Plain Talk With Rob Port

As a guest on the Jay Thomas Show on WDAY AM970 in Fargo, Rob talks about coronavirus media coverage.

On this episode of Plain Talk, North Dakota Congressman Kelly Armstrong talks about the coronavirus situation, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's controversial comments about the Supreme Court, the Trump administration's deal with the Taliban, and his 2020 fundraising. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

A week ago Superintendent Kirsten Baesler was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. On today's episode of Plain Talk she talks about how she came to be arrested, why she refused to take sobriety tests, what she's seeking in terms of treatment and counseling, and why North Dakota voters should give her another four years in office despite this incident. Baesler said she drank three "craft beers" while at a Bismarck restaurant with a colleague and was talking on her phone when the law enforcement officer stopped her. The officer told her she had crossed the fog line on the road multiple times. "In hindsight that's something I wish I hadn't refused," Baesler said when asked why she didn't take a breathalyzer or blood test (she says she did agree to a field sobriety test). She says she was "confused" about what the officer was asking her to do, and knows little about DUI laws. She denied that the alcohol she consumed contributed to this confusion. She said she has reached out to an orga

Rob makes his weekly appearance on the Jay Thomas Show on WDAY AM970 in Fargo. Rob and Jay talk about e-tab machines and the impact they're having on tribal casinos, a ballot measure to end property taxes, and the 2020 presidential race.

"I plan to raise in excess of $1.5 million for this." That's what state Rep. Rick Becker said on this episode of Plain Talk. He was describing a nascent campaign behind a new initiated measure to end North Dakota property taxes. The plan is to rely on donations from North Dakotans. Becker says he's asking supporters to cut a check for 20 percent of their property tax bill. The campaign has $100,000 in pledges so far. North Dakota voters have considered this before. In 2012 a constitutional amendment ending property taxes went down in flames, with over 76 percent of voters casting a ballot against it. "We had an opportunity in 2012 and we let it go by," Becker said, arguing that the previous iteration of this proposal didn't give lawmakers enough time to adjust to a tax environment in which they cannot rely on property taxes. Becker says that, among other problems, is why a "fear" campaign from opponents was successful. He said the 2012 campaign didn't have enough answers for curious voters. "When you're up ag

Much of the political and news media response to the coronavirus outbreak is "distasteful cheerleading for a health disaster." That's what Senator Kevin Cramer said on this episode of Plain Talk. Condemning a recent New York Times piece referring to coronavirus as "Trump's virus," Cramer said, "I don't there's any question some of the response is political." He does see a silver lining in the situation. "We're getting to see what the best health care system in the world looks like," he said. "So far there haven't been any deaths in the United States." Cramer also talked about the infighting among Democratic 2020 candidates and President Trump's recent visit to India. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

Rep. Steve Vetter is a Republican from District 18 in Grand Forks. He was one of the Republican candidates elected in blue districts in North Dakota during the Trump wave of 2016. On this episode of Plain Talk, Vetter talks about how he won in a traditionally blue district, what he's done since winning, and how he'll convince voters to give him another four years in office. This episode brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

North Dakota Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, a Republican, is seeking re-election to a third term. In this episode, she talks about what she's accomplished, and what she'd still like to accomplish. This episode is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

"We need to make sure that coal is treated fairly," Senator John Hoeven says on this episode of Plain Talk. He talks about the struggles the North Dakota coal industry is facing, and what policies can be put in place to make the energy markets fairer. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

Rob and Jay talk about the upcoming deadline to get your Real ID.

Rob and Todd Mitchell from KFYR AM550 in Bismarck talk about the Greta Thunberg mural controversy. Eventually. After all the stuff about Pauly Shore movies.

Bismarck-based filmmaker Matt Fern has been making a documentary about the controversy around the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname for seven years now. This spring, he's finally ready to put it in front of wide audiences. The film, now called Fighting Over Sioux, will get a theatrical release in North Dakota this spring, to be followed by availability in other media such as online streaming. Fern talks about his journey in making this film and why the story is still relevant today. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

On the Jay Thomas Show on WDAY AM970, Rob and Jay discuss the controversy over a Great Thunberg mural in Bismarck.

"Art is art," Governor Doug Burgum said of a controversy in Bismarck over a mural of activist Greta Thunberg. "Art is free speech." On this episode of Plain Talk, he also discussed what he described as our "broken energy market" which is contributing to the financial woes of a major coal-fired power plant owned by Great River Energy. Burgum responded to the recently-launched campaign of a potential Democratic challenger in 2020. He said he hasn't yet met Dr. Shelley Lenz, but agreed with her calls to promote North Dakota's animal agriculture even as he disagreed with her claims that western North Dakota has been ignored under his administration. Burgum said one way to help animal agriculture, and agriculture, in general, is to end North Dakota's corporate farming ban. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

Dr. Shelley Lenz is a Veternarian, originally from Ohio but a resident of western North Dakota since 2007 with long-standing familial ties to the region. She's running for governor as a Democrat, though she says she doesn't really have a party. She talks on this episode of Plain Talk about why she feels the state government is ignoring western North Dakota, how she'd address the state's workforce needs, and what her views are when it comes to energy, social issues, taxes, and regulation. This episode of Plain Talk was brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

A company which owns a coal-fired energy plant in North Dakota says they're facing financial struggles. Senator Kevin Cramer says it's because the government has put its finger on the scale in the energy markets, and talks about how the issue could be remedied. He also discusses Trump's acquittal from impeachment charges, the blow-back against fellow Republican Senator Mitt Romney for voting not to acquit, and the President's State of the Union address. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

David Owen, a pro-marijuana activist working to put legalization of recreational pot on North Dakota's 2020 ballot, says a Legislative study into how to handle legalization has gone "off the rails," including testimony from a former prison warden who suggested a tie between pot use and Satan worship. This episode of Plain Talks was brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.

In 2017, North Dakota lawmakers made electronic pull tab machines legal for charitable gaming. That resulted in a 52 percent increase in state gaming revenue, but tribal casinos have taken a hit. North Dakota Indian Affairs Commissioner Scott Davis says that when this legislation was being debated, tribal interests were assured that it wouldn't impact their casinos. Yet it has. Davis says tribal casinos have seen a 30 to 45 percent decline in revenues. "I don't want to use the word duped," Davis said, but the tribes feel duped.

Rob and Jay talk about the Super Bowl halftime show, Rush Limbaugh's lung cancer, and tribal gaming.

On this episode of Plain Talk, state Rep. Tom Beadle joins me to talk about the campaign he just announced for Treasurer, an office the existence of which he once voted to put on the office. Beadle says he was voting more to have the debate at the ballot box than out of any real conviction to end the office. He says these days he's convinced it's important to have an independent Treasurer to provide oversight and transparency for the state's finances. This episode of Plain Talk is brought to you by Americans for Prosperity of North Dakota.