North Dakota Republican Governor Kelly Armstrong vetoed a bill this week that would have required school districts to keep books determined to be &#8220;sexually explicit&#8221; out of the reach of students, saying that the bill was a &#8220;misguided&#8221; attempt to &#8220;legislate morality.&#8221;
Armstrong on Tuesday vetoed Senate Bill 2307, which would have prohibited school districts from maintaining &#8220;explicit sexual material&#8221; in classrooms and libraries and would allow concerned parents and others to initiate a review of materials they believe may be in violation of the law. In his veto message, Armstrong said that enforcing the bill would be &#8220;unworkable&#8221; and infringed on free speech.
&#8220;While I recognize the concerns that led to its introduction, SB 2307 represents a misguided attempt to legislate morality through overreach and censorship. The bill imposes vague and punitive burdens on professionals and opens the door to a host of unintended and damaging consequences for our communities,&#8221; he <a href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SB-2307-veto-message-signed.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
The legislation would have expanded on a <a href="https://legiscan.com/ND/text/HB1205/id/2789486" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a> passed in 2023 that barred public libraries from keeping sexually explicit books in their children&#8217;s section. That law also requires public libraries to have a policy in place to keep explicit books out of the children&#8217;s section.
SB 2307 would have expanded those guidelines to school districts, requiring districts to ensure that students were not exposed to sexually explicit material through physical books or online resources offered to them. Districts would also have been mandated to put policies in place to ensure compliance.
The proposal would have created a way for &#8220;interested parties&#8221; to challenge decisions made by schools, and given them an opportunity to appeal to an oversight board and the local state&#8217;s attorney. Local prosecutors would also have been given the power to prosecute for violations of the law.
The governor&#8217;s office told The Daily Wire it had no further comment on the legislation other than the veto message.
In that message, Armstrong called the legislation &#8220;redundant&#8221; and &#8220;overly burdensome,&#8221; saying that it could lead to &#8220;the next literary masterpiece&#8221; being kept out of North Dakota libraries. He also believed it would open up a floodgate of complaints for innocuous books that would bog down library and school officials.
&#8220;In today’s world of social media, streaming services, websites, cable TV and movies where profanity, drug use, violence and nudity are harder to avoid than to find, the amount of time, money and taxpayer resources spent on where a book is placed in a library would be better used elsewhere,” he wrote in his message.
The legislation had passed the Republican-dominated state Senate 27-20 and the House 49-45.
“We are harming our children, that’s all there is to it,” said state Senator Keith Boehm during a hearing on the proposal. “The bill is all about protecting kids from this material. It has nothing against adults.”
The issue of sexually explicit books has been a major concern across the country as parents have rallied to protect their kids from graphic material at both public and school libraries.
Armstrong also <a href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/briefs/armstrong-vetoes-north-dakota-private-school-voucher-bill-but-signals-support-for-competing-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vetoed another</a> Republican-backed piece of legislation this week. On Wednesday, he vetoed a school choice proposal that would have created Education Savings Accounts for private school students. The governor said that the bill failed to &#8220;deliver the school choice North Dakota needs, especially in rural areas where nonpublic school options are few and far between.” He asked lawmakers to send him a bill that would provide education vouchers to a broader swath of students.

Postmaster General DeJoy Testifies Before House Oversight Committee

GOP Governor Vetoes Bill Meant To Shield Kids From ‘Sexually Explicit’ Books At School

Education

gender ideology

North Dakota

Politics

School Choice

School Library

The Club For Growth is launching two efforts to back school choice measures in Indiana and North Dakota, the organization told The Daily Wire. 
The organization launched the campaign with ads that aired during the Sunday morning political shows. The campaign comes as President Donald Trump has pushed to dismantle the Education Department and put individual states in charge of education.
“School freedom is the defining civil rights issue of the generation and is only continuing to expand across the country,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh told The Daily Wire. “With the additions of Indiana and North Dakota, Club for Growth has now engaged in 10 states working to pass and protect education freedom in 2025.” 
The North Dakota campaign urges lawmakers to pass legislation that would create an education scholarship program for private schools. Currently, multiple proposals are making their way through the statehouse that would provide parents with education vouchers. The House and Senate have passed two different pieces of legislation that create education scholarship programs with significant structural differences. 
“From crops to crude to championships, North Dakota’s hard to top,” the Club for Growth ad says. “But when it comes to choice in education, we’re 48th in the nation. Legislators in Bismarck can change that with new legislation providing education savings accounts for North Dakota kids, giving parents the freedom to choose the right school for their child.” 
That ad will run Monday through Friday on Fox News and conservative radio in Bismarck. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="&quot;Hard to Top&quot; Club for Growth Ad (ND)" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KYaF6fHGmhM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In Indiana, the Club for Growth ad is urging lawmakers to back Governor Mike Braun’s school choice proposal. Braun has proposed making every student in Indiana eligible for education vouchers. 
“Parents are in charge of their own kids&#8217; education,” Braun says in the ad, which will air on Fox in Indianapolis Monday through Friday. “Let&#8217;s put parents in the driver’s seat with universal school choice.” 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="&quot;One&quot; Club for Growth Ad (IN)" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VvACIAWhNn8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Club for Growth backed school choice measures that became law in Tennessee, Wyoming, and Idaho. It is currently backing efforts in multiple other states, including Georgia, Texas, and South Carolina. 
“The status quo forced upon families by teacher union bureaucrats and the public school monopoly is indefensible — we will not stop until every parent has the opportunity to provide their children with the quality education they deserve,” McIntosh said.

An empty classroom with chairs, desks, and a green chalkboard, illuminated by sunlight, evoking education concept. 3D Rendering

EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Org Launches Campaign To Pass School Choice In Two Red States

Donald Trump

Indiana

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) is recovering after suffering from a brain bleed he sustained when he fell on ice while experiencing a seizure.
&#8220;Late yesterday afternoon, I walked to my backyard intending to retrieve a piece of conduit which came off my dock and was laying on the ice,&#8221; the 64-year-old wrote on social media on Monday night. &#8220;While walking on the hill down to the dock, I stepped on ice and evidently fell hard, hitting the back of my head.&#8221;
In the post — which included a photo that showed blood from where he hit his head on the ice — Cramer said that he had a CT scan and was diagnosed &#8220;with a severe concussion, a seizure, and a slight brain bleed.&#8221;
&#8220;The wound on my head wouldn’t stop oozing, so the doctor punched a couple of staples on the laceration and admitted me,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I had a good night sleep before getting a second CT Scan. I am better today with only a slight brain bleed and pretty bad headaches.&#8221;
He said that his wife regularly sends tips to the family in group texts of how to take care of their brains and that he needed to listen to her more.
In a subsequent post, he said that he was &#8220;recovering at home with a bottle of Kepra (anti-seizure medicine) and Kris.&#8221;
&#8220;The head still hurts a bit, but I sleep a lot,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Thank you to all of the folks praying for a full recovery. God is good!&#8221;
President Donald Trump released a statement on Tuesday night expressing well wishes for Cramer.
&#8220;Our Great Senator from North Dakota, Senator Kevin Cramer, just recently slipped on ice, and hit his head, causing quite an injury,&#8221; Trump posted on social media.
&#8220;He is now resting comfortably, but went through a lot,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;His wonderful wife, Kris, is with him, and I’m sure he will be fine, but it was a close call! Get well soon Kevin, and thank you to Kris for her quick and very alert response to Kevin’s difficult moment!&#8221;

Sen. Kevin Cramer

Republican Senator Suffers Brain Bleed After Falling On Ice During Seizure

General

Injury

U.S.

A $300 million trial over Greenpeace’s role in damaging protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) began on Monday, putting the eco-activist group at risk of bankruptcy.
Jury selection begins Monday in the trial that Greenpeace says has the potential to bankrupt the international environmental group. Energy Transfer Partners, the developer of the DAPL, has accused Greenpeace of defamation and inciting damaging sabotage during the pipeline’s construction in 2016 and 2017.
The environmental group has said the lawsuit is a fight over free speech.
“This case is a prime example of corporations abusing the legal system to silence critics and keep their operations secret,” Greenpeace USA interim executive director Sushma Raman said in a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/greenpeace-organizations-go-to-trial-on-high-stakes-slapp-lawsuit-that-could-redefine-protest-rights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “It is also a critical test of the future of the First Amendment – both freedom of speech and peaceful protest – under the Trump Administration and beyond. But we are fighting back, and we are not fighting back alone.”
Energy Transfer has stayed quiet publicly ahead of the trial. Last year, the company said the lawsuit was about illegal interference in the pipeline’s construction, not “free speech.”
“Our lawsuit against Greenpeace is not about free speech as they are trying to claim. It is about them not following the law. We support the rights of all Americans to express their opinions and lawfully protest. However, when it is not done in accordance with our laws, we have a legal system to deal with that. Beyond that we will let our case speak for itself in February,” the company <a href="https://energytransferfacts.com/blog/response-to-greenpeace/">said</a> in September.
Protesters caused millions of dollars worth of damage in attacks on the pipeline and building equipment. One activist, Jessica Reznicek, was <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2022/06/06/dakota-access-pipeline-dapl-protestor-sentence-jessica-reznicek/7535555001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to eight years in prison in 2021 for setting a bulldozer on fire and damaging portions of the pipeline with an acetylene torch.
Energy Transfer <a href="https://ir.energytransfer.com/news-releases/news-release-details/energy-transfer-files-federal-lawsuit-against-greenpeace" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Greenpeace and others in 2017 of “directly and indirectly fund[ing] eco-terrorists on the ground in North Dakota. These groups formed their own outlaw camp among peaceful protestors gathered near Lake Oahe, and exploited the peaceful activities of these groups to further the Enterprise&#8217;s corrupt agenda by inducing and directing violent and destructive attacks against law enforcement as well as Plaintiffs’ property and personnel.”

DAPL protest

Trial Begins In $300M Suit That Threatens To Bankrupt Greenpeace

Courts

Dakota Access Pipeline

Greenpeace

The 43-year-old son of Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Monday for killing Mercer County, North Dakota, Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Martin after ramming into his vehicle during a car chase last December.
In September, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-senators-son-involved-in-police-chase-resulting-in-death-of-sheriffs-deputy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ian Cramer</a> pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him, which included homicide while fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer, and drug- and driving-related offenses, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/31/us/ian-cramer-sentenced-north-dakota-deputy-killed/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>. State District Judge Bobbi Weiler handed down Cramer&#8217;s sentence, which was 38 years with 10 years suspended, but the judge said that Cramer would likely only serve &#8220;a small portion&#8221; of the 28 years.
“The (state) Department of Corrections has their own policy on how much time you’re going to serve,” Weiler said. “These are not mandatory minimums, which means that you’re probably going to serve a small portion of that 28 years and be out on parole, so that’ll … give you an opportunity to have a second chance that Deputy Martin does not have, nor does his family have.”
Cramer was taken to the emergency room on December 6, 2023, by his mother, Kris, over concerns about his mental health. After Kris exited the vehicle at the hospital, Cramer slid into the driver&#8217;s seat and took off. He later fled from deputies, sparking a chase.
Spike strips deployed by law enforcement flattened two tires on the SUV Cramer was driving, but he continued to evade law enforcement. Another set of spike strips was deployed to stop Cramer&#8217;s vehicle, but Cramer swerved to avoid them and rammed into Martin&#8217;s patrol car, launching the deputy 100 feet, according to authorities. Martin, 53, was declared dead at a hospital.
Martin served his community with the Mercer County Sheriff&#8217;s Office for 18 years and, just a week before his death, discussed plans to retire. He is <a href="https://www.odmp.org/officer/26849-deputy-sheriff-paul-martin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survived</a> by his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.
Cramer issued an apology to the deputy&#8217;s family in court on Monday.
“I had no intention to do any of this. It was an accident, and I just hope that someday they can forgive me, and I think the best thing for me is to go to a hospital and just get more help,” Cramer said.
According to Mercer County State’s Attorney Todd Schwarz, Cramer also struggled with drugs and admitted to using methamphetamine and bath salts on the day of the crash. Judge Weiler&#8217;s recommended treatment for Cramer for mental health and drug addiction.
Sen. Cramer said he is &#8220;somewhat disappointed that mental health is so casually dismissed both by the court and by the prosecutor,&#8221; but added, &#8220;I don’t think there’s any question there’s not one person, including Ian, who doesn’t know that they were his choices that led to this, whatever they may be, under whatever condition, choices that go back many years.”

Kevin Cramer

GOP Senator’s Son Sentenced To 28 Years For Killing Deputy In Car Chase

GOP Senator's Son Sentenced To 28 Years In Prison For Killing Deputy In Car Chase

Congress

Death

Law Enforcement

Sheriff

Voters in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-dakota" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Dakota</a> will have the chance to get rid of the state’s property taxes in November and become the first state in the nation to repeal the tax, potentially paving the way for others to follow suit.
The ballot measure, called Measure 4, would not only repeal the state’s property tax, but also bar cities and localities from instituting property taxes of their own.
Rick Becker, the chair of an organization called End Unfair Property Tax, which got the measure placed on the North Dakota ballot, <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/north-dakota-voters-could-end-property-taxes-and-pour-gas-on-the-spark-of-a-growing-tax-revolt-f32ae8db">says that success</a> in the Peace Garden state could encourage other states across the country to ditch their own property taxes.
“Once that happens, the light turns on for so many people. As soon as a state steps outside that box, the other states see how possible that is,” Becker contended. “The sky didn’t fall, and maybe we should give it a try.”
Although no states have repealed their property taxes, <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/04/texas-eliminate-property-tax-cost/">Texas</a>, <a href="https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-epic-tax-petition-fails-signatures-november-ballot/61497409">Nebraska</a>, and <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/proposal-ax-property-taxes-fails-make-michigan-ballot-its-not-alone">Michigan</a> have explored the idea, with measures in the latter two states being proposed, but failing to make the ballot.
While Becker calls property taxes “most egregious and least moral of all the taxes,” others are working to oppose the measure to repeal them in the state, calling the ballot initiative a “sledgehammer approach.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
“I think we’re going to defeat Measure 4,” said Chad Oban, the chair of an organization called Keep It Local that opposes the ballot measure. “But I do think if it passes, there will be a lot of other states doing something similarly, or feeling like there’s a political appetite.”
Recent <a href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/2024/10/03/most-2024-north-dakota-ballot-measures-appear-too-close-to-call/">polling</a> found that 28 percent of North Dakota voters plan to vote in favor of the measure while 40 percent are opposed to the measure, with another third of voters saying that they are undecided. Voters in the state shot down one 2012 attempt to repeal property taxes, however this year’s measure comes amid growing frustration with property taxes, both Becker and Obad acknowledged.
Municipalities across the United States garnered about $363 billion in property taxes from single family homes last year, <a href="https://www.attomdata.com/hnr/2023-u-s-property-tax-report/">data reveals</a>, marking a nearly seven percent increase from the prior year. North Dakotans had an effective property tax rate of 0.99 percent of their home’s estimated market value, higher than the national average of 0.87 percent.

Suburban homes

North Dakota Could Become First State In The Country To End Property Taxes

2024 Election

Economy

Taxes

A liberal judge in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-dakota" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Dakota</a> struck down the state’s broad pro-life protections on Thursday, saying that they were unconstitutional and violated a woman’s “fundamental rights.” 
South Central Judicial District Judge Bruce Romanick <a href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/ND-RRWC-v-Wrigley-SJ.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that the law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy violated the state constitution’s guarantees for individuals to make their own medical decisions. Republican Attorney General Drew Wrigley disagreed with the decision, saying the state would appeal. 
“[T]he North Dakota Constitution guarantees each individual, including women, the fundamental right to make medical judgments affecting his or her bodily integrity, health and autonomy, in consultation with a chosen health care provider free from government interference,” Romanick wrote.
The judge, who is not running for re-election this year, said, “Unborn human life, pre-viability, is not a sufficient justification to interfere with a woman’s fundamental rights.”
“Although not stated explicitly, implicit in the right to personal autonomy- liberty- and implicit in the right to happiness, is a woman&#8217;s right and responsibility to decide what her pregnancy demands of her in the context of her life and in the context of her health,” he wrote. “Prior to viability, a woman must retain the ultimate control over her own destiny, her own body, and ultimately the path of her life.” 
Romanick also criticized the North Dakota Constitution for being written by men, who he said “did not view women as equal citizens with equal liberty interests.”
He added that “the sentiments of the past, alone, need not rule the present for all time.” 
In response to the decision, Wrigley said the “opinion inappropriately casts aside the law crafted by the legislative branch of our government and ignores the applicable and controlling case law previously announced by the North Dakota Supreme Court.”
<div><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a></div>
North Dakota’s abortion law was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-north-dakota-six-week-ban-2bccde2925d30dd4772aaed84f3c2d98" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> by Republican Governor Doug Burgum in April 2023, who said at the time that it “reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state.” 
The law largely banned abortions, but allowed them in circumstances of rape or incest before six weeks into a pregnancy. It was passed in response to a ruling from the state Supreme Court that blocked its heartbeat law, saying that the state constitution required exceptions.
In the aftermath of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, leftists have made consistent efforts to challenge state laws governing abortion at the judicial level and by pushing pro-abortion ballot initiatives.

Presidential Candidates Speak At The Florida Freedom Summit

Leftist Judge Rules North Dakota Pro-Life Protections Unconstitutional

Abortion

Doug Burgum

Pro-Life Movement

The following is an edited transcript of a recent interview between Daily Wire&#8217;s Brent Scher and North Dakota governor Doug Burgum. They discuss Governor Burgum’s recent visit to Mar-a-Lago, the Biden administration&#8217;s war on the U.S. energy industry, and his claim that president Biden is using his administration to buy votes.
Brent Scher: We&#8217;re here with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Governor, thanks so much for being with us.
Governor Burgum: Thanks for having me.
Brent: You&#8217;ve been all over the airwaves making the case against Joe Biden. You recently said Biden is using his administration to buy votes. There&#8217;s been a lot of pushback in mainstream media about whether there&#8217;s actually any evidence for this. Can you lay out the case for what you mean here?
Governor Burgum: Well, first of all, this goes back. It&#8217;s not just about forgiving student loans for a demographic that traditionally has been in their camp. Any governor will tell you when there was distribution of COVID funds under President Trump, it was generally distributed on a per capita basis. It was based on the idea that, hey, if we&#8217;ve got this pandemic, it&#8217;s affecting everybody equally. When the Biden administration came in and one of the first big blocks of capital went out, they said, well, we&#8217;re going to go into the places that got hit the hardest. So we&#8217;re going to distribute it to the people who have the highest unemployment and give them more. So, New York got more money than Florida and lots of small blue states got a lot more money than North and South Dakota because we were open and we had low unemployment and other places that had high unemployment, because they had more restrictive policies, got more capital. So, it was apparent right from the beginning that they were going to try to drive dollars back into places that helped elect Joe Biden because the highest unemployment was in blue metros, who also had the most restrictive rules during COVID.
And then along comes higher education loan forgiveness, picking up where Obama left off. We&#8217;re looking at a total now, all in, of over $1.6 trillion of student loan debt in this country. Well, it&#8217;s not student debt per se. It’s a pass-through grant that goes to a student, they turn around and write a tuition check to a university. So it&#8217;s been a form of providing subsidies to the universities, which we know typically vote 95% blue. This was a way to drive dollars, ideologically, towards that end, even when some of those students may not have been well served by college. And then what do we end up with? A pile of student debt. We end up with people who can&#8217;t pay the debt back because they didn&#8217;t get an ROI in their education. We&#8217;re short of people in every trade group in this country. Some of these same people that had student debt could have no debt and be making a hundred grand a year — electrician or a plumber or any kind of advanced construction role — they could be making that kind of money without any involvement from the federal government. So, states ended up pouring more money into higher education but not solving a workforce issue. Student loan forgiveness is so unfair, it cuts at the core of America. And then again, like Obama, and now Biden, they keep trying to do it. They make big announcements about it during election years. And when Biden was campaigning recently in North Carolina, he&#8217;s not talking about the border, he&#8217;s not talking about inflation, he&#8217;s not talking about campus riots, and he&#8217;s not talking about the wars — he&#8217;s talking about getting $3 billion of federal money to a plant in North Carolina. When he shows up, his whole campaign is always centered around making an announcement about the federal largesse. That&#8217;s a long answer, but it&#8217;s a pattern that is pretty consistent. It sure feels like if you&#8217;re shoving money towards places that vote in your direction, it sure feels like vote buying to me.
Brent: Do you think he&#8217;s doing the same thing when he basically emptied our Strategic Petroleum Reserves to temporarily stabilize rising gas prices?
Governor Burgum: Absolutely, positively, totally correct Brent. Because it is called the “Strategic” Petroleum Reserve for our country. Strategic means at a time when we might be facing World War III — which, of course, we&#8217;re inching closer to with Biden&#8217;s appeasement, his weakness, as opposed to Trump&#8217;s strength. His weakness is what&#8217;s making things worse. It&#8217;s just amazing to me that he was never called out on this. He drained it in half ahead of the midterms to try to get prices down at the pump because he knew that would help them make the argument that their economy was better. So, he was simultaneously attacking U.S. energy production, but then making up the difference by draining the petroleum reserve. And, of course, who benefits when you attack U.S. energy? Well, Russia, Iran, and the countries we are in wars with, they benefit. Their coffers are going up by hundreds of billions of dollars and who are they selling their oil to? China, the world&#8217;s largest importer of oil and gas. 10 million barrels of oil a day go into China. Do you know who&#8217;s filling up their petroleum reserves with discount Russian oil and gas? China. So while ours was draining, China&#8217;s was growing. And so strategically, that decision put us on bad footing. And I have said, it&#8217;s not called the “Political Petroleum Reserve.” It&#8217;s called strategic, and there&#8217;s nothing strategic about trying to artificially lower prices ahead of an election cycle.
Brent: This is interesting to me because you&#8217;re the governor of a state that&#8217;s smack dab in the middle of the country. You sound pretty well rounded on China, Iran, and what&#8217;s going on globally. Where does your interest or expertise in foreign policy come from? 
Governor Burgum: Well, it starts with North Dakota&#8217;s economy. We are an agricultural economy and an energy economy. Those are our two major drivers. If you talk to a 65-year-old farmer in North Dakota, he could tell you the price of soybeans in Brazil. Everyone raising crops here is competing against global markets. I grew up understanding the price of things that were important in North Dakota. You grow up understanding that all of these global events affect people right at home and hit them in their pocketbook. My dad passed away when I was a freshman in high school. He was a World War II Navy vet. Some years later, when I was in my mid-20s, I saw a computer and I thought, That&#8217;s going to change the world. I had 160 acres of farm ground at the time that I had received from my dad. Now, that&#8217;s not enough to farm, you need like a thousand acres to do a dryland wheat farm in North Dakota. So I mortgaged the farmland and that became the seed capital for a software company called Grain Plain Software. We started with 10 kids, but we built it into a company where we had customers around the world. By the time I left that place, we had customers in 132 countries and I understood at a very young age that there are people around the world using our products. They don&#8217;t have the right to vote. They don&#8217;t have the right to free speech. They don&#8217;t have the right to assemble. They certainly don&#8217;t have the right to bear arms. 
In 1989, I was coming back from Australia where we were trying to open up our first non-North American operations and I stopped in China. They said, “Hey, they&#8217;re selling software in a street market.” So, I went down there and we had not even begun selling software outside of North America. And I said, “Hey, do you have Great Plains?” And they said, “Sure.” The guy walks over and for a buck they hand you a 5 ¼ inch floppy disk. They were selling modules of our software. So, I&#8217;ve known for about 30 years that China&#8217;s been stealing every piece of software I&#8217;ve ever been involved with. When you grow up exposed to these things, with global business experience, managing people globally — I had people doing acquisitions around the world — you start to understand, uh, how, how the world works economically. 
Energy is at the core of all of our national security concerns, it&#8217;s at the core of all the wars we&#8217;re fighting right now. Iran is funding the Houthis, Hamas, and they&#8217;re funding them with oil sales. President Trump had those guys on their knees, financially, and now Joe Biden with his appeasement, they&#8217;re back and as rich as they&#8217;ve ever been. And Putin personally makes money off of all the oil sales. Russia operates more like the mafia than a country. And he&#8217;s the mob boss who gets a cut of almost everything. He could arguably be the richest guy in the world. So Joe Biden&#8217;s energy policies are hurting the U S and are helping our adversaries. Consequently, we&#8217;ve got to fund wars against them while the other side of the war is being funded by folks who have huge, huge oil exports. Ultimately, the reason they have huge oil exports is because Joe Biden is trying to choke down the U.S. energy industry. So, it drives me a little bit crazy that these economic policies of Joe Biden are what&#8217;s destabilizing the world. That&#8217;s why we need President Trump back in the White House.
Brent: Transitioning to Trump, you were recently seen at this high profile Mar-a-Lago event. There&#8217;s been a lot of reporting on what was said. I&#8217;m told the president gave an almost comically long and very colorful speech about Biden and current affairs. For somebody in the room, what was it like being in there? What was the energy among Trump supporters for that event?
Governor Burgum: Well, the energy was super high and it was very fun. In spite of how it might&#8217;ve been reported to mainstream media, there was a lot of laughter, a lot of, good humor. People in the room were excited, enthusiastic. There was the Rasmussen poll that came out the day before that showed Trump leading in all these swing states. The folks who were there were donors, all entrepreneurs and job creators. These are people who have created businesses and they&#8217;ve given back to their communities and they&#8217;ve got kids and grandkids and they care about the future of this country. The energy level was very high and, and President Trump — if people have ever heard him in that environment, the guy is very funny. He&#8217;s probably one of the only politicians we&#8217;ve ever had in this country who could actually probably work as a standup comic if he wanted to as a side job. But of course he&#8217;s also produced hit TV shows. The guy knows how to entertain an audience. And he certainly has his finger on the pulse on the concerns of the American people right now, which is people are worried about the border. In 2016, it was about immigration. Today it&#8217;s about national security and public safety. He understands that people are getting crushed by Joe Biden&#8217;s inflation, and he understands that people want these wars to end. Peace and prosperity were thriving when he was in office. And those people there remember that and they&#8217;re ready to go to battle to make sure that we can get back to that. So it was a great afternoon.
Brent: What about what it feels like being on that stage? I mean, there was a lot of attention on that picture because it included a lot of people who are reportedly in contention for Trump&#8217;s coveted VP slot. Does it feel like you&#8217;re in an episode of “The Apprentice” sometimes?
Governor Burgum: I&#8217;m smiling as you&#8217;re saying that because the last episode of “The Apprentice” that Trump was on was in December of 2015, right before he announced. I think it was one of the most-watched shows of that year. So, he knows how to entertain. He certainly was entertaining that Saturday afternoon. In his speech he thought there were 50 people on the short list. So I have to reject the premise of any “short list.” I didn&#8217;t run for president because I was looking for a cabinet job or a VP job. I was doing it because I cared about the country. And the topics I cared about the most — economy, energy, national security — are the three things that I aligned almost exactly with president Trump. So it was very easy to jump in and support him like I did in 2016 and in 2020 and I’m having a good time supporting him now, because this is so important to our country.It was a high energy, very fun event.
Brent: Last question.What do you think the key is to taking Biden down in November? What&#8217;s the case that really needs to be made?
Governor Burgum: Well, I&#8217;m not a pundit, but I am a governor and I&#8217;m a citizen. I think it goes back to that classic question: Were you better off under president Trump than you are under, under Joe Biden? And I think most Americans are going to say, we were better off [under Trump]. The border was secure. Biden inflation came like a thief in the night and stole 30% of Americans’ savings. The majority of Americans now have no savings, they&#8217;re living paycheck to paycheck. And those folks are having a hard time putting food on the table and gas in their car. Something else that&#8217;s going to hit everybody more by next fall is the price of electricity. Joe Biden&#8217;s assault on energy just isn&#8217;t on liquid fuels, it&#8217;s on gas, It&#8217;s assault on electricity in the grid itself. So those are those economic issues. Trump is so far ahead in some polls, he&#8217;s +20 on the economy, he&#8217;s +20 on inflation, he&#8217;s +20 on the border, and he is he going to be strong against these dictators overseas — the Iranians, the Russians, and the Chinese. So he wins on all that. It&#8217;s going to come down to whether or not the message can be delivered out to the swing voters in those swing counties, that&#8217;s what&#8217;s going to really matter in the end. If the message is out there, President Trump could win and could win big. But there are a lot of folks in the mainstream media and others who are pushing an alternative vision of the world, which, of course, I don&#8217;t think the facts support, but that&#8217;s going to be the challenge. So the Trump team and everybody supporting Trump is going to have to make sure they vote, they&#8217;re going to have to run through the tape. This is going to be a battle right to the end.
Brent: All right. Well, thank you so much for being with us, Governor Burgum. We appreciate it
Governor Burgum: Thank you, Brent.

Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally At The Jersey Shore

Governor Doug Burgum On Democrats Buying Votes And The War On U.S. Energy

Democrats

Energy

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interview

Readers Pass

A federal judge in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-dakota" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Dakota</a> ruled on Monday that the Biden administration cannot compel Christian employers and health care providers to pay for transgender surgeries and other procedures.
Judge Daniel Traynor for the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/christian-employers-do-not-have-cover-gender-transition-judge-rules-2024-03-04/">ruled</a> in favor of the Christian Employers Alliance, which had challenged the Biden administration’s interpretation of federal discrimination law. Traynor, a Trump nominee, <a href="https://adfmedia.org/case/christian-employers-alliance-v-us-equal-employment-opportunity-commission">said</a> that the Christian groups were protected under religious liberty protections from being forced to provide “gender transition services.” 
The judge ruled against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Health and Human Services interpretation of discrimination law, which would mandate that every employer covers transgender surgeries. Traynor said that the Christian Employers Alliance&#8217;s “religious beliefs are substantially burdened by the monetary penalties it faces for refusing to violate its beliefs.”
“Here, CEA’s sincerely held religious belief is that male and female are immutable realities defined by biological sex and that gender reassignment is contrary to Christian Values,” Traynor <a href="https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/ChristianEmployersAllianceOrderSummaryJudgment.pdf">wrote</a>. “As a result, performing or providing health care coverage for gender transition services under the EEOC and HHS coverage mandates impinges upon CEA’s beliefs. CEA must either comply with the EEOC and HHS mandates by violating their sincerely held religious beliefs or else face harsh consequences like paying fines and facing civil liability.”
The Christian Employers Alliance first filed the lawsuit in October 2021 and took issue with the Equal Employment Opportunity commission&#8217;s interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act that employers needed to cover transgender surgeries. It also challenged the Health and Human Services&#8217; interpretation of sex to include gender identity for discrimination purposes. 
The decision was celebrated by the Christian Employers Alliance and the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the group. 
“We are overjoyed our members will not have to choose between the biblically based employee benefits and quality healthcare they provide, and the threat of federal enforcement and massive costs for practicing their faith,” Christian Employers Alliance President Shannon Royce said. 
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ADF Senior Counsel and Director of Regulatory Practice Matt Bowman praised the court for blocking the Biden administration’s mandates. 
“All employers and healthcare providers, including those in the Christian Employers Alliance, have the constitutionally protected freedom to conduct their business and render treatment in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs,” Bowman said. “The employers we represent believe that God purposefully created humans as either male or female, and so it would violate their religious beliefs to pay for or perform life-altering medical procedures or surgeries that seek to change one’s sex.”

A surgical light in an operating room in hospital.

Federal Judge Rules That Christian Employers Do Not Have To Pay For Transgender Surgeries

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Biden Administration

Department of Health and Human Services

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transgender surgery

Former President Donald Trump dominated the North Dakota Republican Caucus on Monday as he continues to inch closer to officially securing the party&#8217;s presidential nomination.
The Associated Press called the race with roughly 38% of the votes counted as Trump led former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley 84.4% to 14.6%.
Candidates are eligible to win delegates if they finish with at least 20% of the vote. However, if a candidate wins at least 60% of the vote then that candidate collects all of the state&#8217;s 29 delegates.
The win, assuming Trump stays over 60%, will put the former president at 273 delegates while Haley lags far behind with only 43 delegates. Haley secured her first and only win of the GOP nomination process over the weekend when she won Washington, D.C.
Trump on the other hand has had blowout victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, Michigan, and Missouri.
The former president is heavily favored in the Super Tuesday states that vote tomorrow, which include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia.
Assuming that things continue to go his way, the earliest Trump could wrap up the primary is on March 12 when Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Washington hold their contests.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

Former President Donald Trump Speaks At Mar-a-Lago In Florida

Trump Wins North Dakota Caucus In Dominant Fashion

2024 Primaries

Nikki Haley

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-dakota" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Dakota</a> Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/doug-burgum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Burgum</a> said on Monday that he will not seek a third term leading the Peace Garden State this year.
The announcement followed Burgum <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doug-burgum-suspends-2024-presidential-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ending his long-shot campaign</a> in the 2024 presidential race last month and a little more than a week after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-gets-endorsement-from-burgum-former-2024-rival-on-eve-of-iowa-caucuses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> former President Donald Trump ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
&#8220;Serving as governor and first lady of the great state of North Dakota has been one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences of our lives,&#8221; Burgum said in a <a href="https://www.governor.nd.gov/news/burgum-announces-he-wont-seek-third-term-highlights-progress-made-during-time-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;Kathryn and I are eternally grateful to the citizens of North Dakota for twice giving us this opportunity to serve the state we love so much.&#8221;
North Dakota voters elected Burgum, a wealthy former software executive, to serve as their 33rd governor in November 2016. He won another four-year term in November 2020.
In his statement, Burgum touted &#8220;incredible progress&#8221; during his seven-year tenure, including on issues such as taxes, the economy, education, state-tribal relations, agriculture, energy, and fighting addiction.
&#8220;There’s never been a better time to live, work and raise a family in North Dakota. Our state is extremely well-positioned for the future thanks to the efforts of everyone on Team ND to empower people, improve lives and inspire success,&#8221; Burgum said.
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A term limits measure passed in 2022 barred any individual from being elected governor more than twice — though <a href="https://www.kfyrtv.com/2022/11/09/measure-1-projected-pass-term-limits-will-go-into-effect-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the measure noted</a> that service before its effective date would not count toward the limit.
Prognosticators who <a href="https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/2024-governor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assessed</a> the 2024 governor&#8217;s race last year <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/governor-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">determined</a> the GOP was favored to win. At least one person, former Republican state Sen. Tom Campbell, has <a href="https://www.wdayradionow.com/news/regional-news/72233-former-state-senator-tom-campbell-to-run-for-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> he will run for the office.
Burgum&#8217;s current term is set to end on December 14. It was not immediately clear what he would do next, but one person had already floated a possibility.
&#8220;He&#8217;s one of the best governors in our country,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-teases-ex-rival-doug-burgum-hold-important-administration-role-iowa-win" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said at an event last week</a>, appearing with Burgum after Burgum endorsed the former president. &#8220;And I hope that I&#8217;m going to be able to call on him to be a piece of the administration, a very important piece of the administration.&#8221;

Doug Burgum Announces He Will Not Seek 3rd Term As North Dakota Governor

Elections

The son of Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) was charged on Thursday in connection to a crash that killed a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/north-dakota" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Dakota</a> sheriff&#8217;s deputy this week.
Police received a report of a stolen SUV that was being driven on Wednesday night by 42-year-old Ian Cramer and, when law enforcement approached him, he drove off.
Ian Cramer was charged with felony counts of manslaughter, fleeing a police officer, and reckless endangerment. He also was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license.
Ian Cramer&#8217;s mother took him to the hospital on Wednesday night over concerns about his mental health. When she got out of the car, Ian jumped in the driver&#8217;s seat and took off.
Law enforcement officials spotted the vehicle over an hour later and the situation quickly turned into a high-speed chase with Ian Cramer reaching speeds of over 100 mph.
Deputy Paul Martin took cover behind his patrol car after setting up a tire deflation device on the road. When Ian Cramer saw the device, he swerved and hit the patrol car, thus ramming “directly into Martin’s person and launching him for about 100 feet,” court documents said.
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https://twitter.com/NDHighwayPatrol/status/1732810237202067477
Sen. Cramer addressed the incident in a statement, saying that his son &#8220;suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.&#8221;
&#8220;Kris was with Ian when he insisted on going to his brother Ike. Ike died in 2018,&#8221; said Cramer. &#8220;Kris took Ian to the Sanford Health emergency room in Bismarck. When she got out of our vehicle, Ian jumped into the driver’s seat and fled. Our daughter was able to track the car through Kris’ cell phone and lead officers to him in Mercer County, ND.&#8221;
He said that he was focused on getting back to the state so that he could be with his family.
&#8220;We grieve especially for the family of the hero who tried to help Ian, and we pray for our gracious God to show up as He always does in tragedy,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We ask the public for prayers for the lost officer’s family and colleagues who serve us every day and are grateful for all they do for us. We also ask God for healing for Ian. We love him and hurt deeply.&#8221;

Senator Kevin Cramer’s Son Charged With Manslaughter Over Killing Of Sheriff’s Deputy

Senator Kevin Cramer's Son Charged With Manslaughter Over Killing Of Sheriff’s Deputy

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