Republicans in Montana fighting with each other.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

“Now, one thing that I find incredible is that you suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign. But somehow you’re spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock. And somehow you think that’s a better public health message than informing the public about the importance of vaccines." – Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez, at a hearing to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Roberto Orozco-Ramirez, a man whom the entire community of Froid rallied around after he was detained by Immigration and Customs officials, has been freed after prosecutors called for dismissing the case. They raised several concerns about possible civil rights violations. Still, the fate of Orozco-Ramirez is unclear.

A few days ago, we featured a note from the Bloomberg News newsletter writer in Washington, D.C., which said that he couldn’t believe he was writing about Door Dash being delivered to the White House while asking President Donald Trump about a post that looked like Jesus. Today, we have another similar story when members of the United States House of Representatives pressed Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on the policies of health and especially vaccines. Some of them questioned why he has appeared shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock instead of trying to do more to prevent other public health outbreaks, like measles.

For several years now, Idaho medical providers have been worried about the state’s increasingly draconian measures on birth control and LGBTQIA issues. Our friends at the Idaho Capital Sun continue to report that some providers, especially after a criminal bathroom bill, have decided to leave the state because officials have made it impossible to practice or protect citizens.

Democrats excoriate United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for huge cuts to the agricultural community as well as a loss food-stamp and food support benefits.

President Donald J. Trump announced that he’s appointing Dr. Erika Schwartz as the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That position is bound to draw some scrutiny because of the recent exodus of leaders, scientists and new recommendations for vaccinations.

In a surprising rebuke of the president, the U.S. House narrowly voted to extend temporary protected status to 350,000 Haitians. Previously, the Trump administration had asked to cancel the protections, but on Thursday at least 10 Republicans joined with Democrats to extend protections. Montana’s two members of the House — Troy Downing and Ryan Zinke — voted against the measure.

A New Mexico representative is raising concerns about the New World Screwworm, which is slowly making its way from Mexico toward the United States. That pest can kill as many as 1-in-5 animals in an infected herd, and American authorities are concerned about already low cattle herd numbers.

In another move to rein in the Trump administration in its war with Iran, the U.S. House is one vote short of enacting a war powers resolution that could have mandated more Congressional oversight of the hostilities in the Middle East.

As lawmakers who oppose abortion continue to look for ways to resist abortion, a new trend in lawmaking does not seek to eliminate the procedure; rather, some states are looking to reclassify abortion as a non-medical treatment, which could make it easier to stop or place restrictions on.

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

Our friends at the Tennessee Lookout report on a new tactic by the Tennessee Legislature that would give the state’s attorney general the power to take out the local prosecuting attorney in Memphis for allegedly not prosecuting enough criminals. Though members of the Shelby County delegation point out that rules prohibit this kind of legislation, that doesn’t seem to be stopping Republicans from pushing ahead.

Scientists have been given a rare and amazing opportunity to study some of the oldest life on the planet — literally something from the days when critters were beginning to crawl on the land. They have discovered a lizard-like creature whose body has been preserved. From that little 350-million year old creature, scientists have gotten a better understanding about how we breathe.

A new report published late Thursday in The Washington Post chronicles the reports of many patients who are on popular weight-loss drugs, including GLP-1 semaglutides. They report lingering “Ozempic Personality,” which they say flattens not just their appetites, but also makes everything feel “flat.”

Columnist George Ochenski writes that the United States Forest Service should at least have to play by the same rules in its attempt to make forests healthy. Recently, a “prescribed burn” near Helena filled the valley with smoke and sent air quality levels below an acceptable level. But will there be any consequences?  

A hat tip to our friend at headquarters, Lara Weber, who produces a weekly round-up of stories that come from throughout the vast (and growing) States Newsroom network. In addition to highlighting stories from the various states, she is also a clever one at finding quirky and interesting stories.

In yesterday’s newsletter, this note caught my attention, and it’s exactly the kind of thing that should be shared on “The Hook.”

So now, over to you Lara:
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A quick shout-out here to Chicago friend Aadam Jacobs, whose devotion to live music — er, recording live music — is on a level you’ve likely never encountered. The 10,000 some concerts he has documented are now being archived for your listening pleasure on an easy-to-search site. Careful, you’ll fall down this rabbit hole fast.

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She is absolutely right. I spent considerable time filtering and finding bands that I love, bands that I remember and just some that sound interesting. This website is a labor of love. One of the intriguing finds on the site is an early 1989 Nirvana concert. This was several years before their breakthrough album, “Nevermind.” Speaking of that, during that 1989 they did a live version of a song that would later be included on the “Nevermind” album. “Polly” remains one of my favorites of the band, and you can either listen to Aadam’s live version, or we’ve included the studio version here.

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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