New Medicaid rules go into effect today. But providers were already worried about cuts from the state.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

Today, we begin with changes to the Medicaid system. Montana becomes one of the states to adopt the new work requirements, which conservative lawmakers say will force some recipients back into the workforce. Meanwhile, other experts say this is just another requirement that makes it more complicated and discourages people from using it when they need the insurance.

Also, a lot of rain has caused parts of Glacier National Park to flood. The photos are pretty amazing, but the timing comes during one of the busiest parts of the already short tourist season there.

Finally, residents in Yellowstone and Butte-Silver Bow counties are leading efforts to place ballot initiatives before voters regarding data centers. The proposals, which are similar but not identical, would require voter approval before constructing any data center.

Well, there are vendors. There is food. Even a Ferris Wheel. However, as America prepares to celebrate its 250 birthday, President Donald Trump’s “Great American State Fair” doesn’t have many attendees in Washington, D.C.

In a survey of economic news, states in the Western part of the country and some in the southwest showed the best results for the first quarter of the year. Both of our neighbors, North Dakota and South Dakota, were among the strongest.

The United States Supreme Court issued a number of consequential and important rulings this week as it nears the end of this term. Like most decisions, the court’s internal and political divisions are writ large in these opinions. In one of those, the conservative tilting court said that states have the right to make decisions about transgender athletes.

Ross Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the powerful part of the federal executive branch, has said it needs more money to hire more staff. This stands in stark contrast to Vought’s team’s work, which has included recommendations to cut the federal workforce. Except in his office.

As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the commonly understood meaning of birthright citizenship — or the concept that those who are born in America are automatically citizens. Trump had said that he had the power to end birthright citizenship as a means to combat immigration, but the high court stopped him.

U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr., had been missing from the U.S. House of Representatives for months. His whereabouts were unknown, as journalists and constituents tried to figure out where he was, missing more than four months of voting in an already narrowly Republican controlled House. And, he is from New Jersey — it’s not a huge geographic state. On Tuesday, Kean broke his silence and said he’s been battling severe depression.

More than a dozen states have challenged the Republican-supported plans to add work requirements to Medicaid. The new requirements go into place in Montana today, but Democratically-led states believe the requirements are unlawful.

A union representing wildland firefighters has raised concerns about the intensity of the fire season so far. That comes on the heels of three firefighters being killed in Utah and large fires near Beaver, Utah.

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

If you need any reason to have a little faith in computers and technology, even though artificial intelligence can’t do many things, it is amazingly adept at others. Take for example, the charred remains of what used to be scrolls in Pompeii. When the city was excavating, many of the scrolls had been burned — many thought damaged enough to be unreadable. But thanks to computer scanning and literally piecing portions of the scrolls together carefully, scientists have made parts of ancient writings come back to life, including many previously unknown books, according to Smithsonian magazine.

Our colleagues at the Colorado Newsline report that even though immigration officials had promised to remove the criminals and immigrants who were dangerous, it appears that the Trump administration is planning to remove an elderly Roman Catholic priest who has been working in America for more than two decades.

Also in Alaska, officials there have reversed course and allowed citizen Dan J. Sullivan to run for the United States Senate against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Officials say that voters will be able to distinguish between the two Dans, according to our colleagues at the Alaska Beacon.

On Monday you may have received an odd looking email from us. First, don’t worry: It’s not a bug or virus-laden communique. Instead, as some software developers for our newsletter platform were doing training, they accidentally sent a weekend newsletter. So, if it looks familiar it’s because you read it previously (thank you). We respect your time and apologize for any inconvenience.

If there’s anything that Will Ferrell’s tenure on “Saturday Night Live” taught me, it’s that the world needs more cowbell. You may recall that the skit was in reference to the legendary hit “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” by the Blue Oyster Cult, which is one of many songs that features the percussion instrument. And even before Ferrell’s skit, I was already convinced that rock-and-roll needs more cowbell. Today’s featured song on “The Hook” has cowbell. The song is also a reason why we concocted the daily feature: To feature songs that either have been forgotten or kind of buried deep in the vinyl record — literally and figuratively speaking.

When the legendary supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash reunited in the early 1980s, there were mixed reviews about the new sounds. It had enough of the sound that people recognized that they liked it, but the album also went into some newer directions. That’s one of the common gripes of fans and music critics: They often hate whatever new sound comes from stalwart artists often because it doesn’t sound exactly like them. I go through a similar and predictable pattern with every Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan release. I excitedly purchase the new album, only to be disappointed, recommend not buying it, and swearing that whatever new release is likely career-ending. A few years later, I stumble back onto the album and become completely shocked when I discover it’s on an album I hated. I go back, listen again, and it’s like magic: The songs that I couldn’t stand aren’t only good, but often times great. In all the conversations I’ve had about music, it seems like others have similar experiences, even though the artists’ names change from person to person. That’s a long-winded way of saying: I have also tried to forgive critics who were just doing their job. And when “CSN” reappeared in the 1980s, there was a mix of nostalgia and no-win; that is, if all of their new songs sounded like the old hits, they would have been accused of living in the past. And yet, fans couldn’t help but notice the music sounded different. And, I have always been a fan of the album “Daylight Again.”

That album produced two Top 40 Billboard hits, including two of my favorites, “Wasted on The Way,” and “Southern Cross.” “Wasted on the Way” is a wise reflection on how the in-fighting and disputes that plagued the group had hurt them all. “Southern Cross” may be the epitome of “yacht rock” and should only be played at extremely high volume.

But also on the album was the subtle rocker “Into The Darkness,” which didn’t do much commercially. However, as I was replaying the album recently, it stood out. I wound up playing it several times in a row and thinking: This is a really good song with a wonderful sound.

Why it didn’t do better or become more of hit is probably a matter of the business side of the music business: Producers and record labels have to judge which songs they believe will be hits, will get airplay and sometimes, they just miss.

And that’s why we exist. To feature those songs.

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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