
KFGO talk-show host Joel Heitkamp brings his common sense approach to the issues of the day.

Big, Ugly Bill
John Hoeven, Kevin Cramer, and Julie Fedorchak held a press conference to brag about why they voted for what they call, the "one big, beautiful bill." Now a law that they say will change America forever. They're certainly right on some aspects, but very wrong in others. It's a big bill. It's so big they were ...
Jul 11, 2025

Do they even care?
Four people in Minnesota were stalked, and then shot. State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed, and State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were critically injured. The Democrats appear to have been attacked simply for how they voted. Imagine that, being attacked for doing what t...
Jun 20, 2025

We need them
What is it about Donald Trump and his followers' hatred of international students? Why don't they see them for what they are? Some of the brightest students in the world, choosing to continue their studies in America. They want to go to some of the most prestigious institutions in the world to get their degree, and we ...
Jun 02, 2025

From dolls to planes
How do you define victory in a trade war? Is it by someone agreeing to buy more? Or maybe by someone agreeing to charge less? It really comes down to that, right? It comes down to how much people give or get for doing business. The Trump tariffs have attempted to do just that. The question is, for who? Who might have h...
May 15, 2025

It's over
The 69th Legislative Session is in the books. And as with every session, there's winners and losers. It brings the types of wins and losses that can define a state. First, let's go over the winners. First: The North Dakota home owners have certainly come out as winners. Our new Governor Kelly Armstrong promised propert...
May 07, 2025

No apology
I felt I had a couple of jobs to do once the terrible information about Ray Holmberg came to light. One was to make sure the public knows all the details of what was done and who did it. The other was to make sure there was a discussion where the public could speak to it. So far, I think we've done what we can. I poste...
May 02, 2025

It didn't need fixing
It's all self-inflicted. The market didn't need to plummet, and our allies didn't have to be put in a position where they don't trust us, or even like us. It's because of the tariffs. It's because Donald Trump had to prove he was the biggest one in the playground. He isn't though, and that's the problem. Like any bully...
Apr 08, 2025

It's been quite the couple of weeks
Ray Holmberg got everything he deserved at his sentencing. The Republican former State Senator used the power he had as a majority member to rape children. Imagine that; a man using state dollars, state connections, and a state position to rape young boys. I'm proud of the role KFGO plays in making sure the public know...
Apr 04, 2025

He deserved it
Ray Holmberg is going to be in federal prison for 10 years. Judge Daniel Hovland, Judge of the United States District Court of North Dakota, went well over the recommended sentence of three years, and instead gave Holmberg ten years. I was in the courtroom when he did it. And aside from looking at other sentences in se...
Mar 29, 2025

Clint Hill, Secret Service agent and North Dakota native, dies at age 93 - hear him on "News and Views"
October 27, 2017 interview between Joel Heitkamp and Clint Hill February 20,2019 interview between Jim Shaw and Clint Hill June 25, 2019 interview between Joel Heitkamp and Clint Hill Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who leaped onto the back of President John F. Kennedy's limousine after the president was shot, the...
Feb 25, 2025

Depends on who you are
What would you have done if you were Joe Biden? It's the end of your Presidency, and people are putting all kinds of names on your desk to be pardoned. They go so far as to even mention preemptive pardons like Liz Cheney and your son, Hunter, for example. Choices have to be made, and the window is narrow. So you decide...
Feb 22, 2025

He knows everything
Now that Elon Musk and all his young minions have your social security number and tax returns, he is in complete control of your life. He's a man that controls people by algorithms from your private information. He puts things in front of you in hopes of changing your mind. That is, if you disagree with him in the firs...
Feb 21, 2025

We're not hypocrites
I agree with State Representative Nico Rios. Did I shock you? Rios is a legislator that when getting arrested for a DUI, called the officers every name he possibly could. One of those names being the n-word. He also took another step towards proving what a disgusting racist he is when he threw out on social media askin...
Feb 11, 2025

Why does he have it?
I'm proud of the fact that I'm not an election denier. Unlike many Republicans, I'll admit when Donald Trump wins...or when he loses. He didn't win this last election by as much as he says he did, and he didn't win the age groups he said he did. But, he did win. That being said, I'm not willing to say it was Elon Musk ...
Feb 07, 2025

Super Bowl LIX - Jack Michaels Questionnaire
Good luck and have fun!! - Joel, Jack, Rusty, and Abby SUPERBOWL LIX MIDWEST RADIO QUESTIONNAIRE.docx
Feb 06, 2025

She was right
What did Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde say in her sermon that was wrong? At the Washington National Cathedral, the Bishop pleaded for three things: She asked for dignity, honesty, and humility. She accurately pointed out that certain groups of people in this country are scared. People that work hard everyday doing jobs th...
Jan 24, 2025

Goal achieved
Inaugural speeches are opportunities to make history. They give a President a chance to be remembered in a good way next to giants. Trump did exactly the opposite. He used his second inauguration to continue a campaign by tearing down the previous administration bit by bit. Trump didn't win by a landslide. The percenta...
Jan 20, 2025

The way it's supposed to be
The 2024 election has been certified and there was no riot. No one stormed the Capitol, bludgeoned police officers with an American Flag, or wiped feces on the walls of the U.S. Capitol. In other words, there wasn't an attempt to overthrow our government. There wasn't an insurrection. I've always wondered if all the pe...
Jan 14, 2025

There's work to do
2024 is over and a new year has begun. The decisions that were made in 2024 will be decisions that will define this country for decades to come. People have been placed in power, some with ideals and others with fear, that are going to be part of a change in how our nation governs. No longer will the version of three e...
Jan 02, 2025

Look in the Mirror
In his final address to North Dakota, Doug Burgum couldn't help himself. He had to go to his new boss's playbook and criticize someone just to make himself look better. Never mind the fact that different times call for different measures. Burgum went all the way back to the 1980's to find someone to attack. He went aft...
Dec 13, 2024