TRUMP! #SAVEAMERICA,”
“I’m praying for President Trump. I hope everyone will join me,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote on X.
“Jacquie and I are praying for President Trump and all of the attendees at today’s rally. President Trump is a proven warrior who has overcome adversity time and time again. He will rise above this horrifying situation stronger than ever,” House Republican Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota posted.
Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, an outspoken critic of Trump and ranking member of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, said news of the shooting was “horrifying.”
“Violence of any kind has no place in American politics. We are grateful for the reaction of Secret Service and other law enforcement and pray for the former president and all those injured,” Cheney wrote on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on social media saying he was “shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump.”
“We pray for his safety and speedy recovery,” the leader of the U.S. ally said.
By Dr. Steve Nagel, ND National Committeeman-elect for the RNC
I have a comment from Kirsten Baesler that I believe needs to be addressed, cutting down the efforts of the NDGOP and the significance of those in attendance. Her comments are completely inexcusable. However, I WILL highlight a glaring indication of government waste and inefficient spending.
Directly quoted in an April 5 statement following Bartlett's endorsement:
“Our convention process is flawed — it disenfranchises the tens of thousands of Republican voters who can’t afford to take a Friday off from work or school so they can spend a couple thousand dollars to vote in these contests.”
1. I spent around $800 for the weekend, including all dues, and could have gotten it down to $650 if I didn't need to be in Fargo Thursday night to make sure our sound was set up correctly. See below for details if you care. If our Superintendent of Schools spent over $2000 to go, where did she spend that money? And is responsible spending even on her radar? We have seen school spending SKYROCKET over the last decade, and have only seen student scores falter to an unacceptable rate. Throwing money at a failing system will not fix it. I hope that message can go far beyond the current state of our schools and into most of government in general. Taxing more for failing policies and crony capitalism is FAILING.
2. Yes it was a sacrifice for MANY, especially those on in the western side of the state. Don't kid yourself. It is completely insulting to the grassroots people that DID sacrifice in a big way to be there. Most of them ARE the working class. Those who found someone to check their cattle in the middle of calving season and feed for them for a couple of days. Those who got up at 3 am to drive, stay one night, and return home after the event. Those that DID take a day off, BECAUSE THEY VALUED THEIR COUNTRY enough to become involved and show up.
4. I know people who couldn't afford to go but wanted to. I also know how knowledgeable these same people are, about the failures of our current school system. WHAT IF knowledge about the travesty of our current school systems were the only factor in attending or not attending? If cost was taken off the table? This is speculation, however, I would wager that the current "status quo" would have performed much WORSE than it did. Which should be a tough pill to swallow for our current incumbent.
5. It is, from my experience, the "low information voters" that don't bother with a convention, or even know it exists- also know very little about HOW their politicians are showing up day-to-day, decision-to-decision. OR about who schools are taking their direction from. Don't flatter yourself about disenfranchised people not being there to vote for you.
Many parents I've spoken to, the ones that are yearning for new leadership, recognize this:
Parents ARE the primary stakeholders in their children's education. Period. REGARDLESS of what the NSBA and Joe Biden cooperatively say. When they stated that concerned parents are akin to domestic terrorists, and sent the FBI after them, that should have been an IMMEDIATE separation between our school and the NSBA, but it took a lot of time and public pressure, and for other states to set an example, to divest from this evil thinktank. Why did North Dakota wait so long to take a stance against this outright overreach? It mattered then, and it STILL MATTERS. WILL WE LEARN from our past mistakes?
What other think tanks do we need to divest from? Who decides which think tanks indoctrinate teachers, administration, and school boards? What does the NDSBA think? The National Secondary Principal Association, the National Education Association? The American School Administrators Association? Do these entities have "unspoken agendas" just as the NSBA CLEARY does? It’s worth a conversation. (More on that here.)
Although the NSBA admits they went "Too far", they also essentially admit to their true intentions and where their true north is- complete control of your children. They just got caught pushing the agenda too quickly.
Thankfully, the idea that parents ARE the primary stakeholders for their own children, is NOT a partisan issue. At least it shouldn’t be. It is a government vs the people issue, with special interests and crony businesses sprinkled in, willing to sell out our children’s future.
More and more are waking up to the after-effects of the Bill Gates created common-core agenda infiltrating our school systems, moving education away from the "3 R's" to a marbleized, confusing curriculum that muddies the water between truth and fiction, right and wrong, right-side-up and upside-down, xx/xy chromosomes, 2+2 doesn't "have" to =4, and so on.
We don't teach Civics. Or Patriotism. My nephew got sent home for wearing a US Flag suit on election day. Too traumatic for some students I guess. It was "picking sides" in the election- which "side" does the flag represent and which doesn't it? The fact that we all know the answer should be a warning sign. Maybe he should have worn Ukraine colors instead or a Black Lives Matter suit to appease his authorities.
If we can't give children certainty in basic math or keep the process logical, how do we expect these children to have a framework around "reality"? How do we expect them to think critically about things that matter? Confusion and exceptions are now the norm. We allow mental disorders to rule the conversation, instead of getting them the help they need. Schools hide mental problems from parents. We force compelled speech instead of instilling morals and free speech ideas. CRT, DEI, how many more "think tanks" are influencing our curriculum outside of the one that "got caught"?
Confusion creates easily manipulated, compliant slaves.
Add to it forced medical procedures. NONE of which serve our future children, but instead served Big Pharma, and forever altered the brains of learning children negatively. Will their learning scores ever recover? Will the authorities within our state and schools be FOOLED by the CDC "experts" again next time this happens? Will we say things like "We don't want to do it but we will lose federal funding"? What IS your price?
In our office, we speak of "resilience" and building our health resilience, making the people we work with less prone to breaking down in the future. It takes work. Our profession is based on strengthening the human body to better adapt to the environment around us. Most other healthcare professions are focused on changing the environment to suit a weakened body.
I see a major parallel with managing emotions. If we bend all language and activities around protecting every emotion as a child, what happens when they have to step into the real world and realize that it is HOW WE ADAPT to the world around us that matters, not whether we can force everyone else around us to change their behavior to fit what should be a mental diagnosis. Eating healthy is seen as a mental health disorder while identifying as having multiple personalities is just being "fluid".
For decades we've seen more and more emphasis on drugging kids into submission than teaching diet, nutrition, movement, confidence, and lifestyle supportive of optimizing learning and protecting/developing brain function. No, ketchup and french fries are NOT vegetables, even if the potato industry says so. Yes, inoculation HAS neurologic and immunologic risks that are NOT black-and-white (e.g. encephalitis and autoimmune problems). Processed grains like pasta and bread have significant health implications, ESPECIALLY in a mostly sedentary culture, in which we live. Yes, cardiovascular and strength training is a REQUIREMENT for normal genetic expression. Yes, a quality source of meat historically IS needed to sustain health (See historical texts of Westin A Price- Nutrition and Physical Degeneration). Yes, processed sugar consumption DOES affect learning abilities. The government is WRONG when they fund studies suggesting fruit loops are more nutritious than steak and eggs. I could go on but you get my point.
All serve to create willing, chronically ill slaves in mind, body, and spirit, dependent on government for survival instead of ourselves and our neighbors, family, and friends. This makes for great taxpayers who never look at how much of their paycheck is taken by our government.
THIS is why people are not voting for the status quo. THIS is why there is an uprising of our parents and concerned people. We SEE where the puck is going and we are not ok with it. ARE YOU?
So, where do we start?
For those who care- my expenditures for the State GOP convention.
$50 for dues, (which is yearly, not for the convention itself but required).
$150 for the convention - Yes, this could have been perhaps less costly if it were in Bismarck, however, there are costs involved with a venue to seat 1500-2000 people for 2 days, which is needed to actually discuss and vote on candidates and proposed resolutions, instead of "rubber stamping" them as happened in 2022.
$357 for room, of which, if I hadn't needed to be in Fargo the evening prior for a commitment I had, could have been achieved for around $180.
$100 for food (pack a lunch with healthy snacks and avoid splurging)
$150 for gas (if I DON'T cut it in half for carpooling, which I did)
North Dakota’s capital city of Bismarck took grew out of some of the wickedest days in frontier history. The Northern Pacific Railroad, advancing from the populated East, made it as far as the Missouri River. It was there that Edwinton, later renamed Bismarck, was born.
It would be several years before funds were appropriated to bridge the Missouri, which was then the edge of the Sioux nation. Thus, Bismarck was the end of the line for roughies, gamblers, and assorted lawbreakers fleeing from the East. Many of them vowed to make Bismarck their last stand, vowing to “die with their boots on.
An early directory of the soon to be booming frontier town listed a population of 1,000 adult men and an astounding 24 saloons. Bismarck’s Fourth Street became notorious for drinking and gambling, shootings and slayings.
Many of the fatal incidents involved soldiers from Fort Abraham Lincoln, located across the Missouri River from Bismarck. One of the country’s best-known personalities, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, was commanding officer of the vaunted 7th Cavalry posted at Fort Lincoln.
Saloon frequenters that got into shooting row with a soldier could expect swift reprisal from others wearing the Army blue. The Army did not interfere in such matters and civil authorities lacked jurisdiction on a military post.
The only time Custer ever exerted his authority over anyone in Bismarck involved the stealing of Fort Lincoln grain which was to be used as feed for cavalry mounts. He led a company of soldiers across the frozen Missouri and lined them up in front of a storehouse on Bismarck’s Main Street.
The troopers opened the warehouse and removed sacks of grain clearly marked Ft. Abraham Lincoln. The warehouse was owned by John McLean, Bismarck’s mayor, who was said to have shown the proper amount of surprise at seeing the stolen grain sacks.
A few months later Custer arrested Charles McCarthy for cutting wood within the boundaries of the Fort Lincoln reservation. He tossed McCarthy into the guardhouse but released him a few days later at the urging of two attorneys from Bismarck. Ironically, McCarthy was elected sheriff two months later.
It was a Custer-led expedition into the Black Hills of present-day South Dakota that discovered gold, an event that ignited a gold rush and accelerated Bismarck’s growth. The city positioned itself as the best jumping off point for gold seekers heading to the Hills. Businesses flourished, mostly providing the flow of goods of all kinds headed for the latest bonanza. The Bismarck-to-Deadwood stage trail increased demand for horses, wagons, and supplies.
Deadwood quickly earned a reputation as a wild frontier town. The Eastern newspapers were enthralled with exciting tales from Deadwood. Clement Lounsberry, owner/editor of the Bismarck Tribune, made a trip to Deadwood in 1877 to see if the stories of lawlessness and mayhem were true.
He returned to Bismarck and wrote glowing accounts of Deadwood and Crook City, two well-known destinations in the Black Hills. However, Lounsberry added, “more murders occurred in the town of Bismarck during the first two years of its existence than has occurred in all of the towns of the Black Hills.”
