Hamilton scientists charged with 'smuggling' monkeypox virus.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"No president has the authority to unilaterally rewrite election rules or dictate how states administer their elections.” – Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice at the league of Women Voters.

As President Donald Trump continues to push the baseless narrative that the election of 2020 as well as the primary election in California have been stolen by fraud, his administration is also pushing forward with its plans to curtail voting by mail, raising concerns that the popular method of voting will be in jeopardy for the 2026 election.

A federal judge has said that the Trump administration policy of not processing applications of asylum seekers wanting to come into the country is not lawful. The administration must continue to process those applications because that is a duty assigned to the executive branch by Congress.

The Department of Defense responds quickly after it releases a list of religious organizations it recognizes and those that it considers to be Christian. Notably, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as “Mormons,” was left off the list, causing a backlash of criticism and concerns from a variety of politicians, including United States Sen. Mike Lee, the senior U.S. Senator from Utah, where the LDS church is based.

A federal judge also handed another defeat to the Trump administration on Monday as the court ruled that a plan to accept $100,000 visa applications from “highly skilled” immigrants was against the law.

Note: some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall

For those of us in the media-sphere, the news that President Trump stormed out of an interview, got short with reporters or said something disparaging isn’t necessarily news. However, it appeared that NBC News angered the President on Friday and he stormed out of an interview, according to The Washington Post, when journalist Kristen Welker pressed him on the “slush fund” for Jan. 6 rioters and evidence of “stolen elections.”

Attorney and columnist Doug James says that Montana’s law needs to be updated because for years it has not allowed juries to hear whether a person in a car crash was wearing a seatbelt. Apparently, lawmakers thought whether a person was wearing a restraint would confuse juries, but not hearing whether the accident could have been avoided or mitigated seems like an important thing to consider during trial.  

Recently, my kids and I were talking about the music I grew up listening to. And, they knew that I was a child of the 1970s and 1980s, so there was a bunch of music ranging from ABBA to mind-blowing sound of Nirvana when I was older.

They rephrased the question because they’ve grown up with me listening to those artists. They instead wanted to know some of the music that I remember from my family. I told them about being subjected to Lawrence Welk Show and “Hee Haw” — not getting the allure of bubbles and grandparent-aged people dancing, looking like they may have more fun at a time-share conference. I also told them that I grew up hearing a lot of “old time” hymns sung from well-worn hymnals at church.

But one of the things that both sides of my family liked was definitely “old timey” country/western music, complete with fiddling and sometimes, even yodeling. I can remember several live events in Red Lodge seeing yodeling contests. I also recall fondly the days of polka bands during the Laurel Herbsfest where the eastern European families, the German-Russians who live in Yellowstone and Big Horn counties would come to dance polkas, waltzes and other dances. Though I couldn’t understand the music, I was impressed by the outfits; that people who could hardly seem to walk could dance with such grace and ease, and I remember the beer steins and people generally having a good time.

Today’s “The Hook” is from an obscure album of “fiddle favorites.” In this album, Loyd Wanzer is accompanied by his wife. The music is basic, melodic and straightforward. So, when we talk about “roots” music — that is music that helped shape other music that we now enjoy, we can’t forget the simple fiddle music that formed the foundation of both country and bluegrass. Here is Wanzer’s version of “Blackberry Blossom.” More than anything, I think I love the music for its easy melody.

And it should go without saying: I am grateful for all the people who populate websites with digital recordings from these relatively obscure, mostly forgotten artists. When I looked at this song yesterday in preparation for “The Hook,” I became the 35th listener of this video, which means: This is a song worthy of being remembered, and on the verge of being forgotten.

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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