Plain Talk

If constructed, the Midwest Carbon Express, a carbon pipeline project pursued by Summit Carbon Solutions, would gather carbon emissions from ethanol plants across the upper midwest and bring it to North Dakota for storage. Controversy around the pipeline, particularly from some landowners and farmers who say their land will be stolen through eminent domain, or that the pipeline itself is dangerous, has made headlines. But two North Dakota lawmakers with deep ties to agriculture in the state are pushing back. Sen. Terry Wanzek and Rep. Mike Brandenburg, both Republican members of the North Dakota legislature, recently wrote a letter to the editor arguing that "the future is here, and it demands that we incorporate innovative solutions like carbon capture and storage to ensure the continued prosperity of our leading industries." Rep. Brandenburg joined this episode of Plain Talk to explain his argument. "It's time we start talking about the positive things with this pipeline," he said. Brandenburg says 100 miles of Summit's pipeline run through his legislative district, where he also farms. He initially didn't like the way Summit approached landowners. He said they hired contractors who bullied landowners. "We had a meeting with them and told them they have a bunch of crooks out here," Brandenburg said. Summit has since fired those contractors and fixed the problems, he continued. Meanwhile, he argued, new economic realities are setting in. Canada, a major importer of American ethanol, has implemented new emissions standards, and without carbon capture, American farmers and ethanol producers will be at a disadvantage. "A year ago this time, corn was $2 higher," he said, attributing to fall to competition from farmers in places like Brazil which he says are ahead of the curb on capturing carbon. Brandenburg also said that North Dakota farmers are being misled by people such as Darryl Lies, the president of the North Dakota Farm Bureau who uses his Bismarck-based talk radio show to inveigh against carbon capture and Summit's pipeline. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

When it comes to criminal justice policy, and more specifically, the sort of policy that deals with incarcerating people, the most important thing for us to remember is that most people who are put in prison will eventually get out. According to a public-facing data dashboard from the North Dakota Department of Corrections, about 64% of people incarcerated in our state spend less than a year there. About 92% spend 3 years or less behind bars. If those folks are eventually going to be in our communities again, if they're going to be our neighbors and customers and coworkers, then shouldn't we want to make sure we're doing everything we can to ensure they're ready to be out of prison again? That's what we talked about on this episode of Plain Talk. The data dashboard I just used to bring you those statistics was developed by a nonprofit called Recidiviz. They were founded by Google engineers, and developed for North Dakota a criminal justice data system that allows our state to better organize our corrections resources. In fact, North Dakota was the first state the organization worked with. Dave Krabbenhoft, the director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Lily Fielding, a state engagement director for Recidiviz, joined this episode of Plain Talk to talk about the cutting-edge work they're doing. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I talk about how North Dakota taxes are always going up, and never down, and what that might mean for our debate about eliminating property taxes. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Click here for more information.

MINOT — As North Dakota braces itself for another debate about abolishing property taxes - a new ballot measure to do so is being circulated for signatures, and it will likely be on the ballot next year - local governments are busy raising property taxes. It almost seem like the locals want to get rid of property taxes. One local leader, Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss it. Bochenski pointed out that his jurisdiction has been cutting taxes, not raising them. He said his city has just completed its fourth straight cut in property taxes mills, but that's also one of the most confounding things about property taxes. Even if one local government is keeping taxes down, that can be overshadowed by other local governments. When people in Grand Forks get a property tax bill, they aren't just paying the City of Grand Forks. They're also paying Grand Forks County, and their school district, and the park district, etc. It's that way all over the state. But would Bochenski vote to abolish property taxes? He says he's undecided - "I don't think there's enough information" - but on the whole he seems largely against it. He doesn't like the idea of putting local governments relying so much more on state lawmakers in Bismarck to fund their needs, especially with a new term limits amendment ensuring that the folks serving in Bismarck aren't very experienced. Also joining this episode was U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, who talked with co-host Chad Oban and I about everything from Donald Trump's legal problems to Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's health struggles. Asked if he feels Burgum, who has struggled to gain traction in national polls, should drop out of the race, Cramer said, "Doug maybe along with some others." Cramer said that consolidating the non-Trump candidates is going to be "important" for those looking to move on from the former president. Still, that doesn't mean Cramer isn't behind Burgum. "I'm with him until he makes the decision himself," Cramer said.

Grand Farms is an agriculture research site west of Fargo, and on today's episode of Plain Talk, we talked about what a big deal it is with Grand Farms board chair Greg Tehven and state Rep. Cindy Schreiber-Beck. It's a big deal, because I'm not sure how many non-farming citizens understand how much bleeding-edge technology is involved in modern farming. From drones and autonomous machinery to planting techniques, human ingenuity is pushing to keep farmers in a position to feed the world even as the world's population gets bigger. Also on this episode, Wednesday co-host Ben Hanson and I break down a new ballot measure that would do a lot of harm to North Dakota's political process, from opening up elections to endless audits and objections to turning the initiated measure process into a completely unaccountable process through which anyone with some money can put their issue on the ballot. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show on platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Perrie Schafer likes Gov. Doug Burgum. He says they worked together in recent years "hand in hand" during his stint as chair of the North Dakota Republican Party. But on this episode of Plain Talk, he said Burgum didn't make a big impression during the first presidential debate. "I think Doug is going to have to make a decision," Schafer said during the show with co-hosts Chad Oban and Ben Hanson chiming in as well. "There's a point where there's good money after bad," he added, saying the candidate has to ask himself of saying in a crowded GOP field, "Is it worth doing?" He said Burgum's recent injury, playing basketball the day before the debate, isn't helpful. "He's got an Achilles problem as well," Schafer said. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show on popular podcast apps like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Gov. Doug Burgum was injured in a pick-up basketball game just hours ahead of a pivotal national debate where he desperately needs to make a good impression with a national audience that, for the most part, doesn't know him. So of course we spent this episode of Plain Talk discussing a parking dispute in West Fargo. I'm kidding. Sort of. We talked about Burgum's injury, but we also interviewed West Fargo City Commissioner Mark Simmons about the controversy around the city's West Fargo Events non-profit and the parking dispute between two of the city's major developers. We were also joined by Sen. John Hoeven for an update about the potential for the Dakota Access Pipeline being shutdown, and the struggle to build pipeline infrastructure. Want to subscribe to Plain Talk? Search for the show on podcast services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

A shooter who opened fire on police officers in Fargo had mass casualties on his mind. Attorney General Drew Wrigley, who joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the release of harrowing police-worn body camera footage of the terrible incident, said we may never find out much more than that about the shooter's motivations. "I'm going to lower people's expectations on that," he said, noting that more information from the shooter's computers and other devices would be made public in the future. "We can't find anything." Wrigley also covered the controversy over the binary trigger the shooter used to accelerate his rate of fire toward the officers. State lawmakers have passed specific protections for that trigger, and Wrigley said he's received some blowback from critics for bringing the issue up. Wrigley said he's talked about it because it's a central part of the Fargo incident, and because he even he, a gun rights supporter, thinks the triggers should be illegal. "We don't see automatic weapons fire as part of the 2nd amendment protections," he said. "Wouldn't it be nice if [binary triggers] weren't established in North Dakota law?" he added. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I talk about the impact culture warrior leadership has had on fundraising for the North Dakota Republican Party, as well as next week's GOP presidential debate, where Gov. Doug Burgum will be competing. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on podcast services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Is a government-backed nonprofit called West Fargo Events too close to a developer, property management, and event-booking company called EPIC Companies? That's a philosophical question, but it manifests itself in a practical way in the relationship between West Fargo Events and another developer, Jim Bullis. "How can you trust West Fargo when they're playing favorites with developers?" he asked on this episode of Plain Talk, where we discussed the years-long dispute he's had with EPIC Companies and West Fargo Events over parking. "It's three years this has been going on," Bullis said, adding that the relationship between EPIC Companies and West Fargo Events "seems to be a conflict they do not have a way to get around." Also, on this episode, my co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss the property tax hikes that are taking place in local government jurisdictions around the state, and what impact that might have on a new ballot measure campaign to eliminate property taxes entirely. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on your favorite podcast service, like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Toward the end of my two days covering Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines I was able to get some one-on-one time with the candidate. This isn't to say that I didn't get plenty of time with the candidate before that. He had a sweaty, sunburned press scrum surrounding him everywhere he went at the fair, and it was easy enough to ask him questions when they occured, but the governor was gracious enough to make a half hour available for me for an uninterrupted conversation. I chose, as the venue, a park bench in the middle of the fairgrounds, just around the corner from the famous "soap box" stage sponsored by the Des Moines Register. With people walking by -- including another Republican candidate, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who greeted Burgum warmly -- I interviewed the governor of North Dakota, who aspires to be leader of the free world. We covered everything from how Burgum entertains himself on the campaign trail to what he's hoping to accomplish at the GOP's first presidential debate later this month in Wisconsin. If you want to subscribe to Plain Talk, so you're notified when new episodes drop, search for the show on your favorite service, like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

On this episode of Plain Talk, recorded by your sweaty and sunburned correspondent in his hotel room at the Embassy Suites in Des Moines, Iowa, my co-host Ben Hanson and I interviewed Sen. Kevin Cramer. Cramer had some unique insights into the peculiar role Iowa plays in presidential politics, his having been a former chair of the North Dakota Republican Party. He also weighed in on Gov. Doug Burgum's issue platform and other issues around his campaign from a congressional perspective. In the second half of the show Ben and I were joined by my other co-host, Chad Oban, to talk about Burgum's performance in Iowa. We discussed everything from the candidate's taxpayer-subsidized security detail to his substantive policy arguments to his annoyance about constantly being asked about Donald Trump. Want to subscribe to the podcast? Search for the show on platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information on how to get the show on the podcast service of your choice.

"This is not going to solve the problem," Rebecca Pitkin, the executive director of North Dakota's Education Standards and Practices Board, said on this episode of Plain Talk. She was talking about her board's recent request of Gov. Doug Burgum to issue an emergency order setting aside some teacher licensing requirements so that student teachers can run classrooms without supervision. "This is a band-aid," she told me and my co-host Chad Oban (full disclosure, his day job is at North Dakota United, the state teacher and public worker union). Pitkin answered questions about how student teachers might react to being asked to run classrooms without oversight, and why more hasn't been done prior to this immediate crisis to address what is a long-standing problem in our state. I also asked Pitkin about this tweet from Rep. Zac Ista, a Democrat from Grand Forks, who complained in a post on X that the ESPB board opposed his proposal to remove relicensing requirements from long-term teachers. Also on this episode, we discussed the latest from Burgum's presidential campaign, including the mystery donor to a Burgum-aligned super PAC, and some fake news from Fargo television station Valley News Live about a Trump attack on Burgum that never actually happened. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Collin Peterson represented western Minnesota's 7th Congressional District for 30 years, and during that time got a reputation for blunt talk. He hasn't changed much. As we discussed Peterson's efforts to develop an agriculture policy at North Dakota State University, an entity that will help inform and guide politicians, he shared an anecdote from a recent trip to Iowa. He said he found himself among the Republican presidential candidates when "this Vivek guy" came up to him. "I didn't have any idea who the hell he was," Peterson said on this episode of Plain Talk. "I thought he was running for Congress." That "Vivek guy" was Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech industry multi-millionaire who, as I write this, is currently in third place in the GOP primary according to the RealClearPolitics.com polling average. Can we blame Peterson for not recognizing him? There are currently 13 Republicans officially running for President, a field that runs the gamut from former President Donald Trump to former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton (no, really). How does someone like Peterson keep a hugely important but, we must admit, somewhat prosaic topic like agriculture from becoming collateral damage to our nation's dumpster fire politics? He says he works to keep it "low profile" and "bipartisan." Peterson talked about how agriculture is home to some of America's most bleeding-edge technology, including carbon capture, which he described as the most important issue for ethanol and farming going forward. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discussed the likelihood that Doug Burgum will qualify for the GOP's second presidential debate, and my upcoming trip to Iowa to cover the governor's campaign there.

North Dakota is on the bleeding edge of carbon capture and storage technology, but when the news media reports this, we're often treated to a litany of pessimism from environmental activists. Case in point, a recent news article produced by North Dakota News Cooperative reporter Michael Standaert which was long on nay-saying and short on affirmative arguments in favor of using carbon capture and storage technology to keep our state's coal industry relevant. Jason Bohrer, president of the Lignite Energy Council, which represents our state's coal interests, says knee-jerk opponents of this nascent technology are "ignorant" and "uninformed." "Either it's coming from a place of igorance or it's disingenuous opposition," he said on this episode of Plain Talk, arguing that much of the antagonism is rooted in the belief that there is no place for coal power in future energy production. Bohrer, as you might expect, doesn't see it that way. He acknowledges that humanity, and in particular carbon-heavy industries like coal, oil and gas, ethanol production, and concrete manufacturing, have an impact on our climate. As we read news reports about record-setting temperatures, he thinks humanity needs to act in ways that go beyond trying to make us dependent on energy sources like wind and solar which, so far, have not proven that they can carry the load. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss a controversial political raffle, North Dakota's too-lax campaign finance laws, and a new ballot measure aimed at setting an age limit on serving in Congress, and by extension challenging U.S. Supreme Court precedent holding that such state-based prerequisites are unconstitutional. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here to learn about other ways to subscribe.

Do you know with FirstLink was? If you'd asked me that question before our interview on this episode of Plain Talk with Jennifer Illich, the executive director of the group, my answer would have been...sort of? I knew FirstLink existed. I knew it handled calls from people in distress. I mostly thought of it as a suicide hotline. What I learned during our interview is that this group is doing profound work. In 2022, they handled 85,681 contacts to their 211 and 988 hotlines from people in crisis in various ways, from needing to be connected with assistance programs because they can't pay their heating bill to people who need emergency intervention because they're on the verge of suicide. That's an average of 234 calls per day. Astoundingly, they handled almost 54 calls per day just relating to suicide. FirstLink got a big boost in funding from the North Dakota legislature this year, and it's money well spent, not just because of the work the organization is already doing, but also the work they will be doing. One of the new initiatives Illich told me they're working on is coordinating with the 911 call centers to transfer calls about suicide to them. Currently 911 operators almost always dispatch law enforcement to these calls, but many times that's not necessary or even helpful. The folks at FirstLink are trained to handle those calls and can take work off the backs of law enforcement officials who can then use those resources elsewhere. As you listen to our interview, remember that if you need help, whether it's with thoughts of suicide, or financial problems, or employment problems, you can call or text 211 or 988 (it doesn't matter which) and get help. Also on this episode, we talk about some rank hypocrisy with broadband funding in North Dakota, as well as Gov. Doug Burgum qualifying for the RNC's first presidential debate in August.

Doug Burgum is selling $20 gift cards for $1 each. Is that legal? Is it ethical? As a campaign tactic, will it work? My co-host Ben Hanson and I discussed it on this episode of Plain Talk. Also, there's a fight between lawmakers and the executive director of the Public Employees Retirement System. The Legislature changed the makeup of the PERS board, adding more legislative appointments, and they begun a transition away from a defined-benefit pension to a defined-contribution model. Scott Miller, the executive director of PERS, doesn't like either of these changes. Meanwhile, the change in leadership of the North Dakota Republican Party - recently-elected Chair Sandi Sanford is an ardent culture warrior elected by the MAGA-faction of the party - continues to have ramifications for fundraising. The party's fundraising was in the red after big refunds to major donors. Finally, Minnesota has passed a free tuition program to address flagging enrollment numbers at that state's institutions. Should North Dakota emulate them? To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Lawmakers in Minnesota have created a new tuition program, called North Star Promise, which will give an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 students from households with income levels at $80,000 or less free tuition at the state's institutions of higher education. North Dakota State University President David Cook said that situation has "catastrophic" potential for our state's campuses. He joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss why, and what can be done about it. "The Legislature was very good to us," he said, adding that the universities are "working hard, doing our do diligence" to put a proposal they feel will keep North Dakota competitive with Minnesota. Cook answered questions about whether North Dakota should consolidate some of its 11 campuses or take other steps to find efficiencies that might, in turn, allow the state to be more generous with admissions. Also on this episode Christopher Dodson, who for 28 years has been the voice of the Catholic Church in North Dakota's halls of government, talks about his decision to step down amid health challenges. He has stage-4 prostate cancer, and he opened up about it on the show. He also spoke about some of his successes in policy areas, some of the issues where the Cahtholic Church doesn't get enough credit, how politics in our state has changed over the nearly three decades he's worked here, and what it was like to help guide his church through the challenges of sex scandals. "The clergy abuse crisis hit us hard," he said. "It's been very hard to be the face of the church after this evil," he added. He said politics in North Dakota, like the rest of the nation, has become less civil in recent years, though he argued that our state is much more optimistic than it was in the 1990s when he began. To subscribe to the Plain Talk podcast, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information. "

Earlier this year North Dakota lawmakers tried to pass two - yes, two - book bans. One, House Bill 1205, was slightly less odious than the other, Senate Bill 2360, in that it didn't seek criminal penalties for librarians and educators. Both bills did pass the Legislature, though Gov. Doug Burgum only signed the House bill into law, He vetoed SB2360, and lawmakers failed to override the veto. So now that HB1205 is law, how will it impact our state's libraries? Kerrianne Boetcher, the administrator of the Ward County Public Library and the current president of the North Dakota Library Association, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss. She talked about what it was like to go through an ugly debate that featured completely stupid and unfounded claims about librarians and educators exposing children to pornography - "It was very hard not to take a lot of it personally," Boetcher told us - as well as what librarians will have to do to comply with the new law. Also on this episode, Wednesday co-host Ben Hanson and I talk about the cynical attitude many Americans have about public service, and what impact that's having on the way in which we're governed. To subscribe to the Plain Talk podcast, search for the show on popular podcast services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed down some significant rulings recently, and Sen. Kevin Cramer likes what he's saying. "The decision was a strong one, and a good one," he said on this episode of Plain Talk, discussing the recent opinion striking down President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program. He also acknowledged that student loan debt is a real problem that members of Congress and state leaders should address. "We're going to have a border war with Minnesota over tuition," he said, referring to North Dakota University System officials firing up the klaxons over a free tuition program implemented by our eastern neighbor's lawmakers. "I'm glad I'm not in charge of making those decisions," he added. "I'm sure the college presidents are glad I'm not as well." On this episode Cramer also discussed Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign, which Cramer said he supports wholeheartedly. Asked about what advice he'd give Burgum to break through in a crowded field of candidates where he's consistently in last place, Cramer said he'd advise Burgum to do what he's doing, which is focus on the early voting states. And how should Burgum take on Donald Trump, who enjoys a prohibitive lead in the polls despite a swamp of legal problems? "You're really not running against him until you're #2 in the polls," Cramer said. But when the time comes, he thinks Trump's handling of classified documents would be an important issue for Burgum to note. "Can we all admit that taking classified documents when you leave the presidency...you don't do it," he said. Burgum's current term as governor is up next year. If he doesn't run, would Cramer be interested in the job? "There was a time when I would have loved to be governor," he said, and while he warned that "smart politicians never say what they're never going to do," he thinks there will be good candidates who seek that office, "and they aren't me." Cramer also took questions about the political attacks on the legitimacy of the Supreme Court as well as the Project Tundra carbon capture project entering its final stage. To subscribe to the Plain Talk podcast, search for the show on services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Earlier this year a long-simmering feud between Auditor Josh Gallion, members of the Legislature, and local government officials burst into the public's eye. The dispute is over what the latter two groups say are sensationalized audits and skyrocketing audit costs. That situation prompted lawmakers to put in place some new accountability measures for Gallion, including new legislative oversight, and an extensive performance audit of his office. Rep. Emily O'Brien, a Grand Forks Republican and one of Gallion's sharpest critics in the legislature, is now the chair of the legislative committee overseeing those initiatives. She joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss her expectations of Gallion, and the audit of his office. Also on this episode, Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus discussed the potential implications of a ballot measure aimed at abolishing property taxes. "It's a big decision," he said. "It's a big bite out of the apple." One facet of the debate that Kroshus flagged is that North Dakota has "one of the highest rental rates in the country," he said, which also means that our state has one of the lowest rates of home ownership. People who rent are less impacted, at least directly, by property taxes. How will that impact how the state votes if, and almost certainly when, this measure is put on the ballot? Subcribe to the Plain Talk podcast by searching for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Allow me to pull back the curtain, for a moment, to give you a look behind the scenes at what it's like to be a podcaster and political columnist in North Dakota at this time, in the political cycle. When the legislative session is over. And election season is still months away from starting. And it's summer time. And Friday. It's kind of hard to book a guest. This is why, on this episode of Plain Talk, it's just me and my co-host, Chad Oban, talking politics. Which isn't to say that we didn't cover a lot of interesting stuff. We went from Congressman Kelly Armstrong and his struggles to follow his conscience under intense pressure from the far-right to Doug Burgum's presidential campaign to cryptocurrency. That last may have been ill-advised since neither of us knows a whole lot about it, but we do know that it seems to be a less-than-stable industry at the moment, and the struggles a crypto business - one touted by Burgum - is having in Williams County are very interesting. And you don't really have to be a crypto expert to understand that. To subscribe to the Plain Talk podcast, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice.

Minot, N.D. — "The history of this in other states hasn't been good," Pat Finken said on this episode of Plain Talk. Finken is a long-time Republican strategist who has consulted and managed campaigns for candidates like Sen. John Hoeven, and Sen. Kevin Cramer and worked before for and against ballot measures. He joined this episode to discuss the recent takeover of the North Dakota Republican Party by populists, or culture warriors, or the MAGA movement, depending on your preferred nomenclature. He argues that similar takeovers of Republican politics in places like Arizona, and Minnesota, have resulted in the states moving farther left. The same could happen in North Dakota, depending on how the new party leaders conduct themselves. If they start to censure sitting Republican incumbents, if they recruit extreme candidates for the ballot, we could start to see Republicans lose ground in elections. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss the recent controversy at North Dakota Right To Life, and a voting analysis of the North Dakota legislature from a Minnesota-based group that is premised on the idea that a Republican ever, under any circumstance, voting with a Democrat is a bad thing. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here.

The new chair of the North Dakota Republican Party, Sandi Sanford, doesn't like Republican Congressman Kelly Armstrong very much. She has called for a primary challenger for the incumbent over his vote to codify same-sex marriage in federal law. Does Armstrong now regret that vote? "I do not," he said when asked on this episode of Plain Talk. As for the potential for his own party to become an obstacle to his own re-election, he didn't sound seem concerned. "I'm on the ballot every year," he said. "We'll either get help from the party or we won't," he continued. Armstrong also expressed his support for Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign, saying he's 100 percent behind him, and has donated to his campaign. Burgum's term ends next year, and if he's running for president, he may not seek a third term as governor. Would Armstrong be interested in that office? "Yes, I would certainly look at it," he said. Armstrong also addressed his vote against censuring Rep. Adam Schiff, which earned him the ire of some far-right activists on social media, and commented on the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump. "You have to be thoughtful about this stuff," Armstrong said. "You can't be raging toward whatever gets you the most clicks." Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the platform of your choice.

The North Dakota Republican Party is fractured. Whatever happens at their upcoming reorganization meeting, where leadership from traditional Republicans is under a challenge from populist culture war activists, there's no question that the party has shifted away from what it's been during the last three decades that it has stood astride state politics. Can the Democratic-NPL, which holds no statewide offices, which has withered to superminority status in the state Legislature, take advantage? Adam Goldwyn, the newly-elected chairman of the party, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss it. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss the latest from the presidential campaign trail. Gov. Doug Burgum's entry to the race has gone pretty well, so far, but he's still at the bottom of the barrel according to the most recent national polls. What does he need to do to distinguish himself? If you want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish, search for the show and subscribe on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the platform of your choice.

There are two big stories in North Dakota politics. One you know about. Doug Burgum is running for president of the United States. He's just the second North Dakota resident to do so in the country's history. The other is flying under the radar of all but the wonkiest of state political observers, and it's what's happening to NDGOP. While Burgum seeks the White House, his state political party may well be taken over by people who don't like him very much. Current party chair Perrie Schafer, a Republican in the traditional mold, is facing a challenge from Sandi Sanford, who is not only an ardent culture warrior, but an outspoken critic of Burgum. And, to add an extra layer of intrigue, she's also the wife of his former Lt. Governor Brent Sanford, who left office late last year. Robert Harms, a long-time leader in the NDGOP, having served as treasurer and party chairman in the past, joins this episode of Plain Talk to discuss this turn of events with co-host Chad Oban and I. Also on this episode, state Sen. Sean Cleary, a Republican from District 35 and a former staffer for Burgum weighs in on his former boss's national campaign. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the platform of your choice.

In 2016, I covered the North Dakota Republican Party's state convention alongside reporter Dave Weigel, then of the Washington Post, who currently works for Semafor. Weigel and I watched a gubernatorial candidate and political newbie named Doug Burgum take third in the vote of convention delegates behind his fellow Republicans Rick Becker and Wayne Stenehjem. Burgum, of course, went on to shock North Dakota politics by upsetting Stenehjem in the June primary vote. On this episode of Plain Talk, Weigel recalled that convention, saying it proved to him that you don't bet against Doug Burgum, even when he's the underdog. Weigel and I discuss what Burgum has to do to move from being a little-known governor to a true contender in the GOP's increasingly crowded 2024 presidential field. "It's all about Iowa," Weigel said, noting that he also, at the very least, needs to qualify for the GOP's first presidential debate to be held in Milwaukee in August. Also on this episode, my co-host Ben Hanson, who attended Burgum's announcement in Fargo today, discuss the event. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the service of your choice.

You've all heard the term "clickbait" before, uttered derisively, and not always deservedly, toward online content designed to prioritize earning a click or view or listen, over everything else, including the truth. But how did things get this way? What's the history of clickbait? Ben Smith, one of the founders of a new news venture called Semafor, joined this episode of Plain Talk to talk about it. He's a pioneer of early blogging, a veteran of Politico and the New York Times, and he was the editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News, a position from which he made the decision to publish the now-infamous Steele Dossier. Smith is also the author of a book called 'Traffic: Genius, rivalry, and delusion in the billion-dollar race to go viral.' It's a history book, of sources, spanning roughly the last two decades of internet journalism, from the Drudge Report to the Huffington Post, from Breitbart to Gawker, and how it was all shaped by a relentless drive for traffic. Attention. Clicks. If you want to buy Ben's book, you can do so here. If you want to subscribe to Semafor (I do), click here. If you want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish, search for the show and subscribe on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

When Andrea Rebson, a Bismarck citizen, came to the most recent session of the North Dakota Legislature, she had a deeply personal story to tell. She was sexually assaulted as a teenager and suffered years of harrowing mental health challenges afterward. Her issue, which she pursued at the Legislature, was with the statute of limitations for criminal and civil cases. She wanted the law to give victims like her more time to come forward. And she made some progress on that issue, but on this episode of Plain Talk, she talks about her experiences in the legislative process, which weren't positive. She says one lawmaker demeaned her, and misrepresented her arguments, and she's got the video and committee transcripts to prove it. She's even gone so far as to file an ethics complaint against a specific lawmaker. She argues that, while the democratic process is going to create disagreements, naturally, the citizens shouldn't have to fear humiliation for engaging in the process. Also on this episode, my co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss the on-going fight over control of the North Dakota Republican Party, which will come to a head next month, in June, when the party elects new leadership. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show, and subscribe, on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

"I just think it's cool," Sen. Kevin Cramer said on this episode of Plain Talk when asked about the possibility that Gov. Doug Burgum might run for the White House. Would he support Burgum? Cramer demurred when asked. He said he's been courted by some of the GOP's 2024 players. "I haven't jumped on anyone's bandwagon yet," he said. "Doug gives me another reason to keep my powder dry." "It would be hard not to back the hometown guy," Cramer added, though later in the interview he made it clear that his Senate colleague, Tim Scott from South Carolina, has inspired him. "The guy who could heal the nation is Tim Scott," Cramer said. We also discussed the debate over carbon capture, which has created some strange bedfellows. Pro-fossil fuel advocates, who see carbon capture as a savior, are making common cause with environmentalists who want to decarbonize our economy, and they're facing off against climate change skeptics who don't see the need to capture carbon who are aligned with green energy advocates who want to see energy sources like coal driven from the marketplace. It's "one bias versus another bias" Cramer told me. He says that while he's backed tax credits for carbon capture, he's worried about federal and state governments creating conflicting incentives. We subsidize green energy, and we subsidize carbon capture so that it can compete with green energy. Cramer says he'd rather see source-neutral policies. "Set whatever your standards he," he said, and then let the various energy producers compete. Cramer also touched on some of Donald Trump's ongoing scandals, what possible outcomes we could see from debt ceiling negotiations, and what role permitting reform may play in that deal. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

Rupak Gandhi, the superintendent of Fargo's public school system, has said recently that his schools will ignore a new law governing pronoun policies and bathroom use by trans students. So far, North Dakota's other school districts aren't following his lead, and his stand isn't sitting well with the two leaders of North Dakota's legislature. "What concerned me the most about his presentation...is there was an underlying sort of arrogance," Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, a Minot Republican, said on this episode of Plain Talk. He compared Gandhi to "educational leaders who think they can arm themselves with this compassion and this data and ignore the wishes of the parents." For his part, House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, a Republican from Dickinson, referred to Gandhi's claims that the North Dakota law may violate federal statutes. He said he'd be interested in a conversation with Gandhi about that. "I'm not really sure what the major concerns are," he said. Also, on this episode, Lefor and Hogue answered questions about the criticism this Legislature received (including from your humble correspondent) over a seeming obsession with transgender legislation and book bans, with Hogue specifically pushing back by arguing that the news media was a lot more focused on so-called culture war legislation than the Legislature was. "Every session, there is a hot-button issue," he said, citing past legislative sessions when gun laws would take up much legislative time. "We can walk and chew gum at the same time," he added. Lefor said that when he was touring the state, campaigning to be elected majority leader, he didn't hear a lot about bills dealing with transgender issues. It "wasn't even in our top 10," he said. Lefor says he met with some of the freshman lawmakers who were pushing the bulk of the legislation to tell them, "we have too many bills." He also said that "working groups" aimed at finding ways to combine bills covering the same topics "will be a focus" for him going forward. Speaking of which, in addition to covering topics such as the massive tax cuts bill lawmakers passed, both Hogue and Lefor said they would be seeking re-election to their leadership posts in the next legislative session, and that they would back every member of their respective caucus for re-election, despite a trend toward challenging incumbents with censures and primaries in some areas of the state. Senator Karen Krebsbach, who has been in office since 1988, and is one of the most influential lawmakers in Bismarck, was recently censured by her local NDGOP district, with her district chairman denouncing her as a Democrat. "We need to have more conversations than censures," Lefor said. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

Rep. Claire Cory led the charge for a school choice bill that ultimately passed both houses of the legislature. In its final form, it would have appropriated $10 million toward providing up to a $3,000 per-child subsidy for parents choosing private schools, as long as they were below 500 percent of the federal poverty level. But Gov. Doug Burgum, despite having expressed support in the past for school choice legislation, vetoed the bill. On this episode of Plain Talk, Cory said she was "kind of disappointed in the governor's decision," though she added that she's "excited to work with the governor's office...to create a better bill" for future legislative sessions. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I talk about the nature of leadership in this populist age where many connotate public service as doing whatever the loudest voices say. From national politics, where Republican politicians and right-wing media outlets like Fox News are terrified of Donald Trump's movement, to local governments, where part-time elected leaders get bullied by angry crowds, can you really say you're leading if you're just following the mob? If you want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish, search for the show on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

"We haven't made any decisions yet about 2024," Gov. Doug Burgum said on this episode of Plain Talk. "We did have a great time in Iowa." His answer was in response to my question about whether Burgum is going to join the race for the White House next year. Back in March, I was the first to report that Burgum had been visiting Iowa, and apparently running polling there, but Burgum hasn't said yet whether he's running. There are two things to take away from his answer on today's podcast. The first, obviously, is that Burgum hasn't made a decision yet. Or, at least, not one he's going to share publicly. The other is that there is a possibility that he could launch a national campaign. Though, if he doesn't, would he run for a third term as governor? Despite expressing support for term limits in the past? "I think term limits work best when they work uniformly," he said. He pointed out that the term limits amendment which passed on the November ballot last year doesn't apply to state to other executive branch offices. "Governors can get termed out but other people can stay forever," he said, adding that certain "powerful lawmakers" can also stay in office for another eight years, as the amendment only started the clock ticking for current officeholders in January. "I support it," he said of the state's term limits amendment. "I don't think there's any value in applying it retroactively." As for the just-completed legislative session, Burgum said he's still not sure how to handle a drafting error in the Office of Management and Budget bill that led to lawmakers passing the wrong version of the bill. He did say there will be at least one more veto from his office coming concerning a bump in the formula for spending Legacy Fund revenues from the 7 percent he approved in a bill passed earlier in the session to 8 percent passed in "the wee hours of the last morning without any hearings or actuarial work." Burgum also expressed some frustration with lawmakers over the number of duplicative "culture war" bills they sent him that made "national news about things that may or may not be important to most North Dakotans." "They have 80 days and they have 81," he said, referring to the use this year of "fake" legislative days, "and still most of the most important business came at the end." But Burgum also touted a laundry list of accomplishments from this session he's proud of, including a new women's prison, progress on a new state hospital, a massive tax relief package, and end to the state's defined-benefit pension for public workers, and more. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the service of your choice.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley is still fired up about a bill to implement mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes - that was later amended to "presumptive minimums" - which was defeated in the state House of Representatives. There was controversy over how the bill was handled in committee and Wrigley's involvement in advocating for it, but on this episode of Plain Talk, Wrigley made it clear he is not backing down. "I'm going to talk about this stuff publicly," he said, committing to a campaign during the interim before the next legislative session to promote this issue. Wrigley said he wasn't intending to take a "personal swipe" at Rep. Shannon Roers Jones when he said her experience as a lawyer was strictly on the civil side of the law, though he added that the comment "was factual." He also took aim at some of his other legislative critics, including Rep. Landon Bahl, who he described as inexperienced - "it shows," Wrigley quipped - and Rep. Bernie Satrom, who he said was "slanderous" in his characterization of discussions about the bill. Former House Minority Leader Josh Boschee also joined the program, and answered questions about why he's suddenly the former minority leader at the end of this legislative session when typically that sort of change in leadership happens at the beginning of the session. Boschee said he felt it was time for his replacement, Rep. Zac Ista, to get experience in the role. Boschee is up for re-election next year, and when asked if he'll seek another term, gave an answer that leaves some wiggle room. "I have every intention of running, but we'll see how things play out over the next year," he said, though he also joked that it was a poor question to ask a lawmaker just after the end of a grueling session. Speaking of which, Boschee also gave some reflections on the just-concluded session, arguing that the Republican majority in the House didn't have good leadership. He said former Rep. Al Carlson, the majority leader when Boschee was first elected, would tell his caucus that they could only introduce so many controversial bills per session. "He had control of his caucus," Boschee said. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk drop? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice.

A debate over a bill to implement what supporters call "presumptive minimum" sentences for certain crimes like fleeing or assaulting an officer, or possessing a gun during a grime, has grown surprisingly contentious in the legislature. There has been some bizarre procedural moves around the bill, including the chairman of the judiciary committee undermining his own committee's vote on the bill, and a war of words between state Rep. Shannon Roers Jones, a Fargo Republican, and Attorney General Drew Wrigley. Wrigley has questioned Roers Jones' knowledge on criminal justice matters, while Roers Jones has accused Wrigley of inappropriately injecting a recent Bismarck case involving fleeing, and an officer-involved shooting, into a political debate. "I'm not interested in a feud with the attorney general," Rep. Roers Jones said on this episode of Plain Talk. My co-host Ben Hanson and I also questioned Roers Jones on her feelings about this legislative session. "I feel the least satisfied over all about this session," she said. "On the whole I feel like we have spent entirely too much time and too much political capital on bills that impact tens of North Dakotans," she added, addressing legislation dealing with things like book bans and pronouns. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to find it and subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

Did you know there's such a thing as a fake legislative day? Ok, maybe that's not the official term, but that colloquialism has grown up around a practice at the Legislature in Bismarck which sees lawmakers protracting their session despite the 80-day limit that's in Article IV of the state constitution. You see, if the lawmakers don't gavel in for a floor session, they can still meet in their various committees, and still get paid, without the day counting against their limit. Why are they doing this? And should they be allowed to? My co-host Ben Hanson and I discussed it on this episode of Plain Talk. Also on this episode, Brian Lundeen, a Jamestown resident who is one of the organizers behind the effort to build the Bison World attraction in that city, talks about what the project needs from state lawmakers to make it happen. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice.

Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions of Ukranians, most of whom need a place to go. Meanwhile, North Dakota has a long-enduring workforce shortage that is felt most acutely in the state's oil fields. Now, those two problems are coming together to form what is, if not a solution, is at least a way to mitigate some suffering while simultaneously creating some new opportunities. Former Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford, who stepped down from Gov. Doug Burgum's administration late last year, is now the project manager of what North Dakota's oil industry has dubbed Bakken GROW. The acronym stands for Global Recruitment of Oilfield Workers, and it's precisely what it sounds like. A concerted effort to match Ukranians, who need an escape from their homelands, with jobs in North Dakota's oil industry. "It's not only a workforce recruitment effort, it's a humanitarian effort too," Sanford said on this episode of Plain Talk. "The United States is not good at legal immigration," he added, but hopes this program can make a difference. He says it will begin with Ukranians - there is already a sizable Ukranian community in western North Dakota, and he says they're reaching out to organizations like the Ukranian Catholic Church to help with the effort - but the hope is to target potential refugees and immigrants from other countries and ethnic backgrounds as well. Also on this episode, state Rep. Corey Mock joined co-host Ben Hanson and I to talk about the ongoing debate over North Dakota's public worker pension. We disagreed a lot, but we did find some common ground around the idea that there are no easy solutions to this mess, and that a lot of the lawmakers in Bismarck on both sides of the debate are ignoring some pretty brutal fiscal realities. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice.

"When I'm in committee, when I'm speaking, nobody ever asks me any questions." That's what Kristie Miller had to say on this episode of Plain Talk. She's the mother of a trans person and has become active in North Dakota politics opposing a legislative agenda in Bismarck she characterizes as an attack on the trans community. The most frustrating aspect of that activism? How hard it is to even get some lawmakers to talk to her. "My experience is...when they found out I'm the mother of a trans child, they won't speak to me." That experience isn't universal. Some lawmakers do speak with her. She credited House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, a Republican from Dickinson, with engaging, though she said that other lawmakers have been something less than pleasant to deal with. She described what she said was a rude interaction with Sen. Keith Boehm, a Republican from District 33 who primaried a Republican incumbent, Jessica Bell, over her vote to sustain Gov. Doug Burgum's veto of a transgender sports bill during the 2021 session. She said that many Republican lawmakers are afraid of opposing the 21 bills dealing with transgender issues at the legislature. "There's a small group out there...when they found out a GOP member voted a certain way they verbally attack them," she said. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice.

Drawing capital to North Dakota has been a problem for our state since, well, statehood. Our economy is heavily dependent on commodity-driven industries - energy and agriculture. Generations of political leaders have tried to find a way to diversify, but not much has changed. Which would argue, I think, for some outside-the-box thinking. And that's what Commerce Commissioner Josh Teigen was doing when he invited Kevin O'Leary, the Shark Tank star also known as Mr. Wonderful, to manage a $45 million investment fund for the state of North Dakota. On this episode of Plain Talk, Teigen talked about how that relationship came to be, and responded to criticism of the bidding process around it, as well as recent comments O'Leary made comparing Moorhead, Minnesota, to Cuba. "I think the comments are less about Fargo and Moorhead and more about North Dakota and Minnesota," Teigen said, also describing it as "more of a Bismarck versus St. Paul conversation." "We know the people in Moorhead aren't necessarily driving he policy in Minnesota. That's happening in St. Paul," he added. Asked if he felt O'Leary's comments were helpful to the cause of bringing capital to North Dakota, Teigen didn't defend them, but he wasn't critical either. "We don't get to control every bit of the narrative," he said, adding that having someone like O'Leary, with a national platform, "tell North Dakota's story" has "a lot of upside." Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss Gov. Doug Burgum's apparent interest in running for president, as well as the Legislature falling just one vote short of passing a bill to expand the state's school lunch program.

What's the right legacy for North Dakota's Legacy Fund? It's a perennial question, all the more so when lawmakers are in session in Bismarck, and the answer is seemingly different for everyone. And that's the problem. The Legacy Fund was created two decades ago to store a big chunk of oil tax revenues for the future. Now the fund has billions in principal, and produces hundreds of millions in revenues of its own every cycle from its investments, and we're still debating what to do with it. Former Gov. Ed Schafer, who was a part of the campaign that created the fund, joined this episode of Plain Talk to talk about it. He says our current lawmakers are too spend-happy with the fund, and are foolishly, in his estimation, tying up its revenues, sometimes decades into the future. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the debate over school lunch. Should the state be picking up the tab? It would end the headaches schools have with trying to collect past-due lunch payments. It would also make it so that no student would be shamed when they don't get the same school lunch as everyone else because their parents didn't pay. Also, school lunch bills can cost $1,000 or more over the course of the school year. If the state picks up the tab, that's a burden off families with young children. But some lawmakers say it's a handout. A new sort of entitlement. Are they right? If you want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish, search for it on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcast, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

The American system for insurance and health care is broken. There's no two ways about it. We pay too much, and get too few choices. How much can North Dakota's lawmakers do about it? Not a whole lot, but there are things they can do to keep it from getting worse. House Bill 1416 would stop insurers from using price pressure convince North Dakotans to opt-in to health insurance plans that freeze out independent health care proviers. Dr. Duncan Ackerman, an orthopedic surgeon and a spokesman for North Dakotans for Open Access Health Care, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the issue. Also on this episode, guest co-host Jamie Selzer and I discuss the push in the Legislature to put another term limits option before voters, one that alters the term limits amendment they just approved last year. We also talk about former U.S. House candidate Mark Haugen's decision to leave the Democratic-NPL and join the NDGOP. Haugen's House campaign ended after party big-wigs pressured him to bow out in favor of former Miss America Cara Mund, an independent candidate who was a late entrant to the race. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk Publish? Search for the show on services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice.

Minot, N.D. — I have been an outspoken critic of legislation before lawmakers in Bismarck that seeks to implement new content regulations on libraries and private stores open to the general public. So when Sen. Janne Myrdal agreed to come on this episode of Plain Talk, she knew what she was getting into. Kudos to her for coming on anyway to face questioning from myself and guest co-host Chad Oban (who makes a triumphant return to the podcast and predicts that surge in listens will crash our servers. That remains to be seen. As you might imagine, we three didn't find much to agree on, at least when it comes to the book bills. Myrdal, who says she supports librarians, nevertheless alleged that there is a concerted effort to make explicit content, and even pornography, available to children. She also denied that Senate Bill 2360, which has passed the Senate with her vote among those in favor, which she spoke in support of on the Senate floor, would ban books at private bookstores. This despite language that makes a person, "guilty of a class B misdemeanor if the person willfully displays at newsstands or any other business establishment frequented by minors, or where minors are or may be invited as a part of the general public any photograph, book, paperback book, pamphlet, or magazine, the exposed cover or available content of which...contains depictions or written descriptions of nude or partially denuded human figures posed or presented in a manner to exploit sex, lust, or perversion." By my reading, that means romance novels, and even great works of literature by people like Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck, would have to be either shrink-wrapped or squirreled away from the public. But Myrdal says that's not so. She says the intent is to protect children. Also on this episode, we asked Myrdal about a recent report noting that she turned her back on a pastor delivering an invocation about "differing colors, genders, races, ethnicities and language." She said she feels the pastor had a political agenda, and that she would have similarly turned her back if an invocation backed a political interest like credit unions. "Prayer should be vertical, not horizontal," she said.

Minot, N.D. — "It's happening," Sen. Scott Meyer, a Republican from Grand Forks, said on this episode of Plain Talk. "We're not stopping it." He's referring to sports gambling, which is one of the topics he says his constituents talk to him about the most. "It's becoming more and more common. It's everywhere," he says. Meyer is backing House Concurrent Resolution 3002, which, if passed, would put the question of sports gambling to voters on the statewide ballot. If they approve it, the lawmakers would be authorized to enact enabling legislation dictating regulation, consumer protection, and taxation. At least for professional sports. The constitutional amendment would leave out other types of sports betting on collegiate or even high school competitions, though Meyer insists that sort of thing is already happening too. "There are already betting lines on those games" available from sports betting services based off-shore that can be accessed online. Meyer says that's a big part of why this resolution should pass. Because these services are offshore, the North Dakotans who are already using them have no protection from fraud, and there is no way to generate revenue from the bets to offset the social impacts of gambling. A similar resolution proposed in the 2021 legislative session passed in the state House, but failed, narrowly, in the state Senate. So far, HCR3002 has followed a similar trajectory, having passed already in the House. Now it's before the Senate, where Meyer hopes his colleagues will let North Dakota voters have a say. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Click here to subscribe, or search for the show on Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, or any of the other podcast services.

Minot, N.D. — If Senate Bill 2360, which has already passed North Dakota's Senate by a 38 - 9 vote, were to become law, would Christians and Muslims and other citizens of faith have to buy their holy books in a porn shop? This bill, introduced by Sen. Keith Boehm, a Republican from Mandan, would require that any material having pictures or even "written descriptions of nude or partially denuded human figures posed or presented in a manner to exploit sex, lust, or perversion" be removed from public spaces accessible by children. That means public libraries. School libraries. It means Walmart, Target, and Barnes & Noble, too. Works of art with sexual content - which includes the Christian bible, which has many stories about sex and rape and incest - could only be made available in cordoned-off areas accessible only by adults. Like adult bookstores, I guess, and wouldn't that be weird? If a state law, pushed in no small part by scripture-quoting Christians, required the bible be sold alongside actual porn? This is the stuff we discussed on today's episode of Plain Talk, where my co-host Ben Hanson and I were joined by Cody Schuler, advocacy manager for the local chapter of the ACLU, and Janet Anderson, the director of the Minot Public Library. I'm being facetious when I lump the Christian bible in with porn. Obviously, the bible is not porn, but SB2360, along with House Bill 1205, which seeks to implement similar content restrictions, doesn't make those distinctions. These bills' definitions of what constitutes objectionable materials are so amorphous that most literature sold today would be censored. That's going to invite lawsuits, Schuler pointed out. Meanwhile, Anderson noted that the bills seem to be in pursuit of a problem that doesn't exist. "I challenge you to find anything in our library that has pornography," she said. She's held her position at the Minot library for nearly a decade, and in all that time her institution's process for challenging material has been used just four times, which hardly speaks to there being a problem the Legislature needs to solve. Though, Anderson notes that plenty of people seem convinced that our librarians and educators (and booksellers, apparently, given the scope of one of these bills) are perverts out to get children. "I've been called a groomer," Anderson said. "I've been accused of wanting to teach teenagers about sex education with pornography." Be sure to listen to the entire episode. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here to find out how you can subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.

Minot, N.D. — There aren't a lot of Republicans in the United States Senate willing to praise President Joe Biden for his trip to Kyiv, in Ukraine, which is a war zone. That's what Senator Kevin Cramer told me on this episode of Plain Talk. But Cramer himself? He thinks the president did good. He called the trip "gutsy" and "appropriate." Staying on the national security topic, we discussed the Chinese spy balloon situation, which is where Cramer did have some criticism for the Biden administration. He said a lack of communication from the public drove an overreaction to the balloons, making many Americans, and people in the international community, feel as though our military and intelligence agencies were less prepared to handle the balloons than they really were. Also on this episode: Why is the Biden administration's EPA so hostile to carbon capture and pipeline projects when the infrastructure bill Congress passed before the midterms, one President Biden himself championed, did a great deal to fund and facilitate those projects? And are we classifying too many documents? Cramer says yes. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or click here to find out how to subscribe on any of the other podcast services. It's free!

Minot, N.D. — A war of words between state Auditor Josh Gallion, a Republican, and members of his own party in the state legislature has made a lot of headlines of late. Gallion has accused lawmakers of being "corrupt" for allegedly targeting a member of his office for specific termination and for legislation he says undermines his ability to do his job. Lawmakers say it was actually Gallion who requested that the employee be fired, and that they're responding from complaints from local government entities, including a western North Dakota ambulance service which has now filed an ethics complaint against the auditor's office, who say that Gallion isn't doing his job right. On this episode of Plain Talk Gordy Smith, a 36-year veteran of the state auditor's office under Gallion's predecessors, weighs in on the controversy. Was it appropriate for Gallion to write an op-ed for the state's media outlets blasting lawmakers as corrupt? "Absolutely not," Smith said. "When I read the op-ed, the first two words that came to mind were 'unprofessional' and 'disrespectful,'" Smith said. As for the legislature targeting a specific employee in the auditor's office, Smith says he believes the lawmakers and not Gallion. "There's no doubt in my mind," he said, adding that he spoke to both Gallion and legislative leaders about the issue in 2017 when it happened. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or click here to subscribe on one of the other podcast services. It's free!

"She's right." That's what Chris Jones, the director of North Dakota's Department of Human Services, had to say on this episode of Plain Talk about many of the complaints of one of our previous guests. Specifically Robin Nelson, the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley, who said that child care operations like her are "drowning" thanks to difficulties with hiring and red tape. "I don't disagree that they're drowning," Jones said in an interview that addressed everything from delays in the background check process to a new web portal for licensing that hasn't worked as well as it could have. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss state Auditor Josh Gallion's bomb-throwing toward the legislature, accusing them of attacking his office, and of being corrupt, after advancing a bill that would limit what his office can charge for audits and require that someone holding his office be a certified public accounting, something Gallion is not. Gallion's words are unbecoming for someone in his position, we concluded, and even counterproductive to the goal of holding state government accountable. An auditor should be level-headed and trustworthy. Gallion's audits, and the press campaigns he orchestrates around them, have become so exaggerated, so theatrical, that a reasonable observer must take them with a grain of salt. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of the other podcast platforms available. And remember, subscribing to the podcast is free!

Minot, N.D. — You've heard just about every elected official in the state talk about it. Access to childcare, and as importantly, access to childcare that's affordable, is a real problem in North Dakota. So much so that it's contributing mightily, to our critical workforce shortages. People who can't find a place to send their kids during the day, or who can't afford it, can't go to work. But Robin Nelson, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley, which provides childcare services to some 700 families, says the state is making it difficult for them to operate. "We're drowning out here," she said on this episode of Plain Talk. She says that an online licensing portal to make the hiring process for child care workers easier has, in fact, made things more difficult because the system "continues to crash" when they try to upload documents. "We are receiving late fees because we're missing deadlines," Nelson says. Background checks for those same workers are also a problem. Nelson says there are "major backlogs," particularly in the area of fingerprinting. She says it can take up to three weeks for a prospective hire to get an appointment to have their fingerprints taken, and even once they're sent in, Nelson says state workers have told her that it might take 11 business days for them even begin to process them. All told, Nelson says it can take as long as 4 to 6 weeks to get a childcare worker licensed and ready to work, which is an eternity, all the more so when you consider we're talking about workers taking jobs at what are, quite frankly, entry-level wages. How many of them can afford to wait for a month and a half before they can begin working and collecting a paycheck? Especially when there are so many other job opportunities available? Also on this episode, my co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss my story about the familial connections between a freshman state lawmaker and a racist church in MIssouri, as well as some bills that are advancing to hopefully address North Dakota's workforce shortages. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Consider subscribing - it's free! - through your favorite podcast service.

The Fufeng project, a controversial corn milling plant planned for the Grand Forks by the China-based company, is officially defunct now this week. City officials pulled the plug after the Department of the Air Force announced that the plant was a security threat to the nearby Grand Forks Air Force Base. I've long expressed sympathy for Grand Forks city officials who got caught in the crossfire between the economic interests of their region - it's undeniable that a plant like the one Fufeng planned would be beneficial - and concerns over national security that were far beyond their purview to analyze. But when I put it that way to Sen. Kevin Cramer who, along with Sen. John Hoeven was responsible for getting an answer on the national security question from the Air Force, he disagreed with me. He used an analogy about Santa Claus to illustrate his point. "When you're five years old, you believe in Santa because you think he's real. When you're ten you're old, you believe because you want to," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. "They kept hoping for someone to tell them this was ok," he continued, arguing that city officials should have gotten out of the project earlier. Cramer did acknowledge that the federal government "let down" local officials by taking so long to answer questions about the national security implications of the plant, but he said the case against it was obvious long before the Air Force finally weighed in. Asked if he was worried about local officials taking it upon themselves to make decisions about national security threats, Cramer said he fears more "is a federal government making local decisions." Still, he sees the process Grand Forks went through, as tortured as it was," as a "great gift" to the nation as it comes to terms with how it does business with other countries that are often belligerent to our own. "No one else has sounded the alarm like Grand Forks did," he said. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Subscribe - for free! - on the podcast platform of your choice.

Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski said his city first asked officials at the Grand Forks Air Force Base about the potential security risks of a corn milling plant to be built by Fufeng, a Chinese company, some 16 months ago. The Air Force has finally given an answer, in the form of a letter to North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, but should it have taken that long? Bochenski joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the Air Force's letter, which indicated that Fufeng's project would represent a significant security threat, thus ending the city's participation in the development. He expressed some frustration with how long it took for his community to get an answer. "We expected more out of the federal government," he said. Mayor Bochenski also spoke about how heated the debate came at times, saying that University of North Dakota President Andrew Armacost had called him to communicate that some of the students and faculty on his campus of Chinese heritage were feeling "uncomfortable" thanks to anti-Chinese blowback against the project. Also joining this episode of Plain Talk was Dr. Charlie Bahnson, a wildlife veterinarian with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, who addressed legislation that would remove his agency's ability to regulate deer baiting. House Bill 1151, introduced by Rep. Paul Thomas, a Republican from Velva, is the legislation in question. Bahnson said his department needs that authority to protect North Dakota's deer herd for future generations of hunters, and to protect animal agriculture. "We use restricting that practice as a way to slow down the spread of disease," he said. Deer baiting restrictions are not in any way intended to be a commentary from the department on the practice itself. "We're not in the business of regulating ethics around hunting." "I'd like nothing more than to never talk about baiting again," he added. "I don't like to stir the pot." Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Subscribe - it's free! - on the podcast service of your choice.

Minot, N.D. — Drew Wrigley is asking a lot from state lawmakers in his first time before them as Attorney General. He wants a $24 million increase in his office's budget to recruit and retain attorneys, hire more Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents, oversee the exploding growth in North Dakota's charitable gaming industry, and address backlogs at the state crime lab. He wants new mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for gun-related crimes. One thing he's giving up, though, is his call to re-arrange his office's organization chart and put the crime lab under the administration of law enforcement officials. "You were wrong," Wrigley told me on this episode of Plain Talk, referring to my past reporting on the proposal, "and you won." In support of his push for new mandatory minimums, Wrigley pushed back against a massive fiscal note attached to the bill prepared by state corrections officials. They're estimating that Wrigley's bill would cost the state an additional $28 million per biennium, something Wrigley said is "completely false and ignoring the situation." "I'm not going to be backed off on this with some phony fiscal note," he said. Asked if his office had done a fiscal analysis of the bill's impact, he said no. "Our analysis is this is just a re-prioritization," he said, arguing that state corrections officials can offset the cost of keeping more violent offenders in prison by reducing incarceration rates among non-violent offenders. Also on this episode, state Senator Sean Cleary, a Republican from Bismarck, weighs in on the competing proposals to address North Dakota's pension fund for public workers. A proposal backed by Gov. Doug Burgum, and House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, seeks to transition the state away from a defined-benefit pension. Cleary argues in favor of keeping the defined-benefit pension. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Click here to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice. It's free!

For about a century, North Dakota has had a ban on corporate farming. This is to say that if you want to run a farming or ranching business in our state, you can only do it with family members who are no more distant in relation to you than first cousins. But there has been a push, in recent years, to ease up on the ban, particularly in the area of animal agriculture. The argument is that allowing business structures that aren't just between family members would open up new worlds of capital for investment in agriculture businesses here. Rep. Paul Thomas, a Republican from Velva who is a fourth-generation farmer, is backing House Bill 1371 in the current legislative session in Bismarck, and it would corporate farming in animal agriculture such as swine, dairy, and poultry. Yet in 2015, the legislature passed a similar bill. The North Dakota Farmer's Union successfully referred it to the ballot where it died with more than 75 percent of North Dakotans voting it down. What's changed between now and then to make Thomas think his bill has a chance? "The biggest landscape change is the development of soybean crush plants," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. Thomas says. Soybean plants will be a big source of animal feed, which will increase interest in animal agriculture in our state. He also argues that the current corporate farming ban isn't doing much to protect farming in North Dakota. "If we want to be a food desert let's keep doing what we're doing," he said. Responding to criticism of his bill coming from NDFU President Mark Watne, who argues HB1371 would hurt family farms, Thomas says the decline in the number of dairy farms in North Dakota is "the only argument I need to make." He notes that in 2009 there were 193 dairy farms operating in th e state. Today, he claims, there are only 37. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk are published? Subscribe - it's free! - on the podcast service of your choice.