Free Republic

oters in South Dakota joined their fellow Americans in Florida and Nebraska in rejected a radical pro-abortion measure that would have ushered unlimited abortions into the state. They rejected Amendment G that would have resulted in abortion on demand in the conservative Midwestern state. The vote wasn’t close. With 92% of the vote counted, South Dakota residents rejected the pro-abortion measure by a 59.7-40.3 percentage point margin. “The demise of pro-abortion Amendment G is an enormous victory for life,” said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Unborn children will still be protected in the great state of South Dakota thanks...

A recent column in the newspaper for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, urged Catholics to vote against a pro-abortion amendment on the November ballot. Michael Pauley, the executive director of the South Dakota Catholic Conference, compared the importance of voting in the upcoming election to the importance of stopping to help somebody if their car was overturned and there was nobody else around. “We’re morally obliged to stop and help,” he said about the people in the overturned car, “especially when we know that our decision could make the difference between life and death.” “Unfortunately, this sense of...

CV NEWS FEED // In a shift that has stunned the pro-abortion community, Dr. Forrest Smith, a veteran abortion provider, is now calling on voters across the nation to reject all 10 state abortion amendments on the ballot in the upcoming election. Having performed thousands of abortions over his long career, Dr. Smith has undergone a profound change of heart and now advocates for ending abortion, especially for viable babies. “There is no need to kill viable babies,” he declared, urging the nation to consider alternatives. Dr. Smith, who has also delivered thousands of babies over his 54-year career as...

The White House Office of Management and Budget has said that the Biden administration is opposed to the bill introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., to clamp down on the sale of U.S. farmland to China and other “adversaries.” The bill passed the House this week. A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate. The Biden administration is opposed to the bill introduced by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., to clamp down on the sale of U.S. farmland to China and other “adversaries.”

Ranchers across the U.S. have expressed outrage over the Forest Service prosecuting a South Dakota ranch couple for allegedly stealing public land. The feds, who showed up armed and in tactical gear, say a fence that’s been on the owners' land for 75 years crosses a boundary with federal grasslands. A South Dakota ranch couple is fighting federal indictments served to them by a U.S. Forest Service agent who allegedly showed up unannounced on their front steps — armed and in tactical gear. The agent was there to serve them with indictments in a modern-day range war between the ranchers...

the woke DEI disease has claimed yet another victim—this time, it’s the all-American motorcycle company Harley-Davidson. They’ve gone from easy riders to progressive pukes faster than you can say “born to ride,” all thanks to their uber-woke German CEO, Jochen Zeitz. He’s now admitting that he took the job at this legendary American brand in order to turn an iconic symbol into a DEI wasteland. Think Bud Light on wheels .… CEO Jochen Zeitz admits that he took the Harley job because it was an opportunity to transform an American icon into embracing wokeness and DEI. ... He said this...

STURGIS, South Dakota — A growing online political movement is trying to enlist Sturgis Motorcycle Rally attendees into pressuring Harley-Davidson to fire its chief executive for supporting climate change policies and diversity and inclusive programs. The movement is led by Robby Starbuck, a popular online conservative activist who targets companies over policies and practices he considers part of a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) progressive agenda. “Bikers @SturgisRally are going to be spreading the word about this,” Starbuck posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday. “Harley is hoping this all blows over. Are y’all ready to give up or make...

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Many of the 10 Democratic candidates who withdrew from election races for the South Dakota Legislature haven’t been replaced. One result is that in one of those spots — the District 20 counties of Davison, Jerauld, Miner and Sanborn — the two House seats will be won by default by two new Republicans, Jeff Bathke of Mitchell and Kaley Nolz of Mitchell.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has directed the Defense Department to review the Medals of Honor awarded to approximately 20 soldiers for their actions during the December 1890 engagement at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation's highest military honor. DOD's Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness will convene a special review panel to conduct an individualized assessment based on standards in effect during that period. The scope of the panel's review is limited to examining each Medal of Honor awardee' s individual actions...

CV NEWS FEED // A South Dakota pro-life organization has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to take a proposed pro-abortion constitutional amendment off the state’s November ballot. CBS News reported that Life Defense Fund’s lawsuit claims that the circulators of the proposed amendment, known as Amendment G, failed to properly follow election law requirements when gathering signatures on the petition. According to CBS News, Life Defense Fund claimed that the amendment’s sponsors, Dakotans for Health, didn’t file a required affidavit for petition circulators’ residency. The lawsuit also alleges that the petitioners misled people as to the nature of the...

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At least 14 Republican legislators lost their races Tuesday in the 2024 primary election, with a controversial carbon dioxide pipeline among the top wedge issues to emerge. Voters also ousted two of the state’s Native American lawmakers (a mother and son), and brought back a Republican who served as speaker of the House until two years ago. snip The current legislators who lost their races, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office: Sen. Erin Tobin, R-Winner, fell by 48 votes (which is within the possible recount margin) to a political newcomer from Bonesteel named Mykala Voita, who...

Most of the action in Tuesday’s South Dakota primary election is in Republican legislative races, where a fight for control of the party has drawn in players ranging from upstart challengers to fundraising groups affiliated with members of Congress. There are 44 Republican legislative primary races across the state, and only one Democratic legislative primary. Winners will go on to represent the party in the Nov. 5 general election, when all 105 seats in the Legislature will be up for grabs. Republicans currently hold all but 11 of those seats, and their grip on the majority is not in doubt....

A former mayor of a South Dakota town has been charged with murder after a triple-slaying Monday night in the community he once oversaw, according to the state’s attorney general. Jay Ostrem, 64, was being held in the Minnehaha County Jail on $1 million cash bond on three counts of first-degree murder, Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a statement Tuesday. “There is no further threat to the public," Jackley said after he announced the arrest in the fatal shootings. The names of the victims have not been released because their relatives have not been notified, authorities said. Ostrem is...

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) has been banned from all nine of South Dakota’s tribal nations. On Tuesday, the final tribe that had not yet banned her, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, voted in favor of banning Noem from its reservation. Flandreau President Tony Reider called an emergency meeting in response to some of the governor’s comments. “President Reider informed the governor that a ban from our territories is imminent and requested that the Governor refrain from making future blanket statements that offend the tribes within the boundaries of the State of South Dakota, some of which depend on state services...

Officials in South Dakota and Colorado certified proposed amendments that would enshrine the right to abortion in their state constitutions. Republican South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson released a statement on Thursday announcing that her office had approved the abortion measure after certifying that it had the required number of signatures to appear on the November ballot, NBC News reported.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who has been under the microscope this week for an anecdote about killing her dog, defended her actions Wednesday, saying she shot the “dangerous” pup in order to protect her children. “It was a dog that was extremely dangerous,” Noem said Wednesday on Fox News’s “Hannity.” “It had come to us from a family who had found her way too aggressive.” “We were her second chance. And she was — the day she was put down was a day that she massacred livestock that were part of our neighbors,” she continued. “She attacked me....

I have been an admirer of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem ever since she first showed up on my radar after her election in 2019. She has established a solid record as a conservative with ambitious policy goals that have served her state very well and she's an excellent communicator. She's been well up on my list of potential Trump veepstakes picks because she brings a lot to the table. But all of that came crashing down for me yesterday evening when The Guardian published a review of her upcoming book, "No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with...

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) pressed the House on Thursday to pass a Ukraine aid bill, as he launches a campaign to replace outgoing Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.). “I think that the challenge, of course, right now, with the situation deteriorating there, is to try and feel a sense of urgency about this,” Thune said in a PBS “NewsHour” interview. “I’m hoping the House can execute on getting something passed, ideally the Senate bill, but if not something that they could send to the Senate that we could then act on,“ Thune added. McConnell and Thune have been among...

South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune on Monday confirmed his expected run for Senate leadership in the wake of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announcing he would step down in November. McConnell has indicated that will complete his Senate term, which ends in 2027. His announcement came amid mounting internal frustrations within the conference over his handling of border and budget issues. "Well, I hope to be, and I’m going to do everything I can to convince my colleagues," he told KELO-TV, when asked if he plans to become Senate leader. "They're the voters. They're the ones who ultimately make...