University of North Dakota
Mark Trahant is Professor of Journalism at the University of North Dakota. He blogs at Trahant Reports. A member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe in Idaho, he is a former president of the Native American Journalists Association.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is back in business The Army Corps of Engineers has done a 180 on the Dakota Access Pipeline, turning victory into another battle for Native Americans. Just two months ago, tribal leaders and many supporters were celebrating a victory when the Army Corps of Engineers ordered an environmental impact report on the Dakota Access Pipeline. Now, the Corps has reversed itself, and construction is under way again for a tunnel under the Missouri River just upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Mark Trahant is a professor at the University of North Dakota and an independent journalist. He updates us on what's happened over the past month and what's likely to happen next.
American-Indian wars, 21st century style The Thanksgiving holiday celebrates the supposedly peaceful partnership between early European settlers and the natives who lived in America first. But while much of the country sits down to dinner, a very different historical pattern is playing out again near Cannon Ball, North Dakota. A Native American protest against an oil pipeline has been met with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. It's aroused attention all over the world. As Jane Fonda plans to serve the protesters thanksgiving dinner, can President Obama make a lasting difference? We get an update.
Native American Reaction to the Oregon Land Protest So the major talking point for the Oregon protesters is about taking back the land from the federal government. The local Native American tribe there – the Burns-Paiute tribe – says the land belongs to them under an agreement they signed with federal officials more than a century ago. What’s more concerning is that the armed occupiers may have rifled through and tampered with traditional Native American artifacts stored in the refuge. The leader of the Burns-Paiute tribe is also concerned for her tribe members’ safety after some said they were harassed by protest supporters.
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.