Plain Talk With Rob Port

"This is just really a once in a generation moment and a great time to celebrate," Melissa Klocke-Joyce said on this episode of Plain Talk. Klocke-Joyce works for the North Dakota State Historical Society, and is the coordinator for our state's celebration of America's 250th birthday. There will be events across the state, throughout the year, from smaller things like baseball games to large productions, like the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora and the Prairie Pyro-Musical in Mandan. "It's not just a single a single day or a single ceremony," Klocke-Joyce said. "This is really a year-long nationwide effort. And we're trying to create opportunities for ongoing conversations and storytelling and education and community-led events." Also on this episode, we discuss political troll Brandon Prichard's lawsuit challenging North Dakota laws prohibiting false political speech. With artificial intelligence enabling the mass-production of everything from text, to images, to video, by ev

Heather Neville is a travelling nurse with more than four decades of experience. She's a four-time cancer survivor. She's an accomplished runner, having put in over 17,000 miles running in all 50 states to raise awareness and money for various causes. She's also, now, a candidate for the United States House of Representatives here in North Dakota, which she's made her home since 2020. "I just really my whole life I've wanted to serve in a different capacity and go marching for the people," she said on this episode of Plain Talk when asked why she's in the race. "What I saw out there running 17,000 miles, there's so much more love than we ever expected. And it's out there, happiness, hope, inspiration, and it's our duty and privilege to reach back and help anybody that's underserved," she added. Neville says she's in favor of a universal health care system, not unlike Canada's. "When we have cancer in this country, what do we do? Set up a GoFundMe," she said. "In Canada, you go to the doctors." She's also crit

We covered a lot of ground on this episode of Plain Talk.  There's reason to believe that North Dakota's Wonder Fund may not be performing all that well, and may not be investing in the sort of North Dakota-centric projects it was intended to. Is it time to audit the program? In Fargo, there's a controversy over a housing development that got property tax breaks on the assumption that it would increase property value, and thus tax revenues, in the future. But then the property was sold to a nonprofit that won't pay property taxes. Is it time to re-evaluate our policies around these exemptions? The Trump administration is drawing down the number of ICE personnel deployed to Minnesota, though they are leaving thousands t here. But doesn't that development -- drawing down troops, leaving an occupying force behind -- make it seem like we're at war? Hasn't the way the Trump administration has handled this all along make it seem like we're at war? Also, the Attorney General's office has confirmed that the F5 Projec

"I used to referee a lot of basketball," Vern Thompson said on this episode of Plain Talk. "The people that would sit on the sidelines hollering at the ref, you know, 50% of them usually didn't like what he was calling because it was against our team. Well, the bottom line with that is that I had to get off my butt and get into the game." That was Thompson's response to a question about why he's running for the U.S. House. He's seeking the Democratic-NPL nomination, running against Trygve Hammer. Thompson has a colorful resume. He's a former state lawmaker. He's been a farmer, and he worked in talk radio with former left-wing host Ed Schultz. He's currently working as a trucker hauling natural gas out of North Dakota's western oil fields, and he spoke openly about his struggles with alcoholism. "I was a young farmer and I struggled through the 1980s farm crisis," he said. "I'll be real candid with you, during that time I went in for treatment for alcoholism, and it's the best thing I ever did. I wouldn't be a

"I don't see a lot of upside in the market in 2026, frankly." That was the blunt assessment of Ron Ness, long-time president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council. He wasn't calling for a panic on this episode of Plain Talk, but he is suggesting some realism. We invited Ness on to discuss the decision by North Dakota oil pioneer Harold Hamm to lay down his drilling rigs for the first time in decades. "Rule number one is, nobody speaks for Harold Hamm other than Harold Hamm," Ness said, but added that Hamm is "simply saying the math simply just does not work at at this price of oil." The reason for that is largely out of North Dakota's control. Operators here are at a disadvantage because of our state's geographic remoteness from refiners, as well as our weather. This has gotten harder as rising global supplies have driven down oil prices. "I've been saying for years, you guys, I don't know if anybody's been listening, but our business climate in North Code is eroded," he said. "Our costs are higher. It's gett

House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, who just announced that he is not running for re-election, says that his predecessor, Chet Pollert, told him that the job was something like "running an adult daycare." There are times when "you love the job and hate the job all within 9 seconds of each other." Still, Lefor says he tried to stay focused on policy. "Politics is noise and noise," he said on this episode of Plain talk, and it "distracts from what you're trying to accomplish." Also on this episode, U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer talks about his decision to put his name on the ballot for the fourth straight election cycle. He may have competition for the Democratic-NPL nomination from former lawmaker Vern Thompson, but he said his past work to make himself known with voters makes him a good choice. "From the delegate at the convention point of view, I'm the guy who's been to all the districts, done all the things," he said. "Supported district candidates, supported other organizations like Souris Valley Dems,

President Donald Trump's administration has chosen to enforce federal immigration laws in a manner that prioritizes "maximum letahlity" over "tepid legality." That's what Dakota Rudesill, a professor of law at Ohio State University and a former legislative assistant on national security to Sen. Kent Conrad, said on this episode of Plain Talk. He said that President Trump is usince ICE in Minnesota and elsewhere in the country as a "new federal domestic army." Rudesill called the U.S. Constitution a "national security document," and argues that the separation of military and civil authority is a core American value found throughout our founding legal documents. With ICE dressing like soldiers, and using military equipment and tactics, and with ICE's leaders, up to and  including President Trump and his cabinet, using the rhetoric of war to describe their activities, does that separation still exist? "The Constitution was forged from national security crisis, and the highest level of government right encroachin

If North Dakota's oil industry could be represented by a single personality, it would be Continental Resources founder Harold Hamm. So when Hamm says he's laying down his drilling rigs because low oil prices mean there's no margin in operating them, it got a lot of attention from the public. Oil tax revenues, both directly and indirectly, provide the lion's share of our state's funding. Is it time to panic? Not yet says Justin Kringstad, the executive director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority. "No major warning signs to start panicking about, but we'll keep watching it," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. "If the announcement by Continental is the start of something bigger, then absolutely, we certainly need to get on top of that right away and understand what the impacts would be for the state and as a whole." "We need to watch the rig counts closely," he added. What prompted Hamm to act, Kringstad said, is a global oversupply of oil. Asked if President Donald Trump's push to bring more Venezuelan

In North Dakota, the 2026 election cycle isn't really going to be about whether our state is governed by Republicans or Democrats. It's going to be about which type of Republicans hold the majority. So far, the state's traditional Republicans have been successful in holding the line against a rising tide of populists invigorated by the Trump era, but the populists have managed to capture control of key leadership positions within the NDGOP. They hold a slim majority of district chairs, which in turn has allowed them to elect one of their own as state party chair. The populists will likely endorse their preferred candidates at the party's local and statewide conventions. The tradional, normie Republicans will mostly take their case to the voters on the June primary ballot. District 3, in Minot, may well be key ground in this battle. The state House incumbents here are Rep. Jeff Hoverson and Rep. Lori VanWinkle, two bible-thumping religious zealots who are notorious for promoting culture war issues and little e

Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak says that she doesn't agree with how Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has handled the situation around the shooting death of Renee Good, and ICE's overall activities in Minnesota. Within hours of Good's death, Noem called her a "terrorist, something Fedorchak says she doesn't agree with. North Dakota's congresswoman criticized the modern tendency to "respond too quickly in our culture" and come to "rash judgments with very little information," noting that she's personally avoided these things in her own messaging. "We need more calm voices leading the charge," she said. Fedorchak also defended her decision to vote against extending enhanced subsidies for people purchasing their insurance through the federal exchanges, raising concerns about fraud in the program. "We've got 34 million people, 34% of that program, is going to fraudulent participants," she said. "Like, this is not the kind of government that I can get behind. And so extending that for three more years is j

On this episode of Plain Talk, me and co-host Chad Oban react to more tragedy in Minneapolis, with the killing of Renee Good. The facts of what happened are still being established, but what did we think was going to happen when federal agents are operating under an administration intent on enforcing federal law in the most aggressive, most provactive way possible? Also on this episode, Fargo mayoral candidates Josh Boschee and Denise Kolpack join to discuss their newly-announced campaigns. Kolpack is a current member of the city commission, and the deputy mayor, while Boschee is a Democrat elected to the state legislature. Boschee talked about his skill working across ideological divides, as well as his familiarity with how things operate in Bismarck. He also said he's glad he doesn't have to pretend like he's not a Democrat, despite the mayoral race being officially nonpartisan. Kolpack, meanwhile, said her experience in local government is what counts. She said he's pushed back on some bad ideas from the c

"I just didn't get it prioritized to get out the door." That's what Attorney General Drew Wrigley said on this episode of Plain Talk when asked about the state's annual crime report, which is typically released over the summer, but this year wasn't made public until New Year's Eve. The delayed report comes amid an intense debate over crime in North Dakota. The most recent report, covering the year 2024, showed some declines from recent peaks in serious crime categories, but they're still signficantly up over the last decade. "Violent crime and robbery crimes against the person...came down two 2%," Wrigley said, "but that 2%...makes last year the 10th highest of the last 11 years. You're talking over 4,000 more victims every year than was the case in 2014." Wrigley said he plans to continue his push for stricter sentencing policies in next year's legislative session. He was unsuccessful in winning enough votes among lawmakers for his proposed reforms during the first two legislative sessions of his tenure in o

The year 2025 is almost in the books. On this episode of Plain Talk, we took a look back at the last year, looking at some of the highlights (and lowlights, unfortunately) that made news. The legislature passed massive property tax reform. It's a "sea change" for what's long been a thorny issue, I argued, but can it be maintained? Lawmakers will have to continue funding the $1,600 credits for primary residences while simultaneously holding the line on attempts to water down the 3% cap on local spending. Also, shamelessness was a theme in state (as well as national) politics. Elected officials from former Minot mayor Tom Ross to Williston lawmaker Rep. Nico Rios made headlines with ugly behavior. The former faced consequences (he resigned) but the latter is still in office. Can he survive the 2026 election cycle? Speaking of which, how will the divide in the North Dakota Republican Party play out next year? Will the party hold a state convention? If they do, who will come? There will be several ballot measures

Matt Perdue is the newly-elected president of the North Dakota Farmers Union. While he was campaigning among Farmers Union members for that office earlier this year, he said he spent a lot of time talking about health care. And not because he was asking about it. "I've spent the last few months traveling the state, visiting with folks in small towns across North Dakota, and I think it's really important to make the point that I have not asked them to talk about healthcare, he said on this episode of Plain Talk. "They have asked me to talk about healthcare. It's a top-of-mind issue for farmers and ranchers and small business owners and independent contractors across our state." As Congress continues to debate whether to extend subsidies for health insurance policies sold on the federal exchanges -- where 25% to 30% of North Dakota farmers get their insurance, per Perdue -- he says his constituents are tired of the issue being used for political posturing while they face significant financial strain. "Let's set

North Dakota has made large strides towards using investments of public funds not just as a way to generate revenue for the for the state but also, by making those investments in North Dakota companies, to benefit the state's economy. But these investments are happening in a lot of different ways, and when some investments made through some programs go bad, and make negative headlines, they can sour the public's view of this sort of public investing. One complicating factor in this is that the state has dozens and dozens of economic development programs, overseen by a patchwork of boards and government entities, and that can make things like transparency and accountability difficult. "We've just got too many too many programs," Rep. Glenn Bosch, a Republican from Bismarck, said on this episode of Plain Talk. Bosch, along with Rep. Jonathan Warrey, a Republican from Casselton who also joined us, serves on a committee overseeing Legacy Fund investments. They want to make sure the public understands the success

Hamida Dakane says she was "disappointed" but "not surprised" by President Donald Trump's comments insulting Somalians and calling on them to leave the country. But it hurt.  "You know, this comment, it hits deeply on personal level, and what makes it worse is it's coming from the president of the free world," she said. "It's not just offensive. It is dehumanizing. It shakes your sense of belonging. Even if you lived here 5 days or decades, you call America or Minnesota or North Dakota home, and then the people who represent you demonize you to the point that they call you garbage. It's just very hurtful." Dakane, who was born in Kenya and is of Somali heritage, is a former state lawmaker who represented Fargo-area District 10 as the first black woman, and first Muslim, elected to that chamber. She's a Democrat, but pointed out that many Somali's vote for Republicans, and cast their ballots for Donald Trump. She was defeated for re-election in the 2024 election cycle by Rep. Jared Hendrix, who is an outspoken

"I think sometimes we forget that every community in the country has a whole bunch of people that wake up every morning, and the baseball bat that is called life cracks them across the head," Gov. Kelly Armstrong said on this episode of Plain Talk. "They're the people serving food in a diner, working behind a gas station counter. Sometimes they're sitting in your office right now, anywhere you're at. And if you don't recognize that, then you're not really the governor for everybody. And I want to be the governor for everybody." Armstrong was responding to a question about his administration's efforts to address homelessness and addiction, as well as his family's individual efforts on the same front. He also responded to a question about President Donald Trump's recent comments denigrating people of Somali heritage. He called Rep. Ilhan Omar "garbage" and called on Somalis to "go back to where they came from." "I think kind of a pox on everybody's houses in this space," Armstrong said. "We've conflated legal

Farmers are having a tough time of it. Tariffs are driving up costs, and trade wars are driving down crop prices. North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring talked about those things on this episode of Plain Talk, but he also pointed out another problem. Labor shortages, which not only leave positions unfilled, but also drive up wages for those who are available for hire. "You can't get anybody to come out and want to work on a farm," he said. Contributing to the labor shortage is problems with the H2A visa program for temporary agriculture workers. "H2A is specific to skilled labor that we can bring into the country to help us do the work, because you can't find anybody anymore to do it," Goehring said. "And sometimes when you talk about that, people are like, 'Yeah, you're just trying to get free cheap labor.' No. On the contrary, in fact, if you bring in an H2A worker from South Africa or from South America or Central America, you're required to have housing for them. You're required to pay for th

Back in August, during an interview on Plain Talk, North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread said that Congress needed to renew subsidies for Obamacare marketplace policies to avoid a "death spiral" in the insurance market brought on by younger, healthier shoppers reacting to price spikes by giving up their policies. Well, it's December now. The year is almost over, and Congress hasn't acted. Not only have subsidies not been renewed, majority Republicans haven't even unveiled a plan to address that specific problem, or the larger challenge of spiraling health care and health insurance rates. On this episode of Plain Talk, Shelly Ten Napel, CEO of the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, said many of the tens of thousands of families in our region that get their insurance through the federal marketplace could end up paying twice as much. "So, without the enhanced premium tax credits, your percent goes up to 9.16 for that family of four, which is $672 a month," she said. So, it's more than do

While the Plain Talk team is taking the holiday off, we're bringing back one of our most-listened-to episodes of the past year — an interview that's become even more relevant as debates over data centers continue across North Dakota. In this replay, Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins joins the show to discuss the company's rapid expansion in North Dakota, including two operational data center projects and a third planned near Fargo. That expansion has sparked a high-stakes tug-of-war between the city of Fargo and the city of Harwood, each looking to annex the land and capture the tax revenue generated by the new facility. He also responds directly to concerns raised around the Harwood project, including public frustration over nondisclosure agreements signed by local officials, questions about transparency, and fears that large data-center power demands could drive up electric rates for residents.  Whether you've followed the Harwood–Fargo battle closely or you're just trying to understand what data centers mean