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Former Montana senator says GOP maneuver could be a boon for Dems
Source note: Montana Free Press is an independent online nonprofit news organization based in Helena, Montana.
What happened
Last week, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines abruptly dropped out of the 2026 U.S. Senate race eight minutes before the state filing deadline, setting up his chosen successor, Kurt Alme, the U.S. Attorney for Montana, as the recognized MAGA candidate for the Republican primary in June. Just a few minutes later Alme filed Daines’ withdrawal, according to the Montana Free Press, and was immediately endorsed by Daines, Gov. Greg Gianforte, and President Donald J. Trump who gave his “complete and total endorsement.”
Why it matters
As the incumbent, Daines dominated the field. Had he announced his decision to retire from the Senate sooner, better known GOP candidates could have jumped into the June primary race. (Two other Republicans filed.) Jon Tester, a former Democratic senator, told the Montana Free Press the switcheroo was designed ”to keep certain people out of these races.” None of the three candidates is “particularly well known,” he said.
The math
Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate; Democrats have 45, plus two independents. Nationwide, 10 U.S. Senators have announced they will not run this year. In all, 35 seats are contested.
The upshot
Tester said the GOP U.S. Senate shakeup gives the four Democrats in the June primary an opportunity to compete in the General Election. “This has the potential to open it up,” the former U.S. Senator said.
Daines wasn’t the only Montana senator stirring controversy last week
At a hearing in the Capitol last Wednesday, Montana’s U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy assisted in the forcible removal of a retired Marine Brian McGinnis who was protesting the Iran war. McGinnis is running for the U.S. Senate as a Green Party candidate in North Carolina.
Dressed in full uniform, McGinnis resisted arrest and was accosted by Capitol Police. Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, dove into the fray. Sheehy lifted McGinnis’ legs and then yanked the his arm, which was clinging to a door hinge. In a video, McGinnis shouted, “America does not want to fight this war for Israel.” Seconds later, his hand was broken as Sheehy continued to pull.
In an analysis, Montana Free Press reported that Sheehy, who is pro-Israel and a proponent of the U.S. war on Iran, posted an image of himself on Feb. 28 using a cigarette to burn a photo of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Pennsylvania ACLU claps back: Feds drop subpoenas for identities of anonymous DHS critics
Source note: Pennsylvania Capital-Star, is part of the States Newsroom, a nonprofit network of statehouse news organizations in all 50 states.
The Trump administration has issued hundreds of administrative subpoenas to tech companies for identifying information about anonymous critics of the Department of Homeland Security, according to the New York Times.
But a Pennsylvania attorney suing on free speech grounds has gotten the federal government to drop the federal summons, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Meta, Reddit, Google and Discord have asked anonymous critics to provide their personal information. If they don’t object in court, the companies say “they will give the information to the government.”
After Loney filed requests to quash subpoenas for a community group and local resident, the federal government withdrew the summonses.
One of the summons involved the MontCo Community Watch Facebook page, which advised people of their rights when tracking or confronting immigration enforcement actions. DHS sought identifying information about the anonymous users from Meta, Facebook’s parent company. The Trump administration dropped the request shortly after the ACLU filed the case.
The feds also withdrew a subpoena to Google seeking identifying information about a citizen who sent an email to a DHS attorney in support of an Afghan asylum seeker.
Cincinnati has the highest gas prices in the nation as Iran war enters third week
Source note: This story is from the Cincinnati Enquirer, which was founded in 1841, and is owned by Gannett.
Gas prices are going up everywhere in the U.S. thanks to the Iran war.
Cincinnati has the dubious distinction of posting the biggest spike in prices, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Fuel at city pumps went up about 80 cents to $3.43 over the weekend. Fort Wayne, Indiana, came in No. 2 with a 76 cent increase, the gas tracking website Gas Buddy reported on Sunday.
Brent Crude was $60 a barrel before the war started. Today, the price is $110, the highest level since the pandemic, according to the New York Times.
On Friday, President Donald J. Trump told Reuters News Agency he didn’t have “any concern” about the price spike. “If they rise, they rise,” he said.
Help in a world of hurt
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