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Will Supreme Court permit Trump’s power grab?

National Columnists

I think the Supreme Court will rule against President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs. That said, it’s just remarkable that the vote will not be 9-0. Trump is claiming sweeping powers to impose (and rescind and reimpose and re-rescind) tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), which was a revised version of the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 (TWEA). The question for the Court was whether IEEPA actually grants the president power to impose tariffs – though the word “tariff” does not appear in the text of the law and no president ...

No veteran should go hungry in America

National Columnists

According to U.S. government data and recent policy studies, nearly 25% of America’s veterans live either below the federal poverty level or paycheck to paycheck, with little margin for unexpected expenses. To get by, many adopt emergency-level budgets. But even the harshest austerity measures may not be enough. Life at the bottom still costs money. Mortgages and rent must be paid. Vehicles are needed to reach work or medical appointments. So, what can be cut? Too often, it’s food — eating less or sacrificing nutrition. Tragically, many veterans and their families face this ...

Parks impacted by federal shutdown

Letters to the Editor

Lillian Crook, Bismarck So here we are, November 2025. The National Parks in North Dakota are shut down, including Knife River Indian Villages and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the only national park in the United States named after a President, whose birthday was in October. No visitor center, no rangers, some restrooms, which we can only hope someone is stocking with toilet paper. 25% of the National Park Service staff have been fired since January 2025. Look it up. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been reading lots of stories about the grand opening of the Theodore ...

Proud Americans, not terrorists, join rally

Letters to the Editor

Jerry Ness, Nome After being told by House Speaker Mike Johnson that the crowd would consist of anti-American, Hamas supporting terrorists, we were filled with trepidation and concern. Our minds were filled with scenes of violence and debauchery. Maybe Central Avenue would be ablaze. Perhaps the bakery would be being looted by crazy people scooping up glazed doughnuts and long-johns. I had visions of farmers throwing soybeans at local law enforcement. Our hearts were filled with fear as we descended the hill past the Bubble. Imagine our surprise when we found a large, calm, and ...

‘Emergency’ label magic key in Washington

National Columnists

In Washington today, the word “emergency” is a magic key; it unlocks powers Congress never granted, suspends the discipline of regular order and decorates bloated bills with provisions too dubious to pass on their own. What was once meant to be a narrow exception for genuine crises has become a routine pretext for government overreach — a means of inflating executive power and corroding the nation’s fiscal credibility. Start with the most brazen claim, and one soon to be scrutinized by the Supreme Court: that a president may impose sweeping tariffs under the International ...

Hunger games need to make changes

National Columnists

There are an estimated 42 million people receiving food aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. The figure represents 12.3 percent of the U.S. population, according to the USDA. In the richest nation on Earth that is not something to brag about. It is, or ought to be, a disgrace. SNAP is a casualty of the government “shutdown,” though two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to restore funds to the program. On Monday, President Trump said he will use a contingency fund to cover only 50 percent of SNAP benefits ...