|
|
|
The 69th Legislative Assembly has come to an end! Please help us improve our newsletter with your feedback! If you would like to have something added to the newsletter, email us at laura.dronen@demnpl.com. Spread the word about our newsletter by sharing our sign-up link today: https://demnpl.com/join-our-newsletter/.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lisbon Happy Days
|
Come walk with the District 24 Democratic-NPL at the Lisbon Happy Days Parade!
|
|
Meet at 500 8th Ave East at 3:45 p.m. to prepare for the parade that begins at 4:30 p.m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dem-NPL District 13 and 16 Democrats Meeting
|
Tue, Jun 24, 6:30pm-8:00pm CDT
|
West Fargo Public Library
215 3rd St E, West Fargo, ND 58078
|
|
Meeting: Tuesday, June 24 Dem-NPL District 13 and 16 Democrats 6:00pm Quentin E. Carlson (Chair) & Heather Tyulyandin (Chair) at the West Fargo Public Library — everyone is Welcome to Attend
|
|
|
|
District 21 Summer Connection Series - June Meet and Greet
|
Tue, Jun 24, 6:30pm-8:00pm CDT
|
Meadowridge Park
West Fargo, ND
|
|
Join us at Meadowridge Park to kick off D21's monthly summer event series. Enjoy cold sweet treats while talking with our local representatives! We will be there from 6:30 to 8pm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
District 45 Monthly Meeting
Northport Fargo Public Library
2714 Broadway North, Fargo
|
|
This will be our regular monthly District 45 meeting.
|
|
|
|
Power Mapping - Fargo
|
Wed, Jun 25, 5:30pm-8:30pm CDT
|
|
Power Mapping for candidate recruitment
|
|
|
|
|
|
Community & Ice Cream in the Park
|
Thu, Jun 26, 5:00pm-8:00pm CDT
|
Lindenwood Park
1905 Roger Maris Dr, Fargo, ND 58103
|
Join us for Community and Ice Cream at Lindenwood Park on Thursday, June 26th. Drop in anytime between 5pm and 8pm for free ice cream! Then feel free to stay a bit to chat with your fellow D11 neighbors, senator, and representatives. Find us at the Main Shelter, further into the park, next to the green playground.
|
|
Bring yourself, a neighbor, family, or a friend (from any district). Everyone is welcome. We hope to see you there!
|
|
|
|
|
|
District 21 Summer Connection Series - July Coffee and Connect
|
Sat, Jul 19, 9:00am-10:30am CDT
|
Sweet Dreams Confections
4101 13th Ave S 1000, Fargo
|
|
Join us at Sweet Confections for D21's July Summer Connection!
|
|
Enjoy coffee and conversation with our local representatives! We will be there from 9:00-10:30am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Help us spread our message—share these recent posts!
|
|
|
|
|
Thousands join North Dakota No Kings rallies, including many first-time protesters
Thousands of North Dakotans in 10 cities joined the national No Kings protest movement Saturday, with organizers saying they saw new faces joining the effort to oppose Donald Trump’s policies.
|
Kathy Bullinger of Bismarck showed up at the state Capitol grounds with her two sons, including one who has disabilities. She said she worries her son’s care could be affected if proposed Medicaid cuts are implemented.
|
Bullinger, a longtime teacher, also is concerned about the elimination of the Department of Education. An organizer estimated the Bismarck crowd to be about 1,700.
|
“People are nervous and they’re tired,” she said. “They are here today because of that and I’m one of them.”
|
|
|
|
House GOP Pushes Cuts to SNAP in Big Beautiful Bill
Melissa Sobolik, CEO of Great Plains Food Bank, is in studio on Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness to tell you why is is so important to North Dakota and our region to maintain SNAP benefits.
|
|
|
|
Joel and Heidi Heitkamp give their take on immigration tactics and the Israel/Iran conflict
Joel Heitkamp is joined by former United States Senator from North Dakota, Heidi Heitkamp, to talk about ICE agents and California Senator Padilla, as well as President Trump's approach to the Israel/Iran conflict. Joel also shares his own comments and takes calls after the interview.
|
|
|
|
Hundreds rally against Trump at Sorlie Bridge in ‘No Kings’ nationwide protest
“I just want to encourage people to be bold, stand up, show up, be fearless, because that’s what we need to do to push back against this awful takeover of our country,” Fontaine said. “And I will keep showing up, and I want everybody else to stand up. Show up, because that is what Melissa Hortman would do too.”
|
|
|
|
'Democracy requires bravery': State political parties push forward with recruitment after shootings
“Democracy requires bravery, it requires courage, and now more than ever is the time for that,” Goldwyn said.
|
|
|
|
Letter: North Dakota's senators must show a spine
Regarding the passage or denial of the "Big Beautiful Bill" – which will deprive the neediest, most vulnerable Americans of basic rights and necessities, while enriching the privileged, oblivious to all but profit few, and ballooning the national debt – it remains to be seen whether North Dakota's delegation, Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, have the courage to exercise their spines.
|
|
|
|
McFeely: Does ND delegation support a war with Iran?
Let's see what Sen. Kevin Cramer, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, thinks about Trump doing the old switcheroo from "I'm going to keep America out of foreign wars" to "I may do it" when asked whether he'll get us directly entangled in the Israel-Iran war.
|
"I don't know exactly what's happening, quite honestly," Cramer told Newsmax. "But we shall see. And I support the president with whatever decision he makes."
|
So blind allegiance is the order of the day.
|
|
|
|
Nowhere to turn: Ukrainian refugees in legal limbo
In this update episode, reporter Michael Standaert returns with a powerful follow-up on Ukrainian refugees living in North Dakota under the Uniting for Ukraine program. As the two-year parole period nears its end for many, families now face the threat of losing their legal ability to work and the looming question of whether they'll be forced to leave.
|
|
|
|
NDGOP resolutions signal continued push for culture war issues
Members of the North Dakota Republican Party State Committee finally said the quiet part out loud.
|
This year’s controversial library content bill was not about protecting kids from pornography or obscene material.
|
The bill was more about anti-LGBTQ+ views, as evidenced by a resolution adopted by the NDGOP State Committee at its recent reorganization meeting.
|
The resolution that chastises the governor for vetoing Senate Bill 2307 doesn’t mention books. Or libraries.
|
|
|
|
North Dakota Dem-NPL responds to shooting of Minnesota lawmakers
“We stand with the Hortman family as they grieve and with Sen. Hoffman and his wife as they heal. Generations of Americans have fought and died for our democracy, and the Hortmans now join such great Americans as Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. as those who have given their lives for our country. Americans have never cowered in the face of domestic terrorism, and we won’t do so now. Melissa Hortman gave her life for our country, and we will carry on the struggle for a more perfect union with her in our hearts,” said Dem-NPL Chair Adam Goldwyn.
|
|
|
|
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force under development
Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is founder and executive director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance. The organization publishes the online news outlet buffalosfire.com. She says the organization of the task force will also include getting and sharing data about missing and murdered people, something that's currently not easy to obtain even by those reporting on the issue.
|
“I've seen numbers saying right now there's maybe about 15 or 30 and then people are disputing those numbers again, which is why we need a more unified data system to really track in real time what is happening on the ground.”
|
|
|
|
Venezuelans in North Dakota fear being targets of Trump deportation plans
She said most Venezuelans would be like her father, who came across the U.S.-Mexican border seeking asylum from the authoritarian regime now headed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Her father is living in Florida as are some other family members.
|
Helfenstein’s best friend from Venezuela was lucky enough that, through a lottery system, she was granted a green card allowing her to live in the United States. The green card will eventually need to be renewed.
|
|
|
|
Port: Let's consider who the NDGOP decided not to censure
|
State Rep. Nico Rios, for instance, a Republican lawmaker from Williston who, during an arrest for driving under the influence, verbally abused two law enforcement officers, attempting to use his status as a lawmaker to get out of the ticket while subjecting them to a barrage of bigoted and homophobic comments.
|
During the recent legislative session, Rios made an anti-Semitic post on social media demanding the overthrow of the "Jew" president of Mexico.
|
Rep. Lori VanWinkle also wasn't censured, despite remarking during a floor speech earlier this year that God had cursed women struggling with fertility issues. Later, during the busy closing weeks of the legislative session, VanWinkle took a ski vacation while still collecting her legislative salary. When a constituent contacted VanWinkle to ask her why she hadn't bothered to attend any of the community town halls put on for lawmakers, she said she couldn't be bothered to "sacrifice" her time in that way.
|
|
|
|
Letter: Trans youth need help
On the 18th of June, the Supreme Court decided the ban on hormone therapy for trans youth in Tennessee could stay, and a lot of folks who are not trans youth nor parents of trans youth celebrated a victory that largely won’t impact their lives.
|
On that same day, the Trump administration announced 988 would drop its suicide prevention line specifically for LGBTQ+ youth next month. While youth can still call 988, while they can still call the Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386), many will wonder if it’s worth trying in our current culture.
|
|
|
|
Letter: A good opportunity to run for the Legislature
Due to the term limits, many current legislators will be ineligible to run for re-election by the 2028 election cycle. This creates an opening for new candidates to step forward and represent their communities. Whether one wins or loses, running in 2026 would provide valuable experience for those interested in public service. There will be a measure on the November 2026 election ballot if passed would allow legislators more time in the same office.
|
|
|
|
Letter: A leader should lead by good example
Do not lie: Trump campaigned on no cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Both are now seriously being considered by Congress. And his promise to cut inflation has been wrecked by his on-again, off-again tariffs. A tax that hits middle and low income earners the hardest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Check out these messages from national Democrats
|
|
|
Medicaid cuts could devastate hundreds of rural hospitals in GOP states, Democrats say
"If your party moves ahead with these drastic health care cuts that will cut millions of people off their health insurance coverage, rural hospitals will not get paid for the services they are required by law to provide to patients. In turn, rural hospitals will face deeper financial strain," the Democrats' letter states.
|
|
|
|
Abandoning Students in Rural America: The Real Cost of the Trump Administration’s Education Budget
The Rural Education program is far more than just a line item in the federal budget; it represents a lifeline for more than one in four public schools and nearly 10 million students. These rural schools often serve communities facing unique challenges, including declining populations, limited local tax bases, and geographic isolation, making it incredibly difficult to fund basic educational necessities. Rural districts frequently lack access to diverse local funding streams and struggle to attract and retain qualified teachers due to lower salaries and fewer professional development opportunities. If a state decides to zero out Rural Education and use the funds for something else, it doesn’t just cut a line item; it pulls the rug out from under rural students who already have to fight for every educational opportunity they get.
|
|
|
|
MAGA Push INSANE LIES As MN Shooter Revealed To Be Trump Supporter
|
Tim Miller returns with a disturbing update on the targeted political assassination of Minnesota Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and the attempted assassination of another Democratic lawmaker. The suspect, Vance Boulter, impersonated a police officer, arrived in a fake cop vehicle, and executed a horrifying plan that appears clearly politically motivated—targeting Democrats including Governor Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar.
|
But instead of facing this reality, prominent voices on the far right—including Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk, Mike Cernovich, and even U.S. Senator Mike Lee—have pushed a conspiracy theory suggesting the killer was somehow motivated by left-wing grievance. Tim breaks down how this false narrative spread like wildfire and what it reveals about the state of right-wing media, social platforms, and our broken political discourse.
|
|
|
|
'A huge change-maker': DNC Chair fights back tears remembering Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman
Law enforcement agents are continuing to search for the Minnesota man suspected of shooting two Democratic state lawmakers early Saturday morning in what officials have described as "politically motivated" attacks. DNC Chair Ken Martin joins Jen Psaki to remember his friend, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, who, along with her husband Mark, was shot and killed.
|
|
‘We’re All Really Struggling’: Delays in Aid Leave Western North Carolina Farmers in Crisis
“We’ve heard of farmers having to sell equipment just to make payments. Some of them have even considered selling their farms, and this is a prime development area,” Kelley said.
|
“We would like to keep as many of our people farming as possible because we want to see agriculture thrive in western North Carolina, but you’ve got the pressure of people moving in here constantly, and land prices being high,” Kelley said. He added that farmers are getting to the point of having to make a hard decision: wait for the government to help or be done with it.
|
|
|
|
Sen. Alex Padilla breaks down in tears on Senate floor recounting Noem news conference removal
Sen. Alex Padilla broke down in tears while he spoke on the Senate floor about his forced removal from news conference held last week by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. See Padilla's remarks.
|
|
|
|
Virginia Democrats set early voting record ahead of 2025 primaries
Virginia Democrats saw their highest early voting turnout in a primary this year, with some of the greatest number of votes coming from Richmond-area districts.
|
|
|
|
The Minnesota Suspect’s Radical Spiritual World
In recent years, Boelter traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where videos show him delivering guest sermons at a large church, chastising Christians who don’t fight abortion and homosexuality, and saying that “God is going to raise up apostles and prophets in America” who will “correct his church.” As law enforcement searched for the suspect across rural Minnesota on Saturday, a childhood friend of Boelter’s told reporters that Boelter had texted him that he had “made some choices.”
|
|
|
|
Federal Judge Deems Trump Administration’s Termination of NIH Grants Illegal
The mass cancellation of grants in response to political policy shifts has no historical precedent, experts told ProPublica, and marks an extraordinary departure from the agency’s established practices. ProPublica previously revealed that the Department of Government Efficiency — the administration’s cost-cutting initiative —— gave the agency direction on what to cut and why, raising questions about the provenance of the terminations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Century Club supports our year-round work to build party infrastructure supporting candidate recruitment, local district and regional leadership, issue-based education, and tools for Dem-NPL success.
|
|
|
|
|
Help us elect great Democrats up and down the ballot!
|
|
|
|
|
The North Dakota Democratic-NPL is launching a new grassroots program called “Neighbor to Neighbor” where volunteers will connect with voters in your community to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. As a volunteer, you will be responsible for connecting with voters in 25 homes in your neighborhood or friends and family to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot about 3-4 times this year.
|
|
|
|
Grassroots organizers are the lifeblood of the Dem-NPL! Sign up to volunteer with the Dem-NPL!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
