After nearly eighteen months of the trade war with China, the two sides came to a partial agreement last week. Phase One was signed at a White House ceremony demonstrating what many hope is the beginning of the end. What was agreed upon and what does it mean for the North Dakota farmers who have […]
The end of year campaign finance reports for legislators and political organizations are being filed with the North Dakota Secretary of State. Searching through the numbers currently available, it appears the Democratic-NPL candidates from District 44 in North Fargo have a large advantage in the fundraising and cash-on-hand. Coupled with the shift in voting trends […]
A comparison of job rates between November 2018 and November 2019 shows rural North Dakota job growth lags behind other rural parts of the country. The information collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was broken down by an online publication called The Daily Yonder and put into an interactive map. Why is rural North […]
A new year and a new decade are upon us. As many of us look to the new year searching for optimism and repurposing ourselves to a better future, we often reflect on how we got here. On New Year’s Eve, I talked about how politically we got here in North Dakota. You can listen […]
Despite verbal commitments from President Donald Trump, the administration plans to go forward with its proposed 2020 biofuel blending requirements. They have ignored the pleas and frustrations from farmers and ethanol producers who say that the plan does too little for corn growers. While farmers struggle, big oil gets a break and North Dakota’s politicians […]
Perhaps lost among the impeachment of President Donald Trump was the federal appeals court ruling to strike down part of the Affordable Care Act. The Court ruled that the individual mandate for insurance is unconstitutional. Additionally, they sent “back to a lower court the question of whether the rest of the law can remain without […]
The Democratically-controlled House announced a deal to move USMCA forward and hope to vote next week in the House. Finally. The updated trade deal, struck last year with Canada and Mexico, has been sitting in the House with farm-state representatives urging movement. Many rightfully wondered aloud what took the House so long to act. Was […]
On a vote of 3-2, Burleigh County voted to allow the resettlement of refugees in their county. The narrow vote took place after four hours of public testimony. Comments both for and against were heard by the commissioners, but ultimately those supporting won the room, the argument, and the day. Thankfully, it prevented North Dakota […]
We know three things. First, North Dakota is a great place to live. Second, we know it takes hard work to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy what we have. And, third, we know there are some who aren’t focused on the future – they’re only focused on themselves. This has always been the […]
Less than two weeks before the December 15th deadline of additional import taxes on Chinese made products, President Trump said he didn’t have a deadline to get a trade deal done with China. “In some ways, I think it’s better to wait until after the election with China,” Trump told reporters at a NATO summit. […]