Plain Talk

Forum Communications Co.
  • 3.8 (86)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED DAILY

Plain Talk is a podcast hosted by Rob Port and Chad Oban focusing on political news and current events in North Dakota. Port is a columnist for the Forum News Service published in papers including the Fargo Forum, Grand Forks Herald, Jamestown Sun, and the Dickinson Press. Oban is a long-time political consultant.

  1. 1D AGO ·  VIDEO

    696: 'Hopefully we can regain the public trust in what we do' (Video)

    If you get into a scrape involving local government in North Dakota -- say a garbage truck side swipes your car, or you get hurt on park district property -- the organization you'd likely seek relief through is the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund. This is an entity created by local governments, and funded by local tax dollars, which acts essentially like an insurance company. But the organization has come under fire, with critics saying NDIRF can be ruthless when it comes to claims filed by the public, even as the organization passes along millions in conferments to its members. On this episode of Plain Talk, NDIRF CEO Keith Pic said the organization serves North Dakota by keeping costs down for local governments. "I think the important part here is that the coverages that we provide are unique to North Dakota," he said. "We can be responsive to North Dakota. We don't have the entire United States impacting the rates that would be charged for the risk that our political subdivisions have." I recently wrote an article critical of NDIRF over the organization's handling of the Northwood school bus crash, where dozens of students were injured. That happened back in 2023, but the litigation around it is still lingering, with some families and legal representatives blaming NDIRF for bogging the process down. "The easy thing for NDIRF in that situation would have been to just pay the $300,000 and just be done with it," Pic said, referring to the underinsured motorist coverage for the school district that is at issue. "But I think there would have been some major inequities that would happen or would have happened from that global settlement if we had participated in it. And here you had kids that were still treating well into 2025. Well, we don't know the extent of those injuries in 2024 when that global mediation happened." Pic also argued that the millions in conferments the organization has made back to local governments have nothing to do with claims decisions. "There's no thought as to how is this going to affect our financials. Our claims adjusters are very much examining, what is the legal liability? What's a legal standard as to what can make up this claim and is it an allowable claim to be paid?" he said. "Ultimately, the claims decisions are made afterwards after the year's over. We have an actuarial analysis that's completed to make sure that our our liabilities are set. So I think it's a misconception that there's this incentive uh to make that happen." Pic says he's an "open book" for critics. "I'm certainly hopeful that I can help resolve some of the issues that have come up. Every day is a day of improvement, little by little, and hopefully we can regain the public trust in what we do." Also on this episode, we talk about political troll Brandon Prichard directing inquiries about his organizations campaign finance disclosures to Saul Goodman, and the reality of North Dakota's three political parties. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

    1h 6m

  2. 1D AGO

    696: 'Hopefully we can regain the public trust in what we do'

    If you get into a scrape involving local government in North Dakota -- say a garbage truck side swipes your car, or you get hurt on park district property -- the organization you'd likely seek relief through is the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund. This is an entity created by local governments, and funded by local tax dollars, which acts essentially like an insurance company. But the organization has come under fire, with critics saying NDIRF can be ruthless when it comes to claims filed by the public, even as the organization passes along millions in conferments to its members. On this episode of Plain Talk, NDIRF CEO Keith Pic said the organization serves North Dakota by keeping costs down for local governments. "I think the important part here is that the coverages that we provide are unique to North Dakota," he said. "We can be responsive to North Dakota. We don't have the entire United States impacting the rates that would be charged for the risk that our political subdivisions have." I recently wrote an article critical of NDIRF over the organization's handling of the Northwood school bus crash, where dozens of students were injured. That happened back in 2023, but the litigation around it is still lingering, with some families and legal representatives blaming NDIRF for bogging the process down. "The easy thing for NDIRF in that situation would have been to just pay the $300,000 and just be done with it," Pic said, referring to the underinsured motorist coverage for the school district that is at issue. "But I think there would have been some major inequities that would happen or would have happened from that global settlement if we had participated in it. And here you had kids that were still treating well into 2025. Well, we don't know the extent of those injuries in 2024 when that global mediation happened." Pic also argued that the millions in conferments the organization has made back to local governments have nothing to do with claims decisions. "There's no thought as to how is this going to affect our financials. Our claims adjusters are very much examining, what is the legal liability? What's a legal standard as to what can make up this claim and is it an allowable claim to be paid?" he said. "Ultimately, the claims decisions are made afterwards after the year's over. We have an actuarial analysis that's completed to make sure that our our liabilities are set. So I think it's a misconception that there's this incentive uh to make that happen." Pic says he's an "open book" for critics. "I'm certainly hopeful that I can help resolve some of the issues that have come up. Every day is a day of improvement, little by little, and hopefully we can regain the public trust in what we do." Also on this episode, we talk about political troll Brandon Prichard directing inquiries about his organizations campaign finance disclosures to Saul Goodman, and the reality of North Dakota's three political parties. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

    1h 6m

  3. 3D AGO ·  VIDEO

    695: 'This is not a place where you can burn a lot of bridges' (Video)

    Sen. Kevin Cramer and I have had a running dispute over President Donald Trump and his approach to politics. Cramer says media critics like me are too focused on Trump's antics. I say people like Cramer are too muted in their own criticism. "I'm a United States senator from North Dakota who has a really good personal relationship with the president of the United States," Cramer said in defense of his stance on this episode of Plain Talk, "and there is a long list of advantages for the people of North Dakota because of that relationship." "This is not a place where you can burn a lot of bridges," he added. Cramer also accused the news media of not being focused enough on the accomplishments of the Trump era, including tax reform. "My complaint is not just that they aren't covering the tax cuts enough. It's that certain media outlets are so fascinated by the rants and raves of people about the evils of Donald Trump and Republicans, but they don't write about the accomplishments with the samem," he said. "In fact, they almost don't publish any of it." He also talked about the war President Donald Trump has launched against Iran, and whether it needs congressional approval.  "In the case of the War Powers Act, there's a pretty strong argument -- it's never been tested, mind you, but pretty strong argument -- that the War Powers Act as a piece of legislation as a power that Congress has passed in law is not even constitutional," he said. "But having said that, as it stands, the War Powers Act is what requires the president to, when he does enact a kinetic conflict like we're in with Iran right now, he has 60 days in which to either get out of it or inform Congress or he can extension." Cramer says he believes Trump should want congressional approval. Also on this interview, Cramer talks about his efforts to improve U.S. relations with Canada, and co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the out of state money funding Together for School Meals, the ballot measure campaign to have the state cover the cost of school meals for parents. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode.

    1h 3m

  4. 3D AGO

    695: 'This is not a place where you can burn a lot of bridges'

    Sen. Kevin Cramer and I have had a running dispute over President Donald Trump and his approach to politics. Cramer says media critics like me are too focused on Trump's antics. I say people like Cramer are too muted in their own criticism. "I'm a United States senator from North Dakota who has a really good personal relationship with the president of the United States," Cramer said in defense of his stance on this episode of Plain Talk, "and there is a long list of advantages for the people of North Dakota because of that relationship." "This is not a place where you can burn a lot of bridges," he added. Cramer also accused the news media of not being focused enough on the accomplishments of the Trump era, including tax reform. "My complaint is not just that they aren't covering the tax cuts enough. It's that certain media outlets are so fascinated by the rants and raves of people about the evils of Donald Trump and Republicans, but they don't write about the accomplishments with the samem," he said. "In fact, they almost don't publish any of it." He also talked about the war President Donald Trump has launched against Iran, and whether it needs congressional approval.  "In the case of the War Powers Act, there's a pretty strong argument -- it's never been tested, mind you, but pretty strong argument -- that the War Powers Act as a piece of legislation as a power that Congress has passed in law is not even constitutional," he said. "But having said that, as it stands, the War Powers Act is what requires the president to, when he does enact a kinetic conflict like we're in with Iran right now, he has 60 days in which to either get out of it or inform Congress or he can extension." Cramer says he believes Trump should want congressional approval. Also on this episode, Cramer talks about his efforts to improve U.S. relations with Canada, and co-host Chad Oban and I discuss the out of state money funding Together for School Meals, the ballot measure campaign to have the state cover the cost of school meals for parents. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode.

    1h 3m

  5. APR 10

    694: 'Represent us for who we actually are'

    Corey Johnson is the chief of the Williston Fire Department and a candidate for the state House in District 23. Unlike one of the incumbents in District 23, state Rep. Nico Rios, who has made headlines with an ugly arrest for DUI and erratic behavior on social media, Johnson says he wants to cast his community and his region in a positive light. "I want a representative down in Bismarck that's going to be good on the policy and work to represent Williston and the northwest region, but also somebody that's going to represent us for who we actually are and not give us that negative image that comes back on our community from time to time. That is not what Williston is," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. Johnson is also the chair of the District 23 Republicans, and has received pushback on his candidacy from the populist faction of Republicans that has captured control of the state party, in part because he's opted to run in the June primary despite losing the endorsement at his local convention. He said that he brought his kids to that convention, even knowing he might lose, because "I want them to see failure." "I want them to see defeat and how you react to that and how you move forward," he continued. "But also, that is one step in the process and it didn't go the right way. It was a defeat, but it wasn't the end of the process. So, we moved on to round two and now we're going to the primary election. So, on principle, I think it's the right thing to do." Johnson says his experience as a first responder will bring an important perspective to the Legislature. As the state is coming in to a time when revenues may be dropping, Johnson says he's for trimming budgets, but not in an across-the-board way. He also said he'd like to work on the 3% cap on property tax increases passed during the last legislative session, particularly focusing on how it impacts smaller government entities like ambulance districts. Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Megan Indvik of Americans for Prosperity talk about the need for North Dakota to hit the reset button on its budget, how the state advances its tax code after property tax reform, and the controversy around the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

    1h 3m

  6. APR 10 ·  VIDEO

    694: 'Represent us for who we actually are' (Video)

    Corey Johnson is the chief of the Williston Fire Department and a candidate for the state House in District 23. Unlike one of the incumbents in District 23, state Rep. Nico Rios, who has made headlines with an ugly arrest for DUI and erratic behavior on social media, Johnson says he wants to cast his community and his region in a positive light. "I want a representative down in Bismarck that's going to be good on the policy and work to represent Williston and the northwest region, but also somebody that's going to represent us for who we actually are and not give us that negative image that comes back on our community from time to time. That is not what Williston is," he said on this episode of Plain Talk. Johnson is also the chair of the District 23 Republicans, and has received pushback on his candidacy from the populist faction of Republicans that has captured control of the state party, in part because he's opted to run in the June primary despite losing the endorsement at his local convention. He said that he brought his kids to that convention, even knowing he might lose, because "I want them to see failure." "I want them to see defeat and how you react to that and how you move forward," he continued. "But also, that is one step in the process and it didn't go the right way. It was a defeat, but it wasn't the end of the process. So, we moved on to round two and now we're going to the primary election. So, on principle, I think it's the right thing to do." Johnson says his experience as a first responder will bring an important perspective to the Legislature. As the state is coming in to a time when revenues may be dropping, Johnson says he's for trimming budgets, but not in an across-the-board way. He also said he'd like to work on the 3% cap on property tax increases passed during the last legislative session, particularly focusing on how it impacts smaller government entities like ambulance districts. Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Megan Indvik of Americans for Prosperity talk about the need for North Dakota to hit the reset button on its budget, how the state advances its tax code after property tax reform, and the controversy around the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund.

    1h 3m

  7. APR 8

    693: 'We haven't gotten better deals' out of Trump's trade war

    When asked on this episode of Plain Talk about the justification that President Donald Trump's erratic regime of tariffs is necessary to flex America's economic might and negotiate better deals, John Bitzan, director of the Challey Institute at North Dakota State University, argued that the strategy has not worked. "We haven't gotten better deals out of this," he said. He pointed out that the goal of getting better deals was only used as a justification after the tariffs were already imposed. In a standard negotiation, "you tell people upfront what you're trying to negotiate...instead of putting the tariffs in place ahead of time," he said. Bitzan stated that if you look at the roughly 20 trade deals that have been made, they "are actually less beneficial to us than what existed prior to the tariffs." Plus, it's hard to say how meaningful the supposedly beneficial parts of those deals even are. He explained that commitments from entities like the European Union or South Korea to invest in the U.S. are likely hollow because they either lack the mechanism to compel private businesses to invest, or their parliaments haven't ratified the commitments. Recently Bitzan wrote a column for the Bismarck Tribune nothing that the State of North Dakota has had to step in with a loan program through the Bank of North Dakota to try and protect farmers from the impacts of these tariffs. "It is unusual for farmers to need this kind of support based on an action that has been taken by our government," he said.  "That's the thing that I think is very disturbing about this, is that you think about if there's a drought or some kind of a natural disaster or something like that, well, yeah, then farmers are going to experience financial difficulty and we want to help them out," he continued. "But this is a situation where we're actually causing the harm ourselves to them by our policies." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Matt Fern discuss Rep. Julie Fedorchak's use of congressional franking privileges to promote her re-election campaign, former state lawmaker Judy Estenson pursuing the Republican nomination in a legislative district she doesn't live in, and we respond to listener feedback. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

    1h 1m

  8. APR 8 ·  VIDEO

    693: 'We haven't gotten better deals' out of Trump's trade war (Video)

    When asked on this episode of Plain Talk about the justification that President Donald Trump's erratic regime of tariffs is necessary to flex America's economic might and negotiate better deals, John Bitzan, director of the Challey Institute at North Dakota State University, argued that the strategy has not worked. "We haven't gotten better deals out of this," he said. He pointed out that the goal of getting better deals was only used as a justification after the tariffs were already imposed. In a standard negotiation, "you tell people upfront what you're trying to negotiate...instead of putting the tariffs in place ahead of time," he said. Bitzan stated that if you look at the roughly 20 trade deals that have been made, they "are actually less beneficial to us than what existed prior to the tariffs." Plus, it's hard to say how meaningful the supposedly beneficial parts of those deals even are. He explained that commitments from entities like the European Union or South Korea to invest in the U.S. are likely hollow because they either lack the mechanism to compel private businesses to invest, or their parliaments haven't ratified the commitments. Recently Bitzan wrote a column for the Bismarck Tribune nothing that the State of North Dakota has had to step in with a loan program through the Bank of North Dakota to try and protect farmers from the impacts of these tariffs. "It is unusual for farmers to need this kind of support based on an action that has been taken by our government," he said.  "That's the thing that I think is very disturbing about this, is that you think about if there's a drought or some kind of a natural disaster or something like that, well, yeah, then farmers are going to experience financial difficulty and we want to help them out," he continued. "But this is a situation where we're actually causing the harm ourselves to them by our policies." Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Matt Fern discuss Rep. Julie Fedorchak's use of congressional franking privileges to promote her re-election campaign, former state lawmaker Judy Estenson pursuing the Republican nomination in a legislative district she doesn't live in, and we respond to listener feedback. If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

    57 min
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About

Plain Talk is a podcast hosted by Rob Port and Chad Oban focusing on political news and current events in North Dakota. Port is a columnist for the Forum News Service published in papers including the Fargo Forum, Grand Forks Herald, Jamestown Sun, and the Dickinson Press. Oban is a long-time political consultant.

Information

  • Channel
    Forum Communications Co.
  • Creator
    Forum Communications Co.
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    866
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©2026 Forum Communications Co.
  • Show Website
    Plain Talk

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