Free Republic

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed a bill into law Monday banning public colleges and universities in the state from using "divisive" Critical Race Theory-inspired trainings or orientations."No student or teacher should have to endorse Critical Race Theory in order to attend, graduate from, or teach at our public universities," Noem said in a statement. "College should remain a place where freedom of thought and expression are encouraged, not stifled by political agendas."House Bill 1012 outlines seven "divisive concepts" that may no longer be a mandatory part of trainings and orientations for college students or faculty members.The Board of...

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem issued a statement Tuesday condemning the National Park Service's decision to deny a permit for fireworks at Mount Rushmore for the second time since President Joe Biden took office. "Mount Rushmore is the best place in America to celebrate our nation's birthday — I just wish President Biden could see that," Noem said. "Last year, the President hypocritically held a fireworks celebration in Washington, D.C., while denying us our own event. This year, it looks like they are planning to do the same." Rushmore's Independence Day celebrations typically last 26 days, occurring from June 15-July...

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s election-year fight with fellow Republicans in the Legislature has spurred criticism she is neglecting her job to angle for the White House, but the resistance could actually be helping her national brand rather than tarnishing it. The first-term governor in recent weeks jetted to Florida to speak at a major gathering of conservative activists, announced on Fox News the release of an autobiography and blasted President Joe Biden’s energy policy as Russia invaded Ukraine. Back home, the politician trying to corner the label as the nation’s most conservative governor has faced...

Gov. Kristi Noem's office ordered state agencies to provide a border-to-border escort and supportive billboard messages for a convoy of truckers opposing COVID-19 restrictions. "SD LOVES TRUCKERS" and "DRIVE SAFE," truckers read as they traveled east on Interstate 90 with an escort from the Highway Patrol. "The Noem Administration wanted to ensure that the trucker convoy felt welcome and respected in South Dakota, and that they could traverse the state safely without disrupting traffic," said Ian Fury, Gov. Noem's spokesman, in an email. Fury said the governor's office asked the Highway Patrol to provide three troopers for the escort, and...

Email: Here's an astonishing read. Important and verifiable information: About 6 months ago, there was a news program on oil and one of The Forbes Bros. was the guest. The host said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I would like a direct answer; how much oil does the U.S. Have in the ground?" Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, "More than all the Middle East put Together." The U.S. Geological Service issued a report in April 2008 that only Scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big....

Sunday on New York WABC 770 AM radio’s “The Cats Roundtable,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) argued that President Joe Biden and his administration intended to “push people out of” fuel-based vehicles with their energy policy. Thune told host John Catsimatidis that Democrats want to be more “eco-friendly,” so they have decided to push people toward electric vehicles. “I think honestly, that’s part of the strategy,” Thune outlined. “I think it’s to push people out of, you know, fuel-based vehicles. But you are absolutely going to crush the economy and a lot of middle-income families, many of whom are...

Two Canadian provincial leaders and 16 American state governors signed a letter on Wednesday calling on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and American President Joe Biden to end Wuhan coronavirus vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers. The letter – signed by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Alaska Governor Kay Ivey and others – calls on the Canadian federal government and the U.S. federal government to end the vaccine mandates. “We are writing to request that you immediately reinstate the vaccine and quarantine exemptions available to cross-border truck drivers. We...

Republican senators are unmoved by Tucker Carlson’s relentless warpath against support for Ukraine — even as it widens an existing rift in their party. The Fox News prime time host and others on the far-right have excused and even rationalized Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and downplayed its relevance to U.S. national security. And while GOP senators are shrugging off his name-and-shame campaign, Carlson’s views are permeating the GOP base in a way that could undermine Republicans’ efforts to emphasize cross-party unity as they seek to deter a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota House on Tuesday passed two bills aimed at transgender students, seeking to restrict which bathrooms K-12 trans children can use and which sports teams trans girls and college-age women can join.A ( proposal from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem) to ban transgender women and girls from playing in school sports leagues, including college athletes, that match their gender identity cleared its final hurdle in the Legislature with its passage in the House. Meanwhile, a proposal to ban transgender children from using school restrooms that match their gender identity was headed to the Senate.Advocates for...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is waging a quiet campaign to keep his caucus from getting a whole lot Trumpier after the midterms. "He wants people who he knows are team players, people who are interested in solutions," said a GOP senator who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering fellow Republicans. "There are a lot of people who are running for office these days who have different agendas." In Alaska's Senate race, McConnell is backing incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski, who voted to convict former President Donald Trump on impeachment charges last year. She faces a Trump-backed...

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Jan. 21 announced two bills that would ban almost all abortions in the state, with one seeking to ban abortions in which a fetal heartbeat is detectable, and the other seeking to ban telemedicine abortions.“Every human life is unique and beautiful from the moment it is conceived. Every life is worthy of our protection, worthy of the right to live,” Noem, a Republican, said in a statement. “These bills will ensure that both unborn children and their mothers are protected in South Dakota.”The governor for weeks previewed the heartbeat bill, which received an enthusiastic...

A new Gov. Noem campaign ad emerged Wednesday claiming she heroically stands for fairness in women’s sports. The ad falsely claims that she “never backed down” from protecting women’s sports here in South Dakota. As proof, it alluded to her ensuring boys and girls competed separately in 4-H rodeo. This ad is incredibly disingenuous at best and gaslighting at worst. Let’s unpack these fabricated claims that the Governor desperately wishes were true. First, let’s start with last year’s women’s sports bill that promoted fairness in women's sports. The South Dakota legislature put this strong bill on Gov. Noem’s desk prohibiting...

Burial of Native American dead at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, 1891.Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-USZ62-44458) When people are disarmed, they are at the mercy of those who have disarmed them. History is full of instances where mercy was in short supply.The desperate fight, which became a massacre at Wounded Knee, on December 29, 1890, was one of the better recorded of such events. From Britannica.com:Forsyth was clear in his terms: the Miniconjou must surrender all their weapons. Big Foot was hesitant, but he surrendered a few guns as a token of peace. Forsyth was not satisfied and...

You often hear people wonder why the GOP doesn’t push-back against the Democrats. The reason is simple, the GOP are the right wing of the UniParty bird, the Democrats are the left wing. They are both attached to the body of big corrupt government. In this food supply chain issue, the Republican wing sees an opportunity. In this food supply chain issue, the Democrat wing sees an opportunity. Governor Kristi Noem is the Koch Brothers version of Nikki Haley. A Wall Street donor favorite and open border immigration advocate who has been positioned to be a potential Republican candidate for...

Perhaps the Right was a little hasty with its condemnations of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Early in 2021, Noem proposed legislation that would require all athletic contests in the state to be designated as male, female, and both, and that only those born female would be allowed to compete in girls’ sports. The proposal ran into some headwinds — the NCAA was making noises about canceling all events in any state that enacted such a ban, and others raised concerns about the reporting requirements and how it would be determined whether or not athletes had taken anabolic steroids in...

Republican Sen. Mike Rounds rejected claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. "The election was fair — as fair as we've seen," he said during an interview on ABC's "This Week." Rounds said that the GOP must "refocus" on a winning strategy to win the back the White House. Sen. Mike Rounds on Sunday rejected former President Donald Trump's debunked election claims, expressing confidence that the 2020 election was "as fair as we've seen." The South Dakota Republican — who was easily reelected to a second term in the Senate in 2020 — said during an interview...

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) said Sunday Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that former President Donald Trump’s fraud claims in the 2020 presidential election are unfounded. Anchor George Stephanopoulos said, “You voted to certify the election last year, and you condemned the protests as an insurrection. What do you say to all those Republicans, all those veterans who believe the election was stolen and bought the falsehoods coming from former President Trump?”

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said on Sunday that while he has previously stated he will support the next Republican presidential nominee, he would take a "hard look" at supporting former President Trump if he runs again in 2024. ABC "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked Rounds, who has shot back at GOP assertions that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, if he could support Trump if he ran for office again. "I will take a hard look at it," said Rounds

For a potential presidential candidate who had built up a good amount of conservative goodwill, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is projecting the wrong message to keep her name circulating in the hat. Admittedly, I was hopeful for her just a few months ago, but her actions since then have been made me back away. The latest example of embracing Republican Establishment corporatism is abysmal. What’s worse is that she demonstrated her embrace of one of the most hated industries today among MAGA conservatives: Big Pharma. “Workers whose employers are mandating a vaccine for continued employment have the power to...

resident Joe Biden claimed there is no "federal solution" to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. He then jetted off to Delaware for the rest of the week. Today, he called a lid at 10:13 am. ... The admission has prompted calls from lawmakers on Capitol Hill and around the country to end federal vaccine mandates, which are destroying the economy. ... Joe Biden, who ran for President on the promise of ending the COVID-19 pandemic: "There is no federal solution. This gets solved at a state level. ... If there’s no federal Covid solution, why is there a federal vaccine mandate?...