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Welcome to the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Insider, a newsletter that features regular updates about upcoming Dem-NPL events, legislative happenings, and news that affects North Dakotans!
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Did you know the DNC hosts a morning news show called the Daily Blueprint that is livestreamed on YouTube weekdays at 9 AM CDT? You can watch it live or later on the DNC’s YouTube channel here.
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The 2026 Governor's Dinner is coming up! Donate to our silent auction!
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The 2026 Governor's Dinner will take place on May 2nd at 530pm at Sixteen03 Main Events (1603 E Main Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501). The deadline to let us know that you will contribute to our silent auction is April 17th. That gives us time to put all the auction information into 32 auctions, and it gives people ample time to check out the items before the dinner! All silent auction items must be delivered to the event venue by 5pm.
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Finally Friday Social!
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Fri, Apr 3, 2026 6:00 PM CDT
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Every Friday, come celebrate the start of the weekend with the Souris Valley Dem-NPL!
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Meet the Candidate – Michael A. Steele District 23
Daily Addiction
307 Main Street, Williston
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Join us on the campaign trail, starting Saturday, April 4th! 🇺🇸
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Come meet the candidate, hear the vision for our future, and be part of the movement to drive real change in our community. This is your chance to ask questions and share what matters most to you ahead of the North Dakota State Primary.
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📍 The Daily Addiction Coffee House – Williston, ND
🕘 Saturday at 9:00 AM
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Your voice matters, and it all starts with conversations like these. Bring a friend and join us, we’re building this change together.
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Region 2 Century Club Appreciation Event
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Tues, Apr 7, 2026 6:00 PM CDT
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Parker Center
21 1st Ave. SE, Minot
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The Region 2 Century Club Appreciation Event will be April 7, 2026 at 6 pm.
Parker Center, Minot ND
-21 1st Ave SE, Minot, ND 58701
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Dickinson Area Democratic-NPL meeting
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Wed, Apr 8, 2026 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm MDT
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The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
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2050 1st Ave E, Dickinson
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Districts 37, 36, and 39 meet every second Wednesday after Drinking Liberally!
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Walleye Fish Fry and Representative LaurieBeth Hager’s Birthday
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Fri, Apr 10, 2026 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm CDT
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The Press Box at Players Sports Bar & Grill
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Amvets 1001 1st Ave S, Fargo
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Please join us to celebrate Representative LaurieBeth Hager’s Birthday and a Walleye Fish Fry. Please use the link below to sign-up and be counted.
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District 28 Bowling Blitz in Oakes
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Sun, Apr 12, 2026 2:00 pm CDT
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Shadow Lanes
410 Main Ave., Oakes
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Our next monthly meeting will be held in Oakes!
Join us for some bowling fun and bring an item for the food pantry!
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District 7 Dem-NPL Meeting
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Tues, Apr 14, 2026 7:00 pm CDT
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Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library
515 N 5th St. Bismarck
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The next meeting of the District 7 Dem-NPL will be Tuesday, April 14, 2026 from 7 pm to 9 pm in Room A at the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Library, 515 North 5th Street. Come in the front doors and immediately go to the right to take the stairs or elevator to the basement. See you there!
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District 11 Meeting
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Wed, Apr 15, 2026 7:00 pm CDT
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1325 23rd St S, Suite B, Fargo
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District 11 Democratic-NPL meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month
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200 Days Until The Midterms!
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Thu, Apr 16, 2026 4:30–7:30 pm CDT
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1325 23rd St S, Suite B, Fargo
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Kick off the election season with us and join us for an open house at the Fargo Democratic-NPL Office
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Campaign Kick Off Socail
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Sat, Apr 25, 2026 5 pm CDT
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The Bismarck-Mandan Democratic-NPL (region 6) is hosting a social hour. Kick off the 2026 campaign season with an evening of community and conversation! Meet our 15 legislative candidates, Congressional candidate Trygve Hammer, and other statewide candidates in attendance (invited).
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Guests will have the opportunity to walk through our candidate receiving line, hear fast-paced 2-minute "stump speeches" from our legislative team, and enjoy remarks from our Congressional candidate. We'll have a fundraising game and delicious hors d'oeuvres served throughout the evening.
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Our candidates have been on the ground listening to you. Now, it's our turn to show up for them. Bring your friends, family, and colleagues — let's start this journey together!
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Help us spread our message—share these recent posts!
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Concerns rise over media suppression at 2026 ND GOP Convention
Reporters from multiple outlets have noted new restrictions this year in comparison to past conventions. In previous years, reporters were able to connect to live audio and video streams and had access to the convention floor.
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However, this weekend, media members are unable to connect to any audio or video streams and have no access to the convention floor.
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Additionally, KX News’ Joshua Mathisen was removed from the vendor area at the convention despite a Ward county sheriff previously telling him he was allowed access. Mathisen had already confirmed another reporter was granted access to the vendor area by the Sergeant at Arms and was not given a reason the press was restricted from this area.
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Cramer vs. Good-Faith Engagement
The Establishment Clause is only sixteen words long. Four sentences from a sitting senator can do much to damage it in the minds of like-minded or intellectually lazy members of his audience. It saddens me that Cramer spends so many column inches on performing for an audience that already distrusts the media and so few on addressing legitimate criticisms. Unfortunately, performative character assassination sells at a higher price than thoughtful leadership. I guess we will have to get used to Senator Cramer’s illogical emoting, or not.
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Legal expert, Laurie Levenson, updates listeners on birthright citizenship and construction on Trump's ballroom
Joel Heitkamp is joined by Laurie Levenson, Law Professor at Loyola Law School, on "News and Views." Laurie is a Legal Commentator for CBS, CNN, ABC, NBC, BBC, and NPR. She’s also a frequent lecturer for State and Federal Bars regarding legal ethics, wrongful convictions, and criminal procedure.
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Joel hears her expertise on birthright citizenship and the ruling regarding President Trump's ballroom in the White House. Joel also shares his thoughts with his listeners on both topics after Laurie is off.
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Port: Is it too much to ask that politicians pay for their own campaign commercials?
U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak has a new campaign ad out.
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I call it a campaign ad, because that's sure what it looks like. It has the congresswoman extolling the virtues of her policy making in Washington, while supporters play along, all set to upbeat music in a colorful milieu. Only, when we get to the bit of the ad that's got the fine print, what we see is not a reference to Fedorchak's campaign committee, but rather a disclosure that the ad was paid for by the taxpayers.
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McFeely: If you wouldn’t mind Kevin, John, Julie et al., what is it, exactly, we’re doing in Iran?
This was par for the course for Cramer, one of the great opportunistic political leeches in state history. Kevin was all for Trump until Jan. 6, after which he questioned whether Trump could lead the Republican Party following the treasonous coup attempt, after which he stuck his moistened finger in the wind and decided the right-wing nut jobs weren’t abandoning Trump, after which he tripled-down and decided power was more important than that ratty old Constitution.
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Hip surgery didn't stop 99-year-old from standing up during 'No Kings' protest
Nearly a centenarian, Elsie Keys wasn't going to let a hip replacement lock her down at a time she felt she needed to stand up for her country.
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With the help of her daughter, Karen Edland, Keys participated in the "No Kings" demonstration in her hometown of Valley City, North Dakota, on Saturday, March 28. Millions across the country reportedly participated in the No Kings demonstrations that were designed to rally against President Donald Trump’s policies, including the surge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minnesota, the rising cost of living and the current war with Iran.
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'No Kings' movement brings many to Harmon Park
Her son, Mark Casler, vice chair for the District 23 Dem-NPL party, organized the protest.
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"Today is a National Day of Protest. There are people who are concerned about what's going on and want to express that," he said, as he held a large pole with the American flag on it. The flag gently blew as he spoke. "As soon as I heard they were doing a large protest, I wanted to make sure Williston was represented."
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Jim Shaw and others were fired from The Forum, and Jim Shaw shares why
Jim Shaw is a frequent Guest Host at KFGO, a former WDAY TV reporter, former KVRR TV news director, and now, a former columnist at the Inforum. He recently wrote a farewell to readers and about his 47 years in journalism, and now joins Joel Heitkamp to talk about the firing from Forum Communications.
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Letter: Decision to fire Forum columnists is flawed
I have not yet chosen whether or not to terminate my subscription to the Forum, largely because I have such high respect for the reporting staff of the paper.
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Letter: Sen. Cramer needs to grow thicker skin
Cramer needs to grow thicker skin. The purpose of the media is to speak truth to power. That’s what Brickner was doing. It’s evident his power squeezed her out of the list of columnists at The Forum, which cleansed itself of three long-time columnists – not the right-leaning ones. So, thanks to him, those of us who believe in free speech and holding government accountable won’t benefit from their perspective.
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Braunberger, Lamb Condemn Trump Executive Order Attacking ND Election System
Sen. Ryan Braunberger (D-Fargo) Democratic-NPL candidate for North Dakota Secretary of State, and Tim Lamb, Democratic-NPL candidate for North Dakota Attorney General, today issued a joint statement condemning President Trump’s March 31 executive order which directs the federal government send a preapproved “citizenship list” based on faulty and incomplete information.
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It directs the U.S. Postal Service to prohibit the delivery of mail-in ballots to any voter not enrolled on the pre-approved list, which is a mechanism that does not exist in North Dakota law. The order jeopardizes federal funds from states deemed noncompliant—a direct threat to North Dakota election funding. It also threatens criminal prosecution of state and local election workers. Each election, tens of thousands of North Dakota voters securely cast absentee and mail-in ballots, with over 90,000 voters (nearly 25% of all voters) voting by this method in the 2024 general election.
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Bismarck faith leaders rally for immigrant rights in Palm Sunday demonstration
In an interview, Tosseth-Smith said the federal government’s immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis has caused the immigrants she works with to be terrified. Even though immigration agents’ presence in Minnesota has tapered somewhat, many still don’t feel safe, she said. About 25 of the families Bismarck Global Neighbors supports are still afraid to go out in public because they’re worried about encountering immigration agents, according to Tosseth-Smith.
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Strong turnout for Fargo-Moorhead march focusing on compassion, unity
Organizers estimated that about 350 people attended — enough to run out of the roughly 300 printed signs bearing messages like “Heal the sick,” “Feed the hungry,” and “Welcome the stranger.”
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Shaw: Thank you and goodbye
However, most of the time I wrote from my heart about local angles of current events. I tried to be a voice for the voiceless and the underdog. I fought for human and equal rights, the truth, health insurance availability, public health, keeping refugees here, gun reform, due process, First Amendment rights, voting rights and our democracy. I am very worried about the future of our democracy and whether enough of us care about each other.
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I also believed in speaking truth to power, and keeping our elected leaders accountable. For example, it says in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that only Congress can approve wars, yet North Dakota’s congressional delegation chose not to do that for the war against Iran. And yes, it’s a war, not an excursion. So, I take it that Kevin Cramer will not be inviting me to next year’s State of the Union address.
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I have been so touched and moved by the many wonderful comments I have received from readers. I’m thrilled that for eight years I have been voted “Best Columnist of the Red River Valley.” It all told me I was connecting with many readers.
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Port: NDGOP sees dramatic decline in convention attendance
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Perhaps the most amusing development so far at the North Dakota Republican Party's state convention in Minot is that, while the party denied me media credentials and rejected my purchase of a public ticket, Trygve Hammer, the Democratic-NPL candidate for U.S. House was in the room.
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I got several texts from attendees who spotted Hammer, wondering what he was doing there. When I called him, he said he was at the All Seasons Arena in Minot to attend a gun show that is happening in another part of the facility. "I saw a young Republican struggling with some signs in the parking lot, so I helped him carry them in," he told me. "I ended up in the room and shook some hands. I shook hands with Alex Balazs."
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Hammer to administer tip-off at New Town 4 Bears Roar Basketball Game
Congressional Candidate Trygve Hammer will administer the tip-off at the 4 Bears Roar game in New Town on Saturday, April 4.
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4 Bears Roar will play the Grant County Redtails from Mattawa, WA. This is The Roar’s first season—they are part of The Basketball League (TBL).
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What: 4 Bears Roar Game
Where: 4 Bears Event Center, 202 Frontage Road, New Town
When: Saturday, April 4, Doors open at 6pm, Tip off at 7pm
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Protecting voter rights, democracy a theme of Fargo No Kings
The North Dakota events included the small town of Ray in the northwest, which is participating for the first time.
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“North Dakota is a red state, and we’re probably in the reddest part of the red state,” said Bruce Palmer, the organizer of the Ray event.
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But Palmer said he hopes that it might give a few more people “the courage to speak up, to know that they’re not alone, that there’s others who feel similarly to them, and to give them kind of permission to speak up and say their piece.”
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Palmer expected a small group to gather along U.S. Highway 2, to make their protest signs visible to passersby.
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Palmer said there are several Trump administration policies people disagree with, such as immigration enforcement and voting rights, but agriculture and trade are key.
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“We’re very concerned about farm policy,” Palmer said. “Our farmers are being hammered by tariffs. They’re being hammered now by high fertilizer prices and diesel prices.”
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2026 North Dakota Republican Convention coverage
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Regarding the party brand issue, Laura Dronen, the Communications & Digital Director for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, provided the following statement:
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“This doesn’t change North Dakota law, but I’m sure we’ll see legislators from these two GOP factions bring bills in 2027 that they think will make it harder for the other to get on the ballot. It’s exhausting to watch GOP lawmakers bring their internal squabbling to the House and Senate. Their competing bills didn’t pass in 2025, and they’ll go nowhere in 2027. It’s vindictive, weird, and a waste of their time and your tax dollars.”
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Port: The school meals ballot measure has collected an astounding number of signatures
Together for School Meals just began collecting after their petition was officially approved for circulation on Dec. 23. As I write this, that was 99 days ago, meaning this committee collected an average of 505 signatures every single day, over the holidays, and in a typically frigid North Dakota winter. Their deadline to turn in the signatures isn't until July 6.
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It's impressive, though perhaps not surprising, given how popular the concept of free school meals is in North Dakota. Which, in and of itself, speaks to how out of touch the opposition to this idea is with the sentiments of the electorate.
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Nikkie Gullickson hopes to be the next Fargo City Commissioner
Joel Heitkamp is joined in the KFGO studio by Fargo School Board member, Nikkie Gullickson. Nikkie was first elected to the Fargo school board in 2020 and reelected in 2024, and is now running for Fargo City Commission.
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Nikkie Gullickson hopes to be the next Fargo City Commissioner
Joel Heitkamp is joined in the KFGO studio by Fargo School Board member, Nikkie Gullickson. Nikkie was first elected to the Fargo school board in 2020 and reelected in 2024, and is now running for Fargo City Commission.
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Check out these posts from national Democrats
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Trump's VA killed a home loan program. Vets are now losing their homes because of it
More than 10,000 veterans lost their homes to foreclosure since May of last year, when the Trump administration shut down a key safety net in the VA home loan program, according to the latest industry data. That is the highest pace of foreclosures for VA loans in a decade.
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Another 90,000 vets are heading toward foreclosure. This comes after a years-long debacle inside the Department of Veterans Affairs has whiplashed thousands of vets between various enacted and canceled programs and left many of them on the brink of losing their homes — often through no fault of their own.
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‘Set herself up for failure’: MAGA celebrates Pam Bondi’s firing as Attorney General over Epstein
Carol Leonnig, MS NOW Senior Investigative Reporter, Lauren Barron Lopez, MS NOW White House Reporter and Michael Feinberg, Former Special Agent in Charge at the FBI join Alicia Menendez in for Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with continued reaction to the firing of Pam Bondi as Attorney General and the role that her and her deputies handling of the Epstein files had on her firing and her legacy.
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After four patients died, Idaho governor approves restoring cut Medicaid mental health programs
In less than three months since an Idaho Medicaid contractor cut a mobile treatment program for people with severe mental illness, four patients died, the Idaho Capital Sun reported. In the 18 months before the cut, providers say just one patient died. The program was designed for people who have struggled in routine treatment settings.
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On Liberation Day Anniversary, DNC Blasts Trump for His Tariffs as Working Families Shoulder the Costs
“When Trump was up there at the inauguration, he was up on stage and talked about a ‘golden age’ for America. What we’ve come to see a year into these tariffs is, what he actually meant was, it was a golden age for those that were up on stage with him. It’s a golden age for the billionaires and the big corporations but not for the small businesses. It’s not for the American families that are trying to make ends meet, and seeing their prices rising across the board, whether from the tariffs or from the war. They’re getting hit from all sides and the level of anxiety is through the roof.”
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Democratic states sue Trump over mail-in ballot order, joining rush to courts
More than 20 states — led by California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington — and the District of Columbia sued in federal court in Massachusetts. They argue the order violates the Constitution, which gives states the responsibility to run elections and allows Congress, not the president unilaterally, the power to override state regulations.
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“Though the President may wish he had unlimited power to restrict voting rights, the Constitution gives states – not the White House – the authority to oversee elections,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, a Democrat, said in a statement.
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Trump’s Budget: Shortchange Americans to Pay for His Unpopular War of Choice With Iran
“Donald Trump promised to stop the endless wars, reduce the national debt, and lower costs when he got into office. Now, Trump is dead set on slashing crucial funding for child care, health care, job training, and other programs that millions of everyday Americans rely on to pay for his deadly and costly war. Trump and Republicans have already driven up prices and hollowed out the job market while securing massive tax cuts for their wealthy donors — and now everyday Americans are footing the bill for a war that they don’t support.”
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Share these Dem-NPL Graphics!
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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.
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Help us elect great Democrats up and down the ballot!
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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.
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Grassroots organizers are the lifeblood of the Dem-NPL! Sign up to volunteer with the Dem-NPL!
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