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John Adams

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As seen in: Montana Free Press, The New York Times, Justia Dockets & Filings, National Post, Audible Blog, The Tennessean, KGW-TV (Portland, OR), The Clarion-Ledger, WRIC-TV (Richmond, VA), Longreads, Great Falls Tribune and
Covers:  Government, politics, environment, economy, energy, health care, education, social justice, human rights, immigration, technology,
Founder and Editor, @MTFreePress. Featured in @DarkMoneyFilm. Journalist, nonprofit news executive. Tweets are my own, and do not = endorsements.
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Dark money group launches ad attacking Rosendale

Dark money group launches ad attacking Rosendale

Montana Free Press — According to Roll Call , the liberal dark money group Majority Forward is behind the 30-second spot , which highlights the fact that Rosendale moved to Montana from Maryland and pokes fun at Rosendale's past claim that he's a rancher .
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State Auditor drops fines against top campaign donor

State Auditor drops fines against top campaign donor

Montana Free Press — Family members and employees of a Billings-based bail bond company facing fines and sanctions by the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance gave nearly $13,000 to Republican State Auditor Matt Rosendale's political campaigns in 2016. One day after a 2017 face-to-face meeting with company representatives, Rosendale dropped the fines and dismissed two of the three allegations against Friedell LLC.
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Daily Beast audio reveals potential illegal coordination between NRA and Rosendale

Daily Beast audio reveals potential illegal coordination between NRA and Rosendale

Montana Free Press — According to an audio recording obtained by the Daily Beast, Republican Montana State Auditor and U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale may have illegally coordinated with a top NRA official prior to the conservative gun rights group spending nearly $400,000 on ads attacking Rosendale's opponent, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.
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Lee Enterprises shutters Missoula Independent

Lee Enterprises shutters Missoula Independent

Montana Free Press — Lee Enterprises, the Iowa-based newspaper chain that bought the Missoula Independent last year, has now shut down the iconic alternative newsweekly. The staff learned of the closure early Tuesday morning, according to former Independent staff writer Derek Brouwer. "I got a phone call that woke me up around 7:30 this morning.
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Big Tobacco violated campaign laws, commissioner finds

Big Tobacco violated campaign laws, commissioner finds

Montana Free Press — HELENA - Two Big Tobacco companies violated Montana's campaign practices and disclosure laws as part of a campaign opposing a tobacco tax ballot initiative. That's according a 14-page decision issued by the state's top campaign practices official.
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With the midterm field set, Tester faces another tough contest

With the midterm field set, Tester faces another tough contest

Montana Free Press — The results of June 5 primary elections gave some clues as to the mood of Montana's electorate, and all signs point to another competitive - and expensive - U.S. Senate race this fall.
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Trans* in Montana

Trans* in Montana

Great Falls Tribune — One of the biggest challenges LGBT equality faces, advocates say, is helping lawmakers to understand the complexities and realities of life of trans* Montanans. Great Falls Tribune capital bureau takes an in-depth look at the people and issues behind the "T" in LGBT.
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Documents detail Right to Work's involvement in Montana elections

Documents detail Right to Work's involvement in Montana elections

Montana Free Press — HELENA - Thousands of newly uncovered documents and recently filed court records bolster the already mounting evidence tying the anti-union National Right to Work Committee to the political activities of conservative nonprofit groups accused of improperly coordinating Republican legislative primary campaigns in Montana. Emails, documents, and affidavits recently obtained by Montana's commissioner of political practices [...]
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Judge presiding over political corruption lawsuit is married to newly appointed lieutenant govern...

Judge presiding over political corruption lawsuit is married to newly appointed lieutenant govern...

Montana Free Press — District Judge DeeAnn Cooney has only been on the bench since Jan. 1, but already she's presiding over one of the most high-profile political corruption cases the state has seen in decades.
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New judge assigned to political corruption lawsuit

New judge assigned to political corruption lawsuit

Montana Free Press — The Helena district court judge Gov. Steve Bullock recently appointed to the bench has recused herself from presiding over a high-profile political corruption case involving one of Bullock's staunchest critics. According to court records filed Wednesday, Judge Ray Dayton, of Anaconda, will take over for Judge DeeAnn Cooney, who recused herself from the case on [...]
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Complaint against 'Dark Money' prosecutor dismissed

Complaint against 'Dark Money' prosecutor dismissed

Montana Free Press — HELENA - Allegations that a high-profile state-appointed attorney broke some of the very same campaign practices laws he was hired to prosecute have been dropped. Deputy Commissioner of Political Practices Kirsten Madsen, in a 19-page order issued Friday, dismissed a complaint filed late last year against Billings attorney Gene Jarussi by Republican political consultant Jake Eaton.
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Montana Growth Network settles long-standing political practices lawsuit

Montana Growth Network settles long-standing political practices lawsuit

Montana Free Press — HELENA - A dark money political organization that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars during the 2012 election to support conservative candidates for office has settled a lawsuit accusing it of violating Montana's campaign finance laws. The Montana Growth Network, headed by former Red Lodge Republican state Sen.
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Final omnibus bill stripped of "Citizens United 2.0" riders

Final omnibus bill stripped of "Citizens United 2.0" riders

Montana Free Press — Campaign finance watchdogs were waiting on pins and needles this week in anticipation of the final text of a massive bill to fund the federal government. That's because earlier drafts of House and Senate appropriations bills contained a series of so-called "poison pill" [...]
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Missoula Independent staff file papers to form a union

Missoula Independent staff file papers to form a union

Montana Free Press — The NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America would represent the union in collective bargaining HELENA - The 10 non-management employees of the Missoula Independent today filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to begin the process of forming a union, the Missoula News Guild Organizing Committee announced via a press release issued late Monday afternoon.
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Complaint: dark money Right to Work group engaged in illegal political activities

Complaint: dark money Right to Work group engaged in illegal political activities

Montana Free Press — Montana Citizens for Right to Work has been actively participating in Montana elections since as far back as 2008, but records show the organization has not registered with the Commissioner of Political Practices, nor has it reported any political activities or election-related spending, since at least 2012.
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Lawsuit claims Yellowstone County judge, sheriff's officer violated civil rights in illegal immig...

Lawsuit claims Yellowstone County judge, sheriff's officer violated civil rights in illegal immig...

Montana Free Press — By John S. Adams, Montana Free Press A Yellowstone County man who claims a judge illegally ordered his arrest is now suing that judge, and the officer who arrested him, in federal court. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Billings, Miguel Angel Reynaga Hernandez claims former Yellowstone County Justice of the [...]
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Federal judge who sealed Cebull file retires amid sexual misconduct allegations

Federal judge who sealed Cebull file retires amid sexual misconduct allegations

Montana Free Press — The federal judge who ordered that the results of a lengthy misconduct investigation into a former Montana chief judge be sealed resigned Monday amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Kozinski is the U.S. 9th Circuit chief judge who in 2013 declared that the results of an official investigation into former Montana Chief District Judge Richard Cebull's racist, homophobic, and sexist emails was "moot" because Cebull resigned from the bench.
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GOP consultant accuses 'dark money' prosecutor of campaign violations

GOP consultant accuses 'dark money' prosecutor of campaign violations

Montana Free Press — Gene Jarussi, the state special attorney general in charge of litigating a series of lawsuits against political candidates for illegal campaign activities, is now himself facing allegations of political misconduct. In a Nov. 27 complaint filed with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, Jake Eaton, a Republican political operative from Billings, claims Jarussi and his wife illegally coordinated with Rep.
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After a decade-long internal battle, have legislative Republicans buried the hatchet?

After a decade-long internal battle, have legislative Republicans buried the hatchet?

Montana Free Press — For the better part of the past decade, Montana Republicans have enjoyed comfortable majorities in the state Legislature. Despite those majorities (or maybe because of them), GOP caucuses in the House and Senate have spent much of the past 10 years engaged in a bitter, and oftentimes very public, intra-party feud.
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