Montana

Montana AG supports federal TikTok ban, as Trump calls for delay in U.S. Supreme Court filing

Published

1 year ago

December 31, 2024

Montana AG supports federal TikTok ban, as Trump calls for delay in U.S. Supreme Court filing

HELENA — Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over whether to uphold a federal law that would ban the app TikTok if its Chinese owners don’t sell it. Montana’s attorney general is asking the court to let the law go into effect – even as President-elect Donald Trump seeks to delay it.

“I think Congress got it right this time – I don’t often say that, but I think Congress got this one right,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen told MTN.

Last spring, on a bipartisan vote, Congress approved a law that gave TikTok’s parent company nine months to divest the app or risk losing access to U.S. app stores and internet hosting services. That deadline is approaching, on Jan. 19 – the day before Trump’s inauguration.

TikTok sued over the federal law, on the grounds that it infringed on the right of free expression for its millions of users. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 10, leaving just a few days before the effective date.

On Friday, Knudsen and 21 other Republican state attorneys general filed an amicus brief, asking justices to let the law take effect.

“Allowing TikTok to operate in the United States without severing its ties to the Chinese Communist Party exposes Americans to the risk of the Chinese Communist Party accessing and exploiting their data,” they wrote.

Knudsen’s Amicus Brief:

At the same time, Trump’s attorneys submitted their own brief. In it, they said they weren’t taking a position on the merits of the case, but that they wanted the court to put a stay on the law, to give Trump time to reach a deal once in office that could resolve the issue “through political means.”

“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government—concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” they wrote.

While Trump’s brief didn’t support either side in the lawsuit, it did suggest there were “valid concerns” about First Amendment implications from blocking a social media platform.

Trump’s Amicus Brief:

In 2023, the Montana Legislature passed and Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 419, which said TikTok couldn’t operate in the state and app stores couldn’t offer it for download within Montana’s borders. Knudsen was one of the main backers of the law, and he cited concerns that China might be able to access U.S. users’ data. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company based in China, but has denied any claims that it puts data at risk.

TikTok and a group of Montana-based content creators challenged the state ban. A federal district judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking it, ruling that the state infringing on users’ rights and overstepping onto the federal power over foreign policy. Knudsen appealed that decision, but the entire case was put on hold until the challenge to the federal law was resolved.

Knudsen said what the Supreme Court rules in the federal case will clearly make a difference when it’s time to rule on Montana’s ban. In his amicus brief, he accused TikTok of “trying to have its cake and eat it too” by arguing the state law intruded on federal authority but also challenging the federal law.

In 2020, during his first term as president, Trump issued an executive order that sought to ban TikTok, citing its connections to China. However, during his 2024 campaign, he spoke more favorably about the app, eventually saying people who wanted to “save TikTok in America” should vote for him.

Knudsen told MTN that he doesn’t believe Trump’s change in tone has had an impact on the concerns Montanans have about the app.

“Actually, if you look at what President Trump has said in his public statements, he likes the platform because he was able to reach a lot of young people and he thinks that helped him get elected,” he said. “But if you read that brief that they filed, they don’t dispute the fact that TikTok is a Chinese spying application.”

While China was the biggest topic during the debate over Montana’s SB 419, the law also criticized TikTok for what it said was promoting dangerous content for minors. Knudsen filed a lawsuit against the app and its owners earlier this year, making similar arguments. He told MTN Monday he’d have to “wait and see” what form a divestiture of TikTok would take, before he could say whether it would address those issues to his satisfaction.

While the U.S. Supreme Court typically doesn’t rule quickly on cases, Knudsen said he expects that may be different this time.

“We don’t often see them move this fast, but I think the Roberts court probably recognizes that this is an important issue – it’s a hot issue for certain,” he said.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for April 4, 2026

Published

11 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 4 drawing

03-06-13-41-65, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 4 drawing

06-31-35-36-40, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 4 drawing

02-10-23-29, Bonus: 09

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 4 drawing

20-38-45-58-63, Powerball: 05

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from April 4 drawing

04-07-13-17-29

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 4 drawing

20-30-31-38-49, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Montana

The Best Small Town In Montana For Seniors

Published

23 hours ago

April 4, 2026

Press Room

The Best Small Town In Montana For Seniors

With a growing number of seniors moving to Montana, Butte is an affordable town oriented around community and ideal for retirees. Montana is among the most culturally and artistically rich states in the nation, with 687 arts and recreation venues per 100,000 older adults. Combined with the tax-friendly economy, Butte remains a place with top dining options, such as Uptown Café, and reputable healthcare at St. James Hospital, which has earned recognition through awards. For these reasons and more, including a low cost of living, seniors are sure to find the perfect place to call home in the small Montana town of Butte.

Making Money Stretch in Butte

Aerial panorama of Butte, Montana, along Park Street.

By many metrics, life in Montana is one of the more affordable states, and Butte can be especially helpful for spreading out retirement savings. Using the Economic Research Institute’s cost of living data, Butte is 8% lower than the national average and 3% lower than the average in Montana.

Quaint winter residential neighborhood in Butte, Montana.

Where a senior decides to live plays a big role in their financial stability, and that choice is easier when living in Butte. Zillow’s Home Value Index indicates an average home value of $271,700, a tremendous value, far lower than similar mountain towns in Colorado and Idaho. Montana’s average typical home sells for $460,700, so a homebuyer in Butte is saving almost $180,000 compared to the state average.

Dining

Butte's Historic District. — Butte’s Historic District. Photo: Andrew Douglas

Dining here offers a range of cuisines and specialties, making options diverse and keeping things fresh for residents and visitors. To tour a couple of the community’s favorites, begin at Uptown Café on East Broadway. With a reputation for serving “civilized dining in the Wild West,” the restaurant offers upscale comfort food such as beef wellington, chicken piccata, and melt-in-your-mouth desserts. Just a short distance from the Uptown Café lies Casagranda’s Steakhouse inside the 1900 Bertoglio Warehouse on Utah Avenue. Here, premium Rocky Mountain steak cuts vie for the spotlight alongside Italian pasta dishes and fresh seafood. With the famous Guido’s Bar inside, the eatery has earned a place among the best dining experiences in Southwestern Montana, thanks to its food and historical location.

Things to Do

A street corner scene in the neighborhood of Uptown Butte. Editorial credit: JWCohen / Shutterstock.com

The mining history that formed and sustained Butte for decades was not forgotten here. The town pays homage to these days, and guests or locals can learn all about the copper mining through the World Museum of Mining. This historical center is located on the grounds of the original Orphan Girl Mine, a rare site built directly over an old mine yard. Walk through Hell Roarin’ Gulch, an authentic recreation of a 1890s mining town with original or reconstructed buildings, and then take a guided tour 100 feet underground to see one of the few publicly accessible exposed veins of minerals in North America.

At the World Museum of Mining. Editorial credit: JWCohen / Shutterstock.com

For those looking to see what sort of entertainment can be found in Butte, begin this search at Mother Lode Theatre. Originally a Masonic Temple, the renovated space now hosts the Butte Symphony, various concerts, touring productions, and Montana Repertory Theatre in a warm and lively acoustic environment. The schedule is full most of the year, making this a common place for seniors in the community to frequent for regular entertainment.

Accessible Healthcare

Intermountain Health St James Hospital sign with logo and directions. Editorial credit: Ian Dewar Photography / Shutterstock.com

At the heart of Butte’s appeal to seniors is Intermountain Health St. James Hospital, a full-service acute care facility on South Clark Street that is part of a prestigious nonprofit health system serving the American West. It offers a complete spectrum of specialty care services, including cancer care, emergency care, heart care, rehabilitation services, surgical care, and care for women’s health. Its goal is to see all patients within 30 minutes of their arrival. St. James has been honored as a recipient of the Chartis Center for Rural Health Performance Leadership Award for excellence in clinical outcomes in both 2022 and 2023. This is the highest level of performance for rural hospitals nationwide in quality, outcomes, and patient experience.

Nearby Towns to Explore

One of the advantages of living in such a prime position along Interstate 90 is how accessible nearby towns become when you settle in Butte. This region of Montana does a lot to preserve its history and heritage, so nearby communities have much to explore.

Anaconda

Twenty-five miles northwest of Butte on Interstate 90, Anaconda is another community that does a lot to preserve the memory of Montana’s copper era, with a downtown area still offering a glimpse of certain facades from days long gone. The thing most people come to see in Anaconda is the Washoe Theater, one of a small number of remaining Art Deco-era movie palaces in the United States, where ornate decoration and lighting envelop a constant schedule of movies and live acts. Golfers head to Old Works Golf Course, Montana’s only public Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, built on the site of Anaconda’s old copper smelter. It’s known for its spectacular black sand traps made from copper smelting waste and views of Anaconda’s famous Anaconda Stack.

Deer Lodge

About 35 miles northeast of Butte via Interstate 90, Deer Lodge offers the chance to dig deeper into the state’s frontier past. The main attraction is the Old Montana Prison Complex, one of the state’s most visited historic sites. Here, you can visit the original territorial prison built in 1871 as well as several satellite museums, including a collection of classic cars and a frontier town. Just outside the downtown area, the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site preserves one of the most important cattle empires of the West, with National Park Service-guided tours available at no charge anytime of the year. Back in the downtown area, Deer Lodge’s pedestrian-friendly historic main street makes exploration a breeze, with plenty of antiquing and dining to discover, the most popular of which is the Broken Arrow Steakhouse and Casino right on Main Street.

Montana’s wide swath of undeveloped farmland has helped keep costs affordable for seniors looking to retire somewhere new. Butte, Montana, especially has a lot to offer those wanting to stretch fixed incomes further, with a cost of living that is 8% lower than the national average. With Montana’s reputation as a cultural and artistic hub of the nation, the historic significance of Butte, and the natural wonder of the Continental Divide, this small town might be the best place for seniors.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Big Sky Bonus results for April 3, 2026

Published

1 day ago

April 4, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 3 drawing

31-45-62-63-68, Mega Ball: 15

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 3 drawing

02-07-18-20, Bonus: 08

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 3 drawing

08-16-37-45-53, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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