Judge says Gianforte unconstitutionally appointed lawmaker.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"The last administration said ‘all of the above’ and then there were a set of rules that were completely punitive against the stuff that we needed to actually, you know, have baseload power in this country. It was just too early. It was too premature to say we’re going to shut all that down and we’re going to transition.”– Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, to Congress on the Biden administration’s gas and oil policies.

As election draws nearer (in fact, in many places in Montana, you have already started receiving ballots), Congress is talking a lot about elections. Republican Attorneys General from 15 states — including Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen — have filed court briefs in support of President Donald Trump’s efforts to gather information about voters from states as well as rein in voting by mail.

Meanwhile Democrats in Congress have sued the administration trying to halt the White House from collecting information on voters, arguing that voting — according to the Constitution — should be left up to the individual states.

And, as if politics wasn’t already contentious, a look at officials across the nation shows that the SAVE Act, which the Trump administration has assured will help prevent immigrants and non-citizens from voting, is creating division and uncertainty as November draws near.

Democrats in Congress as well as conservation groups say that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has “kneecapped” projects involving solar and wind energy, even as Americans are struggling to pay for rising energy prices at home and at the pump. Meanwhile, Burgum has claimed that Democrats and the Biden administration undercut energy security by rushing too quickly toward renewables.

Republicans in Congress lay out their vision and funding plans for the next three years of immigration. You may recall that Democrats have balked at funding the Department of Homeland Security, especially immigration enforcement after the debacle in Minneapolis, so Republicans will attempt to fund it through the reconciliation process, which could be done without Democrats’ support. Immigration leaders warn that the Trump-led immigration policies will only intensify the problems and the public outcry, while Republicans argue it will keep America safe.

Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s selection to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, appeared to answer questions before the United States Senate, but Democrats likened Warsh’s appearance to that of a sock puppet, willing to do Trump’s bidding.

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This is a good thing: While we’ve had to report the sad news of many of the headwinds facing the media, and especially the print newspaper business, this isn’t that story. The Associated Press reports that the venerable Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the large daily of Pittsburgh, which predates the American Revolution, has found a new owner and it will likely keep an American journalism institution running there.

As people will continue to debate the sudden drop-out of Sen. Steve Daines from the United States Senate and a run for re-election in November, Dan Astin of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that Kurt Alme jumped in at the last minute, largely in part to keep former successful Democrats Jon Tester and Steve Bullock from considering a run.

In a story that may sound familiar to humans, Smithsonian magazine reports that a rare, endangered, chunky (and did we mention adorable?) parrot may have been helped in its efforts to stave off extinction when a surprisingly good berry crop hit the region, which helped ... um … put the birds in an amorous state of mind. The eggs literally haven’t hatched yet, but  New Zealand’s kakapo are experiencing what the scientists are calling a “bountiful bird bonanza.”

I can’t think of many situations that wouldn’t instantly be made better by sock puppets. Maybe the country would be in a better mood, or it would make some of the horrible headlines more palatable if it was brought to us by sock puppets.

That’s why I about spit my Diet Pepsi out when I saw what our intrepid Washington, D.C., bureau had reported about Donald Trump’s nominee to replace outgoing Fed chief Jerome Powell. Some Democrats had likened Kevin Warsh to a Trump sock puppet. Maybe people would pay more attention to economic news if it was presented by a sock puppet.

Ah, maybe not.

But, I got to thinking about the number of different songs that use the puppet. There’s the classic soul song, “I’m Your Puppet,” by James and Bobby Purify.

Yet, for my money, there’s no better song about Puppets than the heavy-metal song “Master of Puppets.” It may be the case that the lyrics seems a better fit for 2026 than when they were first published.

And, just to make people of my vintage feel particular aged, “Master of Puppets” turns 40 this year.

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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