By Amy Dalrymple | Editor

From the left, Republican U.S. House Rep. Julie Fedorchak and Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer. (Photos courtesy of the campaigns)

By Michael Achterling

North Dakota’s Republican and Democrat U.S. House candidates agree citizens are battling affordability concerns, but differ on ways to bring prices down.

Republican incumbent Rep. Julie Fedorchak partially blamed increasing diesel prices on President Joe Biden for preventing new fuel refineries from being built in the country while defending her votes to continue the Iran war. Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer said Congress needs to assert its authority on the Iran war and tariffs to begin turning prices lower.

Dairy cows stand on a carousel as they are milked at Riverview’s Campbell Dairy in Wilkin County, Minnesota, on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

By Jeff Beach

A group of Wahpeton-area residents and the Dakota Resource Council are suing a state agency in a dispute over water for a large dairy farm. 

The North Dakota Department of Water Resources approved the sale of 500,000 gallons of water per day from the city of Wahpeton to the Southeast Water Users District. 

The Southeast Water Users District would be one source of water for the 12,500-cow Abercrombie Dairy, operated by Minnesota-based Riverview. 

The lawsuit against the Department of Water Resources seeks to invalidate the water agency’s dismissal of the group’s administrative challenge and to nullify the approval of the water sale. 

Icons for popular AI virtual assistant apps are seen on a smartphone screen. (Photo illustration by Getty Images)

By David Lightman

The challenges and dire threats surrounding the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence appear unlikely to move Congress or President Donald Trump to act as the U.S. Senate enters its last week before the midterms. 

The rapid emergence of the technology has sparked a host of policy debates, with some warning of an existential threat to humanity, requiring urgent attention. But the only action Congress could plausibly take before November’s elections is a relatively toothless measure aiming to control the massive consumer electricity costs of AI.

“A lot of people are afraid of the dark and change is difficult,” said Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va. “The amazement of AI just dumbfounds us all.”

The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on a plan to urge states to protect consumers from paying higher electricity costs from data centers. A lot of Democrats are balking at the legislation, which will need the support of 60 senators, saying the plan is weak. 

EARLIER ND MONITOR NEWS AND COMMENTARY
FROM STATES NEWSROOM

Watches are on display in a Swatch store on April 3, 2025, in Miami Beach, Florida. The Swiss company, and other in 60 countries that make up more than 99% of U.S. imports, is subject to Trump administration tariffs tied to labor standards. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

By Ashley Murray

Small businesses will once again challenge President Donald Trump’s tariffs in federal court this week as they continue to feel the squeeze of the administration’s roller coaster policy on import taxes.

Spice importer Burlap & Barrel and rare watch importer Collective Horology will argue Wednesday in the Court of International Trade in New York City that the Trump administration did not properly establish forced labor cases against dozens of U.S. trading partners before levying duties on goods that numerous American importers buy.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative announced in late July that products from 60 top U.S. trading partners will be tariffed at 10% or 12.5%, depending on whether governments have or have not developed laws meant to combat forced labor. The new tariffs cover 99.4% of all goods imported into the United States, according to the office.

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