A 'vanishing' email, conspiracy, and Molnar's latest battle to hold onto his PSC post.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"Choosing to resign is an opportunity to uphold the high standard that the public expects of its lawmakers and to show your dedication to the dignity of the Montana Senate. We also believe it would be the best decision for you personally, as this issue is not going to go away and will undoubtedly continue to escalate the longer you choose to remain in office.” –A bipartisan group of Montana state senators, who are urging embattled Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy to resign after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Columnist George Ochenski says that the Montana Republican Party can see what happens by demanding loyalty tests for its members . It only has to look at the requirements for leadership in the Trump administration. And demanding party loyalty above all things will lead to bad results, and runs against the state’s cultural DNA.  

A group of 21 Democratic United States Senators are demanding that the “true costs” of the war with Iran be calculated not by the Trump administration, but by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in order to get a more accurate cost assessment of the war.

For now, a federal judge has allowed President Donald Trump’s directive on voting by mail to stand. The controversial order may stop many states from voting by mail. Both political parties declared a victory to some extent. Republicans claim it’s a vindication of his policies. Democrats, meanwhile, point out that the judge didn’t rule on the merits of the case, instead saying it was too premature to challenge the order.

In one of his deals, President Donald Trump said that China has agreed to buy $17 billion in American agricultural products. However, that deal, which was supposed to be for a three-year period, has yet to materialize, even as America’s farmers are struggling with rapidly increasing costs. Many doubt the deal, which was supposed to be a victory for the sector that has been hurt deeply by tariffs, will ever materialize.

After federal prosecutors dropped criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who became the face of Trump’s initial deportation efforts as he was mistakenly sent to a super-maximum prison in El Salvador, they have now informed the court that they want to deport him to Liberia. His attorneys are fighting the deportation plans.

The Economist provided some breakdown of polling it conducted earlier this month. Like so many polls, it surveyed state residents about the approval rating of President Donald Trump. With recent reports of Trump’s approval ratings hovering in the low 30s, it’s historically bad, and many states, including Montana, are trying to figure out what that means for voting, even though the president is not on the ballot.  Trump took the state’s four Electoral College votes in 2024 (as he had in ‘20 and ‘16) by a margin of nearly 20%.

According to The Economist’s poll, Montana’s net approval rating is within the margin of error. But overall, their polling data suggests that Montana may not be in the category of net approval ratings. Currently it estimates only 6 of 50 states have a net approval rating for Trump — Wyoming, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Idaho and North Dakota.

Curse those infernal earworms.

As you can imagine, we’re up to ears in stories about elections, pitches for stories and preparing for the election next week (friendly reminder: Turn in those ballots). Right now, most of us are asking the same question of candidates: What have you done for me lately?

The popular phrase and cliche triggered the Janet Jackson song, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”

The 1986 hit is a great reminder of songs that were really popular but you don’t hear much of anymore (and OK, it is 40 years old. Gulp).

Her song hit No. 4 on the overall Billboard charts and was part of her breakout album, “Control.” The song, however, has nothing to do with politics — in the traditional sense. Instead, it was a song about the annulment of her marriage, something that was scandalous back in the 1980s. It becomes one of so many things that seem almost quaint by comparison to scandals of today.

The song and the album are kind of fascinating for another reason: Jackson, the little sister of Michael Jackson, had been a television celebrity before becoming better known for her music. It looked as if she would go the way of some of her older brothers who tried their hand at pop music, only to never match the same status as “MJ.” Prior to the release of “Control,” she had released two albums, both of which flopped. This was, essentially, her last chance to prove she belonged.

It was so popular, including garnering Grammy nominations in several categories (although it just won in the producer category), it still holds the record for most consecutive weeks with a single on the Top 40. For 65 weeks, at least one of the songs from the album appeared. It was also so popular, that a remix album actually charted, essentially meaning she sold the same record twice.

It’s almost impossible for most of us who have been fans of pop, R&B, or dance to imagine a world without Janet Jackson. But in 1986, that was in doubt. Sixty-five weeks later, it was no longer.

Be sure to check out the teased hair and the very 1980s dialogue to kick off the video. They’re truly precious.

If you have a song that you’d like to share, or would like to get in touch with us, please send us a note at [email protected]

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