Claire Bernard

2 weeks ago | montanakaimin.com | Claire Bernard

[Update: April 17, 2025] On Tuesday the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was temporarily blocked from revoking the visas of two of the three Montana State University international students. A temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction was issued by a federal district court judge in Butte.

2 weeks ago | montanakaimin.com | Claire Bernard

Lately, I have found myself turning to a quote for strength. It is by the great Dan Savage, a queer writer and activist, and reads: “During the darkest days of the AIDS Crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon and we danced all fucking night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for.”This week’s feature follows the same arc: finding beauty in times of despair.

3 weeks ago | montanakaimin.com | Claire Bernard

Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a House bill last week to renew Montana’s Medicaid expansion program, which includes coverage for low-income adults. Without the renewal, around 75,000 Montanans would’ve lost Medicaid coverage when the program automatically terminated later this year — known as sunsetting. The Medicaid expansion program provides healthcare coverage to those aged 18 to 65 who make below a certain income.

2 months ago | montanakaimin.com | Elle Daniel |Mackenna Gleave |Claire Bernard

By the end of the first day of his second term as president on Jan. 20, Donald Trump signed 26 executive orders, the most first-day orders in American history. Throughout the next four weeks, Trump’s executive orders totaled more than 60, instating deep structural changes in policy from foreign affairs to transgender rights. Several of these resulted in legal action by states against the federal government.

Jan 29, 2025 | montanakaimin.com | Claire Bernard

A series of memos released from President Donald Trump’s administration this week sparked widespread confusion over the future of federal funding — including funding used by the University of Montana. The memo, which came from the federal Office of Management and Budget, would halt all federal assistance, including funding given to nonprofits, local governments and publicly funded universities across the nation.