The Mike McFeely Mess

Forum business reporter and columnist Tammy Swift joins podcast host Mike McFeely to chat about a story Tammy wrote about world-famous Dot's Pretzels leaving little Velva, North Dakota, after the company was purchased by food giant Hershey's Company. The two dozen or so jobs the move eliminated is bad, but the small town near Minot in north central North Dakota also lost a big part of its identity when Hershey's closed the Dot's production plant and moved operations to Pennsylvania. Tammy wrote about it all in a story that appeared on the InForum.com website recently.

Aaron Rupar, publisher of the Public Notice newsletter and longtime political commentator and Trump follower on social media, joins host Mike McFeely to chat about how Aaron can keep his sanity having to watch and dissect so many rallies and press conferences of former president Donald Trump. They talk about this fall's election and its potential consequences. Trump and President Joe Biden are, of course, the gist of the conversation, but former U.S. congresswoman Michele Bachmann's name makes a cameo, too. And Mike couldn't resist talking a little Minnesota Timberwolves with Aaron, who is a super-fan of the rising NBA team.

Forum columnist Jim Shaw joins host Mike McFeely to break down the debate between North Dakota Republican gubernatorial candidates Kelly Armstrong and Tammy Miller. Spoiler alert: Both Jim and Mike found it to be a snoozer. Jim also gives his thoughts on how Cara Mund will do in the June primary for the state's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

WDAY-TV sports host and North Dakota State play-by-play broadcaster Dom Izzo joins host Mike McFeely of The Forum to talk about the spring football transfer portal opening and the NDSU spring game coming up this weekend (it's actually a "showcase," not a game). So far — and we emphasize so far — no Bison players have entered the portal in the first couple of days it's been open in the spring window. Other schools have not been so lucky. We'll have to keep watching to see if any NDSU players leave the program, and how important they are to the Bison. Also, Dom lays out a few positions and players he'll keep an eye on during Saturday's Bison football showcase at the Fargodome. Which young players will pop? Who needs to step up? What position groups have the most questions?

Forum reporter Tasha Carvell joins host Mike McFeely to discuss some of her recent stories, including one that involves a North Dakota judge throwing out a lawsuit a Native American group with tenuous ties to the state filed against the NFL's Washington Commanders. Tasha also gives an update on former North Dakotan Rockne Earles, who had his charges amped up for his role in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. She also touches on the latest news involving the federal search warrant granted in the Ray Holmberg case. It's a very newsy podcast.

Talk-show host Joel Heitkamp of KFGO and the "News and Views" radio network joins host Mike McFeely to talk some politics, specifically Donald Trump and his hawking of Bibles to help pay his bills. Unsurprisingly, Joel and Mike find hypocrisy and humor in Trump selling the Bible. They also touch on other political topics like Joe Biden, immigration and the North Dakota Republican gubernatorial primary between Kelly Armstrong and Tammy Miller.

Former editorial page editor of The Forum Jack Zaleski joins host Mike McFeely to talk about North Dakota's Republican primary for governor between U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong and Tammy Miller. The TV ads are unavoidable and they are getting nastier. Also, how much sway will Gov. Doug Burgum have in the race and the latest on North Dakota's anti-abortion extremists getting even more extreme.

North Dakota humanities scholar and commentator Clay Jenkinson joins host Mike McFeely to cover a variety of topics. Mike invited Clay onto the podcast to get his reaction about a survey that showed Christian nationalism gets more support in North Dakota than in any other state, but as always the pair delved into several subjects.

Forum columnist Mike McFeely guest-hosted "News and Views" on KFGO radio and its statewide network on Thursday, March 14. Guests included Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota DFL, who visited about Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to the state and the Minnesota GOP's continued descent into radicalism; and Will Stancil, a University of Minnesota researcher and X influencer who chatted about America's ongoing attempt to harness social media app TikTok. Mike also riffed about South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and her dental surgery infomercial, conservative misinformation and immigration.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins host Mike McFeely in a last-second, emergency podcast (Mike just got back from Sioux Falls, S.D., covering the Summit League tournament and had nothing prepared) to chat about the North Dakota State women's basketball team, potential Summit League transfers, the Minnesota Vikings' free-agent moves and the now-relevant Minnesota Timberwolves. It's a smorgasbord of sports talk!

Forum columnist and former local TV news reporter and director Jim Shaw joins host Mike McFeely to talk about North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum refusing to say whether he would've certified the 2020 presidential election in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. Burgum is angling for something from Trump, possibly a Cabinet position. Also, Shaw offers a couple of thoughts on the Republican gubernatorial race between Tammy Miller and Kelly Armstrong.

Forum columnist and reporter Tammy Swift joins host Mike McFeely and turns the tables. Tammy asked if she could be the one asking the questions to learn more about Mike. He agreed. So Tammy fires away. Does Mike think he has a large ego? What's one thing about him that would surprise people? What does he fear? It's like a therapy session, in podcast form.

WDAY-TV sportscaster Dom Izzo joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the pair's "Drive For Five (Thousand)" campaign to attract 5,000 fans to the North Dakota State vs. North Dakota basketball games Feb. 24 in Fargo. There likely won't be anywhere near 5,000 fans for either game, but the guys ask the question: Why is basketball attendance for the men's team dwindling and what can be done to boost the number of fans at women's games?

Denver Post sports columnist Sean Keeler joins podcast host Mike McFeely to chat about one of North Dakota State's opponents this fall, the University of Colorado. Keeler recently wrote a column calling Colorado head coach Deion Sanders — you might have heard of him — "a false prophet, the Bruce Lee of B.S., Harold Hill in designer shades." Keeler and McFeely talk about the column, the reaction to it, and the upcoming matchup between the historically powerful FCS team in NDSU and the upstart and very popular FBS team in Colorado. It is sure to be a game watched intently both nationally because of Prime Time and regionally because the Bison get another chance to play an FBS Power Five team.

Forum sportswriter Eric Peterson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about North Dakota State football's latest quarterback recruit Jacob Kilzer, the addition of three new assistant coaches and this year's great success of Minnesota State University Moorhead's men's basketball team.

Noted Bismarck, N.D., author, historian and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson joins host Mike McFeely to discuss, mostly, the sorry state of the American republic. The United States is in the hurt bag because of an electorate (mostly on the right) that is stuck in its partisan fantasy land and politicians (mostly on the right) who won't push back on Trump. Jenkinson is the principal behind Listening to America (formerly The Thomas Jefferson Hour), a weekly podcast/radio program, newsletter, and website LTAmerica.org dedicated to "traveling less visited byways and taking time to see this immense, extraordinary country with fresh eyes while listening to the many voices of America’s past, present, and future."

Forum columnist and business reporter Tammy Swift joins host Mike McFeely to talk about several things, but mostly about columns she's written about her elderly mother's illness. Tammy's columns have been deeply personal, opening the door to thinking about her mom's mortality and her own.

Forum reporter Tracy Briggs joins host Mike McFeely to talk about her stories on King Leo's, a long-ago popular hamburger joint in south Fargo that has readers stirred up with excitement. As is always the case when Tracy and Mike begin to talk, the discussion goes off-course into their careers, their spouses, travel, their aversion to math and other non-related topics.

Former longtime Forum editorial page editor Jack Zaleski, who covered and wrote about North Dakota politics for decades, joins host Mike McFeely to hash over the internal strife in the state's Republican Party and the scandals that have rocked the party.

"News and Views" host Joel Heitkamp, based at Fargo's KFGO radio, joins host Mike McFeely of The Forum at Vic's Lounge in Moorhead to chat about North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign. The Republican announced he was seeking his party's nomination in early June and dropped out of the race in early December after gaining little traction. Mike and Joel discuss the campaign, what Burgum could have done differently and what might be next for the North Dakota governor.