Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s column:

• Today is Juneteenth
• Transparent Election Initiative
• Setback For Transgender Rights
• Stanley Cup Final
• One More Thing

TODAY IS JUNETEENTH: 

In case you forgot, today (June 19) is the Juneteenth federal holiday. 

Juneteenth, known as America’s Second Independence Day, has been commemorated as a federally recognized holiday since 2021, providing millions of Americans with a paid day off and the opportunity to commemorate the end of slavery. (Source) 

Juneteenth derives its name from June 19, 1865, the day that U.S. General Gordon Granger informed the enslaved individuals of Galveston, Texas, that they were officially free. Issued two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, Granger’s decree marked the end of slavery in the rebellious Confederate states. (Source)

TRANSPARENT ELECTION INITIATIVE:

Over the years, when writing about money in elections, I used the lyrics from the 1990 AC/DC song called “MoneyTalks.” The opening line goes like this, “Tailored suits, chauffeured cars, Fine hotels and big cigars, Up for grabs, up for a price…” You can view the video HERE. 

Every election, I think about how much money is being spent to elect candidates. It’s ridiculous. 

There is a movement in Montana that may change that. 

According to an article from the Daily Montanan, former Commissioner of Political Practice Jeff Mangan, along with former Governor Marc Racicot and former U.S. Senator Jon Tester, has kicked off an initiative to put a new idea forward for curbing the influence of dark money in politics. Dark money is a term used where corporations or organizations don’t have to disclose their donors or their gifted amounts, making it nearly impossible to tell who is involved in some political campaigns.

The Daily Montanan also reports that the idea, called the “Transparent Election Initiative,” would be a state constitutional amendment that would simply prohibit corporations from making political campaign donations, using the state’s power to control how corporations operate in the state. Mangan kicked off the initiative in a call with reporters on Wednesday.

I think this initiative would be a good thing. 

The Montana Free Press also covered the event HERE. 

SETBACK FOR TRANSGENDER RIGHTS:

The Associated Press and other sources are reporting that the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a jolting setback to transgender rights. The justices’ 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to Tennessee’s.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte was quick to applaud the decision on social media:

“Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decisive ruling, siding with states seeking to protect minor children from invasive medical treatments that can permanently alter their healthy, developing bodies. A great win to protect children across Montana.”

U.S. Senator Steve Daines chimed in via social media, saying, “Common sense prevails. Thank you SCOTUS for prioritizing the safety of minors above the radical left’s harmful agenda.”

The AP also reported that the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Susan Kressly, said the organization is “unwavering” in its support of gender-affirming care and “stands with pediatricians and families making health care decisions together and free from political interference.”

STANLEY CUP FINAL:

The Florida Panthers have won the Stanley Cup, repeating as champions. The Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers four games to two in the best-of-seven series. (Source)

It was a pretty good Stanley Cup Final as three of the games went to overtime. 

ONE MORE THING:

Every corpse on Mount Everest was once an extremely motivated person. (Pinterest) 

## THE END ##