Montana voters opposed a midterm ballot measure imposing criminal charges on medical professionals failing to take &#8220;all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life&#8221; of infants born alive, including those who survived after attempted abortions.
LR-131, a legislative referendum known as the <a href="https://static.votesmart.org/static/billtext/77192.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana Born-Alive Infant Protection Act</a>, asked Montanans to decide whether &#8220;infants born alive, including infants born alive after an abortion, are legal persons.&#8221; The measure would have also found healthcare providers guilty of failing to take medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve a born-alive infant&#8217;s life, with a punishment of a fine up to $50,000 or imprisonment up to 20 years, or both.
&#8220;A born-alive infant means an infant who breathes, has a beating heart, or has definite movement of voluntary muscles, after the complete expulsion or extraction from the mother,&#8221; the referendum reads.
Republican lawmakers and supporters of the measure said it would have protected babies that survived botched abortions, which <a href="https://www.womenscenter.com/2018/11/successandfailureratesusingabortionpill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">studies</a> suggest the failure rate of the medical abortion process is less than 1%.
Rep. Matt Regier (R-Kalispell), who sponsored a bill last year that put the controversial measure on the ballot, told the House Judiciary Committee in January 2021 that it would define who Montanans are as a state.
&#8220;This goes right down to, are we going to stand for life, or are we going to throw it away,&#8221; Regier <a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2022/09/23/what-does-montanas-lr-131-have-to-do-with-abortion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
In an <a href="https://helenair.com/opinion/columnists/matt-regier-lr-131-will-protect-all-infants-born-alive/article_50b90b45-d7ce-572e-8c5d-7a135cff6016.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a>, Regier wrote, &#8220;A YES vote for LR 131 will do exactly what the title states — protect all infants that are born alive. This is different from the abortion debate. This law only affects medical providers intentionally allowing children born alive to perish.&#8221;
Montana resident Lea Bossler told the <a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2022/09/23/what-does-montanas-lr-131-have-to-do-with-abortion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana Free Press</a> that she lost her daughter 115 days after she was born prematurely from fetal inflammatory response syndrome. If the law had been in place, the medical staff involved would have been labeled criminals.
&#8220;Her death under LR-131 would have been extremely traumatic for everyone, rather than beautiful,&#8221; Bossler said. &#8220;Legally forced repeated chest compressions and epi shots would have done nothing but overdosed, bruised, and broken her already dying body.&#8221;
She added that the law would &#8220;infringe deeply on patient privacy, further restrict access to medical services, and eliminate infant palliative care and the human right to a dignified death, regardless of actual medical viability.&#8221;
Lauren Wilson of the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics told <a href="https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2022-11-10/montana-voters-reject-born-alive-abortion-referendum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana Public Radio</a> in a statement that the initiative would have &#8220;criminalized doctors, nurses, and other health care workers for providing compassionate care for infants, and, in doing so, overridden the decision-making of Montana parents.&#8221;
The Montana Free Press reports former Republican state Sen. Al Olszewski sponsored a born-alive bill in 2019 that was later vetoed. He said the bill would clarify that infants born-alive would have legal protections rather than to &#8220;go after children and families dealing with the tragedy of fetal abnormalities.&#8221;
Congress already passed a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/2175/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a> twenty years ago that granted infants born alive the same rights as a person but did not require care or impose penalties on the medical staff, which led 18 other states to pass similar laws.

EARLY VOTING MT

Montana Voters Reject Measure Requiring Care For Babies Born Alive

2022 Election

2022 Midterms

Elections

Montana

Politics

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana">Montana</a> woman has come under fire after posting photos of a skinned Husky she shot and killed after mistaking it for a wolf.
Amber Rose provoked widespread ire and condemnation after posting <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2022/09/26/montana-woman-kills-skins-husky-dog-think-wolf-outrage/">graphic photos</a> of the carcass of a Siberian Husky she killed on a bear hunt, which she identified as a ‘wolf pup.’
&#8220;So this morning I set out for a solo predator hunt for a fall black bear however I got the opportunity to take another predator wolf,” Rose wrote, “was a great feeling to text my man and say I just smoked a wolf pup. #firstwolf #onelesspredatorMT.&#8221;
Huskies are more visually similar to their canid cousins than many other breeds of dog, however, they are noticeably smaller: full grown Huskies are 20-23.5 inches tall typically weigh 35-65 lbs, while a gray wolf stands between 26-32 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 50-110lbs. The size discrepancy could explain why Rose identified it as a juvenile rather than an adult, but Huskies also have a broader snout and various minute differences in coloration and build when compared to wolves.
The incident took place outside of Martin City, Montana. The local Sheriff’s Office, Animal Control and Fish and Game agencies are currently investigating, although as of now there is no indication that Rose will face any legal repercussions, although some locals and many online observers are up in arms.
“It’s like, how could you ever mistake a husky like that for a wolf,” Rebecca Harding, a resident of Green Hills, Montana, told <a href="https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/western-montana-woman-ignites-fury-after-posting-photos-of-shot-and-skinned-husky-dog">MTN News</a>. “She’s poaching. She’s hurting our hunting community by posting that she went out looking for one specific animal and shooting a different one.”
Rose defended herself from the backlash in a subsequent post, arguing that she had received a wolf tag before her hunt began and was authorized to kill a wolf if she encountered one, although she admitted that she &#8220;made a mistake.&#8221;
Rose also claimed that she had made the kill in self defense, stating that the Husky was &#8220;aggressive&#8221; and &#8220;coming directly for me.&#8221;

Portrait of Sled Dog in winter, Le Corbier, France

Montana Woman Shoots And Skins Dog She Mistook For Wolf

Dogs

It may be a northern state, but Montana is groaning over the record amounts of fentanyl flooding over the Southern border.
In the first six months of this year, Montana law enforcement <a href="https://dojmt.gov/ag-knudsen-new-data-show-fentanyl-is-top-public-safety-threat-in-montana/">seized</a> 58 times more fentanyl than they seized in all of 2019. The state&#8217;s Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task forces seized nearly 112,000 fentanyl doses, and that doesn&#8217;t even include fentanyl seized by other law enforcement across the state. In comparison, over 60,000 doses were seized last year and only 1,900 dosage units were seized in 2019.
&#8220;It&#8217;s growing exponentially, and it&#8217;s a massive crisis devastating with honestly deadly consequences,&#8221; Montana Republican Governor Greg Gianforte told The Daily Wire in an interview.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is cheap to make and easily transported, is about 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Because it is often cut with other drugs, users may often be unaware that they are consuming the powerful substance, which can be deadly even in small doses. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 42% of pills tested for fentanyl contained a potentially lethal dose.
Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45, <a href="https://www.wral.com/fentanyl-overdose-becomes-leading-cause-of-death-for-adults-age-18-to-45/20200135/">according</a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the year that ended October 2021, nearly 106,000 people died from drug overdoses, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm">according</a> to the CDC, a surge largely driven by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
In Montana, 34 people have already died this year from fentanyl overdoses, with dozens more deaths suspected, <a href="https://dojmt.gov/ag-knudsen-new-data-show-fentanyl-is-top-public-safety-threat-in-montana/">according</a> to the Montana Justice Department. Last year, fatal fentanyl overdoses in Montana spiked 1,100% since 2017 from four to 49. Since 2021, opioid-related emergency medical responses have spiked 57%.
As overdoses tick up across the state, Montana officials and law enforcement are pleading with the Biden administration to do something about the porous U.S.-Mexico border, which they blame for the deadly crisis.
&#8220;Even though we&#8217;re 1,200 miles away from the southern border, I can tell you we&#8217;re a northern border state with a southern border problem,&#8221; said Gianforte. &#8220;It&#8217;s just ripping our communities apart,&#8221;
More and more, Mexican cartels are manufacturing fentanyl for distribution in the U.S., importing the chemical precursors for fentanyl production from China and turning them into pills and powder at &#8220;massive, industrial-scale labs,&#8221; <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/fentanyl-seizures-border-continue-spike-making-san-diego-national-epicenter-fentanyl">according</a> to the Justice Department. In recent weeks, law enforcement across the country has been <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/mon-metro-drug-task-force-seizes-rainbow-fentanyl">on alert</a> for a creative new version of the deadly drug dubbed &#8220;rainbow fentanyl,&#8221; which resembles candy.
In July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-releases-july-2022-monthly-operational-update">seized</a> 2,100 pounds of fentanyl, more than 200% more than the 640 pounds the agency seized in June.
Mexican cartels have in the past used the migrant crisis to overwhelm and distract Border Patrol agents as they smuggle drugs across the border, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/mexican-cartels-using-border-migrant-crisis-to-distract-u-s-agents-from-drug-smuggling-u-s-drug-czar">according</a> to James Carroll, the Trump administration&#8217;s drug czar.
Last fall, Gianforte visited the southern border in Texas with nine other governors. Afterwards, the 10 governors asked the Biden administration for a meeting and sent over a 10-point <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2021/10/governor-ducey-fellow-governors-outline-plan-biden-resolve-border-crisis">plan</a> to secure the border and combat the drug crisis.
&#8220;We haven&#8217;t gotten a return phone call,&#8221; Gianforte said.
Since taking office, President Joe Biden has moved to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/after-court-win-biden-again-tries-end-trump-remain-mexico-program-2022-08-09/">axe</a> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-immigration-government-and-politics-5c7bb29c829d7f0711b23f9beb18755d">two</a> Trump-era policies, Title 42, which allowed authorities to quickly expel migrants due to the COVID pandemic, and the &#8220;Remain in Mexico&#8221; policy, which made asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their cases are pending.
Last week, Gianforte <a href="https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Gov_Gianforte_to_Pres_Biden_Stop_Fentanyl_Secure_the_Border">held</a> a press conference along Highway 191 in the Gallatin Valley, a drug trafficking hotspot, to again urge the Biden administration to take action to stanch the flow of fentanyl from Mexico.
&#8220;I consider fentanyl truly the number one threat to Montana,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxXy7JO9ppk&amp;t=180s">said</a> Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen at the press conference.
&#8220;This is an absolute poison that is tearing our communities and our state apart,&#8221; Knudsen said, adding that he recently spoke with one woman who has lost two sons in two separate fentanyl overdoses and is now raising her grandchildren from both sons.
Montana has worked to combat its addiction crisis with the HEART Fund, which invests $25 million a year in behavioral health and treatment programs, as well as the Angel Initiative, a program to allow addicts to walk into a law enforcement office and get connected with treatment.
With Mexican cartels operating within Montana and a &#8220;tsunami of drugs&#8221; coming in though, the state has struggled to control the crisis, according to Gianforte.
Even Amtrak is involved.
&#8220;They throw it out the windows and then on their cell phone call a local mule to go pick up the package along the tracks,&#8221; Gianforte said.
Gianforte also estimated that drugs are responsible for as much as 90% of Montana&#8217;s violent crime.
&#8220;Ultimately, a country without a border is no country at all. We must secure the southern border,&#8221; Gianforte said. &#8220;This should not be a political issue. We are losing lives. Families are being ripped apart.&#8221;
In April, Gianforte and 25 other governors <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/04/governor-ducey-25-governors-commit-coordinated-effort-secure-united-states">formed</a> the American Governors’ Border Strike Force, which works to secure the border and combat drug trafficking in the absence of more federal action.

Supervised consumption sites in the DTES give addicts who use fentanyl, opioids, crystal methamphetamine and other drugs a place to use

‘Northern Border State With A Southern Border Problem’: Montana Reeling As Fentanyl Seizures Skyrocket

Montana Has Seized 58 Times More Fentanyl In 2022 Than It Did In All Of 2019

Fentanyl

A federal watchdog&#8217;s report accusing a former Trump cabinet official of lying to investigators is raising eyebrows due to its timing: four years after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-trump-admin-official-wins-gop-nomination-for-open-montana-congressional-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryan Zinke&#8217;s</a> alleged transgression and just over two months before he appears on the ballot for the House seat he previously held.
The <a href="https://www.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/oig-reports/DOI/WebRedactedFormerSecretaryandCOSDidntComplyWithDutyofCandor.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">44-page report</a> by the Department of the Interior (DOI) Inspector General (IG) Mark Greenblatt found that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-trump-admin-official-wins-gop-nomination-for-open-montana-congressional-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zinke</a>, the agency&#8217;s former secretary, and his chief of staff “lacked candor” with investigators probing Zinke&#8217;s September 2017 decision involving an Indian casino. Zinke&#8217;s attorney, Danny Onorato, called the report and its timing a “political smear,” coming some two months before Zinke — a former Montana congressman — will be on the ballot bidding to take back that role in November.
“Secretary Zinke repeatedly told the inspector general that he was not subject to any influence in that matter because he lacked jurisdiction to act on the application,” Onorato said in a statement. “That should have ended the inquiry. Instead, on the eve of an election, the IG has released a misleading and inaccurate report that suggested Secretary Zinke lacked candor in his interview with IG agents. That is wrong.”
The decision by Zinke, a former Navy SEAL who served as secretary from 2017-2019, involved an application by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation to open an off-reservation casino in Connecticut. The DOI manages Indian reservations, and typically approves, rejects, or takes no action on such proposals, with the latter option usually signaling tacit approval. Zinke&#8217;s position was that because the proposed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/casinos-airlines-lobbying-congress-for-billions-in-coronavirus-bailout-funds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">casino</a> was not on federal land, it required a “fourth option,” in which the state would decide.
Some Department attorneys opposed the decision, allegedly out of fear it could lead to a lawsuit. But a federal judge&#8217;s ruling later vindicated Zinke&#8217;s view. Nonetheless, by May 2018, the IG interviewed Zinke in an investigation involving the decision and referred the matter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for possible prosecution in 2018.
Many of the allegedly false statements involved Zinke claiming that career DOI attorneys supported his decision, a claim the watchdog said was undermined by a Department lawyer&#8217;s account that he was not “thrilled” but did believe Zinke&#8217;s decision was legal.
Zinke is also accused of downplaying interactions with lobbyists with a stake in the issue, including one political consultant with ties to Zinke who went skiing with him and had dinner at his home.
But the report obscures the fact that Zinke did not do what lobbyists wanted him to. In one text message between two lobbyists, one complained that Zinke&#8217;s decision was “not what we want. He thinks we can litigate against State. He thinks it&#8217;s a half loaf. That&#8217;s from Zinke.”
Heather Swift, Zinke&#8217;s campaign manager, told The Daily Wire that Zinke “came to the decision before any lobbyists contacted him or his chief, and his decision never changed, so that would mean none of them influenced his decision making.”
Last year, President Joe Biden&#8217;s DOJ declined to take action. The IG says it waited for a response from the DOJ, then conducted more than a year of further “administrative” investigation into Zinke — who had resigned in 2019 — which is why the report was released now.
Greenblatt&#8217;s office did not respond to questions from The Daily Wire about the predicate of the investigation or why it continued its investigation long after Zinke was gone and the DOJ had declined to prosecute.
In June, Zinke, who represented Montana in the House from 2015-2017, won the Republican primary for the state&#8217;s newly created western district. He faces Democrat Monica Tranel in the November election.

Ryan Zinke and Donald Trump

New Watchdog Report Claiming Ex-Trump Official Lied Four Years Ago Called Election ‘Smear’

Connecticut

Department of Interior

Donald Trump

Native Americans

Ryan Zinke

Following two years of many teachers working from home, citing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coronavirus</a>, some school districts will resume school this month with only four days of instruction per week, citing the inability to find teachers who want to work full-time.
Twenty-seven school districts in Texas will move from a five- to a four-day week this year in order to attract teachers, the <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article264215926.html">Star-Telegram</a> reported. Other districts across the country are doing the same, such as in <a href="https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/four-day-school-weeks-few-around-st-louis-but-common-in-missouri/">Missouri</a> (where a local paper called it a &#8220;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article264389496.html">terrible idea</a>&#8220;), <a href="https://www.ktvq.com/news/montana-news/montana-schools-moving-to-classes-four-days-a-week-to-attract-teachers">Montana</a>, and <a href="https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/education/article264538546.html">Idaho</a>.
It could come at the expense of children&#8217;s academics, at a time when academic performance is abysmal and children are especially far behind because of the lack of in-person school during the coronavirus pandemic.
While the schedule makes life more pleasant for teachers, it also comes at the expense of parents who will have to find and pay for childcare for one day a week — which could be logistically impossible for daycare providers, since everyone in a town would be seeking care for just that day.
Teachers&#8217; unions <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/parents-union-blasts-teachers-union-influence-on-biden-school-closures-calling-cdc-infected">enraged</a> parents across the country, and especially in liberal states, in the last two years by refusing to return to work, citing coronavirus, even though the CDC determined that teachers were at less risk than the average person, and children were at very little risk. Parents wondered whether the educational establishment was essentially giving up on the idea that the government must provide school, and whether <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teachers-union-to-vote-on-mandatory-masking-enemies-list-rejecting-words-mother-and-father">teachers unions</a> intended to use the pandemic to seek permanent changes.
Now, some teachers don&#8217;t seem to want to come back full-time, spurring the four-day switch. “In the last year, we are seeing more news that districts are adopting the schedule to improve teacher recruitment and retention,” <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article264218051.html">Emily Morton</a>, a researcher at the Northwest Evaluation Association, told the Star-Telegram.
A RAND Corporation study found that a four-day week saved less than 5%, so the move would not be a financial one, so much as it is to appease teachers.
The idea that teachers would willingly take steps that could reduce student learning is at odds with teachers union marketing that positions teachers as advocates for children.
In Texas, on average, school districts extended the school day for &#8220;nearly an hour&#8221; to partially, but not completely, make up for the missing day.
“If the district is adopting the schedule because they feel they need to do so to recruit teachers or to improve school climate, they may be willing to make that choice even if it means test scores could decrease by a little,” Morton said.
A 2021 study of schools in Oregon and Oklahoma, co-authored by Paul Thompson, a researcher at Oregon State University, found that math scores decreased by 6% and reading scores by 4% after districts switched to four-day weeks, according to the Star-Telegram.
Some school districts also may extend the school day by adopting early-morning start times that studies have suggested are bad for children. At the <a href="https://www.athensisd.net/">Athens</a> school district, which bills itself prominently as &#8220;Home of the Four-Day Instructional Week,&#8221; students must be in school by 7:10 a.m.
Just as the pandemic closures disproportionately affected impoverished students who were left at home, the same can be expected for children who may be left in less-than-positive environments for one day a week. A <a href="http://www.cob.calpoly.edu/undergrad/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/paper1606.pdf">study</a> in Colorado found that four-day school weeks corresponded with increased juvenile delinquency.
Elana Fishbein, a social worker who now leads the activist group <a href="https://www.noleftturn.us/">No Left Turn In Education</a>, said the move is a giveaway to teachers at the expense of &#8220;children, families, and the economy.&#8221;
Child care &#8220;is a cost that many families, particularly poor-middle class won&#8217;t be able to afford, especially in this economy,&#8221; she told The Daily Wire. &#8220;So many of them might be roaming the streets or spending their day playing on electronic devices.”
She said ending social justice policies like &#8220;restorative justice&#8221; that create a lawless atmosphere in classrooms, with teachers exposed to insubordination and violence, would do more to improve teachers&#8217; working conditions.
Other school districts have teacher <a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/fairfax-county-virginia-schools-teacher-shortage-positions-2022-23-school-year-jobs-near-me-falls-church-interview-applications-job-fair-educators-students">shortages</a> with days to go before the new school year, even as they are hiring social workers to focus on students&#8217; emotions.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teachers-union-its-ok-that-kids-dont-know-math-they-know-the-words-insurrection">Teachers Union: ‘It’s OK’ That Kids Don’t Know Math, ‘They Know The Words Insurrection and Coup’</a>
&nbsp;

Some School Districts Move To Four-Day Weeks At Teachers’ Behest

Some School Districts Move To Four-Day Weeks At Teachers’ Behest, Despite Impact On Learning

Education

Missouri

Teachers Unions

Texas

A woman who scared off a bear while camping in Montana died later that night when the animal returned and killed her.
Leah Davis Lokan had traveled to Montana from her home in Chico, California, as part of a cycling trip with her sister and a friend when they decided to spend the night in Ovando on July 5, 2021. While the attack happened last year, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) <a href="https://igbconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/20220628_FINAL-BOR-Ovando.pdf">released</a> its review of the incident earlier this month, which is just now gaining media attention.
Lokan’s sister stayed at a hotel nearby, but Lokan decided to sleep alone in her tent alongside the tent of Joe and Kim Cole, whom she had met in Texas during her trip. Around 3:00 a.m. on July 6, the three campers woke up due to noise at the campsite, with Lokan yelling “bear, bear.” All three began making noise and screaming to scare the bear away. After it left, Lokan moved the food she had in her tent to a nearby building in the hopes the bear would not return. She also brought back a can of bear spray.
The Coles later told investigators that they asked Lokan if she would rather stay in the hotel with her sister, but she declined, and the three went back to sleep.
Less than an hour later, just after 4:00 a.m. Joe Cole woke up to a noise that he knew meant Lokan was being attacked, though she didn’t scream. He began screaming “bear, bear” and rushed out of his tent to use bear spray against the animal, while his wife blew her whistle. The couple saw the bear “pouncing up and down” on Lokan and her tent as Joe continued to use the bear spray. Joe said the bear made eye contact with him before turning and leaving the site.
The Cole’s realized Lokan’s tent had been dragged about 10 feet and found her lifeless body half out of the tent, still in her sleeping bag. The Coles ran to a nearby store for help. Emergency responders performed CPR in an attempt to revive Lokan, but those attempts failed. An autopsy report found that Lokan had died instantly, suffering a broken neck and severed spinal cord.
The IGBC reported that after the bear killed Lokan, it found a chicken coop and ate chickens and their feed. Wildlife service officials tracked the bear for days, finally finding it at a different chicken coop on July 9 and killing it. DNA evidence determined it was the same bear that had killed Lokan.

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)

A Woman Scared Off A Bear While Camping. It Returned That Night And Killed Her.

Animals

Death

Two children and four adults were killed in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/car-crash">car crash</a> on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana">Montana</a> highway late Friday after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/weather">dust storm</a> severely reduced visibility.
According to <a href="https://wgme.com/news/nation-world/2-kids-among-6-dead-in-montana-highway-pileup-8-others-hurt-dust-storm-blackout-conditions-inclement-extreme-weather-zero-visibility-traveling-commuting-traffic-commercial-semi-trucks-montana-highway-patrol-interstate-90">the Associated Press</a>, 21 vehicles — including six semi-trucks — were involved in the accident, which occurred as winds raging at 60 miles per hour drove a dust cloud that caused drivers to lose control.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A dust storm led to a massive pileup on a Montana interstate. <a href="https://t.co/BKUKBYLeJl">https://t.co/BKUKBYLeJl</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fl00rGS9sf">pic.twitter.com/Fl00rGS9sf</a>
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAY/status/1548357795573112832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson characterized the incident as among the worst he has seen in his 24 years of work, adding that the storm reduced visibility to near-zero during rush hour traffic. “Everything is indicative of an isolated extreme weather event,” Nelson said, per the AP. “What could people do? It really was just panic.”
Hundreds of vehicles were backed up for miles on Interstate 90, according to <a href="https://billingsgazette.com/news/national/6-people-die-after-storm-causes-montana-highway-pileup/article_56ff0aa9-fd12-54f4-aaa1-967663730cb3.html">The Billings Gazette</a>. National Weather Service meteorologist Nick Vertz told the outlet that storms began appearing early in the afternoon and moved eastward.
&#8220;If they looked up in the sky while they&#8217;re in Hardin, they probably didn&#8217;t see much of what you&#8217;d think of for a thunderstorm cloud, maybe not even much at all,&#8221; Vertz explained. &#8220;It was just a surge of wind that kind of appeared out of nowhere.&#8221;
According to the National Weather Service, dust storms <a href="https://www.weather.gov/safety/wind-dust-storm">most commonly occur</a> in the American Southwest, often arriving “suddenly in the form of an advancing wall of dust and debris which may be miles long and several thousand feet high.”
“They strike with little warning, making driving conditions hazardous,” the agency says. “Blinding, choking dust can quickly reduce visibility, causing accidents that may involve chain collisions, creating massive pileups. Dust storms usually last only a few minutes, but the actions a motorist takes during the storm may be the most important of his or her life.”
Ariel Dehart told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/16/us/hardin-montana-dust-storm-crash/index.html">CNN</a> that she drove by the accident moments after it occurred. “The visibility was so poor and scary,” Dehart said. “The air was warm and eerie. It was like wearing sepia-colored glasses. It was so crazy.”
Dehart, who was driving in the westbound lane, recounted seeing a camper torn open by the accident.
“When I saw the ripped-open camper, my gut dropped,” she said. “But the owner just was frantically putting his decorative pillows back in the camper, and it was so sad because he was obviously so in over his head with what just happened.”
Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) mourned the accident. “I&#8217;m deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/GovGianforte/status/1548113948561383432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1548113948561383432%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenationaldesk.com%2Fnews%2Famericas-news-now%2F2-kids-among-6-dead-in-montana-highway-pileup-8-others-hurt-dust-storm-blackout-conditions-inclement-extreme-weather-zero-visibility-traveling-commuting-traffic-commercial-semi-trucks-montana-highway-patrol-interstate-90">said</a> on social media. “Please join me in prayer to lift up the victims and their loved ones. We&#8217;re grateful to our first responders for their service.”
“The Montana Highway Patrol is on the scene with other first responders and investigating the incident,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R-MT) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AGAustinKnudsen/posts/pfbid0WXwZPf7GpkosNDZ4ogVpGkciFdgueTS9BPUiuLeeTk5TCqE3XmmrVRsNWUdFJGuTl">added</a> in a statement. “We will release more information as it becomes available and is appropriate out of respect of the lives lost and their loved ones.”
If a dust storm occurs, the National Weather Service recommends that drivers pull off the highway, engage the emergency brake, and turn off the lights. Drivers are also advised to avoid stopping on the traveled portion of the highway and, if it is impossible to exit the roadway, to drive slowly while occasionally honking the horn.

Truck driving down road in dust storm

‘Appeared Out Of Nowhere’: 2 Children Among Dead After Dust Storm Causes 21-Car Pileup

2 Children, 4 Adults Killed In Car Wreck After Montana Dust Storm Causes Blackout

Car Crash

Weather

State taxpayers reportedly picked up the tab for California Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom">Gavin Newsom</a>&#8216;s security detail during his recent vacation to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana">Montana</a>, despite a ban on state-funded travel to Big Sky Country and 21 other states whose laws offend Left-coast liberals.
The development, buried in a Thursday New York Times article about President Biden, could at least be a violation of the spirit of <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887">California Assembly Bill 1887</a>, which Newsom&#8217;s predecessor, Jerry Brown, signed into law in 2016 to ensure state funds don&#8217;t help the economies of an ever-growing list of states whose laws California deems discriminatory.
“His kids are visiting their grandparents for his daughter’s birthday, as they do every year,” Newsom&#8217;s spokesman, Anthony York, told the Times. “On the security side, the law explicitly states there is an exemption for public safety, and the governor has to travel with security.&#8221;
Indeed, the law contains exceptions for taxpayer funded travel, including one for &#8220;the protection of public health, welfare, or safety, as determined by the affected agency, department, board, authority, or commission.&#8221; But York&#8217;s initial deflections about funding of the trip to Newsom&#8217;s in-laws’ ranch in the Bitterroot Valley, first <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/gavin-newsom-montana/">reported</a> Wednesday by CalMatters’ Emily Hoeven, only seemed to spur confusion.
&#8220;SCOOP! The travel ban applies to using state funds,&#8221; York tweeted. &#8220;The Governor’s travel is not being paid by the state. Connecting the two is an attempt at gotcha journalism that is neither gotcha nor journalism. The governor is on a vacation with his family. He will return later this week.&#8221;
Jennifer Van Laar of <a href="https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/07/06/it-sure-seems-gavin-newsom-broke-ca-law-by-making-his-security-detail-travel-to-montana-n589555">RedState</a> said it appeared that Newsom&#8217;s travel arrangements did not comply with the law and wondered if the millionaire governor intended to reimburse taxpayers.
“It’s important to note that York did not say that Newsom planned to reimburse the state for the cost of that travel, and even if he did, that wouldn’t satisfy the law, since the law specifically states both that the state cannot require an employee to travel to any of the states on the list and that the state cannot approve a request to fund such travel,” she <a href="https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/07/08/newsom-admits-state-paid-for-his-security-details-travel-to-montana-laughably-claims-public-safety-exception-to-law-n590988">noted</a>. “So, Newsom’s only way out is to claim an exemption.”
Whether Newsom&#8217;s personal safety justified an exception to the ban or not, the optics of a trip to a state on California&#8217;s naughty list were just the latest example of Newsom&#8217;s &#8220;rules for thee, not for me&#8221; image. The governor was roundly accused of hypocrisy when he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ritzy-restaurant-where-ca-gov-newsom-was-caught-dining-received-millions-in-covid-19-relief-funds-report">caught attending a dinner party at French Laundry</a>, a posh Napa Valley eatery, at the height of the COVID pandemic. At the time, the state forbade large indoor gatherings.
The controversy, fueled by leaked photos of Newsom and the other guests maskless and eschewing social distancing recommendations, helped prompt an ultimately unsuccessful recall effort against Newsom. Perhaps just as galling to ordinary folks as the images of Newsom and his pals flaunting COVID restrictions was the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-masks-all-indoors-award-winning-journalist-claims-22-people-attended-newsom-dinner-not-12-15k-bar-bill">reported size of the bar tab</a> they ran up: $15,000.

Governor Newsom Signs Covid-19 Recovery Package

Taxpayers Footed Newsom’s Security Bill On Vacation To State On California’s Banned List

Taxpayers Footed Newsom’s Security Bill On Vacation To State on California's Banned List

4th of July

Gavin Newsom

Hypocrisy

Comedian Adam Carolla of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/adam-carolla-truth-yeller">The Daily Wire&#8217;s &#8220;Truth Yeller&#8221;</a> called out California Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) recent hypocritical actions on Wednesday.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Carolla <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/adam-carolla-gavin-newsoms-latest-hypocrisy">said</a> he lives “under Gavin Newsom’s thumb.”
Referencing Newsom’s recent trip to Montana — a state that is under a travel ban for state travel in California, Carolla said, “…let’s just really distill this down. Alright. There’s a travel ban against Montana because Montana&#8217;s evil because of their stances on LGBT, whatever.&#8221;
“They’re probably not handing out free sexual assignment reassignment surgery to all inmates or something insane,” he said. “But either way, let’s just break it down. Montana is an evil place because of the way they treat the gay and lesbian community. Fine. Then who cares who’s paying for your travel, Gavin?”
“Why would you go to an evil place? Why are you trying to be evil on a technicality? You’re the one who said &#8230; this is a bad place, this is bad policy, so don’t go fly-fishing then. Don’t go there,” Carolla said.
“I mean, it&#8217;s the same with the French Laundry, it was the same with the SoFi stadium where he’s taking pictures with Magic Johnson with his mask in his hand. He doesn’t believe it, he’s a carpetbagger, he’s full of crap. He doesn’t believe anything he’s saying,” Carolla added.
&#8220;He doesn’t believe COVID&#8217;s dangerous, or he wouldn’t be out with 31 of his closest friends drinking 40 grand worth of wine, and he wouldn&#8217;t be standing around SoFi stadium with no mask on if he believed it. He doesn’t believe it, he doesn’t believe Montana, he doesn’t believe anything he says, and I don’t believe anything he says, either,” he said.
After discussing Newsom’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-buys-ad-space-in-florida-desantis-campaign-responds">recent ad purchase</a> in Florida, Carolla said, “no one is leaving Florida and going to California. … people are voting with their feet.”
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-vacations-in-state-ca-banned-from-state-funded-travel-hasnt-said-who-paid-for-his-security">reported</a>, Newsom was visiting family in Montana, according to <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/gavin-newsom-montana/">Cal Matters</a>. Montana is one of at least 20 states prohibited from travel funded and sponsored by the state, per <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887">California Assembly Bill 1887</a>.
Anthony York, Newsom’s senior advisor for communications, told Cal Matters, “We don’t comment or provide details on the governor’s security.”
“We don’t legislate where people vacation,” York added. “Never have. The travel ban applies to expending state funds. The Governor’s travel is not being paid for by the state.”
Erin Mellon, communications director for Newsom, <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/gov-newsom-is-visiting-family-in-montana-a-california-travel-ban-to-the-state-doesnt-apply-his-team-says/40532556#">told</a> KCRA, “It’s a personal trip,” adding, “The ban is on state-funded travel which this is not.” She said California’s ban on travel is applicable to “expending state funds.”

768C0D19-915B-496B-815E-A6729F80BC39_1_201_a

Adam Carolla Calls Out Gavin Newsom: ‘He Doesn’t Believe Anything He Says’

Adam Carolla

California

Fox News

California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, famed for <a href="https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1328932610169561090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1328932610169561090%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxla.com%2Fnews%2Ffox-11-obtains-exclusive-photos-of-gov-newsom-at-french-restaurant-allegedly-not-following-covid-19-protocols">eating out</a> at the French Laundry while his state was shut down during the COVID pandemic, visited Montana — which California has banned from state-funded travel — and his staff has not yet answered who paid for his security on the trip.
Cal Matters <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/gavin-newsom-montana/">reported</a> that Newsom was visiting family in Montana, one of 20 states banned from state-funded and state-sponsored travel by <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887">California Assembly Bill 1887</a>.
But when asked if the state is paying for Newsom’s security while he is in Montana, Anthony York, Newsom’s senior advisor for communications, told Cal Matters, “We don’t comment or provide details on the governor’s security.”
“We don’t legislate where people vacation,” York protested. “Never have. The travel ban applies to expending state funds. The Governor’s travel is not being paid for by the state.”
The parents of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, own a ranch in Montana.
Newsom’s office was not initially disposed to revealing where Newsom had gone, Cal Matters reported, adding that his office disclosed his vacation <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/03/gavin-newsom-vacation/">in Central and South America</a> from March 30 to April 12 and his Thanksgiving trip last year to Mexico.
“Gavin Newsom is <a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/mass-shooting-california-gun-laws/">running campaign ads</a> in better-run states and refusing to tell the taxpayers where he is or when he will return to his overtaxed, under-served constituents,” famed attorney Harmeet Dhillon stated. “We’d love to know the gas prices and the COVID emergency status where the Governor is. Most Californians can’t afford to take their normal holidays this year, thanks to Gavin Newsom and his party’s lack of leadership of our state.”
In November 2020, Newsom was caught violating COVID restrictions as he and a group of acquaintances dined together at the expensive French Laundry restaurant in Napa, California. At the time, indoor dining was prohibited. Newsom first insisted the group had dined outside but later <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-16/gavin-newsom-apology-french-laundry-dinner-covid-19">admitted</a>, “I should have stood up and drove back to my house.”
Radio host and former gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/watch-elder-attacks-newsom-slammed-down-the-hopes-and-dreams-of-californians/">ripped Newsom</a>, saying, “He slammed down the state of California in a way more severe than any of the other 49 governors.  Ignoring science, his own kids enjoying in-person private education, he exempted his own winery from the mandate he was forcing down the throats of everybody else, sitting up there at that French Laundry.”
“By the way, had anybody ever heard of the French Laundry?” Elder asked rhetorically. “I looked it up. I thought it was one of the most elite restaurants in California; it’s not. I thought it was the most elite restaurant in America; it’s not. It’s one of the most elite restaurants in the world. He’s incurred a $12,000 wine tab, that’s just for the wine. What’s in the wine? What happened to the wine, a TV set? What’s in there?  And he was sitting with the very same lobbyists and medical professionals who drafted the mandates they were violating by not wearing masks and not socially distancing. It’s the hypocrisy.”
&nbsp;

Newsom Vacations In State CA Banned From State-Funded Travel, Hasn’t Said Who Paid For His Security

Newsom Visits State CA Banned From State-Funded Travel, Hasn't Said Who Paid For His Security

Security

A Montana zoo faces backlash after scheduling a &#8220;Drag Queen Story Hour&#8221; for Pride month.
ZooMontana in Billings, Montana, has planned the June 22 event, upsetting some in the local community.
&#8220;Why are we putting such a contentious issue right in the heart of that area?&#8221; the founder of the Montana Family Rights Alliance, Jenna McKinney, <a href="https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/zoomontana-not-backing-away-from-drag-queen-story-hour-after-community-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Thursday in a video call.
&#8220;This is not appropriate. We really don’t appreciate this in our community and especially at this venue,&#8221; she added.
Despite concerns from McKinney and others, ZooMontana&#8217;s Director Jeff Ewelt has no plans to cancel the event.
&#8220;We have heard from many of you in regard to the 406 Pride Drag Queen Story Hour being held at the Zoo later this month. Let me be clear &#8211; ZooMontana prides itself in being inclusive of all living beings. 406 Pride is a respected and valued community asset, one we are proud to support and host at ZooMontana,&#8221; the director <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ZooMontana/posts/388972736598579?__cft__[0]=AZU-SN_FQbeoD0wTvF4xJZIuFbazD4CdRR2IgmYcHLr0slPs5U9LE-aYoE4-MmQ8IqPJPLmIYzqes03Na2y6q6eMoxA_ne22TTgtsGSXIRrQwVtYMsjjW8mUKZNQMgSzYFnDckpvHF4o_Hpn8o9tUzlvi9I67vxOpiZuAdD-4aUZQA&amp;__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in a Facebook post on Thursday.
&#8220;While personal threats and threats of no longer supporting the Zoo are concerning, we will not let unwarranted fear and hate deter our decision to move forward with this harmless and fun reading event that is held throughout the country. At the end of the day, if your personal agenda does not fit this event, we simply ask that you do not come to the Zoo that day. It would be a shame to never allow your children back to the Zoo because of one simple event. Happy Pride month,&#8221; the post added.
The report follows a string of Drag Queen Story Hour events during Pride Month nationwide.
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/four-colorado-elementary-schools-dei-groups-teamed-up-to-promote-drag-queen-story-hour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that four Colorado elementary schools’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion groups joined forces to promote a drag queen story hour earlier this month.
Erie, Colorado’s Meadowlark Elementary School’s Parent, Teacher and Student Association committee announced that its DEI committee would team up with the DEI groups at three other elementary schools in Erie to participate in the town’s first Pride celebration.
“Happy Pride Month! Please join and celebrate with us!!” Meadowlark Elementary’s DEI committee wrote in a June 1 Facebook post, adding that “all are welcomed to join in the celebration.”
In some cases, public outcry against such events has led to recent cancellations. For example, a mayor in North Carolina announced earlier this month that a proposed “Drag Queen Story Hour” event had been called off.
Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert, a former captain of the Apex Police Department, said in a Facebook message that the event was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mayor-announces-cancelation-of-drag-queen-story-hour-after-community-backlash-ensure-that-all-voices-are-represented" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut down</a> after he relayed feedback from the community to the festival commission hosting the event.
“Given that this part of the event was not originally presented when the event was proposed, I met with representatives from the organizations hosting the event, the Apex Festival Commission, and presented the feedback I have received from citizens,” Gilbert wrote. “Today I was notified that the Apex Festival Commission has taken the feedback into careful consideration and has decided to remove the Drag Queen Story Hour from the event.”
“It continues to be my goal to ensure that all voices in our community are represented,” the mayor told his constituents, adding that he had “received a variety of feedback regarding the Drag Queen Story Hour.”  
A “family-friendly” drag event scheduled to take place in Jasper, Indiana, was also recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-town-cancels-family-friendly-drag-show-after-being-exposed-by-libs-of-tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceled</a> after the Twitter account Libs of TikTok included it in the “mega thread” of drag events for kids.

MassResistance Activists Protest “Drag Queen Story Hour” In Los Angeles

Montana Zoo Faces Controversy Over Upcoming Drag Queen Story Hour Pride Month Event

Drag Queen story hour

LGBTQ

Pride Month

A former member of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Trump</a> administration has narrowly won a primary race in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/montana">Montana</a> to be the Republican nominee for a key seat in an open congressional district. 
Former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/former-trump-interior-secretary-ryan-zinke-wins-montana-house-republican-primary">defeated</a> orthopedic surgeon Al Olszewski by 1,600 votes to be the GOP nominee in Montana&#8217;s new 1st Congressional District. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ryan-zinke">Zinke</a> will now take on Democrat Monica Tranel in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2022-election">November</a> in the district, which <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting-2022-maps/montana/">leans</a> about plus 10 Republican. 
“Thank you Western Montana for your confidence that America can be fixed and for ignoring the political BS,” Zinke <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanZinke/status/1535043918940602368?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">said</a> in a statement. “We have a great team and dedicated volunteers who believe in American values.” 
Zinke received the endorsements of former President Donald Trump, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), and Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT). 
Olszewski, who has been a state senator, lost by under 2,000 votes in a primary of 84,500 votes. Both Olszewski and Zinke were hoping to take advantage of Montana’s new congressional district, which it gained by population growth.
During the primary battle, Zinke was <a href="https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/trump-ally-zinke-fights-claim-hes-too-liberal-for-montana/article_d8cf8d27-0b30-5843-90a0-985b1aa7e00f.html">criticized</a> by Olszewski and others for being liberal and receiving too many out-of-state donations. According to the Helena Independent Record, about 80% of donations to the Zinke campaign were from out of state. 
The initial results had been delayed due to ballot printing errors, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-congress-ryan-zinke-montana-38b97d7d854aa9c5c6827654e81c675c">according</a> to the Associated Press. Ballots had been printed on the wrong size paper, leading to Lincoln County hand counting about 6,000 ballots.
While serving as Interior Secretary from 2017-2018, Zinke was hit with accusations of unethical behavior and multiple investigations, one of which said he lied to an ethics agency regarding his role with a real estate company. 
The cabinet official called the investigations and accusations “vicious and politically motivated attacks” while stepping down from his position after two years. Before his role in the Trump administration, Zinke was a Navy SEAL, state senator, and Montana’s congressional representative from 2015-2017.
“Under Ryan Zinke’s leadership at the Department of the Interior, the U.S. achieved Energy Dominance, increased federal energy revenues, and responsibly opened federal acreage for energy production,” Trump said in his endorsement. “He was instrumental in expanding public access to public lands for recreation and rebuilding our National Parks and Forests infrastructure.”
Tranel, an attorney, handily won the Democratic nomination, and has <a href="https://twitter.com/MonicaTranel/status/1534671822850908162">accused</a> Zinke of having a “record of corruption.” On her campaign website, Tranel highlights several issues on her campaign <a href="https://monicatranel.com/issues/">website</a> including her “stand against corporate corruption,” advocacy for federal election law, and commitment to preserving “abortion access” in light of an impending Supreme Court decision some expect to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Ceremony In Montana Honors Airmen Who Died In Crash Almost 60 Years Ago

Former Trump Admin Official Wins GOP Nomination For Open Montana Congressional Seat

Former Trump Admin Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Wins GOP Nomination For Open Montana Congressional Seat

Congress

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