Knudsen orders Gallatin County to dismiss case involving him.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

“Republicans are ignoring the needs of middle-class America and instead funneling money into Trump’s ballroom and throwing billions at two lawless agencies.” – Jeff Merkley, a United States Senator from Oregon, commenting on Republicans’ efforts to fund a ballroom being pushed for the White House by President Donald Trump.

Two hikers were injured by one — possibly multiple — bears near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park on Monday. The park has just reopened for the season and as tourists begin flooding the area, bears have just been spotted, too, causing the park to renew its call to “be bear aware.”

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has appointed Rebecca Swandal to the state district court. The Sixth Judicial District covers part of Sweet Grass and Park counties. Fun fact: Swandal worked at a law firm founded by her grandmother.

As part of the Homeland Security bill, Republicans tucked $1 billion into the legislation that would go toward the large ballroom that has become the beloved pet project of President Trump. That amount of money has shocked some, while others point out that Trump pledged no taxpayer funds would be used in the project.

As states wrestle with funding and how to pay for services while, at the same time, hearing from constituents that they can’t afford higher taxes, more states are turning to what was once a very unpopular idea — a millionaire tax.

Washington, D.C., has always been a place loaded with historic sites and easily recognizable buildings. But take a stroll through the nation’s capital, and it looks different. It seems like everywhere President Trump’s name is on things, and if it’s not his name, his face looms large on many federal buildings.

Prosecutors in Washington, D.C., have tacked on an additional charge against the California man who attempted a mass shooting at the White House Correspondents’ dinner. According to newly filed court documents, Cole Thomas Allen came with assorted tools and weapons in order to carry out his plans. He faces life in prison, if convicted.

Columnist and Montana Environmental Information Center Executive Director Anne Hedges said that while NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills consider a merger, they have downplayed the significance of data centers and the strain it will put on the power grid. But Hedges said that looking through the filings, both companies have data centers on their minds — and Montana should be asking more questions.

Folks, we’re so glad and grateful that you choose to spend time with us every day by reading this newsletter. We hope you find it both informative and entertaining. Behind every newsletter, we’re not just relying on AI to scrape some headlines. Instead, we try to write something by humans to other humans. We want to demystify your world and help you go beyond the headlines — as cliche as that may sound.

If you don’t already subscribe to our national newsletter, The Evening Wrap, please consider doing that. It’s a great way to peer across the news that’s being produced by the States Newsroom organization. One of the things I appreciate about it is the way it looks at trends and other stories that impact people’s lives.

Our once-little network has grown from a handful of states to the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to state-level policy and politics. We’re proud of that, but the list of news continues to grow. That’s why we’re excited to bring you Daybreak — a newsletter that will hit subscribers’ mailboxes in the morning. For some of you whose memories extend that far — it’s not unlike the days of a morning newspaper and an evening one.

Here’s more information from our friends who will be producing it:

“We’re living in a nonstop news cycle, where the public is looking for a trusted source to make sense of it all,” said Andrea Shaw, chief content officer for States Newsroom. “With a morning eye-opener and an evening wrapup, we’ll help our readers focus on the issues most likely to affect their lives. And more and more, those issues are unfolding at the state level.” 

Readers can subscribe for free here. 

Daybreak joins a suite of national newsletters published by States Newsroom, the nation’s largest nonprofit state-focused news organization. Other newsletters include Evening Wrap, The Rundown and This Week in Commentary, as well as Reproductive Rights Today, which is shifting to twice weekly. Each of States Newsroom’s 39 state outlets also offer daily and weekly newsletters. All of States Newsroom’s newsletters are free.

While other news organizations are reducing or eliminating their reporting ranks at the state level, States Newsroom is doubling down on its commitment to covering the statehouses, where many of the nation’s most significant policy debates are taking place around legislation that could affect generations to come. Journalists from States Newsroom outlets are often the only reporters covering a state’s legislature. 

To ensure a more informed public, States Newsroom has committed to growing its nearly 300,000 newsletter subscriptions significantly in the coming three years, recognizing the value in connecting directly with readers and relying less on third-party social media platforms. 

“In a media-saturated world, where misinformation is rampant, readers can still control their newsletter consumption,” Shaw said. “And we’ve found that they trust our reporting because it’s fair and helps them make sense of bigger national stories. This newsletter will get it to them sooner each day.” 

In 2005, Rolling Stone did something that was both ambitious and probably hopeless — the venerable publication of rock-and-roll attempted to come up with the 25 best John Prine songs.

And so the world can be divided into two camps — those who know John Prine and those who need to discover him. But even knowing and loving his songs, I am not sure I’d attempt to come up with a definitive list. It also seems to me that I know a lot of people who love Prine, and many of them tend to favor his older, “vintage” songs. Yet on that list of 25, they selected one of Prine’s later hits, “Some Humans Ain’t Human.”

Prine said that he wrote that song as a protest to what was then the ongoing conflict in Iraq. He said that during the Vietnam era, people assumed that you supported the war, even if you said nothing. Prine wanted to make sure people knew where he stood on subjects as important as war.

When I first heard that song — as the war was being fought — I wondered: How will this song age? Will my kids or grandkids understand the references? Or will it be song that seems trapped in time?

I got my answer to that recently. I have had several requests from people to reprise this song. While some songs don’t seem to translate well from one generation to the next, there are those rarities that seem to get more accurate as time passes.

I suppose that’s what make a dude like John Prine so impressive: He seems to become more wise with every passing year and sadly, with every passing war.

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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