Sinopsis
Plain Talk is a podcast hosted by blogger and columnist Rob Port focusing on political news and current events in North Dakota. Host Rob Port writes SayAnythingBlog.com, North Dakotas most popular and influential political blog, and is a columnist for the Forum News Service published in papers including the Fargo Forum, Grand Forks Herald, Jamestown Sun, Minot Daily News, and the Dickinson Press.
Episodios
-
Ep. 83: Lawmaker wants to get paid for suing the state
21/05/2019 Duración: 28minState Rep. Marvin Nelson, a Democrat from Rolla, is asking a judge to award himself and his fellow plaintiffs $150,000 each for suing the State of North Dakota to deny mineral rights owners retroactive royalty payments. His attorneys also want $62 million in attorneys fees. Also, Dawson Schefter from the NDGOP responds to criticism that the Republican majority might not be responsive enough to the public. This episode bought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com and AFPND.org.
-
Bonus Audio: Jay Thomas Show 05-20-19
20/05/2019 Duración: 22minAudio from the Jay Thomas Show, talking about the problems with social media, the search for a new UND president, and higher education debt.
-
Ep. 82: Can you be an elected official and a reporter?
17/05/2019 Duración: 39minDemocratic state Rep. Matt Eidson talks about how he's going to pull off being a straight news reporter and a partisan elected official. Also, U.S. Congressman Kelly Armstrong takes listener questions, including his questioning in committee hearings about the subpoena of Attorney General William Barr and the on-going trade war with China. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 81: Maybe the Chinese trade war is about more than soybeans
15/05/2019 Duración: 26minHave we made a mistake tying our national economy so closely to China's? Also, state Auditor Josh Gallion talks about a meeting he had with Legislative leaders. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 80: Has Governor Burgum joined the good old boys club?
14/05/2019 Duración: 27minRiley Kuntz talks about his volunteer effort to refer legislation limiting the authority of the state Auditor. Also, why does anyone think raising the tobacco age to 21 will solve anything?
-
Bonus Audio: Jay Thomas Show 05/13/19
13/05/2019 Duración: 42minAudio from the Jay Thomas Show talking about student loans, raising the smoking age to 21, the on-going controversies with the state auditor's office, and other topics.
-
Ep. 79: Should banks be the arbiters of political and social behavior?
10/05/2019 Duración: 28minOn this episode of Plain Talk, a credit card company CEO pushes back against the idea that the financial sector should be pressured into regulating political and social activity. Also, Congressman Kelly Armstrong takes listener questions. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 78: It is the auditor's job to embarrass people
09/05/2019 Duración: 39minOn this episode of Plain Talk, a state lawmaker has finally confessed the true motivation behind gutting the authority of North Dakota's Auditor. Also, Senator Kevin Cramer answers listener questions. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 77: Who was using the director's signature?
08/05/2019 Duración: 20minOn this episode of Plain Talk Dave Diebel, a producer who lives in Bismarck who is also a board member for the North Dakota Film and Media Association, talks about what he says is a need for production incentives in the state. Something to entice more commercials, TV shows, and movies to be filmed here. Also, how is it the signature of a DOT director was still be used to certify records even when he was on leave? This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 76: We trust the people except when we don't
07/05/2019 Duración: 30minOn this episode Dustin Gawrylow talks about an initiated measure campaign he's chairing which would prohibit the Legislature from initiating a vote of the people on amending the portion of the constitution dealing with initiated measures. Yeah, it's a little confusing. This episode brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Bonus Audio: Jay Thomas Show 05/06/19
06/05/2019 Duración: 21minAudio from the Jay Thomas Show, talking about the removal of power from the state auditor's office, student loan debt, and the romance novels of North Dakota's former director of the drivers license division.
-
Ep. 75: What's scarier, hate speech or censorship?
06/05/2019 Duración: 40minWe live in an era where the 1st amendment doesn't really apply to the venues in which most of our speech takes place. As more and more people push hard to ban controversial speech online, which should we fear more? Hate speech? Or the push to silence it? Also, state Auditor Josh Gallion responds to the Legislature putting limits on his office. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 74: "They're not interested in the truth, they're interested in the fight"
03/05/2019 Duración: 30minOn this episode of Plain Talk, Congressman Kelly Armstrong takes listener questions and talks about the fight over the Mueller report in Congress. "They're not interested in the truth," he says of his Democratic colleagues. "They're interested in the fight." Also, Governor Doug Burgum declines to veto a bill gutting the powers of the state auditor. This episode brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 73: Can the space force protect us from an asteroid?
02/05/2019 Duración: 38minSenator Kevin Cramer takes listener questions on this episode of Plain Talk, and also answers Rob's question about whether or not President Donald Trump's proposed Space Force could protect us from an asteroid. Also, why is a construction company in Dickinson printing campaign signs for the local school district? The answer reveals something which ought to be of statewide concern. This episode is bought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 72: Legislature guts the Auditor's office
26/04/2019 Duración: 28minOn this episode of Plain Talk, Congressman Kelly Armstrong takes listener questions about the REINS Act, the national debt, illegal immigration, and bipartisanship. Also, state lawmakers included language in the budget for the state Auditor's Office which essentially guts that office's powers. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 71: Not sure these lawmakers know what "decriminalization" means
25/04/2019 Duración: 23minOn this episode of Plain Talk, state Rep. Shannon Roers Jones talks about how her efforts to decriminalize marijuana got turned into legislation which actually increases penalties. Also, a recent debate over fixing a chemistry lab at North Dakota State University revealed some ugly priorities in higher education. This episode is brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 70: State auditor says no lies in NDSCS report
24/04/2019 Duración: 29minState Auditor Josh Gallion pushes back on suggestions from North Dakota State College of Science President John Richman that a recent audit contained information that wasn't true. Also, it's time for parking meters in North Dakota. This episode brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Ep. 69: Going to class in a closet
23/04/2019 Duración: 29minJamie Kelly, editor of the Williston Herald, talks about the struggle some western school districts face when it comes to getting funding from the state. He says things are so bad some students are going to class in closets. This episode brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.
-
Bonus Audio: Jay Thomas Show 04/22/19
23/04/2019 Duración: 19minBonus audio from Rob's segment on the Jay Thomas Show.
-
Ep. 68: Armstrong on the Mueller report
19/04/2019 Duración: 36minOn this episode of Plain Talk, Congressman Kelly Armstrong talks about his immediate reactions to the Mueller report. He also takes listener questions about term limits and other topics. Also, we should always ask, what is the government protecting us from? In one recent case it was farming with our second cousins. This episode brought to you by EnergyofNorthDakota.com.