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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! If you would like to have something added to the newsletter, email us at [email protected]. Spread the word of our newsletter by sharing our sign-up link today: https://demnpl.com/join-our-newsletter/.
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Schools out for many! Looking for something to do this summer or know a student who is? We're accepting applications for Democratic-NPL Democracy Summer Fellows!
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The Democracy Summer project seeks to bring about political change in America by training and deploying the next generation of Democratic organizers and leaders to win elections at every level. This fellowship teaches high school and college students state-of-the-art tactics in political organizing, the dynamic history of political and social change in our country, and essential lessons for political leadership.
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Democracy Summer Fellows engage in a full-blown pro-democracy, pro-voting rights and pro-freedom curriculum and an exciting summer of on-the-ground organizing, with voter registration, door knocking, phone banks, rallies and political events.
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Upcoming Events!
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May 25th Williston Area Fundraiser - Districts 2 & 23
Saturday, May 25, 2024 – 3:00 PM
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5813 Jefferson Ln. Williston
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Join Representative Josh Boschee and our District 2 Candidates Rosemary Tanberg, Betty Dhuyvetter, and Gene Nygaard! More information to come!
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Taco bar will be served with cash bar available.
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Meet and Greet Statewide Candidates
Friday, May 31, 2024 – 5:00 PM
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903 Park St W, Park River
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Come meet Democratic-NPL Candidates!
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Merrill Piepkorn, Governor with Patrick Hart, Lt. Governor
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Katrina Christiansen, Senate
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Legislative candidates from Districts 18, 20, 42
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District 14 Campaign Kick-Off Party
Sunday, June 2, 2024 – 4:00 PM
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Meet District 14 Dem-NPL candidates: Mark Nelson, Senate Jessica Hawkes & Cathy Jelsing, House
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Hosted by Rugby Kitchen Cabinet: Joel & Carol Braaten, Gerry Brenno, Tim & Sheila Ostrem
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Address: 223 2nd St., Fillmore, ND 58332
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Directions from ND Hwy 3 “Balta turn”: 9 miles east on 53rd St NE (toward Silva), 1 mile north on 38th Ave NE, then turn east into Fillmore and follow the signs.
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RSVP not required, but appreciated: [email protected] www.demnpl.com/district14candidates
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Merrill Piepkorn’s 75th Birthday!
Sunday, June 9, 2024 – 2:00 PM
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Crooked Lane Farm 17385 Co Hwy 4, Colfax
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Enjoy pulled pork and turkey, baked beans, potato salad, summer pasta salad, fresh fruit, bars, cookies, lemonade and water. A cash bar will be available.
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Entertainment by: The Radio Stars and other musical surprises!
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NOTE: Due to limited capacity at the venue, RSVPs will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
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There is no charge for this event, but a freewill donation to fund Merrill’s campaign for Governor is much appreciated.
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RSVP by JUNE 3 at https://www.merrillfornd.com/rsvp
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Statewide Policy Committee Meeting
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 – 6:30 PM
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Meeting of the leadership of the State Party
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Check out these stories from the past week!
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The Voice of the People — Episode 14: Sen. Merrill Piepkorn
You know, the, the legislature in the past has traditionally been much more balanced than it is today. And I know some of the people I have not been closely affiliated with partisan politics until about 2012. Now, I knew all about the political process in North Dakota, the NPL, the Democrat, the Republican parties, and how they worked. And I’ve always been interested in it. I’d be interested in the history of the North Dakota legislature, going back to a mainly Dem-NPL, Governor Art Link, one of my political heroes, he’s kind of holds the standard to which I try to live my political life. He was just a good man had a big heart and had a certain amount of common sense when it came to governing. But ever since I’ve been in there, it’s become more and more one-sided.
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Piepkorn, Hart criticize Burgum administration at Capitol, critique Miller's Legacy Fund oversight
Piepkorn also criticized the time Burgum has spent on the campaign trail supporting former President Donald Trump, saying that the governor is focused more on his political aspirations than his job. Nowatzki said Burgum "continues to fulfill his constitutional duties while serving as governor."
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Why teachers leave: 2 educators share their experiences
“One of the biggest reasons that I’m leaving the field is the North Dakota Legislature,” Smette said. “If we continue to legislate what teachers can do in their classrooms… and people who are not experts in education are making those decisions, and they’re ignoring educators in making those decisions, then I don’t know how you’re ever going to find good teachers – or keep them.”
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Nick Archuleta and Erin Oban break down USDA Rural Development projects around ND
Erin Oban is the North Dakota State Director for USDA Rural Development, and joins Nick Archuleta on "News and Views." Nick is the President of ND United, and talks with Erin about what USDA Rural Development does and projects around the state that the USDA has been helping on.
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Bender: The myth of Doug Burgum
The reason so many North Dakotans are viscerally offended by Burgum's allegiance to an insurrectionist is that most of us can't imagine doing or saying anything we couldn't explain to our parents. It's kinda like having a cop in your head. In Burgum's head, though, worms.
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North Dakota is the front line when it comes to Christian Nationalism
Guthrie-Graves-Fitzsimmons, the Communications Director for the Baptist Joint Convention and Media Relations for Christians Against Christian Nationalism, is on Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness to discuss the rise of Christian Nationalism in our country and efforts his organization is taking to combat that rise.
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Jesse Wegman and Joel Heitkamp talk about the lack of shame at the Supreme Court
Jesse Wegman is a member of The New York Times editorial board, where he writes about the Supreme Court, law and politics. He joins Joel on "News and Views" to talk about his recent article, regarding the integrity of the Supreme Court. They cover a history of shameless behavior, and discuss the recent events of Justice Thomas and Justice Alito.
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Governor candidate says Burgum too distracted by Trump campaign
“Let’s tell the governor to put North Dakota first,” Piepkorn said from a podium on the Capitol steps. “Let’s restore integrity to this house of the people.”
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Piepkorn spoke disapprovingly of Burgum’s May 14 appearance at former president Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan.
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“When a governor is preoccupied and consistently out of his state doing someone else’s partisan business, the voters have the right to ask, ‘How much is that individual working for the citizens of North Dakota?’” Piepkorn said.
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Rick Becker faces backlash after Dylan Mulvaney cameo
It’s appalling that Rick Becker thinks that senseless online bullying and dehumanization of trans people is a path to victory. Hate is not a North Dakotan value. What Becker did only shows how out of sync he is with the vast majority of North Dakotans.”
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Port: To stop racism at high school events, hit sports fans where it hurts
We must do something about it. State Rep. Jayme Davis, a Democrat from District 9 and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, told me on a recent episode of the Plain Talk podcast that she'd like to see the state begin gathering data about these incidents. Getting a reliable measure of the scope of this problem is a good idea.
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Don't miss these national stories!
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Biden’s Open War on Hidden Fees
The Biden administration is trying to crack down on sneaky fees charged by hotels, rental cars, internet providers and more.
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Jim Tankersley, a White House correspondent, explains why the effort is doubling as a war against something else that Biden is finding much harder to defeat.
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Trump says he's 'looking at' policies that would restrict birth control access
"We’re looking at that, and I'm going to have a policy on that very shortly, and I think it’s something you’ll find interesting," Trump said. "I think it’s a smart decision. We’ll be releasing it very soon."
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Asked whether that means he may want to support some restrictions, Trump said, "You know, also, things really do have a lot to do with the states, and some states are going to have different policy than others."
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‘A long time coming’: Sen. Klobuchar on DOJ's Ticketmaster lawsuit
The Justice Department is set to announce a new lawsuit against Ticketmaster’s owner. NBC News’ Christine Romans has the latest details. Also, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., joins Ana Cabrera to share her thoughts on what needs to be done and discusses the growing calls for Justice Alito to recuse himself from January 6th cases.
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The Biden Campaign Calls Bullshit on Team Trump’s Excuse for That “Unified Reich” Video
Noting that Trump himself has said that only he and one of his top advisers have access to his account, Biden campaign spokesman James Singer said in a statement, “Donald Trump posting a ‘unified Reich’ video is part of a pattern of his praise for dictators and echoing antisemitic tropes. He’s a threat to our democracy and Americans must reject him and stand up for our democracy this November.”
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Mark Cuban defends Biden, bashes Trump on economy
“I just showed the graphic. Without commentary,” Cuban said. “The facts are that Obama and Biden inherited the Great Recession and Covid, both generational issues, and turned the economy positive over time.”
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“The guy between them inherited a booming economy and in terms of wage growth, diminished it,” he added. “Is that what the numbers say to you?”
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Scoop: Inside the DNC's plans to paint Trump VP contenders as extreme
"Trump has floated dozens of names, and while he trots them around like sad show ponies on the campaign trail, it doesn't really matter who's in his good graces one day and who's shooting their dog the next," DNC Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin told Axios in a statement.
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VP Harris continues Biden campaign focus on courting union voters in Philadelphia visit
She spoke to the SEIU a day after the organization elected April Verrett its first Black woman president. “Talk about a phenomenal woman and a powerful fighter for justice and fairness,” Harris said of Verrett. “I know firsthand that April is a leader who is always guided by an uncompromising focus on worker empowerment and their rights.”
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2 women affected by abortion bans to visit Arizona, campaign for Biden
Zurawski nearly died while carrying a pregnancy in Texas under the state’s abortion ban. She was a plaintiff in Zurawski vs. Texas, the first patient-led case to challenge a state over abortion restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark abortion case Roe vs. Wade.
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Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana was turned away from two hospitals while bleeding and in pain without being made aware of her treatment options. Advocates said the state’s abortion restrictions created confusion about what medical services doctors could offer their patients.
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Joe Biden lands 200 judges, highlighting stakes for the courts in the 2024 election
“Reaching 200 judges is a major milestone,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Our federal judiciary is now far more balanced, far more diverse, far more experienced.”
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Are There Insurrectionist Sympathizers on the Supreme Court?
After this article was published, The New York Times revealed that the Alito family flew another flag, this one associated with Christian Nationalism, at their beach house. Calls are now increasing for his recusal from Jan. 6 cases.
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Alito is not alone in cozying up to those who spread demonstrably false lies to subvert democracy. He is joined on the court by Clarence Thomas, whose wife Ginni was, in the weeks after the 2020 election, emailing and texting with Trump associates pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to reject the election results, demanding that the state of Arizona select a new slate of electors to support Trump, and calling the election a “heist.” She even testified before the House Jan. 6 committee, under threat of subpoena.
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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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