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Opinions

Fulcher Introduces Bill Expanding Free Access to National Parks for Foster Families

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 15, 2026CONTACT: Christianne.Allen@mail.house.gov WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (Idaho-01) released the following statement after introducing the Promoting Access to Recreation for Kids in Foster Settings (PARKS) Act, H.R. 9145. The legislation would add licensed foster care families to the list of those who can access America the Beautiful passes free of charge. “I’m […]

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John Livingston

When Medicine Becomes an Ideological Sorting Machine

Several years ago, I sat down with a group of residency program directors in the offices of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The department’s director at the time, Richard Armstrong, was not present, but two representatives from his agency joined us to explain the funding and deployment of assets for the new Idaho […]

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John Livingston

Not Hungry Enough

The phrase came to me secondhand, but it landed with uncommon force: “People in this country just aren’t hungry enough.” A close friend—recovering from a serious health crisis—told me this after an unexpected immersion in something he had rarely watched before: the evening news. Night after night, from a hospital bed, he observed street demonstrations, […]

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Bob's Words

Why America has Survived as a Republic for 250 Years

What our Founders Actually Believed: America’s Founders were not guessing when they wrote the First and Second Amendments. They had lived under a government that suppressed speech, taxed without consent, and quartered soldiers in private homes. They designed the Bill of Rights as a direct structural response to specific tyrannies they had experienced personally. The […]

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Podcast

PODCAST: Idaho’s Immigration, School Choice & Medicaid Fights

This episode is a wide-ranging conservative survey of the Idaho fights shaping the current political cycle — a tour through immigration, education, the state budget, and a coming abortion ballot measure, framed around a single question: who is really paying, and who is really benefiting. It opens on illegal immigration and public safety before making […]

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Opinions

China, AI, and why America Cannot Afford to Lose This Race

Last week, I talked about the objection to data centers is really about objecting to AI. To understand why American AI leadership matters, you need to understand why China is pursuing AI with such urgency — and what they intend to do with it. China has a serious demographic problem. Decades of the one-child policy […]

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Opinions

Road Safety

Over several decades there has been a myriad of advancements that make driving much safer and reducing the number of deaths. This includes developments such as seat belts, air bags, computer-controlled braking, back up cameras, child safety seats, and technologies that provide driver assistance. As vehicles have become more technologically sophisticated, they can almost drive […]

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Opinions

2026 Idaho GOP State Convention

Dear Republicans, We look forward to seeing delegates, alternates, and guests at the 2026 Idaho GOP State Convention starting next Thursday in Meridian. Here are some things you need to know: The Ada County GOP is hosting a special event featuring an Italian buffet, no-host bar, and a great lineup of speakers. Click here for […]

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Opinions

Op-Ed: Caucus, Convention, or Primary

As we head into the 2026 Idaho GOP State Convention, delegates are already discussing ideas for reform—not only of our government, but also of the way we choose our nominees. Back in 2007, the Idaho GOP voted to close our primary to members of other political parties. After all, why should Democrats or Libertarians have […]

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Opinions

Labrador Letter: Celebrating Acts of Service

Dear Friends, This week I joined State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth, families, and students at Eagle Elementary School to mark a milestone. Idahoans completed 250,000 acts of service ahead of America’s 250th birthday on July 4th. That number started as a goal. At the beginning of 2026, the America250 in Idaho Ambassadors and the State Service […]

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John Livingston

Omelets or Hash

Our politics are no longer arguing over omelets; we are arguing over whether eggs even exist. Until we recover a shared moral and ethical foundation, serious debate in America—and in Idaho—will remain nearly impossible. I owe the simplification of this point to a recent letter to the Wall Street Journal by Mr. Erni Laynez, who […]

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John Livingston

The Gratification of Their Own Wrath

We have indeed always had coarse political rhetoric in America, and it has often spilled over into actual violence. Yet the quality of our language still matters enormously because coarse language is often a tell for coarse thinking. When senior government officials—whether the heads of law enforcement agencies or cabinet departments—resort to shouting, smearing opponents as “Nazis,” […]

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