By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief
"The touchstone for birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment is total allegiance to the United States, rather than merely being subject to its laws or some subset thereof.” – From a friend-of-the-court brief about birthright citizenship that Montana’s Sen. Tim Sheehy has signed onto.
EPSTEIN FILES
Latest Epstein files release links famed MSU paleontologist Jack Horner to ranch visit
As journalists and researchers pore over more than 3 million documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week involving the Epstein files, famous Montana State University paleontologist Jack Horner was part of a series of 2012 emails in which he visited a ranch property in New Mexico owned by Epstein. Horner thanked “Epstein and the girls” for entertaining him.
Virginia City, Montana as seen from atop Boot Hill Cemetery (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).
VIRGINIA CITY
Lawmakers, leaders push back against Gianforte administration’s new Virginia City leases
Lawmakers and leaders of Virginia City, the second territorial capital of Montana and now historical tourist attraction, have asked the Gianforte administration to reconsider leases and arrangements for those who run the concessions and services there. Earlier this year, the Montana Department of Commerce said that it needed to raise rent and make contracts more profitable just to keep the Montana Heritage Commission, the oversight agency charged with some of the state’s most precious historical locations, solvent.
MASS SHOOTING
Public, media shut out of case involving Anaconda mass shooting
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MORE FROM MONTANA
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, has joined a lawsuit with other members of Congress that urges the United States Supreme Court to limit or redefine the concept of birthright citizenship. That would mean that some people born in America wouldn’t become American citizens, and the case leans heavily on case law that denied citizenship to Native Americans.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
In response to public pressure, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announces that law enforcement agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement will begin to wear body cameras, starting with officers in Minnesota.
President Donald Trump urges members of the United States House of Representatives to pass a budget deal that would fund most of the government through the remainder of this year, while passing a stopgap measure that will fund the Department of Homeland Security for another two weeks, giving Congress time to make more adjustments to the budget that includes funding to ICE.
A report by the Inspector General’s office reveals that the federal government has spent more than $38 million to pay employees working in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Education. Many of those employees had originally been cut by Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency only to be restored, and then furloughed, all while being paid.
A federal judge said that members of Congress have the right to visit detention centers that are operated by the Department of Homeland Security. On two separate occasions, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem tried to forbid members from visiting, sometimes requiring seven days advance notice.
Democratic attorneys general from around the United States are urging residents to film and help document ICE activity in their communities, saying that the federal government cannot be trusted to police its own officers.
GOOD READS
Note: some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall
If you need a bit of reading that doesn’t involve current events, one of the organizations that is dedicated to preserving the history of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, author Paul Gilbert reveals the impressive dragon tattoo that the last of the Romanovs had on his arm. The tattoo was a sort of keepsake memory from when he traveled to Japan, and Gilbert revealed that – for a moment – tattoos became all the rage among the aristocracy of Europe in the early days of the 20th Century.
Because we don’t see much of our politicians around Montana, and because there aren’t a lot of public meetings where they headline, we often wonder: Where is (fill in your missing leader’s name here)? One of our eagle-eyed readers pointed out that Montana’s U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke recently was a long way from the Treasure State. According to the Jewish News Syndicate, Zinke traveled to Israel with other members of Congress to chat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirm America’s commitment to Israel.
Our colleagues at Smithsonian magazine have reported that one of the most endangered cat species in the world is an Arabian cheetah. Scientists estimate that there are less than 100 still living in the wild. However, recently discovered mummified remains of these animals that are more than 7,000 years old may help scientists rehabilitate the rare felines.
THE HOOK
Right now, it’s easy to get lost in the crushing tide of news headlines. That is giving rise to a lot of music that was popular during the Vietnam era known generally as “protest music.” The genesis for the music was folk music, which can trace its lineage back to Woody Guthrie urging on the labor movement and fighting fascists.
As impressive as that music is, sometimes it’s time for a momentary cleanser. Benson Boone has a great song, “Beautiful Things,” which should remind many of us that we are surrounded by beautiful things. And Benson’s song is also a great reminder that great rock music is still being produced and featured commercially.
Benson also has a fun sidenote: He attended BYU-Idaho. And while that doesn’t make him a Montanan, it makes him close.
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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