GREG GIANFORTE

The tax-cutting trend is going full force in states even as some are raising concerns about a slowing economy.

On Wednesday, the Oregon Legislature passed a package of bills that would require cities to set housing development goals and appropriate $200 million for affordable housing development. But even most opponents of state housing mandates admit there is a dearth of affordable housing. The state would step in and override local zoning rules that limit new housing production in any place that fails to meet the target. “It could actually substantively affect the housing crisis in New York state, if it were to pass in its full intent,” Armlovich said. Neither chamber of the New York state Legislature has included Hochul’s housing measure in their recent budget counteroffers to the governor.

Tucker Carlson asked Montana's governor about amateur video purporting to show a strange explosion over Billings., Mont. -- even as others at Fox News were trying to debunk it.

The suspected Chinese spy balloon, which has slowly transitioned across the United States over the last two days, now sits above North Carolina.

Montana Governor Gregory Gianforte, a Republican, spoke out about the Chinese surveillance balloon that violated his state's airspace earlier.

The proposed settlement was filed in W.R. Grace & Co.'s bankruptcy case in Delaware for the Libby Asbestos Superfund Site in Lincoln County. Asbestos from a vermiculite mine owned by W.R. Grace beginning in 1963 polluted the area until the mine was shuttered in 1990. W.R. Grace agreed in a 2008 settlement to pay the EPA $250 million for cleanup work. The money would be used to restore, replace or rehabilitate damaged natural resources, state officials said. W.R. Grace would also provide the state with financial assurances for the operation and maintenance of an impoundment dam that holds asbestos-laden tailings from the former mine.

— (AP) — A Montana judge said he would decide Tuesday whether to continue temporary limits he placed on wolf hunting or to restore quotas and hunting methods pending a trial over changes in the way the state estimates the size of the wolf population, which informs hunting quotas. The environmental groups also argue the state hasn’t updated its wolf conservation plan to include recent data and scientific studies and did not adequately take into consideration public comment urging decreased wolf hunting this season. He also said poaching numbers — which he said were in the single digits each year — are taken into account when estimating the wolf population. Greg Gianforte to halt wolf hunting just outside the park after nearly two dozen park wolves were killed by hunters, mostly in Montana. He was later given a warning for violating state hunting regulations by failing to take a mandatory trapper education course before killing the wolf.

Montana officials asked a judge Monday to lift the restraining order on how many wolf kills a person can have this winter. Environmentalists sued the state in October over its regulations.

A fight for a Montana supreme court seat has become a proxy for a larger battle over the state’s independent judiciary and constitution by hard-line Republicans.

Montana health officials on Friday made permanent a rule that blocks transgender people from changing their birth certificates even if they undergo gender-confirmation surgery. The move by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte's administration comes just days before a court will hear arguments over the legality of a similar rule that's been in effect on an emergency basis since May. The ACLU of Montana has asked state Judge Michael Moses to strike down the emergency rule. Moses in April had temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it difficult for transgender people to change their birth certificate.

The 21-vehicle pileup was the result of an isolated extreme weather event where a dust storm caused blackout conditions on Interstate 90.

APTOPIX Montana Highway Pileup First responders work the scene on Interstate 90 after a fatal pileup where at least 20 vehicles crashed near Hardin, Mont., Friday, July 15, 2022. (Amy Lynn Nelson/The Billings Gazette via AP) (Amy Lynn Nelson)Two children are among the six people who died in a Montana pileup after a Friday evening dust storm caused blackout conditions on Interstate 90, a major route in both Montana and the Western U.S.Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who oversees the highway patrol, said in a statement that the Montana Highway Patrol, which he oversees, was investigating. Before the pileup, storms popped up in central southern Montana between 1 and 2 p.m. and slowly began moving east, said Nick Vertz, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Billings. A so-called outflow — or a surge of wind that's produced by storms — flew about 30 miles (48 kilometers) ahead of the storms, Vertz said.

APTOPIX Montana Highway Pileup First responders work the scene on Interstate 90 after a fatal pileup where at least 20 vehicles crashed near Hardin, Mont., Friday, July 15, 2022. Twenty-one vehicles crashed Friday evening and Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. While the highway patrol did not have an immediate count of the number of injuries, Nelson said additional ambulances had to be called in from Billings to help. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who oversees the highway patrol, said in a statement: "The Montana Highway Patrol is on the scene with other first responders and investigating the incident. Those storms prompted a severe thunderstorm watch that covered Hardin and other parts of Montana from mid-afternoon until 9 p.m. Friday.

The Friday crash on Interstate 90 outside of Hardin, Mont., involved 21 vehicles, including six semi-trucks, authorities said.

Montana pileup: Traffic was backed up on Interstate in Montana after a dust storm and high winds caused a pileup, killing six people. — Six people died after a dust storm caused a large crash on a Montana interstate on Friday, authorities said. Jay Nelson, a spokesman for the Montana Highway Patrol, told the newspaper. “As we got closer into the dust storm, you could start seeing the vehicles in the ditch,” Landa Uffelman told KRTV. “The Montana Highway Patrol is on the scene with other first responders and investigating the incident.

Six people have died after a dust storm fueled by wind gusts topping 60 mph caused a pileup Friday evening on Interstate 90 in Montana, authorities said.

Six people have died after a dust storm fueled by wind gusts topping 60 mph caused a pileup Friday evening on Interstate 90 in Montana, authorities said.

At least 20 vehicles crashed, the Montana Highway Patrol said.

APTOPIX Montana Highway Pileup Traffic is backed up on Interstate 90 after a fatal pileup where at least 20 vehicles crashed near Hardin, Mont., Friday, July 15, 2022. (Amy Lynn Nelson/The Billings Gazette via AP) (Amy Lynn Nelson)Six people have died after a dust storm fueled by wind gusts topping 60 mph caused a pileup Friday evening on Interstate 90 in Montana, authorities said. Twenty-one vehicles crashed and Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. “It appears as though there was heavy winds, causing a dust storm with zero visibility,” he said. Those storms prompted a severe thunderstorm watch that covered Hardin and other parts of Montana from mid-afternoon until 9 p.m. Friday.

APTOPIX Montana Highway Pileup Traffic is backed up on Interstate 90 after a fatal pileup where at least 20 vehicles crashed near Hardin, Mont., Friday, July 15, 2022. (Amy Lynn Nelson/The Billings Gazette via AP) (Amy Lynn Nelson)At least five people have died after a pileup Friday evening on Interstate 90 in Montana, authorities said. At least 20 vehicles crashed and Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. While the highway patrol did not have an immediate count of the number of injuries, Nelson said additional ambulances had to be called in from Billings to help. Greg Gianforte said on Twitter: “I’m deeply saddened by the news of a mass casualty crash near Hardin.

Yellowstone National Park Flooding Visitors take pictures of a bison herd in the Hayden Valley, Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. He and his mother, who is from Bosnia, were on a cross country trip visiting national parks and Yellowstone was at the top of their list. Gracie Brennan of Kentucky and two of her friends were going to Yellowstone as part of a tour of national parks. Based on other national park disasters, it could take years and carry a steep price tag to rebuild. Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana at Yellowstone National Park’s south entrance in Wyoming contributed to this report.

Throngs of tourists have gleefully returned to watch geysers erupt and bison cross roads at Yellowstone National Park as it partially reopens following destructive floods.

The United States Geological Survey said the floods affecting Yellowstone National Park represent a 1-in-500-year event.

The governor’s office had initially declined to disclose Gov. Greg Gianforte's whereabouts or specify when he would return due to “security concerns,” even as many questioned why Gianforte was nowhere to be found.

The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection continued its case Monday.

RED LODGE, Mont. — (AP) — As punishing floods tore through Yellowstone National Park and neighboring Montana communities, the state's governor was nowhere to be seen. It just does,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said as he toured flood damage in Red Lodge on Friday. “Here’s a very simple message for people that have planned trips to Yellowstone Park: We’re open. ... I’ve got a decent working relationship with the governor and want to continue that.”___Hanson reported from Helena, Montana.

After a pilot crashed into a lake in Austin, Texas, paddleboarders on the water came to the rescue, pulling the pilot to safety.

RED LODGE, Mont. It just does,” said Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana as he toured flood damage in Red Lodge on Friday. In Red Lodge, Tester acknowledged he was in Washington this week working on a bill for veterans that passed the Senate on Thursday. Red Lodge remained under a boil-water advisory, and trucks supplied drinking water to half of the town that was without it. Associated Press journalists Brittany Peterson in Red Lodge, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

The popular tourist destination that sees about 2 million visitors every summer.

Montana's governor was not in Montana — or in the U.S. at all — when punishing floods hit Yellowstone National Park and communities on its fringes this week.

William Campbell/GettyMontana Gov. Greg Gianforte, whose tagline is “leading the Montana comeback,” may finally be coming back to Montana.The Republican governor, elected in 2020, spent the past workweek galavanting in Tuscany, Italy, as his constituents battled some of the worst floods in the state’s history, reports 8KPAX. Now, after at least four days away on a “personal” trip, Gianforte’s office confirmed the governor is expected back in the capital city of Helena sometime Thursday night.The

The governor’s office confirmed he was out of the country when it was noticed his lieutenant governor signed a statewide emergency declaration.

The governor’s office confirmed he was out of the country when it was noticed his lieutenant governor signed a statewide emergency declaration.

The governor’s office confirmed he was out of the country when it was noticed his lieutenant governor signed a statewide emergency declaration.

Gianforte’s office has said he left for a personal trip outside of the country with his wife before heavy rains deluged southwest Montana.

Yellowstone National Park prepares for limited re-opening as surrounding communities grapple with flood damage

American Prairie-Bison Restoration FILE - In this April 25, 2012, file photo, a herd of bison move through land controlled by the American Prairie Reserve south of Malta, Mont. U.S. officials on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, announced approved of the reserve's proposal to expand bison grazing on public lands in north-central Montana. The decision allows the American Prairie group to graze bison on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property and to remove about 30 miles (48 kilometers) of fences so the animals can roam more freely. The Bozeman-based group already has more than 800 bison on a mix of public and private land. Greg Gianforte sharply criticized federal officials after American Prairie received preliminary approval for the reserve last August.

U.S. officials have approved a conservation group’s proposal to expand bison grazing on prairies in Montana amid objections from some ranchers and elected officials.

U.S. officials on Wednesday announced approval of a conservation group's proposal to expand bison grazing on prairies in north-central Montana as part of a vast nature reserve over objections from some ranchers and elected officials. The decision allows the American Prairie group to graze bison on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property and to remove about 30 miles (48 kilometers) of fences so the animals can roam more freely. Its long-term goal is to piece together a 5,000-square-mile (12,950-square-kilometer) expanse that would include the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and have thousands of bison and other wildlife.

A ‘Washington Post’ story on Greg Gianforte’s latest hunting escapades is misleading, which is a shame, because its subject deserves much more scrutiny

Park officials call the deaths "a significant setback for the species' long-term viability and for wolf research." One pack is now considered "eliminated."

Yellowstone Wolves Killed This Jan. 24, 2018, photo released by the National Park Service shows a wolf from the Wapiti Lake pack silhouetted by a nearby hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Park officials say hunters in neighboring states have killed 20 of the park's renown gray wolves in recent months, most of them in Montana after the state lifted hunting restrictions near the park. Park officials said in a statement to AP that the deaths mark “a significant setback for the species’ long-term viability and for wolf research." But with months to go in Montana's wolf hunting season —- and wolf trapping season just getting underway — park officials said they expect more wolves will die after roaming from Yellowstone, where hunting is prohibited. “Allowances for trapping and especially baiting are a major concern, especially if these tactics lure wolves out of the park,” Yellowstone spokesperson Morgan Warthin said.

Twenty of Yellowstone National Park’s renowned gray wolves roamed from the park and were shot by hunters in neighboring states in recent months.

Two of Montana’s top officials and heads of other state agencies want to stop an attempt at placing small bison herds on lands where they once roamed.

Montana is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to lift threatened species protections for grizzly bears in the northern portion of the state, including areas in and around Glacier National Park, officials said Monday. Removing federal protections would give state wildlife officials more flexibility to deal with bears that get into conflicts, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said.

As of Sunday evening, five people were still hospitalized in stable condition.

The westbound train, Empire Builder, was on its way from Chicago to Seattle when it left the tracks Saturday after near Joplin, Mont., killing three people.

The Biden administration says federal protections may need to be restored for gray wolves in the western U.S. after Republican-led states made it much easier to kill the predators.

Greg Gianforte receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacist Drew Garton at a Walgreen's pharmacy in Helena, Mont. -- Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has promised to fight the new federal vaccine mandate in court. “Spreading inaccurate COVID-19 vaccine information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession and puts all patients at risk,” it reads. ___WASHINGTON — Senior Democratic senators are pressing Medicare to make information on nursing home COVID-19 vaccination rates easily accessible for consumers. ___LONDON — A leading scientist behind the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine says booster shots may be unnecessary for many people.

Greg Gianforte receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacist Drew Garton at a Walgreen's pharmacy in Helena, Mont. -- Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has promised to fight the new federal vaccine mandate in court. “Spreading inaccurate COVID-19 vaccine information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession and puts all patients at risk,” it reads. ___WASHINGTON — Senior Democratic senators are pressing Medicare to make information on nursing home COVID-19 vaccination rates easily accessible for consumers. ___LONDON — A leading scientist behind the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine says booster shots may be unnecessary for many people.

Greg Gianforte receives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from pharmacist Drew Garton at a Walgreen's pharmacy in Helena, Mont. -- Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has promised to fight the new federal vaccine mandate in court. ___WASHINGTON — Senior Democratic senators are pressing Medicare to make information on nursing home COVID-19 vaccination rates easily accessible for consumers. ___LONDON — A leading scientist behind the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine says booster shots may be unnecessary for many people. Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country with 100 million people, has reported 291,585 coronavirus cases and 16,836 confirmed deaths.

Vaccine Requirement Ban FILE - In this April 1, 2021 file photo, Montana Gov. While large companies across the U.S. have announced that the COVID-19 vaccine will be required for their employees to return to work in-person, there is one state where such requirements are banned: Montana. — (AP) — While many large companies across the U.S. have announced that COVID-19 vaccines will be required for their employees to return to work in-person, there is one state where such requirements are banned: Montana. Montana is the only state in the U.S. with a law like this for private employers, said Hemi Tewarson, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy. Facing the specter of a coronavirus surge, Montana employers are left to navigate their way to keep employees safe and the doors open.

While many large companies across the U.S. have announced that COVID-19 vaccines will be required for their employees to return to work in-person, there is one state where such requirements are banned: Montana. Under a new law passed by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature earlier this year, requiring vaccines as a condition for employment is deemed “discrimination” and a violation of the state’s human rights laws. Montana is the only state in the U.S. with a law like this for private employers, said Hemi Tewarson, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.

Firefighter crews from Utah and California are headed to Montana to help fight massive fires in Montana, even as bigger blazes rage back home.

Little and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, who was also left out of the discussions, wrote an open letter to the president on Wednesday about the snub.

Fifteen Republican governors have sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Secretary, urging that the U.S. Census bureau release redistricting data as soon as possible.

Problems for Pride Month FILE - In this March 15, 2021, file photo, demonstrators gather on the steps of the Montana State Capitol protesting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Helena, Mont. “These untold stories about what life is like for trans kids are contrasting with ‘Happy Pride, everybody.’”On June 1, the start of Pride Month, Florida Gov. Amid the disappointment, Pride festivities are proceeding, but many have been subject to downsizing, postponement and – in some cases -- controversy. But to many activists, these developments are offset by setbacks to transgender rights. She is relieved that the Biden administration, unlike its predecessor, pledges support for expanded LGBTQ rights, yet she says activists should be combative rather than complacent.

North Korea continues to claim a perfect record in keeping out the coronavirus in its latest report to the World Health Organization.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has tested positive for COVID-19 a few days after receiving his first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

It's not clear if or when the Supreme Court might consider any of them, or take some other path. In addition to three appointments to the Supreme Court, giving it a 6-3 conservative majority, Trump made scores of appointments to federal district and appellate courts. “This is a decision that the Supreme Court is going to need to make,” he said. “It is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law,” he said. AdNancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said it would be “shocking” if the Supreme Court agreed to consider the Mississippi case.

The mood is more sober now a mix of disappointment over Trumps defeat and hope that his legacy of judicial appointments will lead to future court victories limiting abortion rights. The mood is more sober now — a mix of disappointment over Trump’s defeat and hope that his legacy of judicial appointments will lead to future court victories limiting abortion rights. Meanwhile, Trump, whose administration took numerous steps to curtail abortion access, has been replaced as president by Joe Biden, a staunch supporter of abortion rights. Bullock supported abortion rights during eight years in office. Becerra and Biden are Roman Catholic, and the new administration's support for abortion rights poses a dilemma for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

California has lifted some stay-at-home orders in northern counties, while many orders remain in place where coronavirus cases are surging. The 270 million doses are being secured independent of the global COVAX facility aimed at distributing vaccines to lower-income countries. The state Health Department announced Wednesday that a man in his 60s who traveled to the UK in December has the variant. Spain has used just over half of the 1.1 million doses delivered to the country. Portugal has witnessed a record-breaking surge in coronavirus cases since it eased restrictions for the Christmas holiday.

“This was a status quo election.”Heading into Tuesday, Republicans had full control of 29 state legislatures compared to 19 for Democrats. “The reality is we are still running on very gerrymandered maps,” said Christina Polizzi, national press secretary for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. They were countered by the Republican state leadership committee, which had a target of about $70 million. But Republican redistricting power will be diminished in some states because of changes that occurred in recent years. Instead, Republicans added to their House ranks with more conservatives, increasing the potential to override vetoes by Democratic Gov.

FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 file photo, Missouri Republican Gov. Its the most hotly contested of the nations 11 governors races this fall. Which party holds the governor's office could be especially consequential over the next few years. In governor’s races, many of the attack ads are funded by each party’s governors association. In the governor’s race, he said Gianforte’s financial support of a Montana museum dedicated to creationist beliefs was a big problem.

They worked in tandem to attain huge riches in the corporate world before leveraging that success into a political juggernaut that has reshaped the state’s Republican Party. It's a shift Montana Democrats argue is out of step with the state’s independent-minded electorate. Gianforte, one of the wealthiest members of the U.S. House, has been boosted in his run for Montana governor by Daines’ clout. Democrats as recently as 2014 held both Montana U.S. Senate seats, the governor’s mansion and a bevy of other statewide offices. Daines and Gianforte “fit the party like a glove right now,” University of Montana political analyst Rob Saldin said.

– Vice President Mike Pence has canceled plans to attend a Trump campaign fundraiser in Montana following revelations that the event's hosts had expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. The change comes after the AP reported Wednesday that hosts Cayrn and Michael Borland in Bozeman, Montana, had shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts. The QAnon narrative has grown to include other long-standing conspiracy theories, gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters. Pence has said it's a conspiracy theory and last month told CBS, “I don’t know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand."" In April, she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon account by replying “Always” with a praying hands emoji.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied an attempt by the Montana secretary of state to restore Green Party candidates to the November ballot. Republican Secretary of State Corey Stapleton filed a motion Monday to halt the state Supreme Court order. Stapletons certification of the November ballot, sent to counties late Thursday, included an asterisk saying the secretary and other parties were challenging the Montana Supreme Court decision. Green Party candidates are believed to draw votes away from Democratic candidates. It was never determined who was behind the 2018 effort to get Green Party candidates on the Montana ballot.

Shortly after fireworks above Mount Rushmore disappeared into the night sky on Friday, South Dakota Gov. Noem had tested negative for COVID-19 shortly before welcoming Trump to South Dakota on Friday. But that runs counter to guidance from public health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that advises people to wear masks when interacting with people outside their household. As the number of people hospitalized from COVID-19 in South Dakota has decreased in recent weeks to just 59 people statewide, Noem has doubled down on her relaxed approach to the pandemic. Seidel said the governor worries about other effects of the virus, such as unemployment and domestic violence.

(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)MELBOURNE, Australia The hard-hit Australian state of Victoria has recorded 74 new coronavirus cases after announcing a record 108 new infections on Saturday. The agency says 43 of the newly reported cases were locally infected patients. ___BEIJING Chinese officials have reported eight new confirmed COVID-19 cases as a recent outbreak in Beijing appears to have largely run its course. ____AUSTIN, Texas Texas has reported its biggest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases 8,258. Texas health officials on Saturday said the states total number of confirmed coronavirus cases is now at 191,790.