Plain Talk

How hard is it to do revenue forecasts for the State of North Dakota, which is heavily dependent on revenues from commodity-driven industries like agriculture and energy? On this Plain Talk, Joe Morrissette, director of the Office of Management and Budget, gave one example: For 1$ that oil prices move, there's a roughly $36 million swing in state revenues. The war in Iran hasn't just driven oil prices $1 over projects. It's as much as $30 over, with no real certainty on where it will level off. "It's a significant significant swing in the state's financial picture in just a short time," Morrissette said. Still, all that additional revenue isn't expected to change production activity -- oil and gas producers aren't going to invest heavily in chasing a price that's probably not going to be sustained -- and doesn't change the state's budget picture all that much. "Even though we've got this inflow of oil tax revenues, it's really not changing significantly," he said. "Changing a little bit, but not significantly changing our budget challenge in the next biennium." Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I react to all the controversy stemming from the North Dakota Republican Party's divisive and dismal state convention. The populist activists who now control the party are attacking incumbents for not attending the convention, yet many of them have skipped past conventions, and even campaigned against convention-endorsed candidates. Former lawmaker Rick Becker, for instance, participate in a press conference that was critical of incumbents for skipping the convention. Yet Becker skipped the 2026 vacation to take a vacation in Belize. In 2024, he campaigned against convention-endorsed candidate Alex Balazs for the U.S. House. In 2022, he campaigned against convention-endorsed Sen. John Hoeven in the U.S. Senate race. Plus, we react to some listener feedback, including one message which argues that Democrats ought to use the votes some Republican lawmakers cast against approving a school meals bill against them this cycle. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

How hard is it to do revenue forecasts for the State of North Dakota, which is heavily dependent on revenues from commodity-driven industries like agriculture and energy? On this Plain Talk, Joe Morrissette, director of the Office of Management and Budget, gave one example: For 1$ that oil prices move, there's a roughly $36 million swing in state revenues. The war in Iran hasn't just driven oil prices $1 over projects. It's as much as $30 over, with no real certainty on where it will level off. "It's a significant significant swing in the state's financial picture in just a short time," Morrissette said. Still, all that additional revenue isn't expected to change production activity -- oil and gas producers aren't going to invest heavily in chasing a price that's probably not going to be sustained -- and doesn't change the state's budget picture all that much. "Even though we've got this inflow of oil tax revenues, it's really not changing significantly," he said. "Changing a little bit, but not significantly changing our budget challenge in the next biennium." Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I react to all the controversy stemming from the North Dakota Republican Party's divisive and dismal state convention. The populist activists who now control the party are attacking incumbents for not attending the convention, yet many of them have skipped past conventions, and even campaigned against convention-endorsed candidates. Former lawmaker Rick Becker, for instance, participate in a press conference that was critical of incumbents for skipping the convention. Yet Becker skipped the 2026 vacation to take a vacation in Belize. In 2024, he campaigned against convention-endorsed candidate Alex Balazs for the U.S. House. In 2022, he campaigned against convention-endorsed Sen. John Hoeven in the U.S. Senate race. Plus, we react to some listener feedback, including one message which argues that Democrats ought to use the votes some Republican lawmakers cast against approving a school meals bill against them this cycle. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

In the world of journalism, it's a truth that we can tend to focus on the negative. "Safe airplane landings aren't news," the adage goes. There's a reason for that. The proverbial airplanes are supposed to land safely. When they don't, and when people and property are hurt, we want to know what happened, and why it happened, and who is responsible. Sometimes, though, it behooves us to talk about the planes that land safely. When we report about economic development programs, we tend to focus on the fails. The marginal companies that gobbled up lots of public dollars and then went out of business, or got preferential treatment because they were owned and operated by someone related to someone else in a position of power in government. We need to tell those stories, but sometimes we also need to tell the success stories. Peter Chamberlain is the founder and CEO of WalkWise, a North Dakota-based startup that sells a product that attaches to the walkers and canes of the elderly and infirm, allowing family and medical professionals to track activity, monitor movement, and be alerted when there might be a problem. Chamberlain doesn't have any strong roots in North Dakota. What drew his business and his family here was the opportunities made available by the state's economic development efforts. "This is the world's first and only smart mobility aid attachment," Chamberlain told us of his product on this episode of Plain Talk. "I feel very confident in saying I would not be here today, WalkWise would not exist today, if it weren't for the programs that exist in North Dakota, that frankly don't exist other places," he added. "Life's good in North Dakota." It's not just the direct investment and support he's received through endeavors like the Legacy Fund's in-state investment program. Chamberlain also credits "ecosystem builders" working in the Commerce Department and elsewhere who helped him connect with people and other businesses, including a manufacturer in tiny Cayuga, North Dakota, where the WorkWise product is made. He emphasized how much he likes working with a local manufacturer because he can physically visit the plant and the owners are "invested personally" in the product's success. Also on this episode, me and co-host Chad Oban talk about the upcoming NDGOP convention, the party's efforts to keep me from attending to report on the event, and whether political parties ought to continue to have special access to the state ballot. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

In the world of journalism, it's a truth that we can tend to focus on the negative. "Safe airplane landings aren't news," the adage goes. There's a reason for that. The proverbial airplanes are supposed to land safely. When they don't, and when people and property are hurt, we want to know what happened, and why it happened, and who is responsible. Sometimes, though, it behooves us to talk about the planes that land safely. When we report about economic development programs, we tend to focus on the fails. The marginal companies that gobbled up lots of public dollars and then went out of business, or got preferential treatment because they were owned and operated by someone related to someone else in a position of power in government. We need to tell those stories, but sometimes we also need to tell the success stories. Peter Chamberlain is the founder and CEO of WalkWise, a North Dakota-based startup that sells a product that attaches to the walkers and canes of the elderly and infirm, allowing family and medical professionals to track activity, monitor movement, and be alerted when there might be a problem. Chamberlain doesn't have any strong roots in North Dakota. What drew his business and his family here was the opportunities made available by the state's economic development efforts. "This is the world's first and only smart mobility aid attachment," Chamberlain told us of his product on this episode of Plain Talk. "I feel very confident in saying I would not be here today, WalkWise would not exist today, if it weren't for the programs that exist in North Dakota, that frankly don't exist other places," he added. "Life's good in North Dakota." It's not just the direct investment and support he's received through endeavors like the Legacy Fund's in-state investment program. Chamberlain also credits "ecosystem builders" working in the Commerce Department and elsewhere who helped him connect with people and other businesses, including a manufacturer in tiny Cayuga, North Dakota, where the WorkWise product is made. He emphasized how much he likes working with a local manufacturer because he can physically visit the plant and the owners are "invested personally" in the product's success. Also on this episode, me and co-host Chad Oban talk about the upcoming NDGOP convention, the party's efforts to keep me from attending to report on the event, and whether political parties ought to continue to have special access to the state ballot. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

Today marks the first official day of the Major League Baseball -- opening day! It's become a tradition on the Plain Talk podcast that Kelly Armstrong, first as a member of Congress, and now as governor of the great state of North Dakota, comes on the show to talk about baseball -- and just baseball -- on opening day. Armstrong is a fan of the Mets, and says that started when he was 10 years old, watching the famous (some might say infamous) 1986 Mets win the World Series. "If you couldn't fall in love with the New York Mets in 1986, you were doing it wrong," he said, "and I didn't even know anything about cocaine then." The game has gone through some big changes in recent years. The governor says most of them have been positive, but he's in wait-and-see mode on this new challenge system for balls and strikes. "The pitch clock was such a huge, great thing for the game. The not letting the relievers switch out five times in an inning, mound visits, throw over, they've speeded the game up," he said." They've got it a little closer to society. If this [pitch challenge system] bogs it back down again, I don't think it's a success." With conflict looming between the MLB owners and the players, Armstrong says he'd be ok with a salary cap, as long as there's also a threshold teams have to meet for investing in their rosters. "I would be okay with a cap if there's also a floor," he said. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the fight in Congress over the SAVE Act, travel delays thanks to dysfunctin in Washington D.C., the looming economic cost of the war in Iran, the importance of access to records from law enforcement investigations pertaining to public officials, and we answered some listner feedback. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

Today marks the first official day of the Major League Baseball -- opening day! It's become a tradition on the Plain Talk podcast that Kelly Armstrong, first as a member of Congress, and now as governor of the great state of North Dakota, comes on the show to talk about baseball -- and just baseball -- on opening day. Armstrong is a fan of the Mets, and says that started when he was 10 years old, watching the famous (some might say infamous) 1986 Mets win the World Series. "If you couldn't fall in love with the New York Mets in 1986, you were doing it wrong," he said, "and I didn't even know anything about cocaine then." The game has gone through some big changes in recent years. The governor says most of them have been positive, but he's in wait-and-see mode on this new challenge system for balls and strikes. "The pitch clock was such a huge, great thing for the game. The not letting the relievers switch out five times in an inning, mound visits, throw over, they've speeded the game up," he said." They've got it a little closer to society. If this [pitch challenge system] bogs it back down again, I don't think it's a success." With conflict looming between the MLB owners and the players, Armstrong says he'd be ok with a salary cap, as long as there's also a threshold teams have to meet for investing in their rosters. "I would be okay with a cap if there's also a floor," he said. Also on this episode, co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the fight in Congress over the SAVE Act, travel delays thanks to dysfunctin in Washington D.C., the looming economic cost of the war in Iran, the importance of access to records from law enforcement investigations pertaining to public officials, and we answered some listner feedback. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

There is a furious national debate about the SAVE Act -- federal legislation backed by Republicans aimed at creating tough new national standards for election security -- and North Dakota occupies a unique role in it. Our state is the only state without voter registration. The SAVE Act, as it is presently amended, contains exemptions to maintain that status, and Sec. of State Michael Howe says that's appropriate, because current North Dakota laws already make our elections very secure. "I like to tell people North Dakota's been dealing with election integrity well before it was cool," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. He pointed out that North Dakota already verifies the citizenship of voters. "If you're getting a North Dakota ID for the very first time, you have to prove your citizenship. We have that in our central voter file. If you're here legally but not a US citizen, it will say on your physical ID card, permanent or temporary." He also said that the state goes through great pains to ensure that the state's voter rolls do not contain the names of ineligible voters. "In North Dakota, we clean our voter roles every single night." "We get information from the Department of Transportation, that's involved in an interstate cross check program. So, if you move from North Dakota to the state of Tennessee and get a Tennessee identification card, state of Tennessee notifies our DOT who notifies the North Dakota Secretary of State's office and we can do that overnight," he continued. "The DOCR, if someone's incarcerated, they notify the Secretary of State's office, this person's incarcerated, they're not a qualified elector anymore. Someone passes away, we get an update from Vital Records every single night that so-and-so has passed away in some place, North Dakota, and they're removed from our central voter file." Howe is up for re-election this year and he, like the other Republican statewide incumbents, has opted not to attend the North Dakota Republican Party's endorsing convention. "I attended as many district conventions as I could um in all four corners of the state. In talking with folks, they just said, 'Hey, look, Michael, we support you 100%. We'll do we'll knock doors. We'll contribute, but we just don't want to go to Minot," he said, referring to the location for the convention. "I fully understand and respect why Republicans in North Dakota have been turned off by this process," he continued. "It makes me sad. I hope it comes back uh to what it was." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Jessica Bell discussed the debate between endorsing conventions and open primaries, the proper role of public servants, and we responded to a letter to the editor from Rep. Desiree Morton critical of my reporting on the state of the NDGOP. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

There is a furious national debate about the SAVE Act -- federal legislation backed by Republicans aimed at creating tough new national standards for election security -- and North Dakota occupies a unique role in it. Our state is the only state without voter registration. The SAVE Act, as it is presently amended, contains exemptions to maintain that status, and Sec. of State Michael Howe says that's appropriate, because current North Dakota laws already make our elections very secure. "I like to tell people North Dakota's been dealing with election integrity well before it was cool," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. He pointed out that North Dakota already verifies the citizenship of voters. "If you're getting a North Dakota ID for the very first time, you have to prove your citizenship. We have that in our central voter file. If you're here legally but not a US citizen, it will say on your physical ID card, permanent or temporary." He also said that the state goes through great pains to ensure that the state's voter rolls do not contain the names of ineligible voters. "In North Dakota, we clean our voter roles every single night." "We get information from the Department of Transportation, that's involved in an interstate cross check program. So, if you move from North Dakota to the state of Tennessee and get a Tennessee identification card, state of Tennessee notifies our DOT who notifies the North Dakota Secretary of State's office and we can do that overnight," he continued. "The DOCR, if someone's incarcerated, they notify the Secretary of State's office, this person's incarcerated, they're not a qualified elector anymore. Someone passes away, we get an update from Vital Records every single night that so-and-so has passed away in some place, North Dakota, and they're removed from our central voter file." Howe is up for re-election this year and he, like the other Republican statewide incumbents, has opted not to attend the North Dakota Republican Party's endorsing convention. "I attended as many district conventions as I could um in all four corners of the state. In talking with folks, they just said, 'Hey, look, Michael, we support you 100%. We'll do we'll knock doors. We'll contribute, but we just don't want to go to Minot," he said, referring to the location for the convention. "I fully understand and respect why Republicans in North Dakota have been turned off by this process," he continued. "It makes me sad. I hope it comes back uh to what it was." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Jessica Bell discussed the debate between endorsing conventions and open primaries, the proper role of public servants, and we responded to a letter to the editor from Rep. Desiree Morton critical of my reporting on the state of the NDGOP. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

Angela Lipps is a Tennesee grandmother who, through no fault of her own, is making headlines in North Dakota, and the region, and the nation, for something you don't want to make headlines for. She was subjected to arrest at gun point, months of detainment during the extradition process, all because the Fargo Police Department used an artificial intelligence facial recognition tool to match her to security camera footage of a suspect who allegedly defrauded banks in North Dakota. Lipps was quickly released when her Fargo-based defense attorney, Jay Greenwood, submitted finaicial records and other evidence to authorities showing that she was in Tennessee when they allege she was in North Dakota committing fraud. "Imagine what the best case scenario in in this situation for the Fargo PD is," Greenwood said on this episode of Plain Talk. "Let's say they have some new evidence and they discover that Angela Lips was the one that actually did do this. I don't think she did based on what I've seen. But let's say they do that and they say, 'Nope, we're going to recharge her.' So, they have to start this entire process over again, having screwed this entire thing up the first time because they didn't have the evidence that they needed before they charged her." "They brought her to Tennessee. They held her in Tennessee. They flew her on an airplane to North Dakota. They held her in North Dakota. Paid for all of that stuff," he continued. "Then they got some information, dismissed the case instead of, you know, using all this new evidence. And now she's back in Tennessee. And if they find something new, now we start the process all over again. And in addition to that, after all this uproar and the ineffective way that the Fargo police went about this, imagine trying to empanel a 12 person jury in Cass County that is going to listen to any of this. "It's just the best case scenario for the Fargo PD is a nightmare." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Jessica Bell weigh in on the ongoing debate over data centers -- two central North Dakota counties in coal country have instituted moratoriums against the facilities -- and we respond to listener feedback. 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 Casts | Episode Archive

Angela Lipps is a Tennesee grandmother who, through no fault of her own, is making headlines in North Dakota, and the region, and the nation, for something you don't want to make headlines for. She was subjected to arrest at gun point, months of detainment during the extradition process, all because the Fargo Police Department used an artificial intelligence facial recognition tool to match her to security camera footage of a suspect who allegedly defrauded banks in North Dakota. Lipps was quickly released when her Fargo-based defense attorney, Jay Greenwood, submitted finaicial records and other evidence to authorities showing that she was in Tennessee when they allege she was in North Dakota committing fraud. "Imagine what the best case scenario in in this situation for the Fargo PD is," Greenwood said on this episode of Plain Talk. "Let's say they have some new evidence and they discover that Angela Lips was the one that actually did do this. I don't think she did based on what I've seen. But let's say they do that and they say, 'Nope, we're going to recharge her.' So, they have to start this entire process over again, having screwed this entire thing up the first time because they didn't have the evidence that they needed before they charged her." "They brought her to Tennessee. They held her in Tennessee. They flew her on an airplane to North Dakota. They held her in North Dakota. Paid for all of that stuff," he continued. "Then they got some information, dismissed the case instead of, you know, using all this new evidence. And now she's back in Tennessee. And if they find something new, now we start the process all over again. And in addition to that, after all this uproar and the ineffective way that the Fargo police went about this, imagine trying to empanel a 12 person jury in Cass County that is going to listen to any of this. "It's just the best case scenario for the Fargo PD is a nightmare." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Jessica Bell weigh in on the ongoing debate over data centers -- two central North Dakota counties in coal country have instituted moratoriums against the facilities -- and we respond to listener feedback. 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 Casts | Episode Archive