North Dakota

Opinion | Democrats are wrestling with an age-old problem

Published

2 years ago

June 14, 2024

Opinion | Democrats are wrestling with an age-old problem

Seemingly unrelated news items collided midweek to suggest a possible solution for a vexing problem: President Biden’s age.

I’ve touched on this topic in recent weeks, but with no clear vision for a fix. To sum up, Americans, including Democrats, are concerned about Biden’s age and the increasing probability that he wouldn’t be able to complete a second term. If he wins reelection, Biden will be 82 on Inauguration Day.

The problem isn’t his numerical age. People age in different ways. In some cases, people hardly age at all, they’re so physically fit and mentally astute. But even the most robust 80-year-old would be challenged to keep pace with the White House job. Far younger presidents have turned gray in the Oval Office.

Biden’s steady decline the past few years — his stumbles, his search for words, his occasional blank stare — has been impossible to ignore. Such change isn’t a reflection of character; it’s part of the natural order of life, and it isn’t ageist to take note. But Biden and former president Donald Trump, 78, have forced the issue to the forefront of our politics.

Thus, we see North Dakota’s recently approved ballot measure to establish an upper age limit for congressional candidates — the nation’s first serious attempt to grapple with America’s perceived gerontocracy. Until someone challenges the measure as unconstitutional, as expected, you can’t run for Congress in North Dakota if you would turn 81 during your term. Neither Biden nor Trump could run for Congress in North Dakota.

For now. Under a 1995 Supreme Court ruling, states cannot create eligibility restrictions beyond what’s in the Constitution. Of course, a solid argument can be made that elections take care of the age question. If candidates are deemed too old, voters don’t elect them.

Inarguably, a significant obstacle to a Biden win is Kamala Harris, whose low popularity has not been improved by her lackluster performance as vice president. More independents and disenchanted Republicans might swing for Biden if it weren’t for the prospect of a President Harris — not because of her sex, race or any other demographic category, but because of her competency, or lack thereof.

The question now is, how risky would it be for Democrats to replace her? Some worry that a change would jeopardize Black votes. It was never clear, however, that Harris was a draw for Black American voters, even if some Black women celebrated her rise. When she dropped out of the presidential race in 2019, she was polling below Pete Buttigieg in South Carolina.

Moreover, does anyone really think any Democrats are going to suddenly turn to Trump because Biden changes running mates to improve his chances of reelection? Herein lies one of the problems with identity politics. Bloc voting by skin color is among our most racist assumptions. Democrats, regardless of pigmentation or cultural heritage, want to win elections, presumably to advance a worldview consistent with their values.

I’m not alone in suggesting that Biden replace Harris, perhaps in exchange for a key role in his administration. Serving as attorney general at least would be in her wheelhouse. Several alternative candidates have been suggested, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and, needless to say, Taylor Swift. (Kidding, though her outspoken contempt for Trump isn’t nothing.)

By now, you’ve probably forgotten about the second part of the news collision earlier mentioned. It was a brief story Wednesday alleging a controversial development in a New York congressional race: Hillary Clinton had endorsed Westchester County Executive George Latimer for the House seat currently held by incumbent “squad” member Jamaal Bowman.

In a post on X, Clinton wrote: “With Trump on the ballot, we need strong, principled Democrats in Congress more than ever. In Congress, @LatimerforNY will protect abortion rights, stand up to the NRA, and fight for President Biden’s agenda — just like he’s always done.”

The controversy seems to stem mostly from the vitriol between the two candidates. Bowman has alleged that Latimer is an anti-Muslim racist controlled by Republican billionaires who want to end voting rights. (Now that’s a mouthful.) During a recent debate, Latimer claimed that Bowman looks out only for people of color and ignores other constituents.

These volleys have come amid divisions over Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza. Latimer is supported by the pro-Israel AIPAC, while his supporters accuse Bowman of using antisemitic tropes. As for Clinton, the question is, why now? Why would she suddenly get involved in a congressional race?

We are left to speculate about motive, but the effect of Clinton inserting herself into the news cycle is to remind voters that, but for her defeat in 2016, we wouldn’t be stuck in this old-White-men dilemma. She is also reminding people of her relative centrism, her support for Israel and her broadly respected role as secretary of state.

No one has mentioned her as a possible running mate for Biden far as I know, but why not replace Harris with Clinton? At 76, she might want no part of it, but it’s hard to retire when you feel your job isn’t done. If Biden needs to step down, even those who didn’t vote for Clinton would have confidence in her ability to keep the country on track. It’s just a thought, but worse ideas have met with regrettable success.

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North Dakota

Three can’t-miss games in southwest North Dakota

Published

11 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Three can’t-miss games in southwest North Dakota

DICKINSON — The end of January marks a critical time for teams across Southwest North Dakota. Wins are starting to become premium value, and standings are starting to take shape across all sports.

South Heart @ Hettinger-Scranton — Boys Basketball — Friday, Jan. 30

The Eagles are in the middle of the pack in the District 7 standings, sitting at fifth in the conference with a 1-1 record. South Heart is coming into Friday’s contest winning its last two outings, earning its first District 7 win over New England, 69-49, and then a tight non-conference win over Trenton, 67-58.

The game against New England was a back-and-forth first half, but the Eagles took control in the final 16 minutes, outscoring the Tigers 44-24. Garett Bargmann put up 29 points, which led all players on the floor.

The Nighthawks are heading into Friday’s game dropping their last two games, with the most recent being a close 59-56 loss to Divide County. Hettinger-Scranton led at half time, 25-23, but couldn’t pull away with a win. Gavin Parnow and Aidyn Fisher had strong performances in the game, with 19 and 18 points respectively.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. MST at Scranton High School.

Trinity @ Killdeer — Girls Basketball — Friday, Jan. 30

The Trinity Titans defeated the Killdeer Cowboys 55-36 at the Knights of Columbus Activities Center on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in a Region 4 Class A matchup.

Jacob Cheris / The Dickinson Press

The Titans and Cowboys have played some really close games in the past. But the first meeting between the two clubs was a

lopsided affair that saw the Titans escape with a 55-36

win at the Knights of Columbus Activities Center.

Now the scene will shift to Killdeer in the final contest of the season-set. The Titans have been in some extremely tight games recently and have come out on both sides of the table. Trinity narrowly defeated Shiloh Christian, 46-44, to improve to 6-2 in Region 4 play and 8-6 overall.

The Cowboys are still searching for some consistency. Killdeer is riding a two-game losing skid and has losses in four out of its last five games.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. MST at Killdeer High School.

Devils Lake @ Dickinson High — Girls Hockey — Saturday, Jan. 31

Dickinson Mavericks eighth-grade defenseman Zavrinna Pickstock shoots the puck from the point against the Bismarck Century Patriots on Friday, Jan. 23 at the West River Ice Center.

The last time these two teams met, the Mavericks won in a 2-1 overtime decision. Saturday’s contest is the back half of a back-to-back home weekend, where DHS will take on Grand Forks on Friday.

Saturday’s game is the best chance DHS has to get in the win column. The Firebirds are currently sitting in last place in the conference and don’t have a win this season. They’ve also struggled to put the puck in the back of the net, scoring just 10 goals through 13 games.

Dickinson (4-10, 1-10-2) was in a tight first period with Bismarck Century last Friday, but things once started to turn sideways in the second period, when the Patriots scored two goals on 19 shots and held DHS to three.

Puck drop is slated for 1 p.m. MST at the West River Ice Center.

Jacob Cheris covers a variety of high school and college sports. A graduate of Penn State University’s class of 2023, with a degree in broadcast journalism, he covered Penn State Men’s Hockey for three years. Jacob also covers Big Ten Hockey for College Hockey News.

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North Dakota

6 nominees advance for North Dakota Supreme Court vacancy

Published

23 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

6 nominees advance for North Dakota Supreme Court vacancy

North Dakota Supreme Court Justices, from left, Douglas Bahr, Daniel Crothers, Jon Jensen, Lisa Fair McEvers and Jerod Tufte hear arguments Dec. 18, 2023, in a case involving Summit Carbon Solutions and landowners. (Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – A committee has forwarded six candidates to Gov. Kelly Armstrong to be the next justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court.

The court seeks a replacement for Justice Daniel Crothers, who announced late last year his plans to retire in February after 20 years on the bench.

The six contenders are:

Philip Axt, a Bismarck resident and solicitor general for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office
Mark Friese, a Fargo defense attorney
Michael Hurly, a judge for Northeast Judicial District in Rugby
Ryan Norrell, a Bismarck attorney who served as counsel to former Gov. Doug Burgum
Jacob Rodenbiker, an assistant U.S. attorney who lives in Fargo
Kirsten Sjue, a judge for the Northwest Judicial District in Williston

Armstrong, a Republican, can appoint someone from the pool of six, ask the committee for more nominees or refer the matter to the election ballot for a public vote.

The committee could have forwarded up to seven names. A total of 12 candidates applied.

The voting members of the nominating committee are Justice Jerod Tufte, Eric Lahlum, Taylor Olson, Laura Mihalick, Paul Forster and Garth Rydland.

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North Dakota

ND AG Wrigley joins 34 states demanding action on AI deepfakes

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

ND AG Wrigley joins 34 states demanding action on AI deepfakes

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley is among 35 state attorneys general demanding Elon Musk’s xAI company take immediate action to stop its Grok chatbot from creating nonconsensual sexual images of real people, including children.

In a letter sent to xAI on January 23, the coalition expressed “deep concern” about artificial intelligence-produced deepfake nonconsensual intimate images created through Grok, which is integrated with the X social media platform.

“Grok merits special attention given evidence that it both promoted and facilitated the production and public dissemination of such images, and made it all as easy as the click of a button,” the attorneys general wrote.

The attorneys general acknowledge xAI has taken some steps to address the issue, including implementing technical measures and meeting with state officials. However, they say those efforts “may not have completely solved the issues.”

Scale of the Problem

The letter cites multiple analyses documenting Grok’s image generation capabilities.

According to the attorneys general, one analysis found that over half of 20,000 images generated by Grok between Christmas and New Year’s depicted subjects, even those appearing to be children, in minimal attire.

Another analysis cited in the letter determined that Grok was producing vastly more nonconsensual intimate images than the most popular “nudifying” websites.

‘Feature, Not a Bug’

The attorneys general argue xAI purposefully designed Grok to generate explicit content, developing a “spicy mode” and marketing these capabilities as selling points.

“The ability to create nonconsensual intimate images appeared to be a feature, not a bug,” they wrote.

According to the letter, Grok allowed users to alter innocuous images of women without their knowledge or consent, depicting them in sexually explicit scenarios. Most alarmingly, the attorneys general claim the tool altered images of children to depict them in minimal clothing and sexual situations.

Legal Concerns

The creation and dissemination of child sexual abuse material is a crime. Various state and federal civil and criminal laws also forbid the creation of nonconsensual intimate images.

The coalition is calling on xAI to:

Ensure Grok can no longer produce nonconsensual intimate images
Eliminate content already produced
Suspend users who created these materials
Report creators to relevant authorities
Give X users control over whether their content can be edited by Grok
Ensure safeguards don’t merely place harmful content behind a paywall

The attorneys general noted xAI’s unique position connecting AI tools directly to a social media platform with hundreds of millions of users makes its actions “of utmost importance.”

“The steps you take to prevent and remove NCII will establish industry benchmarks to protect adults and children against harmful deepfake nonconsensual intimate images,” they wrote.

The bipartisan coalition includes attorneys general from Connecticut, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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