Plain Talk

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.