Cutting through the noise with a little common sense. Here is what’s landing in today’s column:

• Operation Epic Fury
• Knudsen vs Helena
• Jacobsen’s Mailers
• Democratic Primary Debate
• One More Thing

OPERATION EPIC FURY:

Vice President JD Vance participated in a dignified transfer for Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, the seventh American service member who was killed in the U.S.-Iran conflict. (Source)

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that as many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the 10-day-old ​war with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told ‌Reuters on Tuesday. In a statement after ​Reuters published its report, the Pentagon estimated the figure to be approximately ​140 wounded and said the vast majority of them were ⁠minor.

The Associated Press is reporting that about 140 US troops have been wounded in the Iran war, including 8 severely and 108 who returned to duty, the Pentagon says. 

The U.S.-led war against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, is costing taxpayers roughly $1 billion to over $2 billion per day in the initial stages. Within the first two days, munitions usage alone cost an estimated $5.6 billion. Total costs for the first week could exceed $10 billion, driven by intense air/naval operations and expensive missile defense. (Source)

KNUDSEN VS HELENA:

The Helena Independent Record (IR) is reporting (Paywall) that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is demanding the city of Helena make changes to an immigration resolution city commissioners adopted in January within 15 days, saying it violates a 2021 law that forbids sanctuary cities in Montana, or he will sue, according to a letter he sent to Helena officials Tuesday.

For background, the IR reports that House Bill 200, passed in 2021, prohibits Montana from having so-called “sanctuary cities,” a term used for cities that have made policies blocking some federal immigration enforcement activities. Specifically, the law says local governments are not allowed to enact policies that restrict the exchange of information about someone’s immigration or citizenship status “for a lawful purpose.”

Knudsen’s tenure as Attorney General has established a clear pattern of litigation as political performance. While some expected a pivot following the departure of the Biden administration, his focus has simply shifted toward local targets, from challenging local governments to blocking voter-led ballot initiatives.

I hope the City of Helena stands their ground. 

JACOBSEN’S MAILERS:

The Montana Free Press (MTFP) is reporting that legislators on the State Administration and Veterans’ Affairs Interim Committee on Monday discussed subpoenaing information from Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen about the costs of mailing 467,000 postcards featuring an image of Jacobsen and President Donald Trump and Jacobsen’s response to a U.S. Department of Justice request for sensitive Montana voter information, among other issues. 

It did not appear that anyone from the SoS office showed up for the Committee meeting. 

The MTFP also reported that the Committee attorney, Andria Hardin, told legislators they have the power to subpoena information from government agencies for oversight purposes. Information requested by subpoena cannot be obtainable through a public records request, and subpoenas cannot be broader than necessary. Legislators said Monday that before subpoenaing Jacobsen’s office, they will ask one more time for answers to their questions. 

I think the Committee should put the hammer down (subpoena) on Jacobsen now instead of waiting. This issue has become ridiculous.  

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY DEBATE:

It’s good to see the candidates for Montana’s Western U.S. House District (MT-01) debating. The Montana Free Press (MTFP) has a report about a debate that was held in Whitefish that drew about 300 people. The candidates are Ryan Busse, Russell Cleveland, Matt Rains, and Sam Forstag. 

They were also debating in Butte last night (Tuesday). There are future debates listed on the Montana Democrats website HERE. 

Please feel free to send debate information or other political information you deem blog-worthy to The Western Word via Western_Word@Yahoo.com. 

ONE MORE THING:

Trump fired Kristi Noem. He did it by tweet while she was giving a speech. She never saw it coming. Now she knows how her dog felt. – Bill Maher 

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