Sioux Falls entrepreneur “Matt Paulson’s Insiders” text this morning had some juicy gossip for the Sioux Falls City Elections coming up next year:

Hearing there will be as many four candidates for the open at large city council seat in Sioux Falls currently held by Christine Erickson.

and…

..There’s a certain special interest lobby making a lot of noise in Sioux Falls. They are talking about spending unprecedented money to unseat the mayor and trying to pass a ballot initiative to liberalize rules surrounding a specific industry.

That’s a lot of candidates, which might make any blessing from the current officeholder as one of the keys to capturing that contest.

But even bigger are rumors that pot proponents are going to dump cash into attacking TenHaken over the dispensary issue.

Keep watching. And if you want to receive the Matt Paulson’s Insiders texts…

It’s just that easy.

Happy birthday to Congressman Dusty Johnson, born this day in Pierre in 1976. #SDHistory pic.twitter.com/bWB0eRfYF9

— SoDak Governors (@SoDakGovs) September 30, 2021

From Twitter, Governor Kristi Noem responded to what I thought was the most outrageous attack on her to date:

These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie. These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can’t achieve anything without a man’s help.

I love Bryon. I’m proud of the God-fearing family we’ve raised together. Now I’m getting back to work

— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) September 29, 2021

If you had missed it, a writer at a hard-right website that most people hadn’t heard of made a ridiculous and unsourced accusation that Governor Kristi Noem was having an affair with advisor Corey Lewandowski.

What do you do with that?  I mean, really? Because it’s an attack as old as time against many female leaders that they must be sleeping with someone.  Because how could a woman get in that kind of position without using seduction.

The person making the accusation was interviewed by Dakota News Now, and he probably shouldn’t have gone on camera, because I don’t think he helped his credibility any. Because it seemed like he didn’t want to be there, and his eyes kept darting like he didn’t like being on the hot seat for a his story. You can watch the interview here, and tell me if he seemed at all honest.

You also have commentary from Maggie Seidel who left the Governor’s office, and clearly does not care much for Corey Lewandowski. And she’s right on the spot to call out this BS.

Former Noem staffer Maggie Seidel also denied the allegations. Seidel worked for Noem for roughly a year, and spent some time with her on the campaign trail as well.

“There is plenty to disagree with Governor Noem on,” Seidel said. “For one, I think it is outrageous for her to continue to associate with Corey Lewandowski. But do I believe for a second she stepped out her marriage? No, not for a second.”

Read that here.

It’s not like we haven’t seen this kind of crap before.  Turn the time machine back to 2006 when now US Senate wannabe Bruce Whalen was a Congressional wannabe, and he and his people claimed Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin was alternatively “pregnant by her chief of staff,” or a “homewrecker.”

Phony information on a Web site said Herseth was pregnant and engaged to her “chief of staff,” a man identified by a name that belongs to no one on the congresswoman’s staff. In an e-mail message sent to political Web logs, Whalen campaign manager Lee Breard highlighted the farce and also mentioned another rumor that implied Herseth was a “home-wrecker” because of her relationship with a former congressman from Texas.

and..

From Twitter:

I have heard for years how difficult it is to become an appraiser in South Dakota, making it harder for South Dakotans to purchase a home. I have been working for years to fix that process, and I signed legislation to that effect this past session. (2/2)

— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) September 29, 2021

I’m hearing word from multiple sources that former House Majority Leader Lee Qualm was transported to the hospital in Sioux Falls last night quite ill.

Please keep Lee and the Qualm family in your prayers.

Thune Discusses Need For Big Tech Algorithm Transparency and Platform Accountability

“Billions of people are being fed content on internet platforms that is basically selected for them by opaque algorithms designed to keep consumers engaged on the platform.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, questioned witnesses about the need for more algorithm transparency during a Commerce Committee hearing, titled “Protecting Consumer Privacy.” Thune highlighted the algorithmic practices used by big tech companies to analyze consumer data. Earlier this year, Thunereintroduced the bipartisan Filter Bubble Transparency Act that would require large-scale internet platforms that collect data from more than 1 million users and gross more than $50 million per year to provide greater transparency for consumers and allow users to view content that has not been curated by a secret algorithm.

Thune: Biden Ignored Top Military Commanders and Endangered Americans, Created Catastrophic Withdrawal From Afghanistan

“President Biden made an ill-considered and disastrous decision when he chose to withdraw our troops on an arbitrary timetable.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor in response to yesterday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on President Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. Thune discussed the revelation that President Biden’s decision to remove troops from Afghanistan on an arbitrary deadline went directly against the advice he received from his top military commanders, and he highlighted the urgent need for members of the administration to be held accountable.

Rounds, Colleagues Introduce the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight and Accountability Act

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch and others introduced the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight and Accountability Act, legislation to address the outstanding issues related to the administration’s rushed and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“The refusal to listen to commanders on the ground, failure to provide sufficient resources to execute visa processing requirements and groupthink among senior Biden administration advisors caused the withdrawal from Afghanistan to be chaotic and deadly. Congress has an opportunity to act and address the many consequences of the president’s botched withdrawal. Our legislation prioritizes the safe evacuation of Americans and Afghan partners still stranded in Afghanistan while holding the Taliban accountable for their terrorist acts and human rights abuses. I will work with my colleagues to keep Americans safe and terrorism at bay,” said Rounds.

“I’ve asked the administration for a plan and while they say they have one, they have not revealed any details of a plan. My office is still working with Special Immigrant Visa applicants who supported America’s effort in Afghanistan. Now families, including children, of these Afghans are in danger of execution. We have a responsibility to get them out. Congress has an obligation to engage in oversight of these activities. I hope the administration would work with us in passing this essential legislation in an expedient, bipartisan manner,” added Rounds.

In addition to Rounds, other cosponsors of this bill include Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).

This legislation:

• Establishes a State Department task force to focus on the evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) who are still stuck in Afghanistan.
• Imposes oversight mechanisms on the processing of SIVs and refugees.
• Requires strategies for counterterrorism and for the disposition of Taliban-captured U.S. equipment.
• Sanctions the Taliban and others in Afghanistan for terrorism, drug-trafficking, and human rights abuses.
• Authorizes sanctions on those providing support to the Taliban, including foreign governments supporting the Taliban.
• States that the United States should not recognize any member of the Taliban as the ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States or as the ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations.
• Calls for a comprehensive review of foreign assistance to entities that support the Taliban.
• Places restrictions on non-humanitarian foreign assistance to Afghanistan.

Text of the legislation can be found here.

###

Keloland News follows last night’s story from KOTA-TV/Dakota News Now with their own story that a settlement has been reached between parties representing Jason Ravnsborg and the wife of Joe Boever:

Said Tysdal, “In response to your inquiry, I am confirming that the case has been settled and the terms of the settlement are confidential.  The parties will not have further comment and Mrs. Boever requests that her privacy be respected going forward.”

Read the entire story here.

Johnson, Phillips: Get It Done Act Forces Lawmakers to Avoid Shutdowns and Address Spending

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) introduced the GET IT DONE Act, a bipartisan bill to implement sequestration to avoid a government shutdown should Congress fail to pass a complete appropriations bill.

“When political leaders can’t reach an agreement, we need a system that holds them accountable rather than punishing millions of everyday Americans,” said Johnson.

“Government shutdowns are the worst negotiation tactic in our political system. The human toll is irresponsible and inexcusable,” Phillips said. “The only people who should suffer financial hardship when elected leaders can’t govern are the elected leaders themselves. I am proud to join Rep. Dusty Johnson, my fellow member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, to lead this endeavor.”

Both Johnson and Phillips were sworn into office during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. During the 2019 government shutdown, a reported 4,400 federal employees in South Dakota did not receive a paycheck, while Members of Congress continued to get paid. The government has shut down on three separate occasions for a total of 54 days in the past eight years.

If by the first day of a fiscal year a regular appropriations bill has not been enacted, the bill would:

• Continue the previous fiscal year’s funding for the first 30 days;
  • For each subsequent 30-day period, the rate of operations will be reduced by 2.5%;
• Hold senior government officials pay in an escrow account until such a bill is enacted;
• Prohibit funds to be used to pay for travel for senior government officials to leave the Washington Metropolitan Area;
• Express that Houses of Congress may not adjourn for a period of more than 12 hours until such a bill is enacted, ensuring Members of Congress remain in Washington to pass a budget.

###