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Current Topics
Trump
budget proposal seeks to eliminate the Denali Commission. Alaska Public Media
The Trump
administration wants
to eliminate the Denali Commission, a federal agency that's
been helping Alaska villages develop infrastructure for
decades. Congress created the Denali Commission in 1998 to work
in partnership with the federal government, state and tribes to
address rural Alaska's needs. Since then, the agency has helped
villages develop power generation facilities, transportation
infrastructure and water and sewer systems. It has also provided job
training and funded around 170 rural health clinics. Over the years,
the commission
has provided more than $2 billion to rural communities.
(My comment: The
Denali Commission has continued the work of the late U.S. Senator Ted
Stevens, building infrastructure in rural Alaska, transforming
communities from “3rd world” to modern day clean water,
safe sewage disposal, modern health clinics, and much more. This
U.S. President and his administration have no clue what they are
doing to people, nor do they seem to care.)
Republican
lawmakers largely silent on Trump plan to kill rural Alaska
infrastructure commission, despite recently praising it. Alaska's News Source
Anchorage
police say they're increasing their use of drones. Alaska Public Media
Police Chief Sean Case said
the department’s special operations team has been using drones for
the past couple years, but now general patrol officers will use them,
too. “Generally, we'll have two officers throughout Anchorage, seven
days a week, that will have drones that can be used inside and
outside, in their lead vehicles,” Case said.
State
signs $28.5M contract to advance new ferry terminal over objections
from Marine Highway board. ADN
But the chair of the Alaska
Marine Highway Operations Board — which was created by Dunleavy four years ago — says the
department hasn’t shared “some kind of business plan or feasibility
study” to establish that the terminal is necessary and economically
viable.
Things That I Found Interesting
1
for the road: Frozen in 1989. Axios
The list of the most
taught books in America's English classrooms remains remarkably
unchanged from 35 years ago, according to a new
study by
the National Council of Teachers of English.
(My comment: If you’re
feeling like “kids these days” aren’t as educated as you are, things
haven’t changed all that much)
Arctic Issues
China,
Russia relaunch joint maritime research missions, eyeing Arctic
ambitions. SCMP
“The resumption of
China-Russia joint oceanographic surveys shows [a] shared commitment
to addressing global climate change and exploring cutting-edge marine
science, and marks a new chapter in bilateral marine research
cooperation,” said Wang Jun, acting head of the Chinese consulate
general in Vladivostok, according to a report by state news agency
Xinhua.
(My comment: What of
this is military purposes? All of it, of course. And our
Coast Guard is stationed in Kodiak, days of sailing away from the
Arctic.)
Denmark
buys four Sky Guardian drones for Arctic surveillance. Defense News
Denmark has purchased four
U.S.-made long-range maritime drones from General Atomics, a step
meant to boost the country’s surveillance capabilities in the Arctic
region.
Russia
begins major naval drills in the Pacific and Arctic oceans, and the
Baltic Sea. The Straits Times
Russia on July 23 began
major navy drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military
personnel in the Pacific and Arctic oceans and in the Baltic and
Caspian seas, the defence ministry said.
U.S.
Coast Guard responds to Chinese Research Vessel off Alaska. U.S. Coast Guard News
Denmark
to expand Arctic surveillance with purchase of long-range drones. Eye on the Arctic
The drones, acquired though
NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency, will enhance the Danish Armed
Forces’ capability to conduct signals and image intelligence over the
remote and strategically sensitive regions Copenhagen is responsible
for, Denmark’s defence ministry said in a statement. The Kingdom of
Denmark includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Sino-Russian
Arctic cooperation: systemic pressure and historical distrust. Taylor & Francis Online
China and Russia have
deepened their cooperation in the Arctic, building on their ‘no
limit’ relationship that encompasses both economic and political
cooperation. Recently, this cooperation has expanded to include joint
naval exercises between the Chinese Coast Guard and Russian patrol
vessels.
Economy
Tariffs
net $20 billion: See where the money is from. Axios
Pricing isn't static. Many
companies set prices annually, which means the full effect may not be
clear until next year. "Just like the tariff revenue will
accumulate over time, and become a large number, the impact on the
economy is likely to be felt over time," Tchir noted. Full
clarity on who is paying what for tariffs could take a while, but in
the near term, it's clear the automakers are taking a hit.
Fuzzy
trade deal details. Axios
Trump's "announce
first, details later" approach to trade
deals raises
questions about the cumulative trillion dollars in investment that
the administration says foreign nations have pledged.These are not
your grandfather's trade deals, as we mention above, with little
public paper trail showing what each side agreed to.
Trump's
"devil in the details" deals. Axios
Trump said the Japanese
committed to investing $550 billion in America, with the U.S. keeping
90% of the profits. But Japan's top negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said the nation will invest — at most — 2% of that sum. The
rest will come in the form of loans.
(My comment: The
American people are being fed Fake News.)
Money
anxiety is basically a part-time job now. Axios
Types of money worries vary
across age, with younger generations worrying about housing costs,
job security and debt, while older people are more concerned about
stock market performance, retirement savings and emergency
funds. The split shows financial stress tracks with life stages
— older Americans are focused on preserving wealth, while younger
ones are still trying to build it.
Education
Alaska
appeals to US Education Department after failing funding test, with
$80.8 million at stake. Alaska Beacon
Alaska
school districts celebrate release of federal education funding
frozen by Trump. ADN
School
leaders in Alaska express relief as Trump administration releases
frozen funds. Alaska Public Media
In a message to staff and
families, the Anchorage School District on Friday asserted its
lawsuit had contributed to the decision to release the funding, which
included roughly $12 million meant for Anchorage schools out of a
total of $46 million for Alaska districts.
Anchorage
School District bans smartphone use during class in all grades. ADN
Under the new
ASD policy, use of cellphones and other electronic communication
devices isn’t allowed in class at any time, in any grade — students
must put them away, and they must be off or in airplane mode.
Politics
Trump
illegally withheld Head Start payments, government watchdog says. Alaska Beacon
“Because that evidence
indicates that HHS withheld appropriated funds from expenditure, and
because the burden to justify such withholdings rests with HHS and
the executive branch, we conclude that HHS violated the ICA by
withholding funds,” the report said.
Opinion:
The governor isn't even trying anymore to get along. ADN
Lawmakers
slam transportation officials over impacts of Dunleavy vetoes. ADN
Carrick said she had
invited transportation department officials to present to the
committee on Tuesday, but they declined to either attend the hearing
she had set or offer alternate dates when they would be available to
lawmakers, so she decided to hold the hearing anyway without them.
Transportation department
spokesperson Shannon McCarthy said in an email that “the department
let the committee know in advance that the timing wouldn’t work for
the department and unfortunately they weren’t able to accommodate a
different date.”
Carrick said she wanted to
learn from the department which projects, if any, were at risk due to
the veto of the reappropriated funds.
States
file lawsuit against Trump administration over efforts to collect
SNAP recipients' data. ADN
The data demand comes as the
Trump administration has sought to collect private information on
mostly lower-income people who may be in the country illegally. It
has already ordered the Internal Revenue Service and the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services to share private information with the
Department of Homeland Security to aid in deportation efforts.
For
America's 250th birthday, Trump champions 'patriotic education' in
schools again. Alaska Beacon
Recent
national surveys have found 1 in 3 American adults cannot name all three
branches of government, and 1 in 5 can’t name any of the freedoms
protected under the First Amendment.
Alaska
has failed to implement foster care reforms mandated in 2018 law,
audit finds. Alaska Public Media
The legislation became law
in 2018 with bipartisan support and required three audits in order to
keep tabs on the department’s progress. The final
audit was released last month and concluded that since
the law passed, OCS hasn’t implemented most of the law’s requirements
or improved outcomes for Alaska kids.
Health Care
How
much will the 'big, beautiful' bill cut Alaska Medicaid? The state
isn't sure. Alaska Public Media
Ricci said the state plans
to apply for waivers that would move the effective date of the work
requirements to 2029. The department plans to launch an
"integrated eligibility enrollment system" in 2028 that
should simplify benefits applications, Health Commissioner Heidi
Hedberg said. In addition, many Alaskans are likely to qualify for
exemptions even once the work requirements take effect, Ricci said.
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