US Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) wants to see Jeanette Rankin’s face on the new $10 bill, while Billings’ School District 2 wants to see her name on a new middle school (the Jeanette Rankin Wildcats?). Meanwhile in “God’s Country,” Glacier sees it’s 100 millionth visitor. Oh wait, did I say “God’s Country?” I can probably expect some protestors. Plus, who is the biggest loser following the Obama Admin’s ban on “trans-fats?” You might be surprised at the answer. Those stories and much more are in this week’s Political Trough.
The Daily Inter Lake: Glacier Park welcomes 100 millionth visitor
Becky Janssen of Bakersfield, California, was greeted Thursday morning by park officials and a gaggle of media at the West Glacier entrance station, where she arrived with her son and daughter for their first-ever trip to the park.
As a representative of the 100 millionth visitor, Janssen was presented with a free federal lands pass and a basket of gifts and gift certificates from the park’s partners.
Asked how she felt when park officials came up to tell her the news, she laughed and said, “I thought I was in trouble!”
God’s Country- Montana. Great pic. (Although, now that I referred to it as God’s country, I can probably expect protestors from the MT Democratic Party to show up outside of my radio studio this morning)
Posted by Aaron Flint on Thursday, June 18, 2015
MTPR: “Not everybody’s summer road trip around Montana generates headlines at every stop, but Greg Gianforte’s does” #MTPol
— Aaron Flint (@aaronflint) June 18, 2015
MTPR.org: Greg Gianforte’s Montana Tour Fuels Political Speculation
For the last two weeks Gianforte and his wife Susan have been visiting 30 cities and towns from one end of Montana to the other, talking about their idea to boost the state’s average wage by getting people who’ve left the state to return, and to bring their high paying jobs back with them and work remotely instead. He says telecomuters could have a big economic impact.
Warm reception is a pretty accurate description of the two meetings Gianforte had that I attended, in Conrad and Shelby. He didn’t talk at all about politics at either meeting.
A couple of folks interviewed by MTPR, who didn’t know Gianforte could be a potential candidate for Governor, offered this reaction:
“No, I didn’t, Bucklin said, “that’d be great!”
“That’d be awesome!” said Finlayson. “He sounds like a great guy.”
As for Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT). Here’s exclusive video of the reaction he got from staff at the Montana Democratic Party headquarters when asked about facing a challenge from Gianforte:
Hilarious sidenote- this has got to be the headline of the week. Here’s The Sidney Herald’s actual headline: Man stresses bringing people back to state
Tech entrepreneur and possible gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte has been a proud Montanan for some 20 years, and is working to make it easier for Montanans to stay in their beloved state to work.
“Most people from Montana love the quality of life and would love to come back,” Gianforte told a small group who came to hear him speak at the Moose Lodge in Sidney Thursday. “The impediment is they can’t make a living here.”
Politico’s Playbook: TOP TALKER – Treasury “Secretary Lew Announces Historic Decision to Feature a Woman on the Newly Redesigned Ten Dollar Note” —
“Lew will select a notable woman — with a focus on celebrating a champion for our inclusive democracy. … Treasury is asking the American people to share ideas, symbols, and designs for the new $10 note that reflect what democracy means to them.” #TheNew10 www.thenew10.treasury.gov
RT if you agree that #JeannetteRankin should be the new face on the $10 bill! #TheNew10 #mtpol @USTreasury
— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) June 18, 2015
Speaking of Jeannette Rankin, the Montanan who became the first woman in Congress, School District 2 in Billings wants to name the new middle school after her. Apparently some are concerned about potential connotations of the “Jeannette Rankin Wildcats” mascot, though.
KTVQ-TV: SD2 will request more input on West End middle school’s name; decides on mascot, colors
After an hour of discussion, the board narrowed the list of names to two: Jeannette Rankin and Rimview.
SD2 agreed on the mascot of Wildcats in an unanimous vote after tabling the middle school name.
Politico’s Morning Energy: MEANWHILE, IN ALBERTA
Exxon-owned Imperial Oil confirmed Tuesday that its Kearl project is set to double in capacity ahead of schedule, ultimately mining more than 100,000 barrels per day of the same heavy Canadian crude that Keystone would ship if approved. The nearly $9 billion Kearl ramp-up comes as Canadian producers grapple with a financial crunch caused by low oil prices, but underscores the viability of preserving oil sands expansion projects that were set in motion before the current downturn in crude costs.
Washington Examiner: U.S. exports to China hit record $120.8 billion
USCBC President John Frisbie added, “Over the past decade, U.S. exports to China have increased 198 percent; that is greater than growth to any of the other top ten U.S. export markets, including our two largest trading partners, Canada (47 percent growth) and Mexico (102 percent growth).”
Hey, sorry your security clearance info was hacked, but here- sit through this stupid powerpoint presentation.
Per The Washington Free Beacon:
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is deploying “government coaches” to teach employees “self-reflection, creativity, and problem solving,” just after the agency disclosed it was the target of the biggest cyber attack in U.S. history.
The agency built a government-wide database to deploy federal workers to coach their counterparts in other agencies, in an attempt to boost morale.
The Kicker….from Politico’s Morning Agriculture: TRANS FAT’S BIGGEST LOSER?
The FDA’s decision to get rid of the remaining trans fat in food may be great for the health of Americans, but not so much for the Sumatran orangutan.
The apes, of which there are only about 7,300 left, are losing their habitat to palm plantations that have boomed in response to the demand for palm oil, a trans fat free replacement of choice by the food industry in certain applications. Now with the FDA’s determination on partially hydrogenated oils made final, “It’s definitely a concern that now that there will be a fresh spike in the use of palm oil,” said Laurel Sutherlin, a spokesman for Rainforest Action Network. “It would be extremely unfortunate for some of these brands to go from something bad to something arguably worse.”