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Current Topics
West
Coast states have had earthquake early warning for years. Will it
ever come to Alaska? Alaska Public Media
What would you do if you
knew you had 10 seconds before an earthquake hit? Robert de Groot, a
U.S. Geological Survey spokesperson in California, can name
a few things. Dentists can stop drilling. Teachers can tell their
students to get under their desks.
Report
lists 70 possible noncitizen Alaskans who attempted to vote in past
decade. Alaska Public Media
Things That I Found Interesting
1
big thing: AI red flags. Axios
AI models have been
documented lying to human users, trying to blackmail them, calling
the police and telling teens to take their own lives or kill their
parents.
Alaska
officials impose statewide ban on two kinds of invasive
berry-producing trees. Alaska Beacon
The Alaska Division of
Agriculture on Friday said it issued a quarantine for the two species: Prunus padus,
commonly known as the European bird cherry tree or mayday tree,
and Prunus virginiana, commonly known as the Canada red
or chokecherry tree.
(My comment: The MOA has
planted Red Cherry trees everywhere! This “ban” on the trees
came out 8 years ago and none of the trees have been removed.)
Arctic Issues
Norway's
High North Strategy: NOK 1 Billion for Polar Research. High North News
The project gathers
Norway's most prominent polar researchers from across the country,
and covers geopolitics, defense and security policy, business,
international law, environment, climate, and energy.
U.S.
Allies and Partners integrate in the Bering Sea. DVids Hub
Alaskan Command, in
conjunction with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and U.S. Coast
Guard Arctic District, executed a joint sail through the Bering Sea
beginning on Aug. 25, 2025, to deepen interoperability between the
U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
and the CAF during Operation LATITUDE.
Dual
Arctic exercises conclude in Alaska. Stars and Stripes
Arctic Edge 2025, led by
U.S. Northern Command, began on Aug. 1 and ended on Sunday. Northern
Edge 2025, led by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, began on Aug. 15 and
ended on Aug. 25. It was the first time the two exercises have
coincided.
Arctic
commission describes research needs in terms of military and
community security. Alaska Beacon
More study of changing
conditions in the Arctic, a region where Russia and other nations
are increasing
their military presence, is needed to support U.S. national defense,
according to a new federal report.
Energy
AI
spikes power bills. Axios
Outdated power
grid. "It's like a two-way highway that was built decades
ago that's now expected to carry rush-hour traffic to and from a
major city every [day].
(My comment: This
statement is more than TRUE for ALASKA!! Alaskans would do well
to forgo a dividend and spend on upgrade to our transmission grid! We
will find ourselves cold and in the dark soon if we continue to do
nothing.
And don’t blame the
Legislature! We have been trying to get the utilities and the voters
to understand and act.)
With
gas crunch looming, Alaska utilities won't get big wind before tax
credits expire. Alaska Beacon
But in recent weeks, board
members and executives at the cooperatively owned utilities have
acknowledged that the timeline now appears too short — which means
any large-scale projects will now have to be built without the
generous federal subsidies, or wait to see if Congress reestablishes
a more favorable tax regime. Critics say the absence of major new
renewable projects will leave the state dependent on imported,
liquefied natural gas and could make consumers vulnerable to price
spikes.
(My comment: The island
of Kodiak is over 90% renewable energy from mainly wind. Kotzebue
and other villages have significantly reduced their imported diesel
fuel use with wind and some solar. It is completely
short-sighted (“ignorant” is more accurate) to now defund these
effective sources of alternative energy!)
1
big thing: The new optimism on nuclear waste recycling. Axios
Oklo — a Sam
Altman-backed venture — yesterday announced plans to build a fuel
recycling facility in Tennessee as the first phase of an advanced
fuel center project totaling up to $1.68 billion. The company
said the initial investment will be a first-of-its-kind facility to
recycle used fuel into material for reactors like Oklo's Aurora
"fast" reactor.
RCA
OKs Hilcorp Kenai gas field public gas storage certificate. Petroleum News
The commission requires
Hilcorp Gas Storage to file a general rate case for the storage
facility by July 1, 2026. The rate case must include factors
such as a cost allocation manual, a depreciation study and a
description of the methodology used to determine fair market value.
(My comment: The price
of stored gas is of huge significance to every consumer. That’s why I
made sure that the RCA would have jurisdiction over that price, a
requirement in a bill that passed recently.)
Economy
1
big thing: What's at stake of reserve banks. Axios
If the Trump administration
succeeds at installing a Board of Governors majority in the near
future, it would be able to block the reappointment of any or all of
the 12 reserve bank presidents early next year.
Stocks
could rally another 50% in two years, BofA says. Axios
The bull market has
legs that could power the S&P 500 to a peak of 9,914 in September
2027, Bank of America says. With the S&P 500 just crossing 6,500
for the first time, that would imply a rally of about 52.5% from
current levels.
(My comment: This could
mean increase in our Permanent Fund, if we can protect it by making
it a true endowment. A structural change to the Permanent Fund
would allow it to really invest productively.)
Tariffs
set to cost consumers up to $2,300 per year. Axios
If the country-specific
tariffs laid out first in early April hold, consumers could pay an
additional $2,300 a year in tariff-related fees.
Trump's
danger zone. Axios
52% of U.S. adults say
the economy is "getting worse," while only 24% say it's
getting better and 20% say it's about the same, according to The
Economist/YouGov polling. Poll after poll shows Trump's Big
Beautiful Bill Act — which extended his 2017 tax cuts while slashing
Medicaid and other safety net programs — is the most
unpopular major
piece of legislation in years.
Charted:
Pay gap gets wider. Axios
Education
Anchorage
School District changing protocol to keep students safe in school. Alaska's News Source
“We now have single-word
terms for actions that we want students and staff to complete, a
standardized set of instructions across that, and we can communicate
that to parents, students, [and] teachers much more clearly,” he
said.
Anchorage
schools employ metal detectors and other new security measures. ADN
Anchorage schools are
implementing new safety procedures this year. The district introduced
new terminology and protocols for emergencies, and some students on
Thursday will begin walking through metal detectors as they enter
school buildings.
(My comment: This adds
cost to school district budget but sadly is necessary and its outside
their control.)
Opinion:
Alaska students deserve more investment in our classrooms. ADN
Politics
Gov.
Dunleavy names Stephen J. Cox as Alaska's next attorney general. Alaska Public Media
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has
named Stephen J. Cox to be Alaska’s next attorney general. Cox is a
member of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization,
and has experience in the public and private sector.
1
big thing: Bonfire of expertise. Axios
Since Trump took office,
the heads of the Joint Chiefs, NSA, Coast Guard and other senior
military leaders have
departed.
1
big thing: Trump's gunboat diplomacy. Axios
The U.S. has never
been closer to armed conflict with Venezuela, with a fully
loaded U.S. flotilla sitting off its coast and dictator Nicolás
Maduro living under a $50
million bounty. Even close Trump advisers aren't entirely sure
whether the gunboat diplomacy is a drug trafficking operation with
undertones of regime change, or a Caracas coup operation masquerading
as drug enforcement.
1
big thing: Parade of enemies. Axios
Facing tariffs
and insults from Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
literally held
hands with
Xi and Putin during an economic summit in Tianjin. Successive
U.S. administrations have based their Indo-Pacific strategies
largely on partnering with India in competition with China.
Nationwide
redistricting push: where Alaska falls. Alaska's News Source
Alaska's
new attorney general: a member of the Alaska Bar for less than 4
months. Reporting from Alaska
PODCAST:
How will Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" impact Alaskans?
It's hard to say. Alaska Public Media
MAGA
pushes for more. Axios
Activists argue that courts that issue rulings against
Trump's agenda should be dissolved and "rogue" judges
should be prosecuted. Jan. 6 rioters
who already received blanket commutations are demanding financial damages.
Health Care
Mat-Su
to distribute millions in opioid help under new borough-city
partnerships. Alaska Beacon
Mat-Su has the highest rate
of opioid overdoses in Alaska, according
to state data. Alaska was one of five states to see an increase in
opioid deaths between 2023 and 2024, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
New
state report says Alaska teens and adults are getting fatter. Alaska Beacon
Alaskans are much more
overweight than they used to be, with adult obesity rates nearly
tripled since 1991, according to a new state report.
Alaska
plans to use out-of-state contractors to process SNAP applications
amid persistent backlog. ADN
The Alaska Division of
Public Assistance is set to rely on out-of-state contractors to
process food assistance applications amid a yearslong staffing
shortage, Department of Health officials confirmed this week.
Anchorage
Superior Court sides with state on repeal of rule meant to control
health care costs. ADN
The repeal was broadly
opposed by dozens of health care providers across the state, who said
the removal of the rule will make it harder for them to stay afloat
while benefiting insurance companies that are headquartered in the
Lower 48.
(My comment: I had a bill
to repeal 80th percentile rule in 2018. But I required a “floor” of
minimum reimbursement for primary care providers at 450% of Medicare
reimbursement. I recognized that the floor was critical or insurance
companies would drop reimbursements. That’s what’s happened! Now
primary care services are being reimbursed at 165% or less of
Medicare rates! Insurance companies are profiting. Insurance
premiums go up. This is going from bad to much, much worse! I
guess if the goal is the Trump goal of increased corporate profits,
over costs to citizens, it’s good policy. I disagree. We
need a middle ground that requires a floor for reimbursement of
Alaska clinicians.)
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