PSC hasn't paid $25K in legal bills. Commissioner says it's out of cash.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"Indeed, since Abrego Garcia secured his release from criminal custody in August 2025, respondents have made one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success.” – Federal Judge Paula Xinis, on the U.S. government’s attempt to deport Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, who was wrongly deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.

One of the Republicans targeted as “The Nine” — state Senators who broke with other Republicans in the 2025 Legislature — is not running again for her seat. Wendy McKamey will not file for re-election in Great Falls because of health issues.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has objected to the merger of two of the largest railroads in the United States, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. He said that a merger could create higher prices for Montana and runs contrary to President Donald J. Trump’s “America first” agenda.

A federal judge ruled the Department of Homeland Security has never really had a plan for Kilmar Abrego Garcia after it mistakenly deported him, then tried several times to deport him again, and detain him. For now, the judge said he may not be taken back into custody.

Leaders from across the nation are paying tribute to the one-time Democratic presidential hopeful and longtime Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson. As people remembered him, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, reminded people that “equal rights are not inevitable.”

Our colleagues at Stateline News report that the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security are gobbling up warehouses and other large buildings across the country to create detention centers. When communities find out, they often protest, but it seems that there’s little that can be done to halt those.

The FBI says it is not turning over evidence and materials related to the shooting of Alex Pretti, who was one of two high-profile cases in which agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement shot civilians. State investigators want to review the evidence for possible criminal charges.

While we often hear of fighting and partisan warfare in Congress, there are subjects on which the members can agree. A bipartisan effort is looking at ways the federal government can address the housing crisis and make it more affordable for typical Americans.

A new report from the Public Religion Research Institute shows that more Americans are familiar with Christian nationalism, and even though the term has been around for awhile, research also shows that more people are sympathetic or even supportive of its beliefs.

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

Since the 2025 Montana Legislature, the disagreements with the Republican Party at the state level have been well documented. As different factions of the party attempt to define what it means to be a member of the GOP, there’s a similar fight going on in North Dakota centering on the endorsement process, according to our friends at the North Dakota Monitor.

The next two selections center on articles from the Smithsonian magazine. If you are sick and tired of worrying about politics and the state of the world, let us help you worry about something else. Did you know that there is a jellyfish the size of a bus? Let that sink deeply into your dreams. The good news (?) is that they inhabit depths of the ocean that would kill humans before any stingers could touch.

Also, you may have seen a famous portrait of Anne Boleyn, one of King Henry VIII’s many wives. But scientists using specialized imaging equipment found that the artist of the portrait “revised” it, especially with attention to her fingers, making sure it was emphasized that she only had five on her right hand. Apparently, there was a literal wicked rumor floating around England that she had six fingers — and therefore (summon your best Monty Python voice) a witch.

Most people in Montana didn’t know much about Jeremy Carl, a controversial appointee by Gov. Greg Gianforte to the Humanities Montana board. But after a blistering hearing in the U.S. Senate, Carl’s name became better known on a national stage. Columnist and attorney Doug James said that as shocking as Carl’s views were, what is even more distressing is the silence coming from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines.

Who knew that it would be so much fun to make fun of Merle Haggard?

But as we discussed in an earlier version of “The Hook,” there was at least one parody, or at least tongue-and-cheek version of Haggard’s legendary — if not signature — hit, “Okie from Muskogee.” You know, the “place where even squares can have a ball.” Even though Haggard didn’t necessarily mean it to be a counter to all the protest songs going on in the late 1960s, it became a sort of anthem for the “establishment.”

Three of you exercised your collective wisdom on me and pointed out that the band Pure Prairie League had another song in response to the Okie…”I’ll Fix Your Flat Tire, Merle.”

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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