Attorney General says Helena is a sanctuary city and threatens fines.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"We all swear the same oath to the same Constitution. Now my job function is a little different than theirs, so they need to do theirs so I can do mine.”– Johnny Jones, the secretary of the government employees union representing TSA agents, who are going without paychecks.

A federal judge in Missoula has said that part of a class-action lawsuit against Ravalli County should be dismissed. While the trial will continue today, the judge said there’s no proof that people there were falsely imprisoned. However, the group of plaintiffs suit is continuing on claims that their due process rights were violated.

A group seeking to curb the amount of money that is spent by corporations during election cycles will begin to collection signatures for the initiative, hoping they can gather enough to put the law on the books, which would prohibit corporate donations, but not individual donations.

A new report to Congress shows that billions of dollars have been spent for the war in Iran even though the conflict is less than a month old. With billions being spent, some lawmakers are worried about a costly war with no end in sight.

Speaking of the war in Iran, Democrats in Congress are furious over reports that the United States may have bombed a girls school in the country, killing many of them. That’s leading to a demand that the Pentagon investigate the matter further and report back.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration asked the United States Supreme Court to grant permission to start deporting as many as 350,000 Haitians who have been granted temporary protection status.

Democrats in Congress are already worried about conflicts during the 2026 midterm Election, which so far have been signaling a rebuke of the Trump administration. The Democratic National Committee has asked for public documents related to plans the administration has to send in armed federal agents to polling locations, but have received no response. Democratic lawmakers said they’re trying to prevent a crisis by understanding what the administration may be planning.

A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump said in a ruling that runs more than 150 pages that there is evidence that the Department of Homeland Security engaged in racial profiling as it conducted raids in Minnesota, which left several residents shot, and resulted in widespread protests in the North Star State and beyond.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the United States Senate say they’re planning to enact more laws that would crack down on states and cities that will not comply or cooperate with federal immigration officials.

Democrats mark the one-year anniversary since the Trump administration announced that it would try to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. As that effort was playing out, critics say that the department has been plagued by staff shortages and a lack of attention to civil rights matters, as well as student loan relief.

Even as TSA agents at airports begin to go without paychecks, there seems to be little hope in sight of a resolution that will get them paid. Democrats have floated several versions that would fund the airline security agents in an effort not to throttle air travel, while Republicans say they must fund the entire Department of Homeland Security, while balking at several measures the Dems have proposed after the disastrous raids in Minnesota.

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Our first two featured stories come to us from our friends at Smithsonian magazine. The first is a new study about what separates super sharp 80-year-old minds from those that are suffering from other memory-related issues. What researchers found is surprising — those whose mental acuity was stronger shared some very specific characteristics.

Most of the time, we lament the buildings that were once a part of a cityscape. Maybe nowhere is that more true than New York City, where the need for development causes old buildings to be torn down, in a sort of recycling or upcycling. But, the Smithsonian magazine reports that one of the city’s landmarks, the old home of the National Biscuit Company — the building that Oreos built — has been given a new life and remains one of the architectural gems that can be preserved among all the steel and glass of a new city.

Finally, our friends at The Washington Post report that another golden statue featuring Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein has appeared on the National Mall, a place for popular protest demonstrations. This is the third statue of the guerrilla art installation there since Trump regained the presidency, and some of the artists collectively responsible say it’s meant to call attention to the victims and the administration’s attempt to sweep the scandal out of public view.

Attorney and columnist Doug James said that Montana’s U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy showed a lot more than being willing to jump into a fray when he likely broke the arm of a protestor at a U.S. Senate meeting. He showed that he really doesn’t understand leadership.

If you remember the name Archie Campbell, you probably know it from the hit television “Hee-Haw,” which also showcased other country stars like Buck Owens and Roy Clark. Campbell was featured early on in his career as a country comedian, becoming popular on the Grand Ole Opry, and being known for his clever word-jumbling — which was a goofy, G-rated comedy.

However, before he became well known for his comedy, Campbell had dabbled as a mostly failed country artist. He was signed to the budget-friendly label Starday Records, which discovered a number of country artists, although none as big as George Jones. He made several recordings, few of which did much, but you can still find a few of the tracks buried deep on compilation albums and CDs that only real die-hard collectors purchase.

Still, during these turbulent political times, I find myself going back to that old music that seems far away removed from war, protests or a news cycle that can only be described as relentless. Growing up in Montana, it was easy to find country music, but mostly I mocked it as twangy and old-fashioned.

Somewhere along the line — probably buried by bad beer and good bourbon — something changed. Maybe it was Webb Pierce, who was so shrill and biting that if you could stand him for more than several seconds, you wound up loving him because there is little in between. But there were other honky-tonkers I loved, too, including Wanda Jackson and Lefty Frizzell.

While I was doing some deep diving on budget compilation albums that were significantly older than I am, I ran across this gem from Archie Campbell, “Setting My Tears To Music.” Be forewarned: It’s twangy.

However, given the torrent of news, it’s a good break from the rest of the world to immerse yourself in some sad old country music.

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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