Flannels, long beards and pocket Constitutions accented the crowd at an event billed as: “Freedom and Property: Cliven Bundy’s Story” in the town of Paradise Saturday night. Men posted around the Old Paradise School Gymnasium eyed the crowd and murmured security updates into earbuds, even through the opening prayer and pledge.

Thousands of people gathered at events across Montana Saturday to participate in this year’s Women’s March. Each event had its own organizers and theme. In Missoula, pink hats, red sashes, and sassy signs peppered downtown Saturday morning, as an estimated 3,000 people gathered for the second Women’s March. Last year, a centralized march held at the state capitol drew an estimated 10,000 people. But this year, 9 cities hosted coordinated rallies.

Today on Campaign Beat: outside consultants coming to Montana to work on campaigns; Grant Kier's new Facebook ad; the impact of the women's marches; Corey Stapleton criticizes the media; and Joe Biden's upcoming Montana visit.

At a legislative hearing today in Helena, the state health department faced accusations from law enforcement that it’s not readily sharing evidence that could protect kids who are being exposed to meth. Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher wasted no time with state lawmakers today in Helena, saying, "one of my passions is kids and I don’t much like bureaucrats.”

Governor Steve Bullock’s budget director today said the federal tax bill passed by Congress is expected to result in a $20 million loss in state revenue over the next two years. And that loss is not significant enough to call a special legislative session or require further cuts to government spending.

Last week the Trump administration made a historic change to Medicaid , the health coverage program that’s jointly funded by the states and federal government. For the first time, states were given the OK to require Medicaid recipients to work in exchange for health coverage. Republican lawmakers tried to do that in Montana 2015, but the Obama administration said no.

Nevada rancher and anti-federal government activist Cliven Bundy is slated to speak in the town of Paradise Saturday, January 20, 2018. He and Montana elected officials were invited to speak by a local group.

Fourteen Montana children, whose cases had been reported to the state’s child protective services, died last year. Drug or alcohol use was identified in 9 of the 14 cases reviewed by the Montana Department of Justice. State Attorney General Tim Fox says the state must learn how to better protect its most vulnerable children.

A legislative committee on health care prices seems split on whether giving consumers more information about health care prices will make much difference. Last year Montana's Legislature set up a committee to study transparency in health care pricing, concerned that consumers don't have enough information about what health care procedures cost to shop for the best deals. And that means there's little incentive for providers to offer low prices.

When it became clear that state revenues were falling short of expectations during the last legislative session, state lawmakers agreed they should start studying Montana’s changing economy. Earlier in the session, revenue forecasts from legislative and executive branch analysts said the state’s economy was strong. But revenues ended up coming in way short and state lawmakers are starting to ask why.