Plain Talk With Rob Port

A new law that just took effect here in North Dakota seals court records in concluded cases that don't result in a conviction. That would mean instances where the defendant was acquitted, or when the charges were dismissed, or any other outcome that's not a guilty plea or verdict. The argument in favor of the law is that it's not fair to the defendants to have those cases in the public record. After all, as a matter of law, if they aren't convicted of the charges against them, they are innocent. But if the cases are accessible, they may be judged for them anyway, especially in instances like hiring or housing. But what about transparency? What does sealing those records mean for the public and the news media's ability to scrutinize those cases to ensure that the acquittal, or dismissal, or other non-conviction outcome was ethical and lawful? I believe the cases should remain open to ensure accountability for all parties involved. Adam Martin, the founder of the F5 Project and our guest on this episode of Plai

"There are currently three ethics complaints against my office," Attorney General Drew Wrigley said on this episode of Plain Talk. It's a startling admission, but Wrigley says the complaints are spurious, and that the state Ethics Commission, which he has been outspokenly critical of, is hording complaints like those, instead of clearing them, for political purposes. "Somebody lodged a complaint that human trafficking is a problem in North Dakota," Wrigley said, describing the complaints. "The legislature has allocated dollars to be handed out in grants through the attorney general's office. There are only three months left in the legislative, in the budget cycle, rather, in the bienium, and they still haven't passed out all the money. Ethics complaint. Three of them." Wrigley disputed that the Ethics Commission has jurisdiction in two of the complaints and that all three have reasonable explanations unrelated to ethics. Wrigley says his office has been contacting groups as potential recipients of the funds,

I spent a little time on this episode of Plain Talk bemoaning the horrendous performance of my beloved New York Yankees. Poor roster construction and poor fundamental play are difficult things to watch. Co-host Chad Oban ate it up, as you might imagine, but baseball isn't all we discussed. We touched on the baffling controversy over Sydney Sweeney's jeans commercial. For some reason, this has convulsed the nation, starting with left-wing critics who claim the ad promotes some master race message about eugenics, which of course inspired the MAGA crowd to rally around Sweeney as their new hero. It makes me wonder if comedian and actor Marc Maron is right when he says that progressives have "annoyed the average American into fascism." Shifting to North Dakota politics, we talked about Fargo leaders trying to pin their budget woes on property tax reform. I argued on the podcast, and in a previous column, that Mayor Tim Mahoney's budget is calculated to produce political talking points, not solutions, and Oban agr

Today on Plain Talk, we had the pleasure of speaking with US Senator John Hoeven, and began our conversation with a pretty historic event: the rerouting of the Red River for the Fargo-Moorhead Flood Control Project. Senator Hoeven, who has been working on this project since he was governor, highlighted how it will "permanently change part of the route of the uh Red River" and "protect more than a quarter of a million people." He called this a "marvel of modern engineering." Next, we tackled the freezing of education dollars by the Trump administration, which caused weeks of chaos for schools and parents. He explained that the federal Office of Management and Budget was "reviewing funds for social agenda," but emphasized that the larger goal is "transitioning...the education funding from this centralized bureaucracy in Washington D.C." to give states "more control and less regulation." We also discussed the status of state Superintendent Kirsten Baesler's nomination to the Department of Education, which is cur

NOTE: The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern. In the conclusion of this three-part series, filmmaker Matt Fern investigates the two men at the center of North Dakota’s film grant controversy: longtime legislator Rep. Bob Martinson and Canticle Productions founder Dan Bielinski. As an ethics complaint regarding the film grants finally moves into a formal investigation, Governor Doug Burgum’s administration breaks its year-long silence, reluctantly agreeing to a meeting. Yet state officials remain dismissive, downplaying concerns and refusing further action. From a mysterious $40,000 payment in 2017, to an unannounced grant in 2021, to a $600,000 grant in 2023, Fern traces how Canticle Productions repeatedly benefited while other North Dakota filmmakers were shut out. At the same time, lawmakers—including Rep. Martinson—pushed to weaken the North Dakota Ethics Commission’s authority to investigate complaints. Ultimately, Fern confronts a disturbing truth: transparency and accounta

On this episode of Plain Talk, my co-host Chad Oban and I talk about the crazy Minot mayoral race, evidence of extremism in the North Dakota Young Republicans, and the controversy over bonuses paid to Commerce Department employees. The Minot race, in some ways, is an important bellwether for North Dakota politics, taking place as it is in one of the most partisan Republican communities in the state. The race is officially nonpartisan, but pits two candidates from the far right against two mainstream, traditional, right-of-center candidates. Can one of the far-right candidates win, and take over leadership of one of North Dakota's largest communities? A lot of it depends on who turns up at an oddball, off-year, August 5 special election. "There's real statewide ramifications for this," Oban said. We also discussed evidence that the North Dakota Young Republicans, an independent group loosely affiliated with the North Dakota Republican Party, are aligning themselves with a bigoted Holocaust denier. At the very

Minot-area Democrat Trygve Hammer has run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the last two election cycles. More recently, he's organizing a town hall event in Minot — which he's branded the People's Town Hall — as a clapback to Rep. Julie Fedorchak holding only digital town halls. He was on this episode of Plain Talk to promote that event, but I started him off with the obvious question. Will he seek a seat in Congress for the third consecutive election cycle? "My wife said to make very clear that this does not mean I'm running," Hammer said. "I haven't closed it off, but you know, that's definitely, I'm nowhere near making a decision at this time." So not a yes, but not a no either. Fedorchak has justified her decision not to hold in-person town halls by pointing to acts of political violence, such as the murder of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband earlier this year, and public events in other states that have been unproductive because of disruptions by political activists. Hammer said he's holding

NOTE: The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern. After sending a letter to Governor Doug Burgum and receiving no response, a coalition of 27 filmmakers from across North Dakota hold a press conference outside the Attorney General’s office to demand transparency and accountability in how one filmmaker received $740,000 from the Department of Commerce. But despite the media attention and growing public scrutiny, state officials remain silent. The Governor never replies. The Attorney General passes the buck. And the ND Commerce insists nothing was done wrong. In this episode, filmmaker Matt Fern walks through the aftermath of the press conference and the months of waiting for answers. We hear from the State Auditor, whose report confirms the process was flawed, with a grant application window open for just six business days. But while the timeline may have been unusual, the audit stops short of calling it illegal. With no one taking responsibility, and no clear authority stepping in,

Even as some local governments claim that a new, 3% cap on property tax increases will cause chaos in their budgets, Sen. Josh Boschee, a Democrat from Fargo, says he and his colleagues felt it was important to implement. He says lawmakers see it as a way of putting the responsiblity for property taxes back on local governments. "In the last decade, or my 12 years of service in the state legislature, we've tried to educate voters that property tax is a local issue," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. "Yet it continues to be put on our plate in Bismarck." He noted that with the state now providing significant relief, locals are expected to manage their budgets to prevent past issues of unchecked growth in valuations and spending. Boschee addressed property tax exemptions, including my recent column about a property tax break for newly-built single-family homes in Fargo that could go a long way toward addressing the city's shortfalls. He said the $1,600 tax credit lawmakers approved for primary residences

Is Doug Burgum, who is currently serving as Secretary of the Interior under President Donald Trump, a happy man right now? I posed that question in a recent column occassioned by Burgum's visit to infamous island prison Alcatraz at Trump's behest to assess it for use as a detention facility. Burgum has to know that this is a fantastically stupid idea. His face, during a Fox News interview from the prison, made it pretty clear that he knows that this initiative would be a non-starter for any rational, grounded human being. And yet, there he was, on national television, carrying the president's fetid water. We talked about it on this episode of Plain Talk. "If you want to be in Donald Trump's orbit, and if you want to climb the greasy pole of politics in the Republican party right now, you have to be Donald Trump's sock puppet," I argued. Co-host Chad Oban and I also discussed a possible ballot measure banning the use of public dollars and resources for private schools that North Dakota voters are currently b

This episode of Plain Talk is a little unusual, because the guest we interviewed for the show is actually our own producer, Matt Fern. Matt, in addition to producing Plain Talk, is also a filmmaker by trade. A couple of years ago he organized a dozens of his colleagues from around the state to object to hundreds of thousands of dollars in film grants being issued by the North Dakota Department of Commerce under former Gov. Doug Burgum by untoward means. The Commerce Department ran an odd, extremely truncated bidding process for a grant that, per evidence from the legislative record, was always intended to go to a specific Bismarck-based company that, two years later, still hasn't released the films the state paid for. And this wasn't the first time something like this had happened, either. "Our group of filmmakers did speak out two years ago because we saw this coming because this already happened twice, with $100,000 in 2021 with nothing to show for it, and very little to show for $40,000 in 2017," Matt t

The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern. Making movies in North Dakota is hard. Unless you’re one company with powerful connections. In the premiere episode of The $740,000 Question, filmmaker Matt Fern unpacks how a single production company, Canticle Productions, received $700,000 in taxpayer-funded film grants from the North Dakota Department of Commerce. With no state film office, no tax incentives, and virtually no infrastructure, how did this happen and why? Matt traces the timeline of payments starting with a $40,000 stock footage deal in 2017, a $100,000 grant in 2021 with no public process, and a $600,000 grant in 2023 awarded after just six business days of competitive bidding. The eligibility criteria? What looks like a copy-paste of Canticle’s website. Through public records, media reports, and insider interviews, this podcast reveals a process marked by secrecy and a total lack of accountability. With little answers from state officials, the governor’s office, or Can

Public defenders working in the federal system representing indigent defendants aren't getting paid. The federal government ran out of money, as my colleague April Baumgarten reported recently. That's a big problem. Every American accused of a crime has a right to counsel, and while you might think that public defenders are just for poor people, they actually represent most people accused of a crime. In North Dakota, the precentage of criminal defendants represented by a public defender is north of 80%. In the federal system, nationwide, it's around 90% Jason Tupman said on this episode of Plain Talk. Tupman is the top federal public defender for the North Dakota and South Dakota district (full disclosure: my sister works as an investigator for Tupman's office). "There will be consequences," he said of this lack of funding. "I think they are not just short-term, either." The federal employees in Tupman's offices cover about 2/3's of the cases in North and South Dakota, with the rest going to private sector

One proposal in the recently passed "big, beautiful bill" that didn't make it to the finish line was an amendment from Utah Sen. Mike Lee, which would have jump-started a sell-off of federally owned lands. On this episode of Plain Talk, John Bradley, executive director of the North Dakota Wildlife Federation, talked about that victory, and also discussed the place in politics conservation issues often find themselves.  "Conservation sometimes becomes the dog that everybody can get behind kicking," he said. Bradley expressed a desire for public lands to become a "third rail" issue that politicians are "terrified to go after," but also acknowledged that there are instances where some sales make sense. He says there is, in existing law, a process for selling or swapping out federal lands, and while he admits that it can be bureaucratic, he also says that it's important that all interested parties are involved in that process. Bradley also discussed his group's recent criticism of North Dakota's congressional del

The criminal justice system is often where public policy debates, from civil rights to addiction, converge. It's also critical for ensuring accountability when the government oversteps. North Dakota's Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigence, led by Director Travis Finck, headed into this year's legislative session facing a "perilous situation," that was dangerously close to a "constitutional failure" due to a lack of resources, leaving many without legal counsel. But lawmakers stepped up. The Finck and his fellow public defenders received a 20% budget increase, amounting to an additional $4.5 million over their 2023 budget. The budget boost is moving the agency "in the right direction," Finck said on this episode of Plain Talk. This funding has tangible impacts on recruitment and retention. Frink notes the agency can now offer higher salaries, implementing a new compensation plan to put them "on par with places like the attorney general’s office." Previously, they weren't even "in the same stadium," Finck

In this replay episode, we revisit a conversation that didn’t go as planned. We had scheduled Rep. Nico Rios to appear on Plain Talk to discuss his recent controversies; from bigoted and homophobic remarks during a DUI arrest, to a social media post invoking the CIA and antisemitic language, to a constitutionally questionable resolution declaring Jesus Christ “King over all the world.” We wanted to have a respectful, honest conversation about his words and actions. But just minutes before the interview, Rep. Rios backed out. “Ay dude I'm not going on your boring little show,” he texted. “Got more important things to do than chat Capitol gossip.” Replay or not, this episode is a revealing look at the tone and tension inside North Dakota politics today. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It’s super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you’re from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show

In this special replay episode, Rob Port and Chad Oban revisit a timely conversation with former North Dakota Republican Party Chair Bob Harms. With infighting and censures making headlines again, Harms' perspective on internal party dynamics, district-level power struggles, and the long-term risks to the GOP brand hits even harder today. The discussion dives into how party rules, legislative overreach, and local gamesmanship are discouraging participation and undermining transparency. Harms also shares his concerns about property tax reform, the future of the Legacy Fund, and what happens when politics becomes more about power than principle. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It’s super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you’re from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode.  To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Cas

President Donald Trump joined Israel's attacks against Iran's nuclear program, and so far the operation seems to have been a success. That's certainly Sen. Kevin Cramer's view of it, as he explained on this episode of Plain Talk. He also praised Trump's willingness to repudiate some of the isolationists in the MAGA movement. "I've often said, and people have quoted me saying, 'Donald Trump likes people who like him.' The problem is when the body of people who like you range, you know, so greatly, you at some point are going to disappoint somebody," he said. "I was very proud of this decision. And you don't even have to love the decision to recognize...that this is a bit of a repudiation to the Tucker Carlson isolationist crowd." "He probably made peace more than he made war with the strike. Now, we'll see how it all turns out," Cramer continued. The Senator also discussed his "golden dome" legislative proposal for protecting America from drone and missile strikes. He noted that North Dakota has historically b

Recently, Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak sent out an email seeking to debunk what she describes as myths when it comes to proposed changes to the Medicaid program. She argues that the program isn't being cut, but rather just being slowed in its growth. But wherever you come down on that debate, the fact that she's prompted to make these arguments is politically significant. On this episode of Plain Talk, my co-host Chad Oban and I talked about that, in the context of one of Fedorchak's predecessors, former Rep. Earl Pomeroy, trying to explain his vote in favor of Obamacare. Oban pointed out that while Fedorchak is disputing the claims that Medicaid is being cut, some Republicans, including Mehmet Oz, the Trump administration's administrator for Medicare and Medicaid services, are calling them cuts. "The problem that she has is it's not just people like me who are saying it's Medicaid cuts," Oban said. "You're like, well, these aren't cuts, but when someone on your own side is referring to them as cuts, you're

In a recent column, I argued that the concept of "baby bonds" — a verison of which is included in "big beautiful bill" President Donald Trump is backing in Congress — is something North Dakotans should implement whatever the federal government might do. We have hundreds of millions in revenue from the Legacy Fund's investments, and we have the Bank of North Dakota to administer the program. A rough estimate based on the average number of live births in our state every year is that this would cost the state about $20 million or so per biennium. After I published my column, Treasurer Thomas Beadle reached out, saying it's a topic that intrigues him as well. "I think that you get a little bit of a a stakeholder society," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. "Children are being set up with these accounts, and the parents are managing these accounts on behalf of their kids, so they will be vested. They might have a stakeholder interest in making sure that programs like this are viable." Speaking of investments,