Plain Talk

If you're a Republican on the ballot in North Dakota you're probably going to win.

It wasn't always that way, and it won't always be that way, but it is that way now, and it makes a problem within the NDGOP, where a certain faction is playing games with the rules to control which candidates appear on the ballot as Republicans, all the more acute.

"What's going on is we have some gamesmanship at the district level where the districts are basically telling the state party that they are autonomous and they can do their own thing and they don't have to answer to the state committee or the state Republican party," Robert Harms said on this episode of Plain Talk.

What this means, as a practical matter, is that if you want to get involved in local politics, as a candidate or a district-level leader, or even as a just a rank-and-file party member, you may get locked out by political shenanigans.

Harms is a former NDGOP chairman, who as served as legal counsel to multiple governors, and he is trying to get a law changed that prohibits political parties from setting uniform rules for their constituent districts.

He said the status quo, which sees some district leaders trying to keep meetings and rules a secret, is alienating people.

"I mean, we have former elected officials, statewide elected officials, long-time, lifelong Republicans saying, 'I'm done. I've had it. I'm not going to any more conventions, whether it's at the state level or the endorsing convention,'" Harms said. "I've had friends tell me, 'Harms, there is no way I'm going to engage with the Republican party any longer because of all the nonsense that's going on.'"

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I talk about the status of property tax reform in Bismarck, the local impact of the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) cuts, and what the last weeks of the legislative session may look like.

This episode is presented by Bakken Backers. Bakken Backers is a coalition of businesses, leaders, workers, and citizens who support energy production from the Bakken formation and its many benefits for North Dakota. Learn more at BackTheBakken.org.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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"I think we are for certain going to see another property tax measure if that's the version that we kick out."

That's what Minot Republican Rep. Matt Ruby said of the watered-down version of Gov. Kelly Armstrong's property tax plan that the state Senate is currently backing.

"I don't think that that measure failing by that amount was because people love paying property taxes," Ruby continued, referring to the Measure 4 proposal to abolish property taxes, which more than 60% of voters voted against last year. "If we don't have a stepped plan where eventually we get to the point where it's zeroed out as best as possible...we're going to be right back in this position fighting."

Ruby also took questions about the failure of Attorney General Drew Wrigley's truth-in-sentencing legislation, and his decision to repudiate his vote in favor of a resolution opposing same-sex marriage.

Also on this episode, Sen. John Hoeven talked about tariffs, trade, the Department of Government Efficiency, and impeaching judges.

On that last, Hoeven called the push to impeach judges "concerning," saying it could threaten the independence of the judiciary, though he also said that there are things Congress can do to address practices such as judge shopping, or judges delaying infrastructure projects for years by allowing endless litigation.

Hoeven also took questions about whether he'd hold town halls. "I do public meetings all over the state and people can come. I mean, everybody's got their own style in terms of a town hall, but these are public meetings and I've always done many of them all over the state and I'll continue to do them," he said. "I also come on and talk to guys like you. I answer questions to the press, to the radio. People can come in and see me. I have meetings. I work pretty hard on staying connected with uh North Dakotans, and I respect them, and it's an honor and a privilege to serve him."

This episode is presented by North Dakotans for Public Schools. North Dakotans for Public Schools is dedicated to protecting and strengthening public education in North Dakota. United by the belief that public schools are the cornerstone of our communities; North Dakotans for Public Schools fights against harmful policies like voucher schemes that divert resources away from public schools. By bringing together educators, parents, school boards, and citizens; North Dakotans for Public Schools amplifies the voices of those who understand the critical role public schools play in shaping the future of North Dakota's children and communities. Learn more and get involved at www.NDforPublicSchools.com.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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Gov. Kelly Armstrong is pushing a "bell to bell" ban on cell phones in schools, and his inspiration is a book called the Anxious Generation, which was written by Jonathan Haidt. But it's more than a book. It's also a movement. Casey Mock, the senior policy manager for Anxious Generation, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss their initiative.

Some are condemning this effort as another teen panic, but Mock says that's not so.

"You know what makes it different from a moral panic like the satanic panic or even going back to Salem witch trials type witch hunts is that we actually have pretty clear data that demonstrates the impact that not just phones but also social media is having on kids mental health on their educational," Mock said. "There's just pretty clear data that's been assembled over the last decade, decade and a half since these things have become mainstream which makes it materially different from some of these earlier moral panics."

He said the goal of the legislation is to make state government the"bad cop" and taking pressure off educators to police phone use.

Also on this episode, Coiya Tompkins, president of Grand Forks-based Community Violence Intervention Center, and Seth O'Neill, executive director of the North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition, talked about the uncertainties chaos in the federal government is creating for their work.

O'Neill said that getting answers on their current funding, and future appropriations, has proven hugely difficult among cuts implemented by top Trump administration adviser Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team. "So we just heard recently that the CDC, which funds rape prevention and education,they basically decimated that division. Cut people. We don't even know who we're supposed to supposed to call or who is our a grant manager there because they just pretty much cut everyone," he said.

"What I've been telling both federal people at the federal congressional level as well as our state folks is that we do not believe that what we are proposing is a want. It's a need," Tompkins added.

Both argued that while cuts to their programs may save money in the short term, over a longer period of time costs will accumulate if their services, which often help prevent crime and violence and ease burdens on the criminal justice system, become less accessible.

This episode is presented by Bakken Backers. Bakken Backers is a coalition of businesses, leaders, workers, and citizens who support energy production from the Bakken formation and its many benefits for North Dakota. Learn more at BackTheBakken.org.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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It's an annual tradition to have Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Plain Talk for a baseball-only episode contemporaneous to MLB's opening day. Unfortunately, we didn't keep our promise this time, since we're in the closing weeks of the legislative session in Bismarck, and there's a lot going on.

When you have the governor on in that context, you have to ask some political questions.

We asked Armstrong about amendments made to the property tax plan he's backing by the Senate Appropriations Committee at the behest of Senate Majority Leader David Houge.

"I spent six years in D.C. where a lot of times Republicans would walk in and step on a rake before we go vote," the former congressman said. "I think this is an unforced error," he added, "and I think this is what happens when you have a small group of people decide they're going to put amendments onto a bill without vetting it publicly."

Armstrong says he objects to lowering the tax credit homeowners would receive from $1,450 to $1,250, as well as the 75% cap on how much of a property tax bill that credit could offset. He also pushed back on intent language which aims to use Legacy Fund dollars to pay for non-primary residence properties which in many cases are owned by people who live out of state.

Armstrong also commented on amendments he's backing to ban cell phones in schools, saying it's not making him that popular with his own children. "I have two teenagers at home," he said. "You can about imagine how it's going."

Also on this episode, Rep. Dawson Holle, a Republican, and Rep. Jayme Davis, a Democrat, talk about their new Future Caucus, which seeks to bring together a bipartisan group of younger lawmakers so that they can find ways to work together.

Holle said it's helpful to coordinate these efforts, especially since older lawmakers don't necessarily understand modern issues. He described one older lawmaker who was confused about artificial intelligence issues. "AI, is that artificial insemination for cows?" Holle says he was asked. "Oh my goodness, no, that is artificial intelligence," he replied.

This episode is presented by Lignite Energy Council, an organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the development of North Dakota's abundant lignite resources. Their goal is to maintain a viable lignite coal industry and support the generation of electricity, synthetic natural gas, and valuable byproducts. Visit www.Lignite.com/Podcast to connect and learn more.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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There is a big debate over criminal justice reform at the legislative session in Bismarck.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley suggests the state has been soft on crime, and that's resulted in higher crime rates. He's pushing a bill to keep people convicted of many crimes locked up for longer.

But Jonathan Holth, Gov. Kelly Armstrong's Commissioner of Recovery and Re-entry, pointed out on this episode of Plain Talk that, far from being soft on crime, North Dakota's incarceration rates have been climbing. According to state Department of Corrections data, he's right. The population in North Dakota's state prisons (not counting local jails) is up more than 15% over the last five years, and more than 47% in the previous 20.

There is friction between Wrigley and Armstrong's administration over Wrigley's sentencing bill, but Holth joined Plain Talk to talk about another set of bills lawmakers are considering.

House Bill 1425, 1417, and 1549, seek to create new tools to help those with addiction and mental health challenges navigate the criminal justice system and find peace and prosperity again.

HB1425 addresses diversion and deflection programs, which gives law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges some flexibility to get a person help instead of arresting, charging, and incarcerating them; HB1417 seeks to reform the probation and parole process, addressing things like paperwork and fees that could land people back in jail on minor technicalities; HB1549 deals with helping people re-entering society have the the things they need, like up-to-date ID, to find housing and jobs.

Holth says these three bills together provide "a comprehensive look at sort of the front end, the middle, and the back end" of the criminal justice system.

Also on this episode, Minot-area librarian Randi Monley, a co-chair of Right to Read ND, gave an update on the progress of Senate Bill 2307, which is book ban legislation introduced by Sen. Keith Boehm, who argues that North Dakota's libraries and schools are showing children pornography.

The legislation requires libraries to move supposedly offensive materials to places where children aren't allowed. "So in a K-12 library, what are you going to do? Are you going to have to have a separate space for just high school kids?" she asked. "I doubt many schools are going to do that. Or does everything in the library need to be at the level for a kindergartener?"

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discussed a hearing on Wrigley's legislation, Senate Bill 2128, which saw some less than truthful testimony.

This episode is presented by Bakken Backers. Bakken Backers is a coalition of businesses, leaders, workers, and citizens who support energy production from the Bakken formation and its many benefits for North Dakota. Learn more at BackTheBakken.org.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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Many North Dakotans are demanding that our state's federal delegation hold town hall meetings to take questions about the extraordinary beginning of President Donald Trump's second term in office.

I've called for town halls, too.

Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak joined this episode of Plain Talk, and while that's not a town hall, she did take some questions on the topics that are motivating those calls for town halls.

Like the administration's antagonistic and mercurial approach to relations with our northern neighbors in Canada. "I don't know what President Trump's position on Canada is right now either," she said, echoing a similar sentiment from North Dakota Farmer's Union President Mark Watne.

"I can't control Trump's tariff approach, right?" she continued. "He's going to do that."

She did say that Trump's approach is "not my style" and that she's "more about solutions."

Fedorchak also took questions about the DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, arguing that there is waste and fraud in the federal government and that a shakeup was needed. Still, she indicated that the approach gives her pause. "You can disagree with how they manage it. I'm not defending them," she said. "They don't work for me. They work for President Trump."

Fedorchak also expressed support for interacting with constituents. "I agree with you on the the need for constant communication with constituents and I have been doing that since day one," she said, listing numerous open-pto-the-public events she's held with various interest groups. But she argued that these interactions should be "back and forth, hearing from constituents, delivering answers, facing questions, not uh, waving signs and shouting everybody down."

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the ugly new revelations about former state Sen. Ray Holmberg's repugnant activities, and the sometimes partisan reaction to them, as well as the latest from the legislative session.

This episode is presented by Lignite Energy Council, an organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the development of North Dakota's abundant lignite resources. Their goal is to maintain a viable lignite coal industry and support the generation of electricity, synthetic natural gas, and valuable byproducts. Visit Lignite.com to connect and learn more.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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MINOT — Our attitudes about health insurance shift, depending on the context we're in. When we're healthy and paying premiums, we want costs to be low. When we're sick or hurt or sitting alongside a family member suffering some malady, we want expansive coverage and not a lot of bureaucracy.

Unfortunately, these things are in tension with one another; part of it is the process of prior authorization. What is that, specifically? "When a provider requests a procedure, a prescription, or anything like that, what they do is they request this through the insurance provider to make sure that it's covered," Sen. Scott Meyer said.

That can sometimes be a lengthy process, taking days or weeks, which aren't happy days or weeks when a person is hurting. Sen. Meyer has sponsored Senate Bill 2280, which targets a specific type of insurance (self-funded policies) for regulation on prior authorization.

"If we're going to be reviewing a prior authorization with the insurance company, it needs to be done by a physician rather than a business analyst, an algorithm or AI," Sen. Meyer said of his bill.

"The people that ultimately get hurt in this, though, are the patients," added Andy Askew, who is the Vice President of Public Policy for Essentia Health and appeared alongside Sen. Meyer. "This is meant, again, to help these folks that need help, need care, and to get it in a timely manner."

Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discussed a Minnesota lawmaker backing legislation to define criticism of President Donald Trump as a mental illness (and his recent arrest for soliciting sex from a child), the progress on a book ban bill, the status of Gov. Kelly Armstrong's proposed property tax reform, and how my reporting ended up on a Court TV live stream.

This episode is presented by North Dakotans for Public Schools. North Dakotans for Public Schools is dedicated to protecting and strengthening public education in North Dakota. United by the belief that public schools are the cornerstone of our communities; North Dakotans for Public Schools fights against harmful policies like voucher schemes that divert resources away from public schools. By bringing together educators, parents, school boards, and citizens; North Dakotans for Public Schools amplifies the voices of those who understand the critical role public schools play in shaping the future of North Dakota's children and communities. Learn more and get involved at www.NDforPublicSchools.com.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

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It's no secret that the oil industry is central to North Dakota's economy. Still, it's surprising even for in-the-know citizens to look back at the remarkable growth of that industry over the last couple of decades. The North Dakota Petroleum Council routinely commissions studies into the economic impact of their industry, and the findings are eye-popping.

The first study was conducted in 2005. "At that time, the oil and gas industry, we were producing 92,000 barrels of oil a day. We had 3,300 mostly tired oil wells from non-Bakken formations. We employed about 5,000 people," NDPC President Ron Ness said on this episode of Plain Talk. "Today we are a three $3.2 billion industry."

"We employ 63,000 people," he continued. "We produce 1.2 million barrels of oil a day. "It's as you said, the rise has just been incredible."

But what about the future? Ness says there are opportunities to find new avenues for growth that North Dakota must seize lest oil production and its attendant boons in terms of economic impacts and tax revenues ebb.

"With the best technology in all the world focused on this resource, out of every 100 barrels of oil, we're still leaving 85 in the ground," he said. "If we can get another 15%, that's a doubling of the ultimate recovery, and it will add generations and generational wealth and opportunities for future North Dotans. Without that, we're going to we're going to deplete this resource."

How do we seize this opportunity?

"We're going to need massive amounts of CO2," Ness said, pointing out that the NDPC, along with partners at North Dakota's universities, have been pursuing enhanced oil recovery methods using carbon dioxide. "We've been studying enhanced oil recovery through the use of carbon dioxide since 20 3 with the [University of North Dakota Energy and Environment Research Center]," Ness said. "The uniqueness about carbon dioxide and what it does is it mobilizes new oil off the rock. You've got to keep that that pressure up in that reservoir. Natural gas will help that. It'll do some of that, but CO2, as proven by EERC in Bakken rock, will mobilize new oil."

Also on this episode, Sen. Paul Thomas, a Republican from Velva, joined us to discuss the rural perspective on the property tax debate. One concern he has is that the focus of House Bill 1176, which was introduced by Rep. Mike Nathe and is supported by Gov. Kelly Armstrong, is exclusively on property tax relief for primary residences. Thomas argues that this could create a political unbalance that has the spending promoted by a majority of voters supported by a minority of farmers and business owners.

"In many of the counties, agricultural land provides the majority of the tax base for that county," he said. "In certain communities, obviously if you go to you know Ward County or you go to Cass County with the larger cities, it's not going to be as high a percentage, but when you get out in the in the other rural counties, the agricultural land is providing a majority of the tax."

HB1176 provides property $1,450 tax credits for primary residences. Thomas says he'd like to see that combined with House Bill 1168, sponsored by Rep. Scott Louser of Minot, which buys out school credits. The combo, Thomas argues, would deliver the direct and dramatic relief for homeowners that Gov. Armstrong has asked for while also delivering some relief to business owners and farmers.

This episode is presented by North Dakotans for Public Schools. North Dakotans for Public Schools is dedicated to protecting and strengthening public education in North Dakota. United by the belief that public schools are the cornerstone of our communities; North Dakotans for Public Schools fights against harmful policies like voucher schemes that divert resources away from public schools.

By bringing together educators, parents, school boards, and citizens; North Dakotans for Public Schools amplifies the voices of those who understand the critical role public schools play in shaping the future of North Dakota's children and communities. Learn more and get involved at www.NDforPublicSchools.com

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

We invited Sen. Kristin Roers to this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the debate over term limits reforms making their way through the Legislature in Bismarck, but before we turned to that topic, I asked Roers about recent comments made by state Rep. Brandon Prichard about her former colleage Rep. Josh Christy.

Christy passed away during the current legislative session. He served in Fargo-area District 27 alongside Roers. When the District 27 Republicans approved the appointment of Rep. T.J. Brown to replace Christy, Prichard, through his group Citizens Alliance of North Dakota, took credit for the move, claiming falsely that Brown had won a "special election" and celebrating his replacing Christy, who was a moderate.

"I just found it disgusting," Roers said, accusing Prichard of "trying to take credit" for something "he had absoultely nothing to do with."

Roers said that she has spoken with Rep. Brown, who indicated that Prichard and his group had nothing to do with his appointment.

As for term limits, there are several proposals before the Legislature. House Concurrent Resolutoin 3034, Senate Concurrent Resolution 2028, and Senate Concurrent Resoluton 4008 would each amend the state constitution to change the voter-initiated term limits to 12 years, or three terms, instead of 8 years, or two terms.

Roers, though, says she introduced an amendment to SCR4008, specifically, which would go a bit further. Her amendment would allow lawmakers to serve for a total of four terms, or 16 years, regardless of which chamber they're in. She argued that this was closer to what voters approved, which allows a person to serve for as many as eight years in each chamber. The Roers amendment simply allows those 16 years already allowed to be served entirely in a single chamber.

She also included some language making it so that lawmakers, such as Brown, who are appointed to partial terms, or who are elected to a two-year term after redistricting, can still serve four full terms.

Also on this episode, Dr. Aimee Copas, executive director of the North Dakota Council of Education Leaders, talks about the property tax debate, the school choice debate, and recently-released test results showing that North Dakota students are testing at some of the highest levels in the world.

Recent NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) testing had North Dakota students with scores that "put us on part with some of the best scores globally."

She also warned that North Dakota lawmakers aren't preparing for dramatic budget cuts that could result from President Donald Trump's dramatic and chaotic push to slash federal spending. "You're not seeing that conversation at all right now," she said.

This episode is presented by Bakken Backers. Bakken Backers is a coalition of businesses, leaders, workers, and citizens who support energy production from the Bakken formation and its many benefits for North Dakota. Learn more at BackTheBakken.org.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

President Donald Trump's announced tariffs against Canada and Mexico and their retaliatory measures have significant economic risks, particularly for places like North Dakota, where so much of our economy is tied up in international markets. But perhaps even more damaging is the uncertainty Trump's mercurial approach to this policy area engenders.

One of the first questions we asked North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne on this episode of Plain Talk was whether we know what exactly our tariffs policy is toward Canada and Mexico right now given that Trump has pulled back on the tariffs he announced less than a week before.

"We really don't," Watne said. "It's been kind of hit and miss on trying to understand it and of course that's a symptom of a bigger problem."

"North Dakota is impacted the hardest of all states because we export so much," Watne added, "and the retaliation is the problem."

Trump's approach to tariffs can close off foreign markets to American goods, including crops, and that can have major economic implications. "If you're going to hold the US supplies in the US because you're killing your foreign markets, we're going to be in a depressed marketplace for a long period of time," Watne said.

He also warned that it's not just farmers who are going to feel the pain from tariffs. "Now, from a consumer perspective, you would assume, well, commodity prices are lower then of course food's lower, but that's not true," he said. "We've effectively gotten so much concentration in our place of food production from beef slaughter to pork slaughter to many grocery chains that control the distribution system that the reflection on commodity prices in what you pay is irrelevant."

"It doesn't matter if the price of wheat goes up or down, other than when it goes up [food prices] go up. When it goes back down, they don't bring the price down again."

Also on this episode, Chad Oban and react to some listener feedback, and make some predictions for the second half of the legislative session which kicked off this week.

This episode is presented by Dakota Resource Council. For nearly 50 years, DRC has worked across North Dakota to protect our land, water and future. Become a member, volunteer and take action, or donate today at www.DRCinfo.org.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive