Jake nichols 720

Jake Nichols

Radio

It's the Cowboy State Daily Morning Show With Jake. Weekday mornings 6 - 10 a.m.

[{"type":"text","text":"Catch up with the show on your favorite podcast platform!"}]

Jake in studio small

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Thursday, August 6, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Jake in the 307. Weekday mornings 6-10 a.m.

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Thursday, August 6, 2026

 It's the Cowboy State Daily Morning Show With Jake. Weekday mornings 6 - 10 a.m. Catch up with the show on your favorite podcast platform!

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, August 6th.  I’m Mac Watson.

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

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The Wyoming Freedom Caucus claims national group Americans for Prosperity is attacking “true conservatives” running for the state Legislature. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Wyoming’s AFP director says, “We don’t look at caucus alignment.”

“It looks, on the surface, it looks like a dichotomy where Americans for Prosperity, which is a national group that has a Wyoming a director with deep Wyoming roots and residency, is backing pretty much non-Freedom Caucus candidates to the legislature. Now, Representative Bill Allemand, a caucus member, says that ‘yeah, they're targeting true conservatives.’ He casted as kind of a coordinated agenda to take out the Freedom Caucus, whereas Americans for Prosperity's Wyoming director Tyler Lindholm said, ‘We're not looking at caucus membership. We're looking at specific votes.’”

Headquartered in Virginia, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a major player in Wyoming’s primary election cycle, influencing voters’ choices between different Republicans.

A new 30-year analysis shows longtime Jackson Hole luxury property values matched — and in some cases beat — stock market gains. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that one 5.43-acre property increased in value from $275,000 in 1995 to $5.45 million in 2025, an almost 2,000% gain.

“Demand is huge. Supply is tiny. That's how you get these high prices in Jackson, and of course, every zoning ordinance, every restriction that they've put on Development ultimately ratchets supply down. Right, you know, at one time you could have a three-acre parcel in Teton County, but they changed that. I think in the '90s and made it a minimum of 35 acres. So you immediately turn supply down as soon as you do that, prices go up.”

Though not many properties in Jackson Hole have outpaced the stock market, their appreciation is still eye-catching, ranging from 6.6 times higher on average for luxury single-family homes to 14 times higher for luxury residential vacant land. 

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Secretary of State Chuck Gray brought up data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator during a U.S. House forum Tuesday night in Sheridan. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland was in Sheridan and reports that Reid Rasner criticized Gray, while multiple candidates claimed to be leading the race.

“With a field this full, what's getting interesting is to watch everyone argue about who's in second place, because for the anti-gray crowd, the anti-gray crowd might want to galvanize under the name of whoever is in second place. Steve Friess has said that he is in second or first; that it's a two-man race with him and Gray. So conservatives should coalesce under Friess. Whereas last night Gray announced that it's actually Kevin Christensen, and Christensen agreed with that. And you know, at some point during all of these claims, Jillian Balow shook her head, and so you have these not only positioning where people are trying to cast themselves as front runners, but they're also getting into the fray about who's in second.”

On Wednesday, Gray and Rasner both asserted via Facebook post that they’d won the debate. Giralt thanked PBS for hosting. Biteman posted a link to the full debate Tuesday. Christensen authored a post expounding one of his short, lightning-round answers. The primary election is Aug. 18.

A wildfire burning in timber west of Pinedale in the Wyoming Range has grown, doubling its size in a day and is expected to bring forest closures. Cowboy State Daily Kolby Fedore reports that fire officials say as of Wednesday night, there was zero containment.

“The Bear Fire burning in the Bridger-Teton National Forest doubled in size on Wednesday. It went from 400 acres to 800 acres by Wednesday night. Fire officials say they are attacking the blaze with helicopters, ground crews, and an Incident Three management team. With 0% containment, officials say that the Bridger-Teton National Forest is expected to close. No word so far on how long.”

The U.S. Forest Service added that the wildfire also spread from national forest land onto adjacent Bureau of Land Management property before moderating during the early evening. The cause remains under investigation.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

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Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

A bill to delist wolves across the Lower 48 co-sponsored by Wyoming U.S. Sens. Barrasso and Lummis was blocked by a New Jersey Democrat. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that Rep. Hageman on Wednesday blasted “elitist East Coast politicians' continued objections to common-sense proposals.”

“I talked to Jim McGagna from the Wyoming Cattleman's Association, and as you can imagine, he thinks it's a good idea to delist wolves across the Lower 48. Even if this nationwide delisting goes through, that doesn't mean grab your guns and head for Colorado to shoot wolves. It's not going to be a free for all, but it could maybe loosen the parameters of allowing wolves to be killed. That it could damage their reintroduction program.”

Wolves have been delisted for several years in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and can be hunted in all three states. Colorado launched a reintroduction program in late 2023, and wolves remain protected there. Even if a nationwide federal delisting passes, state protections for wolves would still apply.

Lower humidity and relatively cool nights helped Wyoming cattle endure a record heat wave, ranchers say. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that South Dakota wasn't so fortunate, losing as many as 2,000 head to heat and humidity at a time when America's herd is at a 75-year low.

“It's been hot in Wyoming, but the dry lack of humidity and cooler temperatures at night have really cut Wyoming some slack, whereas its neighbor South Dakota hasn't been so lucky. South Dakota ranchers may be eligible for a federal livestock indemnity program that could compensate owners for deaths caused by eligible adverse events. That could be an act of Mother Nature. Warren Rushe with the South Dakota State University Extension Office said that he believes ranchers have done everything that they could to save their cattle, and that was something that he really wanted to stress. So it was nothing that they could help that this happened.”

A combination of scorching temperatures and high humidity proved deadly, depleting herd numbers and highlighting just how vulnerable livestock can be during extreme weather.

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A special prosecutor has cleared a Sweetwater County deputy in the April fatal shooting of an 18-year-old in Rock Springs. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that the conclusion of using deadly force was legally justified after the man pointed an AR-style rifle and other firearms at officers.

“An independent investigation by the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigations says that Sweetwater County Deputy Nathaniel Hull acted lawfully when he shot an 18-year-old. Rock Springs police were sent to the area for a hit and run when dispatch called in that there was a suicidal subject who had already shot himself and was making comments that he might shoot law enforcement.When Deputy Hole arrived, Zander Bolan was pointing a rifle at him, as well as people who were being evacuated from the area. Deputy Hull fired three rounds from his. So sorry, Deputy Hull fired three rounds from his duty pistol, and the suspect was taken to the hospital. He later died from his injuries.”

Carbon County Attorney Sarah Chavez Harkins served as a special prosecutor to determine whether Deputy Nathaniel Hull's actions violated Wyoming or federal law.

In a written determination dated July 31, Harkins concluded Hull's use of deadly force was justified, bringing the criminal review to a close.

Bungee jumpers keep leaping off the 112-foot Fremont Canyon Bridge despite a tragic history that goes back more than 50 years. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi spoke with one woman who says anyone “who wants to jump off of it with that type of rigging is insane.”

“What you need is the proper equipment and a good anchor. And the Fremont Canyon Bridge serves as an excellent anchor. And the thing about it is that it's a narrow canyon with steep walls, and the water's not that far. It's 112 feet in the air, and that's part of the allure for bungee jumpers. It adds to the experience. The free fall is incredible because of what you're seeing in your peripheral vision. The water comes right up at you.  It's an incredible experience, and anybody can do it, provided they have the equipment and they know what they're doing.”

Like many outdoor recreation activities, bungee jumping is becoming increasingly popular in Wyoming.

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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

Video image 8 6 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, August 6, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Thursday's headlines include:
* Jax Luxury Property Values Exploded
* People Keep Jumping Off Fremont Bridge
* Freedom Caucus Claims ‘True Conservatives’ Attacked

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, August 6, 2026

Coy Knobel

Don Day Weather

Sunny, smoky in Wyoming on Thursday and mostly clear and smoky overnight.  Highs in the 80s and 90s. Lows from the mid 40s to near 60.

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Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 95 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 55 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 95 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 59 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 91 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 53.

  Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 49.

  Areas of smoke before 3 p.m., sunny and breezy today with a high near 88 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with a low near 52 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph.

 Patchy smoke, sunny today with a high near 91 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 51.

 Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 83 and wind gusts as high as 26 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 47 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

 Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 52.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 86 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 47.

 Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 82 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 50 and wind gusts as high as 28 mph.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 87 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke and a low near 48.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 81 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 45.

Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 96 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 60.

:  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 89 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 60.

  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 94 and mostly clear overnight with patchy smoke, a low near 57 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph.

   Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 89 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph.

  Patchy smoke, mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 92 and wind from 12-17 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 54.

:   Patchy smoke, mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 90 and wind from 11-16 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 57.

Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 92 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 56 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.

   Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 93 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 58 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph.

:  Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 89 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 56 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

  Areas of smoke after 1 p.m., sunny and hot today with a high near 98 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 59.

  Areas of smoke after 11 a.m., sunny and hot today with a high near 96 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 58.

  Red flag fire warning from 11 a.m. today until 8 p.m. tonight. Areas of smoke after 11 a.m., sunny and hot today with a high near 97 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 59.

   Red flag fire warning from 11 a.m. today until 8 p.m. tonight. Areas of smoke after 8 a.m., sunny, breezy and hot today with a high near 92 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 57 and wind from 15-20 mph before midnight.

  Red flag fire warning from 11 a.m. today until 8 p.m. tonight. Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 88 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear and breezy overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 50 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

  Areas of smoke after 10 a.m., sunny and hot today with a high near 94 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke and a low near 57.

   Red flag fire warning until 8 p.m. tonight. Areas of smoke, sunny and breezy today with a high near 88 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke, a low near 53 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph. 

   Red flag fire warning until 8 p.m. tonight. Areas of smoke, sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke after 10 p.m. and a low near 50.

   Red flag fire warning until 8 p.m. tonight. Areas of smoke, sunny and hot today with a high near 91 and mostly clear overnight with areas of smoke after midnight and a low near 48.

Daycap 8 6 26 v2

<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, August 6, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sunny, smoky in Wyoming on Thursday and mostly clear and smoky overnight. Highs in the 80s and 90s. Lows from the mid 40s to near 60.

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, August 6, 2026

You Still Here

[{"type":"text","text":"Your doctor recommends installing a bar in your shower for safety....."}]

You still here 8 6 26

<title>You Still Here? Thursday, August 6, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Your doctor recommends installing a bar in your shower for safety.....

You Still Here? Thursday, August 6, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus claims the national group Americans for Prosperity is attacking “true conservatives” running for the state Legislature. 

Americans for Prosperity’s Wyoming-based director Tyler Lindholm disputes that, saying Freedom Caucus-aligned legislators aren’t always conservative.

AFP spent $334,603 in election campaign efforts in Wyoming’s 2024 primary cycle.

 as another Virginia-based group, which differs from AFP and often backs Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates: Make Liberty Win.

[{"type":"text","text":"Make Liberty Win spent  $371,260 in Wyoming’s 2024 primary election."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"This year’s primary election is Aug. 18."}]

The primary tends to be more decisive in Wyoming because it a Republican-majority state. Republican in-fighting, not partisan divide, defines most political factions on the state legislative level.

[{"type":"text","text":"None of AFP’s picks is a known Freedom Caucus member. "}]

AFP’s favored Republican candidates in contested legislative races this year are:

[{"type":"text","text":"Nah, Says Allemand"}]

 Allemand, against whom AFP has launched mailers, told Cowboy State Daily the group has come out against “conservative” candidates and wants to end the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

“They want to destroy the movement of the Freedom Caucus, which is a very conservative, anti-tax, pro-family movement,” said Allemand. “In all their publications they say how conservative they are, but yet they’ve endorsed the least conservative people.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Lindholm countered."}]

“We don’t look at caucus alignment,” he said. “If this was an anthem against the Freedom Caucus we’d be in the (Freedom Caucus-aligned Rep.) Ocean Andrew race supporting Cam Wright. We’d be in the (Freedom Caucus Rep.) Steve Johnson race supporting Luke Reiner.”

It boils down to a few key votes, Lindholm said, including how legislators opposed energy projects, “for the sake of voting against energy projects.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Being pro-business is a huge factor, said Lindholm."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"“Absolutely. Economics, first and foremost,” he said."}]

 Simplifying regulations in health care, and improving school choice are also AFP goals.

Lindholm said Wyoming Freedom Caucus members want people to think they’re the conservative gold standard, but they’re not always conservative.

And he pointed to Riggins as an example of a Freedom Caucus-aligned, AFP endorsee. 

Riggins is a bad example because he’s never been in the Freedom Caucus, said Allemand, who is himself a known member of the caucus.

“JR is a good friend of mine. JR has not voted conservative,” said Allemand.

As for Riggins, he said it’s more complex than that. He cast himself as conservative, but thoughtful.

He voted in favor of giving state employees raises this year, which the Freedom Caucus largely opposed. He voted to rescue the Wyoming Business Council from being dismantled because, Riggins said, the dismantling effort didn’t give a long enough off-ramp for the economic development agency.

[{"type":"text","text":"And he voted against the 2026 Second Amendment Preservation Act."}]

That failed bill sought to impose $50,000 civil penalties on Wyoming police agencies that help with federal gun-crime enforcement operations against "law-abiding" citizens, or hire former federal agents who’ve conducted those operations.

, saying it overlooks the nuances of critical and evolving situations, and chills long-wrought professional relationships that keep federal agencies from overstepping local control.

“I generally agree with most of the (caucus’) policy directions,” said Riggins in a Wednesday phone interview. “Of course, some of my votes didn’t sit well with some of them.”

Riggins said he believes the caucus “considered” letting him join, but, “After a couple of unexpected votes from me during budget session, I think (I’m) disinvited.”

Allemand said AFP’s decision not to interfere with Johnson’s Cheyenne-based House race is also a deflection.

Lindholm cited Johnson’s recent efforts to champion food-freedom measures.

“That’s really not a very good excuse,” said Allemand. “I don’t know of one person that is in the Freedom Caucus that is not 100% behind food freedom. In fact, we want to go so far as to include meats.”

As for Andrew, he’s been a top proponent of school choice, which is an AFP favored issue. 

[{"type":"text","text":"That Neiman Driskill Race"}]

The Neiman-Driskill Race for northern Wyoming’s Senate District 1 has gotten feisty.

[{"type":"text","text":"Neiman took to social media to rebut and accuse Driskill of low hits."}]

Driskill countered, saying he doesn’t and can’t coordinate with AFP as an independent PAC.

that Neiman has championed school-choice efforts – one of the AFP’s darling issues.

But, Lindholm said, an AFP-touted bill to let the state board of medicine license internationally trained doctors – to ease doctor shortages around the state – died in Neiman’s drawer in 2026.

Driskill had championed that same bill, without success, on the Senate side in 2025.

Neiman said the bill actually died in Majority Floor Leader Scott Heiner’s drawer.

He said he believes his record isn’t the leading factor in AFP’s disapproval of him.

“Oh the reason he opposes me is because he lost,” said Neiman, of Lindholm, whom Neiman beat in their state House district in 2020.

[{"type":"text","text":"Lindholm has denied that assertion in prior interviews."}]

Neiman continued: “Compare my record and my voting and what I’ve supported from school choice, to energy, to all of it. There’s no question I’ve got a better record. I outperform probably all the candidates they’re endorsing. That doesn’t wash.”  

The AFP mailers characterize at least two Neiman aye votes as anti-energy: House Bill 257 of 2023 and this year’s House Joint Resolution 3 – both unsuccessful.

The former would give private landowners greater influence over reclamation work on their property. The latter would have proposed a constitutional amendment to make any nuclear waste storage permitting go to a vote of the people at election time.

Neiman said his aye votes backed private-property rights and the popular will.

Lindholm said the first was unrealistic in the real world of energy, and the second would have burdened Wyoming’s energy sector and driven the state toward Colorado’s more democratic-style, versus representative governance, way of handling issues at the ballot.

Travis Deti, executive director of the Wyoming Mining Association, told Cowboy State Daily previously that his group opposed both the bills AFP referenced and has also endorsed Driskill.

He said House Bill 257 would have stalled mining projects for years and overlooked the split-estate ownership giving the mining sector “seniority in situations like that,” where “permits get modified all the time.”

“That was a terrible bill. Anyone who supported it was wrong,” said Deti.

[{"type":"text","text":"About Tax Hikes"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Allemand said the Freedom Caucus is for lower taxes."}]

Lindholm said that’s not necessarily true: Allemand backed a failed bill this year that sought to raise taxes on solar and nuclear power generation.

“From the same crowd constantly trumpeting ‘government shouldn’t pick winners and losers,’ and yet he’s trying to stick certain industries’ generation with a new tax,” said Lindholm.

That bill, countered Allemand, sought to tax undertaxed industries’ generation in the hope of ultimately driving traditional minerals’ severance taxes down.

“I believe we ought to have all these industries on a level playing field, and all paying the same taxes,” said Allemand.

Tyler Lindholm and allemand 8 5 26

<title>Wyoming Freedom Caucus Claims National Group Attacking ‘True Conservatives’ | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus claims national group Americans for Prosperity is attacking “true conservatives” running for the state Legislature. Nope, says Wyoming’s AFP director, “We don’t look at caucus alignment.”

Wyoming Freedom Caucus Claims National Group Attacking ‘True Conservatives’

 SHERIDAN — Secretary of State Chuck Gray bashed data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator 

during a U.S. House forum and debate Tuesday night in Sheridan, 

Casper businessman Reid Rasner criticized Gray multiple times. Both philanthropist Steve Friess and Army Col. Kevin Christensen asserted that they’re leading the race with Gray.   

And a few candidates derided the significant wealth streaming into this race.

Wyoming Public Television (PBS) hosted the forum at Sheridan Community College. Both PBS and Wyoming Public Media streamed it.

PBS public affairs producer Steve Peck moderated the forum, which also featured a short debate phase. He warned candidates they should be civil and avoid prolonged challenges or pointed attacks on their opponents, or they’d be interrupted.

Cowboy State Daily and Wyoming Public Media panelists asked questions about whether Congress should legislate rules around license-plate reader cameras, and who is responsible for implementing artificial intelligence protection framework.

Gray answered both questions with repeated references to data centers, which are computer server warehouses that store data – including for AI – and are a flashpoint issue this election cycle.

“Well, I’m the only candidate on stage that has been talking about these data AI data centers and expressed my opposition to these AI data centers,” said Gray, who also referenced mandated kill switches in vehicles and automated workforces.

Other candidates have spoken of data centers, but only Gray has indicated a desire to ban them at the federal level from Washington, D.C.

Senate President Bo Biteman said the states shouldn’t be cut out of the ability to ban or approve data centers, and communities should have the most control over their local permitting decisions for them.

That has been Friess’s stance, and former U.S. Army ranger David Giralt echoed that approach Tuesday night also.

Rasner agreed with the local-control stance Tuesday night, and used the topic as a chance to deride Gray.

“And I find it very suspicious even our own secretary of state signed off on an AI data center less than 1 mile away from our nuclear facilities and (FE) Warren Air Force base,” said Rasner.

Gray interjected: “That’s false. That’s false.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"'When It's Your Turn'"}]

Rasner continued the critique. Gray turned to Peck and said, “I need to respond to that.”

“When it’s your turn to respond,” said Peck, “take the time then, please.”

“I can’t respond to false …" began Gray.

“You can respond when it’s your turn to respond next,” answered Peck.

Former President Joe Biden in a 2024 executive order announced that MineOne, a data center company “majority owned by Chinese nationals”, had bought land within one mile of the base at 635 Logistics Drive, Cheyenne.

The order calls Terra Crypto Inc, which was incorporated under Gray’s office in 2023, a subsidiary or affiliate of MineOne.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. investigated the business and identified national security risks, the order says. The Biden administration ordered the business to 

While Gray’s signature is on the business registration approval for Terra Crypto, he has repeatedly urged the Legislature to adopt stronger business-approval laws to restrict adversarial nations.

The Legislature reacted to the 2024 controversy by giving state law enforcement 

 potentially dangerous land transfers near critical infrastructure, and giving the secretary of state grounds to dissolve businesses owned or controlled by foreign adversaries.

Meanwhile, at the debate, Friess voiced fears of AI systems “going off the rails” and said the U.S. should also be aware of its tech race against China.

Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said the technology industry seeks framework and guidance from government, and said she’d work to develop that “as your congresswoman.”

Christensen said the nation needs to develop framework for ethical AI, but individuals and families also need to engage, communicate with their kids and be wary of the new landscape.

Giralt said Congress should do “hard work” to put data privacy protections in the National Defense Authorization Act.

Next, Sheridan Press government reporter Weston Pope asked candidates which of President Donald Trump’s executive orders they’d codify or discard.

Gray’s turn came last in that round, and after he listed his favored executive orders on election security, immigration enforcement and “stopping Wall Street housing speculation that has driven up housing costs,” he responded to Rasner.

“But, 20 minutes later,” said Gray, “I’m finally going to respond to this false statement from one of my opponents, who’s been making false statements for six months about me.”

Gray touted himself as the “strongest secretary of state in the nation on stopping China and North Korea.”

This is at least the second time Gray has 

Secretary of State Chuck Gray brought up data centers repeatedly and clashed with the moderator during a U.S. House forum Tuesday night in Sheridan. Reid Rasner criticized Gray, while multiple candidates claimed to be leading the race.

Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Thursday, August 6, 2026

Catch up with the show on your favorite podcast platform!

In case you missed it

Jake Nichols

Features Reporter

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Cowboy State Daily Show with Jake - Thursday, August 6, 2026

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Authors

Jake Nichols

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