Join in the conversation at 2 p.m. as conservative Rob Port debates a liberal media personality in first episode of ‘Plain Talk Live’

MINOT, N.D. — Today’s the first episode of a new project.

Plain Talk Live will be a live stream of discussions with people I know who are smart and interesting and don’t often agree with me. That will happen on a regular schedule, every Wednesday at 2 pm.

I’ll be using this same format to conduct interviews with newsmakers. For instance, on Friday at 10 a.m., I’ll live stream an interview with Lt. Governor Brent Sanford about the potential sale that might save Coal Creek Station, North Dakota’s largest coal-fired power plant.

My wonderful employers at Forum Communications Company pitched me on doing these live streams after OneFargo activist Wess Philome was kind enough to host a discussion with me on Facebook. Our conversation was thoughtful and provocative and, at times, difficult.

It’s the kind of content we want to produce. There may be some technical glitches at the beginning. My 13-year-old daughter has done her best to inculcate her curmudgeon of a father in the mysteries of streaming. She even got me a ring light.

Please be patient, and rest assured that any technical difficulties are probably the fault of this humble idiot.

Today’s broadcast will feature Jonah Lantto, a fellow Minot resident who I’ve known since childhood.

Jonah, like me, is a new-media guy. He’s the force behind The Good Talk Network, a production company that currently produces several podcasts and a late-night show. They have a lot of interesting content, and you should check them out.

We’ll be discussing how we can overcome vaccine skepticism so that we can move past the pandemic era. Also, why is the Legislature so reticent to legalize, or at least decriminalize, recreational marijuana? And do we really need the 10 commandments in our schools?

Watch live, and join the discussion in our chat room. A recording of the live stream will be available after the show, both on YouTube and as an audio version available on the Plain Talk podcast, which you can subscribe to on all of your favorite podcasting platforms.

Direct any comments or feedback to [email protected].