Best Robport Podcasts (2025)

1
634: Applied Digital CEO talks about Harwood, AI, jobs, and nondisclosure agreements (Video) 53:19

Play Pause

5h ago53:19

53:19

"It's by far the most important race we've been in in the world." That's what Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins told us on this episode of Plain Talk. "In my opinion, there's two countries that are racing forward to advance AI, to reach super intelligence, to reach AGI [artificial general intelligence], and it's the United States and it's China." Cum…

1
634: Applied Digital CEO talks about Harwood, AI, jobs, and nondisclosure agreements (Audio) 53:19

9h ago53:19

53:19

"It's by far the most important race we've been in in the world." That's what Applied Digital CEO Wes Cummins told us on this episode of Plain Talk. "In my opinion, there's two countries that are racing forward to advance AI, to reach super intelligence, to reach AGI [artificial general intelligence], and it's the United States and it's China." Cum…

1
633: 'Why not? We have it.' (Video) 53:39

4d ago53:39

53:39

This is the video version of Episode 633 of the Plain Talk podcast. North Dakota has become a destination for investment in building out America's artificial intelligence infrastructure. Specifically, the massive, power-hungry data centers that enable the sort of cloud computing necessary to make AI work. Public Service Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Ho…

1
633: 'Why not? We have it.' 53:39

4d ago53:39

53:39

North Dakota has become a destination for investment in building out America's artificial intelligence infrastructure. Specifically, the massive, power-hungry data centers that enable the sort of cloud computing necessary to make AI work. Public Service Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, who serves on the triumvirate that oversees things like utili…

1
632: 'A little bit closer to perfect' (Video) 56:59

5d ago56:59

56:59

This full video interview with Erin Oban from North Dakotans for Public Schools is from Episode 632 of the Plain Talk Podcast.

1
632: 'A little bit closer to perfect' 57:12

6d ago57:12

57:12

North Dakota's public schools are not perfect, but they are very, very good. Sadly, often thanks to national narratives that have little to do with what's happening in our school districts, that's not always the popular perception the public has. People are left with the impression that kids are being indoctrinated, or in extreme cases even groomed…

1
631: Back-to-school tax, Trump's Fedorchak endorsement, and cheerleader culture wars 51:02

13d ago51:02

51:02

Should the voters take their case for covering school lunches for all students to the ballot box with an initiated measure? We discussed the issue on this episode of Plain Talk, and co-host Chad Oban made the case for some populism on this issue. "The legislature has had ample opportunity to pass something that over 70% of North Dakotans support," …

1
ND Insurance Commissioner John Godfread from Episode 630 (Video Interview) 34:54

14d ago34:54

34:54

This is the full video version of our August 20, 2025, interview with North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread. The interview is from Episode 630.

1
630: One Big Beautiful Bill Act could lead to 'death spiral' in health insurance 55:06

14d ago55:06

55:06

North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread says North Dakota -- and America, really, since our state is hardly an independent nation -- is on an unsustainable trajectory when it comes to the cost of insurance and health care. On this Plain Talk, Godfread, who is also the current president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners…

1
F5 Project Founder Adam Martin from Episode 629 (Video Interview) 29:56

15d ago29:56

29:56

This exclusive interview with F5 Project founder Adam Martin is from Plain Talk episode 629.

1
629: 'I think it should be wiped across the board' 1:06:23

20d ago1:06:23

1:06:23

A new law that just took effect here in North Dakota seals court records in concluded cases that don't result in a conviction. That would mean instances where the defendant was acquitted, or when the charges were dismissed, or any other outcome that's not a guilty plea or verdict. The argument in favor of the law is that it's not fair to the defend…

1
628: 'I pay people the courtesy of candor' 53:51

21d ago53:51

53:51

"There are currently three ethics complaints against my office," Attorney General Drew Wrigley said on this episode of Plain Talk. It's a startling admission, but Wrigley says the complaints are spurious, and that the state Ethics Commission, which he has been outspokenly critical of, is hording complaints like those, instead of clearing them, for …

1
627: Jeans, property taxes, scandal, and baseball 46:49

27d ago46:49

46:49

I spent a little time on this episode of Plain Talk bemoaning the horrendous performance of my beloved New York Yankees. Poor roster construction and poor fundamental play are difficult things to watch. Co-host Chad Oban ate it up, as you might imagine, but baseball isn't all we discussed. We touched on the baffling controversy over Sydney Sweeney'…

1
626: 'Zip, none.' 56:49

28d ago56:49

56:49

Today on Plain Talk, we had the pleasure of speaking with US Senator John Hoeven, and began our conversation with a pretty historic event: the rerouting of the Red River for the Fargo-Moorhead Flood Control Project. Senator Hoeven, who has been working on this project since he was governor, highlighted how it will "permanently change part of the ro…

1
Bob & Dan | The $740,000 Question (Episode 3) 1:01:34

29d ago1:01:34

1:01:34

NOTE: The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern. In the conclusion of this three-part series, filmmaker Matt Fern investigates the two men at the center of North Dakota’s film grant controversy: longtime legislator Rep. Bob Martinson and Canticle Productions founder Dan Bielinski. As an ethics complaint regarding the fil…

1
625: Voters need to be responsible for who they're voting for 50:46

1M ago50:46

50:46

On this episode of Plain Talk, my co-host Chad Oban and I talk about the crazy Minot mayoral race, evidence of extremism in the North Dakota Young Republicans, and the controversy over bonuses paid to Commerce Department employees. The Minot race, in some ways, is an important bellwether for North Dakota politics, taking place as it is in one of th…

1
624: 'We need more human-to-human, face-to-face interaction' 51:39

1M ago51:39

51:39

Minot-area Democrat Trygve Hammer has run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the last two election cycles. More recently, he's organizing a town hall event in Minot — which he's branded the People's Town Hall — as a clapback to Rep. Julie Fedorchak holding only digital town halls. He was on this episode of Plain Talk to promote that event, bu…

1
No Comment | The $740,000 Question (Episode 2) 29:55

1M ago29:55

29:55

NOTE: The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern. After sending a letter to Governor Doug Burgum and receiving no response, a coalition of 27 filmmakers from across North Dakota hold a press conference outside the Attorney General’s office to demand transparency and accountability in how one filmmaker received $740,000 fr…

1
623: Democratic lawmaker says now is a good time for local governments to "off ramp" property tax give aways 54:05

1M ago54:05

54:05

Even as some local governments claim that a new, 3% cap on property tax increases will cause chaos in their budgets, Sen. Josh Boschee, a Democrat from Fargo, says he and his colleagues felt it was important to implement. He says lawmakers see it as a way of putting the responsiblity for property taxes back on local governments. "In the last decade…

1
622: 'The greasy pole of politics in the Republican party' 53:09

1M ago53:09

53:09

Is Doug Burgum, who is currently serving as Secretary of the Interior under President Donald Trump, a happy man right now? I posed that question in a recent column occassioned by Burgum's visit to infamous island prison Alcatraz at Trump's behest to assess it for use as a detention facility. Burgum has to know that this is a fantastically stupid id…

1
621: 'We knew this was coming' 1:02:17

2M ago1:02:17

1:02:17

This episode of Plain Talk is a little unusual, because the guest we interviewed for the show is actually our own producer, Matt Fern. Matt, in addition to producing Plain Talk, is also a filmmaker by trade. A couple of years ago he organized a dozens of his colleagues from around the state to object to hundreds of thousands of dollars in film gran…

1
Department of Incompetence | The $740,000 Question (Episode 1) 26:19

2M ago26:19

26:19

The $740,000 question is a podcast from Plain Talk producer Matt Fern. Making movies in North Dakota is hard. Unless you’re one company with powerful connections. In the premiere episode of The $740,000 Question, filmmaker Matt Fern unpacks how a single production company, Canticle Productions, received $700,000 in taxpayer-funded film grants from …

1
620: 'This panel has represented George Floyd protesters and they have represented January 6 defendants' 58:16

2M ago58:16

58:16

Public defenders working in the federal system representing indigent defendants aren't getting paid. The federal government ran out of money, as my colleague April Baumgarten reported recently. That's a big problem. Every American accused of a crime has a right to counsel, and while you might think that public defenders are just for poor people, th…

1
619: 'Conservation sometimes becomes the dog that everybody can get behind kicking' 1:07:57

2M ago1:07:57

1:07:57

One proposal in the recently passed "big, beautiful bill" that didn't make it to the finish line was an amendment from Utah Sen. Mike Lee, which would have jump-started a sell-off of federally owned lands. On this episode of Plain Talk, John Bradley, executive director of the North Dakota Wildlife Federation, talked about that victory, and also dis…

1
618: Legislature stepped up with funding to move public defenders 'in the right direction' 1:03:01

2M ago1:03:01

1:03:01

The criminal justice system is often where public policy debates, from civil rights to addiction, converge. It's also critical for ensuring accountability when the government oversteps. North Dakota's Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigence, led by Director Travis Finck, headed into this year's legislative session facing a "perilous situation," t…

1
617: Rep. Nico Rios didn't show up (REPLAY) 39:41

2M ago39:41

39:41

In this replay episode, we revisit a conversation that didn’t go as planned. We had scheduled Rep. Nico Rios to appear on Plain Talk to discuss his recent controversies; from bigoted and homophobic remarks during a DUI arrest, to a social media post invoking the CIA and antisemitic language, to a constitutionally questionable resolution declaring J…

1
616: 'We have...lifelong Republicans saying I'm done.' (REPLAY) 37:24

2M ago37:24

37:24

In this special replay episode, Rob Port and Chad Oban revisit a timely conversation with former North Dakota Republican Party Chair Bob Harms. With infighting and censures making headlines again, Harms' perspective on internal party dynamics, district-level power struggles, and the long-term risks to the GOP brand hits even harder today. The discu…

1
615: 'Donald Trump likes people who like him' 58:37

2M ago58:37

58:37

President Donald Trump joined Israel's attacks against Iran's nuclear program, and so far the operation seems to have been a success. That's certainly Sen. Kevin Cramer's view of it, as he explained on this episode of Plain Talk. He also praised Trump's willingness to repudiate some of the isolationists in the MAGA movement. "I've often said, and p…

1
614: 'When someone on your own side is referring to them as cuts, you're losing that war' 1:02:20

2M ago1:02:20

1:02:20

Recently, Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak sent out an email seeking to debunk what she describes as myths when it comes to proposed changes to the Medicaid program. She argues that the program isn't being cut, but rather just being slowed in its growth. But wherever you come down on that debate, the fact that she's prompted to make these arguments is…

1
613: 'We're not providing a grant. We do expect a return to come back to us.' 55:02

3M ago55:02

55:02

In a recent column, I argued that the concept of "baby bonds" — a verison of which is included in "big beautiful bill" President Donald Trump is backing in Congress — is something North Dakotans should implement whatever the federal government might do. We have hundreds of millions in revenue from the Legacy Fund's investments, and we have the Bank…

1
612: 'I'm a North Dakotan first. I'm the governor second and a Republican third.' 1:00:40

3M ago1:00:40

1:00:40

The North Dakota Republican Party censured Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong at a recent meeting. And yes, despite what some party leaders are now saying, Armstrong does see it that way. "It was a censure," he said on this episode of Plain Talk, going on to expand on his immediate reaction to the censures which was "I don't care." The censures expres…

1
611: 'The escalation is 100% the point' 1:14:44

3M ago1:14:44

1:14:44

Andrew Loftesnes is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Specifically, he served with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, which is the same unit that President Donald Trump has, controversially, deployed to Los Angeles to, as Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem put it recently, "liberate this city from the socialist and burde…

1
610: 'There's going to be an election day reckoning' 1:23:45

3M ago1:23:45

1:23:45

When former Congressman Earl Pomeroy looks at the protests today against the Trump administration and the so-called "big, beautiful bill" in Congress, he sees echoes of the 2009 protests that ended his tenure in elected office. "There's going to be an election day reckoning," Pomeroy, a Democrat who represented North Dakota in the U.S. House from 1…

1
609: Remembering Rep. Josh Christy on AI (REPLAY) 33:38

3M ago33:38

33:38

Artificial intelligence continues to dominate conversations worldwide, sparking both optimism and deep concern. On this replay episode of Plain Talk, hosts Rob Port and Chad Oban revisit a compelling discussion with the late Rep. Josh Christy, an influential North Dakota lawmaker and expert in artificial intelligence who tragically passed away duri…

1
608: 'That is a blatant falsehood’ (REPLAY) 31:10

3M ago31:10

31:10

At the beginning of this episode of Plain Talk, Attorney General Drew Wrigley took exception to my recent reporting suggesting that he and Gov. Kelly Armstrong are at odds over sentencing legislation and the performance of state prison officials. Based on what would follow, I think the conflict between two of North Dakota's top elected officials is…

1
607: How do we do politics in the classroom? (REPLAY) 34:15

3M ago34:15

34:15

We all know the old saying. You don't talk about religion and politics in polite company. Only, does that advice make sense in a society like ours, where we practice self-governance? How can we govern ourselves if we can't talk to one another about politics? And, more pertinent to this episode of Plain Talk, how do we teach our kids how to particip…

1
606: ‘We can disagree and still respect each other’ 53:21

3M ago53:21

53:21

Recorded live at the North Dakota Professional Communicators conference in Minot, this special episode features Rob and Chad in front of a live audience talking media bias, political polarization, and the value of honest disagreement. They share lessons learned from tough interviews and respond to audience questions about journalism, trust, and wha…

1
605: ‘It just doesn’t work for me’ 1:01:17

3M ago1:01:17

1:01:17

On this episode of Plain Talk, co-host Chad Oban takes the reins with guest co-host and former State Senator Jessica Bell for a conversation with Matt Perdue, Government Relations Director at North Dakota Farmers Union. Perdue, who's running to become the next president of NDFU, emphasizes the uncertainty facing many producers amid economic headwin…

1
604: 'Our partners in the Republican Party' 1:08:53

4M ago1:08:53

1:08:53

On this episode of Plain Talk, Sen. Josh Boschee, a Democrat from Fargo, characterized the just-completed legislative session as marked by crucial victories but also "too many missed opportunities" and numerous "close calls on bad Republican bills." He emphasized how Republicans and Democrats worked together to achieve both. Among the victories? Pa…

1
603: 'Nobody in the nation is doing what North Dakota is doing' 1:02:25

4M ago1:02:25

1:02:25

Though his instance on a "skin in the game" provision in property tax reform -- effectively a cap on how much of the primary residence credit property owners could receive -- was one of the major flash points during this year's legislative session, Senate Majority Leader David Hogue says he's satisfied with the outcome overall. More than that, real…

1
602: 'We are horrible at telling our success stories' 1:15:20

4M ago1:15:20

1:15:20

Nick Archuleta and North Dakota United, the state's combined teacher and public workers union, are touting a report showing that our state is sliding down the rankings in terms of teacher pay. We're now 40th in the nation, down significantly from roughly a decade ago. But Archuleta admitted during an interview on Plain Talk that educators could be …

1
601: 'We found out about it in the newspaper' 1:21:44

4M ago1:21:44

1:21:44

"The Minot State one took us by surprise," U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak told us on this episode of Plain Talk, referring to the cuts of nearly two dozen staff at the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities. One of those workers, Kyle Erickson, who lives with cerebral palsy and not only works for the center but received services from it as a …

1
600: 'We're going to have problems with the caps' 1:13:55

4M ago1:13:55

1:13:55

During the closing hours of the legislative session, lawmakers came to a consensus around a property tax plan endorsed by Gov. Kelly Armstrong which provides $1,600 credits for the primary residences of North Dakotans and a 3% cap on the growth in overall property tax bills. Rep. Scott Louser voted for that plan, and encouraged his colleagues to vo…

1
599: 'We are 100% in a no-win situation with this' 1:20:38

4M ago1:20:38

1:20:38

Like many organizations and government entities across our region, the Fargo School Board has had to weigh how to react to an erratic president who is on a seek-and-destroy mission for anything with even a whiff of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Katie Christensen Mineer is the president of the school board. She and her fellow board m…

1
598: 'Fodder for just trolling and fishing' 1:18:13

4M ago1:18:13

1:18:13

On this Plain Talk, Sec. of State Michael Howe and Rep. Ben Koppelman joined us to discuss a surprisingly contentious issue in the closing days of the legislative session. Namely, a debate over laws requiring more rigorous campaign finance disclosures from legislative candidates. Howe supports the legislation, saying he wants better data for a new …

1
597: 'We're at the point where we're ready to throw fists here' 1:06:57

4M ago1:06:57

1:06:57

"Everybody's frustrated with everybody right now," Rep. Jeremy Olson said on this episode of Plain Talk. Olson is a Republican from Arnegard, and serves as the Majority Caucus Leader, and is well known as a "gentle giant" of North Dakota politics. Which is to say that his comment about fist fights was tongue-in-cheek, but he was expressing a real s…

1
596: 'I'm kind of a free speech absolutist' 1:18:11

4M ago1:18:11

1:18:11

Just before Gov. Kelly Armstrong appeared on this episode of Plain Talk, he issued two vetoes for two very controversial bills passed by the legislature. The first was a rejection of Senate Bill 2307, a book ban bill sponsored by Sen. Keith Boehm. "I'm kind of a free speech absolutist," Armstrong said of his decision to spike the legislation, "beca…

1
595: 'I couldn't care less that this comes from Donald Trump' 1:18:52

5M ago1:18:52

1:18:52

Dane DeKrey is a criminal defense attorney with the Moorhead-based lawfirm Ringstrom Dekrey. He recently signed onto an amicus brief in a legal fight over an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which exacts retribution on a law firm Trump feels has wronged him. It does so by, among other punitive measures, revoking the firm's security…

1
594: 'I hope it's not that I'm some kind of junky for chaos' 1:03:10

5M ago1:03:10

1:03:10

When former Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford accepted the job as interim chancellor of the North Dakota University System, he said a long time colleague contacted him to say he's "proven that you like dysfunction and you like to jump into that." Sanford said he laughed it off. "I hope it's not that I'm some kind of junkie for chaos for goodness sakes, but th…

1
593: Ethics process is 'ready for exploitation and weaponization' without good reforms 1:24:48

5M ago1:24:48

1:24:48

"The way the current process is set up, it is ready for exploitation and weaponization," Rebecca Binstock said on this episode of Plain Talk. Binstock is the executive director of the North Dakota Ethics Commission, and she admits that there are problems with the status quo. For instance, public servants who have a complaint filed against them are …