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Current Topics
Under
bankruptcy settlement, Alaskans can request 23andMe immediately
delete their DNA data. Alaska Beacon
Alaskans can request that
their DNA and personal genetic information be deleted immediately by
bankrupt genetic testing company 23andMe, under the terms of a recent
legal settlement.
Court
affirms split federal-state salmon management system for Alaska's
Cook Inlet. Alaska Beacon
The ruling is a win for the
NMFS, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and a loss for fishers who sought federal management
of all Cook Inlet commercial salmon harvests because they were
dissatisfied with state management.
Karelian
bear dogs are protecting crews and lifting spirits at Interior Alaska
fire camps. KUAC
"These are big game
hunting dogs from Finland that were traditionally used to hunt brown
bear and moose," he said.
Things That I Found Interesting
Greenland
sled dog DNA is a window into the Arctic's archaeological past. Science News
The research also tells a
story about the broader archaeological history of the Arctic. The Qimmit are closely related to a
3,700-year-old dog found in Alaska, suggesting a rapid Inuit
migration from Alaska to Greenland, possibly within a few
generations. “The tight genetic connection between these
Greenlandic dogs and the Alaskan dogs just goes to show how tight the
histories across the Arctic are,” Feuerborn says.
(My comment: I’m a
“dog person”, so I’m interested in this article. I’d like to
meet one of these dogs!)
Teens
flock to companion bots. Axios
Nearly
three-quarters of U.S. teens (72%) say they use AI for
companionship, with more than half of those doing so every day.
Arctic Issues
Chinese
container ships receive permission to sail Russia's Arctic Northern
Sea route. G Captain
The same day Yemen’s Houthi
militants resumed attacks against multiple vessels in the Red Sea
after months of calm, several Chinese container ships received
permits to transit the Arctic Ocean this summer.
U.S.
nuclear submarine makes historic Iceland visit as Arctic security and
allied patrols expand. Army Recognition
On July 9, 2025, a US
nuclear-powered Navy submarine makes a historic port call in Iceland,
marking the first time such a vessel has docked on Icelandic shores,
as reported by U.S. Navy. The Los Angeles-class USS
Newport News’ arrival at Grundartangi underscores the deepening US
commitment to Arctic security and NATO’s collective defense posture,
especially as Russia and China expand their activities in the region.
Behavioral
responses of migratory caribou to semi-permeable roads in Arctic
Alaska. Scientific Reports
We confirm prior findings
of altered fall movements near the Red Dog road and demonstrate that
movement behavior is also altered around other roads and in other
seasons. Nonetheless, many collared caribou did not display altered
movements in response to roads, emphasizing the need for further
research to understand the mechanistic drivers of caribou movement
responses.
U.S.
Coast Guard's newest icebreaker "Storis" arrives in
Seattle, prepares for first Arctic patrol. G Captain
The Coast Guard acquired
the anchor handling icebreaking vessel from Edison Chouest Offshore’s
subsidiary, Offshore Service Vessels LLC, in late 2024 for $125
million. The thirteen-year old vessel underwent initial conversion
work at Tampa Ship LLC in Tampa, Florida this past winter.
Economy
"Big"
bill shifts SNAP costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing
fewer to get food aid. Alaska Beacon
Trade
wars over everything. Axios
Economists at Bank of
America called it "the game that never
ends." "Tariffs on copper and the 50% tariffs on
Brazil are worth watching, as they are not motivated by 'bilateral
trade deficits' considerations," the economists wrote. "The
next question is then how much re-escalation risky assets are willing
to tolerate before correcting lower and how much pain Trump would
tolerate until de-escalation occurs as it happened in April."
Fallout
from the wild trade weekend. Axios
Trump posted a letter early
Saturday threatening to impose 30%
tariffs on European imports by Aug. 1. He also published
a notice threatening the same levy on Mexican
goods. "Thirty per cent or anything above 30 per cent — any
additional counter-reaction from the United States — it has more or
less the same effect. So practically, it prohibits trade,"
Šefčovič, who has led trade talks on behalf of Europe, added.
Energy
Budget
reconciliation bill aids Alaska oil development, but also present
near-term challenges with gas crisis. ADN
Education
States
sue to force federal government to release $7 billion in education
funding. ADN
A group of 24 states and
the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration Monday over
its withholding of nearly $7 billion in education funding for
after-school care, English-language learning, teacher training and
other programs, asking a federal judge to force the federal
government to release the money.
Opinion:
Alaska educators and school boards aren't the enemy. ADN
The real moral failure is
ignoring what families are actually saying: they want a say in their
children’s education, they want trusted educators in the room, and
they want politics out of the classroom. That’s how you grow
enrollment. That’s how you rebuild trust. Alaska’s students deserve
better than this fight. They deserve collaboration, commitment and
community solutions — not division.
Trump
administration freeze of millions for adult education prompts
layoffs, cuts for Alaska. Alaska Beacon
Federal funds for adult
education services were among those blocked by the Trump
administration on July 1, causing immediate cuts to Alaska adult
education and workforce development programs and staff layoffs.
The Republican-led U.S. House
voted in June to claw back $9.4 billion in federal funding, with U.S.
Rep Nick Begich, R-Alaska, voting for the proposal. The cuts include
$1.1 billion for public broadcasting, with more than $20 million in funding for Alaska public radio and television stations.
Dunleavy
calls school leaders 'hysterical' as many districts submit deficit
budgets. Alaska's News Source
Right as school district
budgets are due to the state, Gov. Mike Dunleavy called education
leaders “hysterical” as school leaders finalize budgets they
characterize as including steep
deficits and gouged
reserves from several funding threats.
Politics
Bill
requiring car rental apps to collect Alaska taxes avoids second veto. Alaska Public Media
Gov.
Dunleavy allows tax cut for vehicle rentals to go into effect without
his signature. ADN
Car
rental tax bill, impacting apps like Turo, becomes law without
governor's signature. Alaska's News Source
Earlier this year, the
state Legislature passed a bill mandating that the car-rental
platforms collect the tax on the vehicle owners’ behalf. On Thursday,
the bill became law without Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature. Bills
that the governor fails to sign or veto within a set period of time
automatically pass into law. Matt Claman, an Anchorage Democrat
who sponsored last year’s vetoed bill, said the bill does not impose
new taxes, it just changes who’s required to collect them.
SNAP
cuts spook food banks. Axios
Feeding
America estimates that provisions affecting
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could
eliminate the equivalent of some 6 to 9 billion meals annually.
Republicans
are considering changes to Trump's request for $9.4 billion in
spending cuts. ADN
Alaska
public media stations warn of dangers as US Senate prepares to vote
on funding clawback. ADN
More than $15 million in
annual federal funding for Alaska’s 27 public media stations is at
stake as the U.S. Senate this week is set
to take up a Trump administration request to claw back
federal funding. President Donald Trump has asked Congress to rescind
billions of dollars in previously approved federal funding, including
$1 billion for public broadcasting.
Health Care
Most
U.S. adults say child care costs are a 'major problem,' new poll
finds. ADN
Americans overwhelmingly
view the cost of child care as a significant issue, and most support
initiatives to offer free or low-cost day care and to require
employers to provide paid family leave for parents of babies,
according to a new poll.
Health
care takes big toll in cost of living in Alaska's cities, report
shows. Alaska
Beacon
Alaska’s three biggest
cities have the highest health care costs among the nation’s urban
areas, with costs that are about 50% higher than the U.S. urban
average, a state analysis shows. The findings, part of a broader
analysis of Alaska’s cost of living that was released by the Alaska
Department of Labor and Workforce Development, are the latest in a
series of reports detailing Alaska’s extraordinarily high medical
costs.
(My Comment: These 50%
higher costs than US will go up as folks lose Medicaid coverage,
delay treatment, get more sick, go to emergency room (highest cost
healthcare), can’t pay=“charity care” by hospital, so hospital costs
shifted to people with insurance, insurance policy price goes up.)
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