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Current Topics
A huge iceberg broke off Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them. Anchorage Daily News
What the team members found under the iceberg surprised them: giant sea spiders, octopuses, ice fish, corals and sponges, including a vase-shaped one that might be hundreds of years old. In total, the researchers believe they will be able to identify dozens of new species from the expedition.
Report on missing Native people removed from federal websites. Alaska Public Media
The final report by the Not Invisible Act Commission was a joint effort of the U.S. Justice and the Interior departments completed in November 2023. It focused on the disproportionate rates of assault and murder in Indigenous communities across the country – as well as unique issues faced by Alaska Native people. President Trump signed the law that mandated the report during his first term. In February, the report’s authors and advocates noticed that the link had been deleted from several federal websites, including the Department of Justice website. The reason for the removal wasn't immediately clear, though some federal agencies have acknowledged scrubbing material to comply with Trump's executive orders to remove "diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility policies."
Postal workers and residents rally in Anchorage to defend USPS. Alaska's News Source
Alaska corrections officials testify on it-custody deaths, mitigation efforts. Alaska Beacon
On average, 4,500 people are incarcerated each year in Alaska’s 13 facilities, which includes individuals under arrest and awaiting trial or sentencing, known as pretrial, and those who are serving sentences. Of those in custody, an estimated 42% of men and 60% of women are pretrial, according to state data.
Arctic Issues
Alaska House passes resolution opposing tariffs on Canada. Anchorage Daily News
Alaska House affirms Canada's sovereignty and opposes tariffs. Alaska Public Media
Alaska House asks for cooldown in Trump-triggered US-Canada trade dispute. Alaska Beacon
Canada's leader laments lost friendship with U.S. as he visits town that sheltered stranded Americans after 9/11. Anchorage Daily News
The resolution recognizes Canada’s sovereignty, after Trump made a series of comments about annexing the nation and turning it into the U.S.’s 51st state. Reactions from Canada have threatened to escalate the trade war between U.S. and Canada that leaders say could economically harm both nations.
Economy
Possible NOAA layoffs alarm weather world. Axios
Nearly every private weather forecasting company relies on the raw data that NOAA's satellites, ground observation stations, computer models and other infrastructure gather and disseminate for free.
DOGE Social Security plan targets small fraud at possible high cost. Axios
Effective March 31, Americans won't be able to call and sign up for Social Security benefits, or make major changes to their accounts that require ID verification. They either must use the internet or visit a field office, which is not an easy option for many of the people who rely on Social Security the most.
Possible Postal Service changes present challenge to Alaska Bypass Mail. Alaska Beacon
Bypass Mail is an Alaska-only classification of parcel post mail that bypasses U.S. Postal Service facilities. It includes food and other products that are shipped from Anchorage and Fairbanks through private carriers to retailers off of the road system. Bypass Mail must be from a single seller to a single recipient, shrink-wrapped and moved on pallets for ease of storage, and in a minimum order of 1,000 pounds. The USPS subsidizes the service, at an estimated cost of $133 million in 2022.
Opinion: Understanding the costs of tariffs on Alaska. Anchorage Daily News
So if trade is good for the economy, why create a barrier? Tariffs have traditionally been used to enhance revenue, protect domestic industries from foreign competition, or even retaliate against other countries. Although Congress used to set tariff rates, it has gradually ceded authority over trade policy to the executive branch.
More states are requiring paid medical or sick leave. Anchorage Daily News
Hannah Jones credits paid medical leave with helping her survive an aggressive form of breast cancer. Her employer provided time off for chemotherapy treatments and to recover from surgery. Most importantly: Jones didn’t have to delay care for work, something doctors warned against. Paid family and medical leave allows workers time off to undergo a treatment or care for a family member or a new child. Separately, more states and cities also are requiring paid sick time, which helps people deal with shorter-term illnesses like the flu. Nineteen states plus Washington, D.C., have laws requiring paid sick time, as do 17 cities and four counties, according to the non-profit National Partnership for Women and Families.
Most states will not replace federal Medicaid cuts. Governing
Whether you are for the Medicaid cuts under discussion or against them, don’t expect many states to replace significant cuts in federal Medicaid funding. If any state does, it may lead to cuts in other state programs outside of health care such as corrections, environmental protection, social services, transportation, education or higher education, or possibly force some states to raise taxes. State spending on Medicaid is already the second-largest item in most state budgets (and the largest with federal funds added in).
Here's where you'd pay the highest state income taxes. Axios
Some states with low or no individual income tax, like Texas and Florida, are attracting lots of new residents — but could find themselves in trouble in a world with less federal financial aid.
Fisheries
Bill would change the makeup of the Alaska Board of Fisheries. Alaska Beacon
The measure, House Bill 125, would require that the board have designated seats to represent commercial, sport and subsistence harvesters. Two members would represent each of those sectors, and another member would represent the scientific community, under the bill’s provisions. The subsistence representatives would be nominated by the Alaska Federation of Natives, according to the bill. The science representative would be nominated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the bill.
Energy
Pipeline and hazardous material safety agency gutted, as Trump pushes more pipes. Anchorage Daily News
An exodus of senior officials is adding pressure to the already strained agency that oversees millions of miles of U.S. oil and gas pipelines. Five senior leaders at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration (PHMSA), including the head of the Office of Pipeline Safety, accepted a buyout offer from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and two other staff members decided to retire.
In 2024, more electricity than ever came from renewable sources. Governing
Education
What to know about Trump's plan to abolish the Education Department. Anchorage Daily News
Trump signs order to dismantle the Education Department while keeping some core functions. Anchorage Daily News
The Education Department has the smallest staff of any federal department. At the start of the administration, there were just over 4,100 people, but layoffs and other efforts have cut the numbers nearly in half. Its discretionary annual budget is about $79 billion. Congress also appropriates funds for student loans and grants to college students that do not go through the annual budget process. The agency does not determine curriculum or graduation requirements, nor does it administer the Head Start preschool or school meals programs.
What to know about Trump's order to close the education department. NCSL
Significant changes were already underway at the department before the executive order. After a “reduction in force” initiated by the department in March, nearly 2,000 workers were laid off or accepted voluntary resignation offers, which reduced the workforce from more than 4,100 staff to fewer than 2,200. According to reports, the vast majority of staff cuts occurred at Federal Student Aid, the Office of Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences. Federal Student Aid, which oversees student loans and Pell grants, reportedly lost nearly half of its staff. The Office of Civil Rights similarly lost about half its staff. Other smaller, inner-agency offices, including the Office of English Language Acquisition and the Office of State and Grant Relations, lost all or nearly off their staff.
Mat-Su teacher layoffs uncertain amid ongoing state budget debate. Mat-Su Sentinel
A final decision on whether the Mat-Su School District will need to lay off teachers before next school year is pending and can’t be made until state lawmakers approve education funding — a process that could take months.
Politics
Republicans 'afraid' of Trump and Musk; Sen. Murkowski talks about her party and speaking out. Alaska News Source
Sen. Lisa Murkowski says Republican lawmakers are “afraid” President Donald Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk will campaign against them. “That’s why you’ve got everybody just zip-lipped, not saying a word, because they’re afraid they’re going to be taken down — they’re going to be primaried, they’re going to be given names in the media,” Murkowski said during a press availability Tuesday in Juneau. “We cannot be cowed into not speaking up. It may be that Elon Musk decides that he’s going to take the next billion dollars he makes off Starlink and put it directly against Lisa Murkowksi. And you know what? That may happen. But I’m not giving up one minute, one opportunity to try to stand up for Alaska,” she said. In one tense moment, Murkowski pushed back when asked why she didn’t leave the Republican party. “No, I can’t fix everything, and no, I am not going to be in a position and a place where I just take the strategy that I’m going to tear down, at every opportunity, the president of the United States,” she said. “That’s not constructive to the people of Alaska. I’m going to have to figure out where I can work with him, and I’m going to have to stiffen my spine and take the slings and arrows when people say, ‘Why aren’t you a better Republican? And, if you’re not, get out of the party.' You know what? Until Alaskans tell me, ‘Lisa, it’s just not working anymore,‘ I am going to give you every last breath that I have and I’m going to try to solve every little problem, and I’m not going to compromise my own integrity by hiding from my words when I feel they need to be spoken.”
Sen. Sullivan supports Trump, downplays federal budget chaos, in speech to Alaska Legislature. Alaska Beacon
Sullivan embraces Trump, says DOGE cuts are hard but necessary in speech to Legislature. Alaska Public Media
'Difficult choices': Sen. Sullivan defends DOGE cuts during annual state legislative address. Alaska News Source
'You work for us not Trump!' Demonstrators show up for U.S. Sen. Sullivan's address to legislators. Alaska Beacon
State Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, asked whether Sullivan would oppose cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, and asked the senator to answer “yes or no.” Sullivan refused, but his answer implied that he’s open to cuts. “Almost one-third of Alaskans … are on the rolls of Medicaid now. We, I think, accept that. Some see it as a good. I don’t see it as a good. I think our goal should be to increase our private-sector economy and increase the opportunities for people to move off Medicaid and get private-sector insurance,” Sullivan said. (The share of uninsured Alaskans fell over the past decade, after Medicaid eligibility was expanded, from 14.5% in 2015 to 10.5% in 2023.)
(My comment: Sadly its not that easy. How great if there were jobs available for entry level, single moms, rural folks! And how great would it be if those jobs came with employer provided health insurance! Private sector employers are facing increase insurance costs that are beyond unaffordable, and where it is provided, the employee copay often exceeds the cost of rent and food put together!)
Opinion: Is darkness descending? Anchorage Daily News It’s easy to feel things going that way these days. However, let’s remember that America has withstood political shocks before and survived. The Civil War is the prime example although its effects are still being felt.
A federal lawsuit says the Trump administration has unlawfully shuttered the Voice of America. Anchorage Daily News
A lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of unlawfully shutting down the Voice of America and asks a federal court to restore the outlet that for decades has supplied news about the United States to nations around the world — including many that lack a free press of their own.
Health Care
Another Optum business change. Axios
OptumRx is changing the way it pays pharmacies, reimbursing them more for branded drugs and less for generics, the company announced. Drug supply middlemen like Optum are facing more criticism for using anticompetitive tactics that steer business to their own affiliates and can disadvantage independent pharmacies.
(My Comment: OptumRx and the other 2 big PBMs have been shortchanging pharmacies for generic medication reimbursements for years! This is costing consumers and putting pharmacies out of business. I’m continuing to try to change that.)
Robot Therapy. Axios
AI can't effectively substitute for a human therapist because "a therapeutic relationship is about ... forming a relationship with another human being who understands the complexity of life,”
(My comment: During COVID the challenge was isolation. Now the challenge is still isolation from fellow human beings.)
Opinion: As a family physician in Alaska, I see firsthand that Medicaid isn't a handout. It's a lifeline. Anchorage Daily News
In Alaska, nearly 250,000 adults, children, people with disabilities and pregnant individuals rely on Medicaid to access essential health care services that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. Proposals to implement cuts and other structural changes to Medicaid would have grave consequences for patients and families in Alaska.
Speaking of Medicaid cuts. Axios
The researchers' estimates assume $880 billion and $230 billion in broad Medicaid and SNAP cuts over 10 years, respectively, spread out evenly over the decade and proportionately among states.
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