INSIDER
An influx of outsiders and money turns Montana Republican, culminating in a Senate triumph
Read full article: An influx of outsiders and money turns Montana Republican, culminating in a Senate triumphDemocrats’ crushing loss in Montana’s nationally important U.S. Senate race settled a fierce political debate over whether a surge of newcomers in the past decade favored Republicans.
Abortion rights advocates win in 7 states and clear way to overturn Missouri ban but lose in 3
Read full article: Abortion rights advocates win in 7 states and clear way to overturn Missouri ban but lose in 3Abortion rights advocates lost on Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota ballot measures but prevailed in seven other states, including Missouri, where an amendment clears the way to undo one of the nation's strictest bans.
The struggle for Senate control goes down to the wire as spending shatters records
Read full article: The struggle for Senate control goes down to the wire as spending shatters recordsBillions of dollars in ads are raining down on voters across the Rust Belt, Rocky Mountains and American southwest as the two major political parties struggle for control of the U.S. Senate.
Man who killed eagles on a Native American reservation gets nearly 4 years in prison
Read full article: Man who killed eagles on a Native American reservation gets nearly 4 years in prisonA Washington state man who authorities say led a wildlife trafficking ring on a Native American reservation in Montana that killed thousands of eagles and hawks was sentenced to nearly four years in prison.
Forced assimilation and abuse: How US boarding schools devastated Native American tribes
Read full article: Forced assimilation and abuse: How US boarding schools devastated Native American tribesPresident Biden is expected to issue an historic apology Friday for the 150-year government effort to break up Native American culture, language and identity by forcing children into abusive boarding schools.
Montana businessman gets 2 years in prison for role in Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol
Read full article: Montana businessman gets 2 years in prison for role in Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US CapitolA Montana business owner and supporter of former President Donald Trump has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol that interrupted certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote.
This Montana Senate candidate said his opponent ate 'lobbyist steak.' But he lobbied—with steak
Read full article: This Montana Senate candidate said his opponent ate 'lobbyist steak.' But he lobbied—with steakMontana Republican Tim Sheehy denounced incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Tester during a recent debate for “eating lobbyist steak” while Sheehy was fighting in Afghanistan.
Montana man gets 6 months in prison for cloning giant sheep and breeding it
Read full article: Montana man gets 6 months in prison for cloning giant sheep and breeding itAn 81-year-old Montana has been sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to pay $24,000 in penalties for using tissue and testicles from large sheep hunted in Central Asia and the U.S. to illegally create hybrid sheep for captive trophy hunts in Texas and Minnesota.
Court upholds finding that Montana clinic submitted false asbestos claims
Read full article: Court upholds finding that Montana clinic submitted false asbestos claimsA federal appeals court has upheld a lower court determination that a Montana health clinic submitted more than 300 false asbestos claims.
Montana becomes eighth state with ballot measure seeking to protect abortion rights
Read full article: Montana becomes eighth state with ballot measure seeking to protect abortion rightsMontana has become the eighth state in which voters will decide this year whether they want to legally protect the right to an abortion.
Voters in Arizona and Montana can decide on constitutional right to abortion
Read full article: Voters in Arizona and Montana can decide on constitutional right to abortionVoters in Arizona and Montana will be able to decide whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitutions.
Republicans urge reversal of landmark ruling in Montana climate change lawsuit by young plaintiffs
Read full article: Republicans urge reversal of landmark ruling in Montana climate change lawsuit by young plaintiffsRepublican officials in Montana are pressing the state Supreme Court to overturn a landmark climate ruling in a lawsuit brought by young environmentalists.
Biden administration provides $504 million to support 12 technology hubs nationwide
Read full article: Biden administration provides $504 million to support 12 technology hubs nationwideThe Biden administration says it's providing $504 million in implementation grants for a dozen technology hubs in Ohio, Montana, Nevada and Florida, among other locations.
Planned Parenthood says it will spend $40 million on abortion rights ahead of November's election
Read full article: Planned Parenthood says it will spend $40 million on abortion rights ahead of November's electionPlanned Parenthood's political and advocacy arms will spend $40 million ahead of November’s elections to bolster the campaigns of President Joe Biden and leading congressional Democrats.
Much of US braces for extreme weather, from southern heat wave to possible snow in the Rockies
Read full article: Much of US braces for extreme weather, from southern heat wave to possible snow in the RockiesMuch of the U.S. is bracing for extreme weather — especially high temperatures — this weekend and into next week.
Republican challenger to Tester leans into his outsider status in Montana US Senate debate
Read full article: Republican challenger to Tester leans into his outsider status in Montana US Senate debateRepublican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy embraced his status as an outsider who came to Montana to start a business during the first debate in a race that could tip the balance of power in the Senate.
Biden and Trump win Democratic, Republican elections in some of 2024's last primary contests
Read full article: Biden and Trump win Democratic, Republican elections in some of 2024's last primary contestsPresident Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won Democratic and Republican primaries in a handful of states Tuesday, among some of the last contests on the 2024 primary calendar.
Montana US Sen. Jon Tester to face GOP newcomer Tim Sheehy in election key to Senate control
Read full article: Montana US Sen. Jon Tester to face GOP newcomer Tim Sheehy in election key to Senate controlThree-term incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Tester and Republican newcomer Tim Sheehy have cruised to victory in Montana’s primary election.
From his Montana ranch, a retired lawmaker is angling for a comeback in a crowded House race
Read full article: From his Montana ranch, a retired lawmaker is angling for a comeback in a crowded House raceFormer Rep. Denny Rehberg of Montana is pursuing an unlikely path to victory in one of America's biggest congressional districts, where ranchers and open space dominate.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Montana presidential and state primaries
Read full article: AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Montana presidential and state primariesThe general election for a race that could determine the Senate majority begins right after Montana voters lock in their nominees in Tuesday’s primaries.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the final presidential primaries and caucuses of 2024
Read full article: AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the final presidential primaries and caucuses of 2024The 2024 presidential primary calendar is drawing to a close with a handful of primaries on Tuesday and two Democratic caucuses in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands on June 8.
'War on coal' rhetoric heats up as Biden seeks to curb pollution with election looming
Read full article: 'War on coal' rhetoric heats up as Biden seeks to curb pollution with election loomingThe rhetorical “war on coal” is back as Republicans try to capitalize on moves by President Joe Biden's administration to rein in pollution and climate change.
Escaped zebra captured near Seattle after gallivanting around Cascade mountain foothills for days
Read full article: Escaped zebra captured near Seattle after gallivanting around Cascade mountain foothills for daysA zebra that has been hoofing through the foothills of western Washington for days was recaptured Friday evening nearly a week after she escaped with three other zebras from a trailer near Seattle.
Montana minor league baseball team in dispute with National Park Service over arrowhead logo
Read full article: Montana minor league baseball team in dispute with National Park Service over arrowhead logoA minor league baseball team in Montana is calling out the U.S. Department of Interior for “unwarranted and relentless” trademark claims in a battle over the use of an arrowhead logo.
Trump picks up more national delegates as the only choice for Wyoming Republicans
Read full article: Trump picks up more national delegates as the only choice for Wyoming RepublicansRepublicans in Wyoming have awarded former President Donald Trump all 29 of their national delegates in a presidential preference poll.
BNSF Railway says it didn't know about asbestos that's killed hundreds in Montana town
Read full article: BNSF Railway says it didn't know about asbestos that's killed hundreds in Montana townBNSF Railway attorneys told Montana that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town.
Man pleads guilty in eagle ‘killing spree’ on reservation to sell feathers on black market
Read full article: Man pleads guilty in eagle ‘killing spree’ on reservation to sell feathers on black marketA Washington state man accused of helping kill thousands of birds has pleaded guilty to shooting eagles on an American Indian reservation in Montana and selling their feathers and body parts on the black market.
Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed 'giant' sheep for sale to hunting preserves
Read full article: Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed 'giant' sheep for sale to hunting preservesFederal prosecutors say a Montana rancher illegally used tissue and testicles from wild sheep that were killed by hunters in central Asia and the U.S. to breed “giant” sheep hybrids for sale to private hunting preserves in Texas.
Republicans have a plan to take the Senate. A hard-right Montana lawmaker could crash the party
Read full article: Republicans have a plan to take the Senate. A hard-right Montana lawmaker could crash the partyMontana Republicans gathered in a hotel ballroom this weekend aiming to unite ahead of the 2024 election and defeat three-term incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.
Snow, ice, wind and bitter cold pummels the northern US in dangerous winter storm
Read full article: Snow, ice, wind and bitter cold pummels the northern US in dangerous winter stormA dangerous winter storm swept the northern U.S. on Friday, with blinding snow in some places, freezing rain in others, and bitter cold temperatures and whipping winds across several states.
Montana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riot
Read full article: Montana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riotA Montana fire chief who lost a previous job over a coronavirus vaccine mandate has been charged with spraying a chemical irritant on police officers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Arrest warrant issued for Montana man accused of killing thousands of birds, including eagles
Read full article: Arrest warrant issued for Montana man accused of killing thousands of birds, including eaglesA federal judge in Montana has issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of killing thousands of birds, including bald and golden eagles, after he failed to show up for an initial court appearance.
Wildlife conservation groups sue over lack of plan for railroad to reduce grizzly deaths in Montana
Read full article: Wildlife conservation groups sue over lack of plan for railroad to reduce grizzly deaths in MontanaTwo wildlife conservation groups have filed a lawsuit against BNSF Railway over delays in finalizing a plan to reduce the number of federally protected grizzly bears that are killed by trains in northwestern Montana and northern Idaho.
Men charged with killing 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, to sell on black market
Read full article: Men charged with killing 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, to sell on black marketA federal grand jury indictment says two men killed about 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, during a “killing spree” on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere.
Federal judge blocks Montana's first-in-the-nation ban on TikTok, says it's unconstitutional
Read full article: Federal judge blocks Montana's first-in-the-nation ban on TikTok, says it's unconstitutionalA federal judge has blocked Montana's first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state while a legal challenge to the law moves through the courts.
Montana miner backs off expansion plans, lays off 100 due to lower palladium prices
Read full article: Montana miner backs off expansion plans, lays off 100 due to lower palladium pricesThe owner of two a south-central Montana precious metals mines is stopping work on an expansion project and laying off about 100 workers because the price of palladium fell sharply in the past year.
US moves to protect wolverines as climate change melts their mountain refuges, threatens extinction
Read full article: US moves to protect wolverines as climate change melts their mountain refuges, threatens extinctionThe North American wolverine will receive long-delayed threatened species protections under a Biden administration proposal.
A population of hard-to-eradicate ‘super pigs’ in Canada is threatening to invade the US
Read full article: A population of hard-to-eradicate ‘super pigs’ in Canada is threatening to invade the USMinnesota, North Dakota, Montana and other northern states are making preparations to stop an invasion of wild pigs from Canada.
Survivors say trauma from abusive Native American boarding schools stretches across generations
Read full article: Survivors say trauma from abusive Native American boarding schools stretches across generationsSurvivors of government-backed Native American boarding schools and their descendants have shared their experiences as U.S. officials made a final stop in Montana on their yearlong tour to confront the institutions that regularly abused students to assimilate them into white society.
Snow piles up in North Dakota as region's first major snowstorm of the season moves eastward
Read full article: Snow piles up in North Dakota as region's first major snowstorm of the season moves eastwardAn east-moving snowstorm, the first major one of the season, continued Thursday into North Dakota.
Man linked to missing Arizona teen Alicia Navarro is arrested on child sex abuse charges
Read full article: Man linked to missing Arizona teen Alicia Navarro is arrested on child sex abuse chargesA 36-year-old man who was living with an Arizona teenager who mysteriously disappeared four years ago and reappeared last summer in a small Montana town has been charged with two felony counts of child sexual abuse based on images found on his phone.
TikTok and content creators challenging Montana's ban face off with the state in federal court
Read full article: TikTok and content creators challenging Montana's ban face off with the state in federal courtTikTok and Montana faced off in federal court in a case filed by the video sharing app and five content creators who want the court to temporarily block the state's ban on the platform before it takes effect on Jan. 1.
Transgender residents in North Carolina, Montana file lawsuits challenging new state restrictions
Read full article: Transgender residents in North Carolina, Montana file lawsuits challenging new state restrictionsTransgender residents of North Carolina and Montana added to a growing list of lawsuits challenging the recent onslaught of Republican state laws aimed at transgender individuals.
This is what it's like to maintain the US nuclear arsenal
Read full article: This is what it's like to maintain the US nuclear arsenalThe Associated Press has been granted rare access to U.S. nuclear missile bases and weapons production facilities to see how technicians keep the arsenal working while starting the government’s biggest nuclear overhaul since the Cold War.
Petroleum asphalt remains in Yellowstone River, even after cleanup from train derailment
Read full article: Petroleum asphalt remains in Yellowstone River, even after cleanup from train derailmentTwo months after a railroad bridge collapse sent carloads of hazardous oil products plunging into Montana’s Yellowstone River, the cleanup workers are gone and a mess remains.
Amber Alert: Newborn twins who went missing in Livonia have been found, Detroit police say
Read full article: Amber Alert: Newborn twins who went missing in Livonia have been found, Detroit police sayThe twin babies who went missing in Livonia, prompting an Amber Alert early Monday morning, have been found, Detroit police said.
Montana clinic files for bankruptcy following $6 million judgment over false asbestos claims
Read full article: Montana clinic files for bankruptcy following $6 million judgment over false asbestos claimsA health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination has filed for bankruptcy after a judge ordered it to pay the government almost $6 million in penalties and damages for submitting hundreds of false asbestos claims.
Arizona teen Alicia Navarro missing since 2019 shows up safe at Montana police station
Read full article: Arizona teen Alicia Navarro missing since 2019 shows up safe at Montana police stationAuthorities say an Arizona teenager who disappeared nearly four years ago is safe after walking into a small-town police station in Havre, Montana.
Escaped murder suspect who fled from Montana to Michigan while being transported has been arrested
Read full article: Escaped murder suspect who fled from Montana to Michigan while being transported has been arrestedAfter being transported from Montana to Michigan, Chadwick Shane Mobile, 42, was arrested and charged in Lapeer County.
TikTok and 5 content creators ask federal judge to block Montana from banning app
Read full article: TikTok and 5 content creators ask federal judge to block Montana from banning appTikTok and a group of five content creators who are suing the state of Montana over its first-in-the-nation law to ban the video sharing app are now asking a federal judge to block implementation of the law while the case moves through the courts.
French Montana chronicles mom's sacrifice after emigrating from Morocco in doc film 'For Khadija'
Read full article: French Montana chronicles mom's sacrifice after emigrating from Morocco in doc film 'For Khadija'If French Montana’s father never abandoned him as a teenager, the rapper believes he would not have grown into a popular figure who has earned three Grammy nominations.
Health clinic in Montana Superfund town faces penalties for false asbestos claims
Read full article: Health clinic in Montana Superfund town faces penalties for false asbestos claimsA health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination faces millions of dollars in penalties after a jury found it submitted 337 false asbestos claims to the U.S. government.
Jury says health clinic in Montana Superfund town submitted 337 false asbestos claims
Read full article: Jury says health clinic in Montana Superfund town submitted 337 false asbestos claimsA federal jury has ruled that a health clinic in a Montana town where hundreds of people died from asbestos exposure submitted 337 false asbestos claims making its patients eligible for benefits such as Medicare.
Federal board sides with Navajo coal company, says BNSF Railway must ship to Canadian port
Read full article: Federal board sides with Navajo coal company, says BNSF Railway must ship to Canadian portA federal board has ordered BNSF Railway to transport at least 4.2 million tons of coal from a Montana mine to a port in Canada this year.
Former Navy SEAL seeks GOP nod to challenge Montana Democratic US Sen. Tester in 2024
Read full article: Former Navy SEAL seeks GOP nod to challenge Montana Democratic US Sen. Tester in 2024Former U.S. Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy says he will seek the 2024 Republican nomination to challenge Montana U.S. Sen. Jon Tester as the Democrat tries to secure a fourth term.
Power couple Zooey Zephyr and Erin Reed are spreading hope to fellow transgender people
Read full article: Power couple Zooey Zephyr and Erin Reed are spreading hope to fellow transgender peopleMontana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr and legislative researcher Erin Reed have emerged as a power couple spreading hope to fellow transgender people.
Young plaintiffs' attorney closes Montana climate change trial with call for action
Read full article: Young plaintiffs' attorney closes Montana climate change trial with call for actionAn attorney for 16 young plaintiffs has urged a judge to strike down as unconstitutional a Montana law that prohibits state agencies from considering the environmental effects when it weighs permits allowing the release of greenhouse gases.
A Montana man who fired shots in a thwarted plot against LGBTQ+ people gets 18 years in prison
Read full article: A Montana man who fired shots in a thwarted plot against LGBTQ+ people gets 18 years in prisonA southwestern Montana man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after being convicted of a hate crime and firearms charges for threatening a woman with violent, homophobic slurs and shooting at her house with an AK-style rifle as part of a self-described “mission” to rid a small town of its LGBTQ community.
Young athlete in Montana climate change trial testifies he uses inhaler due to forest fire smoke
Read full article: Young athlete in Montana climate change trial testifies he uses inhaler due to forest fire smokeA high school athlete who is one of 16 young plaintiffs who took Montana to court over climate change says increased smoke from forest fires has made it difficult to run races.
Young climate activists take Montana to court for its role in global warming
Read full article: Young climate activists take Montana to court for its role in global warmingYouth plaintiffs say warming temperatures are harming their health and threatening their futures as a closely-watched climate trial kicks in Montana.
Youth environmentalists bring Montana climate case to trial after 12 years, seeking to set precedent
Read full article: Youth environmentalists bring Montana climate case to trial after 12 years, seeking to set precedentA first-of-its kind trial in Montana will decide if the constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law.
Montana acts to protect Native American priority in adopting Native children
Read full article: Montana acts to protect Native American priority in adopting Native childrenMontana Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed a law that gives Native American families preference in fostering and adopting Native children involved with child protective services.
TikTok files lawsuit to overturn Montana's 1st-in-nation ban on the video sharing app
Read full article: TikTok files lawsuit to overturn Montana's 1st-in-nation ban on the video sharing appSocial media company TikTok has filed a lawsuit to overturn Montana’s first-in-the-nation ban on the video sharing app.
TikTok content creators file lawsuit against Montana over first-in-nation law banning app
Read full article: TikTok content creators file lawsuit against Montana over first-in-nation law banning appFive TikTok content creators have filed a lawsuit to overturn a planned ban on the video sharing app in Montana.
Montana is banning TikTok. But can the state enforce the law and fend off lawsuits?
Read full article: Montana is banning TikTok. But can the state enforce the law and fend off lawsuits?TikTok is challenging Montana’s first-of-its kind law that makes it illegal for people to use the social media app in the state.
Here are all of the abortion debates happening this week in US courts and statehouses
Read full article: Here are all of the abortion debates happening this week in US courts and statehousesLawmakers in South Carolina have passed an abortion ban while a judge in Montana was weighing restrictions there.
Youth lawsuit challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies is heading to trial
Read full article: Youth lawsuit challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies is heading to trialA Montana judge on Friday said a climate change lawsuit from young people challenging the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies will proceed to trial despite efforts by the state to derail the case.
GOP uses state capitol protests to redefine 'insurrection'
Read full article: GOP uses state capitol protests to redefine 'insurrection'The silencing of a transgender lawmaker in Montana marks the third time in five weeks that Republicans have attempted to compare disruptive but nonviolent protests at state capitols to insurrections.
Montana transgender lawmaker faces censure or expulsion
Read full article: Montana transgender lawmaker faces censure or expulsionMontana Republican leaders will vote on censuring or expelling a transgender state lawmaker who has been silenced on the state House floor for comments against a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for children.
Judge to weigh limits for aerial fire retardant in wildfires
Read full article: Judge to weigh limits for aerial fire retardant in wildfiresA federal judge is weighing whether to severely limit the government’s use of aerial fire retardant to combat wildfires following arguments by environmentalists who are concerned about water pollution.
Montana transgender lawmaker silenced again, backers protest
Read full article: Montana transgender lawmaker silenced again, backers protestRepublican legislative leaders in Montana persisted in forbidding Democratic transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from participating in debate for a second week and her supporters brought the House session to a halt Monday — chanting “Let her speak!”.
Montana GOP seeks to bar 3rd parties from key US Senate race
Read full article: Montana GOP seeks to bar 3rd parties from key US Senate raceLibertarians lined up with Democrats on Friday against a proposal that would effectively block third party candidates from next year’s Montana U.S. Senate election.
'Dances With Wolves' actor indicted in Nevada sex abuse case
Read full article: 'Dances With Wolves' actor indicted in Nevada sex abuse caseA grand jury in Nevada has indicted a “Dances With Wolves” actor who is accused of sexually abusing and trafficking Indigenous women and girls in the U.S. and Canada for decades.
US, states weigh farmland restrictions after Chinese balloon
Read full article: US, states weigh farmland restrictions after Chinese balloonAs U.S.-China relations cool amid trade disputes and espionage fears stoked by the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the Atlantic Coast, lawmakers in Congress and at least 11 statehouses are weighing legislation to further limit foreign ownership of farmland.
Chinese balloon high over US stirs unease down below
Read full article: Chinese balloon high over US stirs unease down belowThe Chinese balloon drifting high above the U.S. and first revealed over Montana has created a buzz down below among residents — and raised a chorus of alarm from elected officials.
US may lift protections for Yellowstone, Glacier grizzlies
Read full article: US may lift protections for Yellowstone, Glacier grizzliesU.S. wildlife officials have taken the first step to lift federal protections for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky Mountains, which would open the door to future hunting in several states.
Chinese balloon soars across US; Blinken scraps Beijing trip
Read full article: Chinese balloon soars across US; Blinken scraps Beijing tripA huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon is sailing across the U.S. The spectacle drew severe Pentagon accusations of spying on Friday, while sending some excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars.