Free Republic

A state judge in North Dakota has issued a ruling overturning the state’s abortion ban that protects the lives of unborn children. Although no abortion centers operate in the state, the ruling makes abortion legal for the time being while the case continues. “Pregnant women have a fundamental right to choose abortion before viability exists,” North Dakota District Judge Bruce Romanick wrote, even though the Supreme Court ruled no such right exists. The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Red River Women’s Clinic, arguing that North Dakota’s SB 2150 was so vague that it put...

If you watched Tuesday’s ABC debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, you saw that the moderators were doing everything they could to help Harris. A recent fluff piece on ABC’s Lindsey Davis in the LA Times not only proves this to be fact, but she’s bragging about their behind-the-scenes plan to ensure Trump was not able to end Harris’s campaign the same way he did President Joe Biden’s at the CNN debate in June. If you watched Tuesday’s ABC debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, you saw that the moderators...

Christina Westman dreamed of working with Parkinson’s disease and stroke patients as a music therapist when she started studying at St. Cloud State University. But her schooling was upended in May when administrators at the Minnesota college announced a plan to eliminate its music department as it slashes 42 degree programs and 50 minors. It’s part of a wave of program cuts in recent months, as U.S. colleges large and small try to make ends meet. Among their budget challenges: Federal COVID relief money is now gone, operational costs are rising and fewer high school graduates are going straight to...

A former North Dakota State Senator pleaded guilty today to traveling to Prague, Czech Republic, to have commercial sex with minor boys. According to court documents and facts established in public proceedings, Ray Holmberg, 80, of Grand Forks, took approximately 14 trips to Prague between 2011 and 2021 to engage in commercial sex acts with minor boys. During some of these trips, Holmberg used the alias “Sean Evans” while staying at a brothel where young boys provided commercial sexual services. Holmberg also went to a public park in front of the main train station in Prague to procure sex from...

Karl Rove endorsed North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for former President Donald Trump’s running mate, making the remark on Thursday, days ahead of the Republican National Convention taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump has yet to officially announce his choice for vice president and is expected to make that announcement any day now. However, there has been chatter with a few names continually surfacing, including Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Burgum. As for Karl Rove, he believes Burgum is the correct choice.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) pledged on Wednesday to vote against former President Donald Trump, then endorsed North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) for a vice presidential pick just seconds later. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Cox if he would vote for Trump as the party’s nominee, but he said he has not voted for a Republican candidate at the top of the ticket since 2012. “I haven’t voted for the top of the ticket since 2012. I’ve certainly had my concerns. One of those is what happened on January 6. I’m hopeful. I want my party to win. They chose...

The need for stability and experience should eliminate the young MAGA-in-a-hurry types like Sen. J.D. Vance or Members of the House. As the GOP convention nears, and voters focus on the election, the race remains closer than it should be given Mr. Biden’s infirmities. Swing voters still worry about Mr. Trump and the possibility of four more years of turmoil. The former President can help his campaign, and the country, by projecting stability and calm. We know many readers will think this is impossible, and maybe it is. Yet he showed admirable restraint after the debate last week, letting Democrats...

Health officials issued an urgent warning after a train carrying toxic materials derailed and exploded into a fireball in North Dakota. Hazmat crews have been deployed to a remote area around 140 miles north of Fargo, after 29 cars of a CPKC train derailed at around 3:45 am on Friday. The hazardous materials in the train included anhydrous ammonia, sulfur and methanol, which officials warned are being expelled from the wreckage in toxic smoke. Ammonia is the biggest risk, and if exposed to the compound, it can cause burning to the eyes, nose and throat, as well as blindness, lung...

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, states have been allowed to pass their own abortion laws. As certain states began to pass stronger protections for preborn human beings, other states began to eliminate protections — and ‘abortion travel’ became a hot-button issue. Some companies began funding abortion travel as a “benefit” to employees, and abortion funds began to pay for airfare, hotels, and the like in order to assist women living in pro-life states to obtain abortions in states where abortion was more available. Since that time, the Guttmacher Institute...

MINOT — When state Sen. Merrill Piepkorn, gubernatorial candidate for the Democratic-NPL, joined this episode of Plain Talk with my co-host Chad Oban and me, the first question I wanted to ask him was how he plans to unite North Dakota voters at a time when even Republicans here seem deeply divided against themselves. After a joke about getting to the point right away, Piepkorn said he thinks the right approach is "making the effort" to get to know people and understand their issues. The candidate says one of the challenges Democrats running in North Dakota have is that they...

Former President Donald Trump won the North Dakota Republican caucuses, NBC News projects, defeating former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on the eve of Super Tuesday. He will receive all 29 delegates. With 100% of the votes counted: Trump 84.4% Haley 14.1%

29 delegates

STEELE, N.D. — Three longtime incumbent Republican lawmakers will face challengers in the June primary after the district endorsed three newcomers, the latest example of division within the NDGOP. Incumbents Sen. Jerry Klein, Rep. Jon Nelson and Rep. Robin Weisz attended District 14’s endorsing convention in Steele on Sunday, Feb. 18, but did not seek the endorsement. District 14 Senate candidate Karisa Grothe and House candidates Larry Danduran and Jason Steidl made the case to about 250 attendees that they’re more conservative than the incumbents, who joined the Legislature together in 1997. Attendees voted unanimously to endorse the three newcomers,...

A PAC associated with Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who voted against impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, could “trigger more blowback from Trump.” NBC News reported on Tuesday that some of former President Donald Trump’s allies and advisers have been stewing over Rep. Matt Rosendale’s (R-MT) likely bid for the Senate to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Many top Republicans have backed entrepreneur and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy as Rosendale failed to defeat Tester in the 2018 election cycle, during a time that many other Trump-friendly states such as Florida, Indiana, and North Dakota managed to win their respective elections.

Sen. Tim Scott is set to endorse former President Donald Trump on Friday night at a rally in New Hampshire, according to a source familiar with the plans. Scott will be the latest in a string of former Republican presidential rivals to support Trump, following Vivek Ramaswamy's decision Monday to drop out of the 2024 race and back Trump after the Iowa caucuses. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also recently gave Trump his support.

It appears former President Donald Trump and Gov. Doug Burgum’s (R-ND) relationship is strengthening, as the former president said he hopes to have the governor as a “very important” part of his administration. Some in Trump’s orbit are even talking about him as a potential running mate or cabinet secretary, Breitbart News has learned. During his victory speech after the Iowa Caucuses on Monday, Trump had high praise for Burgum, calling him “one of the best governors in the country” and a “solid guy.” Trump emphasized that Burgum had supported him in 2016 and 2020 before declaring he hopes to...

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who challenged former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination until late last year, announced a surprise endorsement of his former competitor on Sunday, the eve of the Iowa caucuses. Burgum, who opted against being critical of the former president during his own 2024 bid, made the announcement at Trump’s Sunday afternoon rally in Indianola, located in suburban Des Moines, while on stage with his wife Kathryn. “Today, I’m here to do something that none of the other presidential primary candidates have done, and that’s endorse Donald J. Trump for the president of the...

Donald Trump is making serious headway with a bloc of the GOP that’s among the most skeptical of his 2024 bid: Republican senators. In some cases, Trump is breaking through thanks to the sort of personal attention that he’s known to lavish on allies and supporters. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), for example, endorsed home-state Gov. Doug Burgum for president in June — but even before Burgum dropped out of the primary, Trump was already in Hoeven’s ear. Trump “called me before” to discuss an endorsement, Hoeven recalled in an interview. The Midwesterner said he told the former president Burgum is...

Controversy is brewing at a ​North Dakota Air Force base after its leadership issued a warning to service members cautioning against attending a downtown rally featuring a pro-Trump speaker.The message, shared with personnel via text, advised individuals to exercise caution downtown and highlighted the potential dangers associated with the “​Dakota Patriot Rally,” which took place on November 17 at the state fairgrounds in Minot.The warning specifically noted concerns of confrontational behavior toward military members during the event. Additionally, the message mentioned that the rally would feature a guest speaker, Tyler Bowyer from ​Turning Point USA, categorized as an “alt-right” organization....

MINOT, ND (KXNET) — A 26-year-old Minot woman, Stephanie Rogers, was arrested on Tuesday after she struck a woman with her car, backed up, and attempted to strike her again back in October. According to an affidavit, the woman whom Rogers hit was arguing with a friend of Rogers in the parking lot of the Ice Cold Ryders clubhouse in Minot. A witness who was present at the incident stated that the woman would not leave Rogers’ friend alone. The woman (or someone associated with the woman) then punched the witness in the face, according to documents. Reports state that...