Plain Talk

On this Plain Talk, recorded live from TedXFargo, me and co-host Chad Oban talked about the rationalizations and excuses we make for ourselves in politics. Which also just happened to be the subject of my talk at the event. The decisions we're making politically — who we vote for, who we give money to, who we oppose — are what's driving what's happening to our country. But when things go poorly, w...

On this Plain Talk, recorded live from TedXFargo, me and co-host Chad Oban talked about the rationalizations and excuses we make for ourselves in politics. Which also just happened to be the subject of my talk at the event. The decisions we're making politically — who we vote for, who we give money to, who we oppose — are what's driving what's happening to our country. But when things go poorly, w...

While Rob and Chad are at TEDxFargo this week, we're revisiting one of our most talked-about conversations. North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread joins Plain Talk to discuss the future of health insurance subsidies, what happens if Congress fails to extend them, and why rising healthcare costs remain one of the biggest challenges facing families in North Dakota and across the country. H...

While Rob and Chad are at TEDxFargo this week, we're revisiting one of our most talked-about conversations. North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread joins Plain Talk to discuss the future of health insurance subsidies, what happens if Congress fails to extend them, and why rising healthcare costs remain one of the biggest challenges facing families in North Dakota and across the country. H...

The North Dakota Democratic-NPL had a strong recruitment season for legislative candidates. Among them is Dr. Chris Tiongson, a pediatrician seeking a seat in the state House of Representatives in Fargo-area District 41. Running for elected office is a daunting task. It's a lot of work and it comes with a public spotlight, and the public can be cruel, so why did Tiongson decide to take time away f...

The North Dakota Democratic-NPL had a strong recruitment season for legislative candidates. Among them is Dr. Chris Tiongson, a pediatrician seeking a seat in the state House of Representatives in Fargo-area District 41. Running for elected office is a daunting task. It's a lot of work and it comes with a public spotlight, and the public can be cruel, so why did Tiongson decide to take time away f...

Housing issues may be among the most complicated and important issues policymakers face. In order for local economies to grow, they need workers, and those workers need places to live. And they can't just be any old place. They need to be places they can afford to live, and want to live. But that's not easy. A home or apartment building built today might stand for a century or more, but the housin...

Housing issues may be among the most complicated and important issues policymakers face. In order for local economies to grow, they need workers, and those workers need places to live. And they can't just be any old place. They need to be places they can afford to live, and want to live. But that's not easy. A home or apartment building built today might stand for a century or more, but the housin...

Some time before the November general election, Fargo voters will have a special election concerning a proposal to city government from an at-large commission, where each member of the commission (except for the mayor) is elected by the whole city, to a ward system, where the city is split into jurisdictions each with a specific representative. "It would establish six wards and one person elected...

Some time before the November general election, Fargo voters will have a special election concerning a proposal to city government from an at-large commission, where each member of the commission (except for the mayor) is elected by the whole city, to a ward system, where the city is split into jurisdictions each with a specific representative. "It would establish six wards and one person elected...

Is North Dakota still open for business? That's a question we asked during an interview with Brooks Burgum, co-founder and CEO of Longwater, a private equity and alternative asset management firm. What prompts that question is what seems to be a growing, anti-development attitude among some political factionsin North Dakota. The state once marketed itself as an easy place to do business, but incre...

Is North Dakota still open for business? That's a question we asked during an interview with Brooks Burgum, co-founder and CEO of Longwater, a private equity and alternative asset management firm. What prompts that question is what seems to be a growing, anti-development attitude among some political factionsin North Dakota. The state once marketed itself as an easy place to do business, but incre...

North Dakota got a new crime report from Attorney General Drew Wrigley's office, and the numbers look pretty good. The rate of incidents per 100,000 citizens for the most serious "Group A" crimes was down 7.4% from 2024 to 2025. Crimes against persons (murder, assault, etc.) were down 3%, crimes against property were down 12.2%, crimes against society (drug and gun violations, etc.) were down 3.2%...

North Dakota got a new crime report from Attorney General Drew Wrigley's office, and the numbers look pretty good. The rate of incidents per 100,000 citizens for the most serious "Group A" crimes was down 7.4% from 2024 to 2025. Crimes against persons (murder, assault, etc.) were down 3%, crimes against property were down 12.2%, crimes against society (drug and gun violations, etc.) were down 3.2%...

You know what would be a big help to the level of discourse we're having around politics in North Dakota and the rest of the country? If more citizens had a stronger grasp on how their government works. Or, at least, had the honesty to admit when they don't understand the process. I've been reporting and commentating on politics for going on two and a half decades, and I can tell you that the stat...

You know what would be a big help to the level of discourse we're having around politics in North Dakota and the rest of the country? If more citizens had a stronger grasp on how their government works. Or, at least, had the honesty to admit when they don't understand the process. I've been reporting and commentating on politics for going on two and a half decades, and I can tell you that the stat...

With artificial intelligence issues -- and, specifically, the question of data centers -- set to be a top issue this election season and beyond, lawmakers in Bismarck have created a committee (not, specifically, a task force) to gather information and establish facts. Why a committee and not a task force? "We want it to be an official committee so it can all be on public record," Rep. Jonathan War...

With artificial intelligence issues -- and, specifically, the question of data centers -- set to be a top issue this election season and beyond, lawmakers in Bismarck have created a committee (not, specifically, a task force) to gather information and establish facts. Why a committee and not a task force? "We want it to be an official committee so it can all be on public record," Rep. Jonathan War...

Some conservation advocates say political leaders like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, and Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak are betraying Theodore Roosevelt's conservation legacy even as they attend the opening of a presdiential library dedicated to him. "When you see the attacks on national monuments, when you see national park staff being cut all across the bo...

Some conservation advocates say political leaders like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, and Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak are betraying Theodore Roosevelt's conservation legacy even as they attend the opening of a presdiential library dedicated to him. "When you see the attacks on national monuments, when you see national park staff being cut all across the bo...

There will be a lot to see when the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens in Medora next month. There will be traditional exhibits and artifacts and eight "adventure galleries" where visitors can learn from Theodore Roosevelt instead of just about him. Among the experiences available will be sitting around a camp fire and talking to characters from Roosevelt's era, a train ride experie...

There will be a lot to see when the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens in Medora next month. There will be traditional exhibits and artifacts and eight "adventure galleries" where visitors can learn from Theodore Roosevelt instead of just about him. Among the experiences available will be sitting around a camp fire and talking to characters from Roosevelt's era, a train ride experie...

Vern Thompson began this political cycle running for the U.S. House, but when delegates to the Democratic-NPL convention gave their endorsement to Trygve Hammer instead, he shifted his focus to a race for Agriculture Commissioner. It also marked a shift in Thompson's strategy. Of late he, and Hammer, have been courting votes from the far-right populist wing of the North Dakota Republican Party, wh...

Vern Thompson began this political cycle running for the U.S. House, but when delegates to the Democratic-NPL convention gave their endorsement to Trygve Hammer instead, he shifted his focus to a race for Agriculture Commissioner. It also marked a shift in Thompson's strategy. Of late he, and Hammer, have been courting votes from the far-right populist wing of the North Dakota Republican Party, wh...

"The public schools are state-run schools, and the state can certainly impose licensing requirements on the schools that it runs. It can have hiring qualifications for the teachers that it deems fit to teach in the public schools," Michael Bindas said on this episode of Plain Talk. "But private schools are meant to provide an alternative to the public school system. Something different. And this l...