Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
Rep. Young suggests guns could’ve saved Jews during Holocaust
Alaska Congressman Don Young uses the Holocaust to help make the case against gun control: "How many Jews were put in the ovens because they were unarmed?” Listen now
Tweets aside, Sullivan says Trump good for Alaska
Sen. Dan Sullivan said he doesn't like all of President Trump's tweets, but he does like what the Trump administration is doing for Alaska. There's not a lot of daylight between them when you look at the senator's voting record. Listen now
Walker among governors prodding Congress on health care
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker stood with his Colorado and Ohio counterparts to announce a new "blueprint" for health care, and they want Congress to get a move on. Listen now
On mass shootings, Murkowski leaves a word unspoken
Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke passionately about the Florida school shooting. Congress must take action, she said, and no issue should be off-limits in the discussion. But she left an obvious word unsaid: "gun." Listen now
USGS scientist resigns in tussle over release of NPR-A data
A top scientist resigned late last year to protest what he saw as a threat to the agency’s scientific integrity. The deputy secretary of Interior was pressing the USGS to allow a preview of its findings on the oil potential in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Listen now
Young, Murkowski hold fast on gun rights
Alaska's members of Congress remain unapologetic supporters of gun rights. They have top ratings from the National Rifle Association. But Sen. Murkowski and Rep. Don Young say the mass shootings reveal something is wrong in America. Listen now
Murkowski, Sullivan split as immigration reform mires in Senate
The future of immigration reform was in doubt Thursday, after two proposals failed to win 60 votes in the U.S. Senate. Alaska's U.S. senators split their votes, on both measures. Listen now
Ouch! 5 ways Trump’s budget could pinch Alaska
President Trump's 2019 budget would cut a lot of line-items that benefit Alaska. Ultimately, it's up to Congress, but here are some of the ways the White House plan could sting. Listen now
Gold Star in the Chugach: Iraq vet honors survivors
A mountain on the edge of Anchorage has a new name, Gold Star Peak, thanks to Army vet Kirk Alkire. Talking to Gold Star families "means the world to me," he said. Listen now
Trump infrastructure plan has rural money, but can Alaska have some?
The White House has presented its long promised infrastructure plan. It’s getting mixed reviews from Alaska's U.S. senators. Listen now
Murkowski says Pruitt’s Pebble decision surprised her
Sen. Murkowski says the EPA administrator's move to keep alive proposed limits on the mine seemed out of character. Listen now
China seeks bigger role in Arctic
China issued its first national policy on the Arctic, and it reveals expansive ambitions in the far North. "China is stepping into the power vacuum of global leadership since the Trump administration came to power." Listen now
Two lawsuits challenge NPR-A lease sale
Environmental groups filed separate lawsuits Friday challenging the federal government’s December lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Listen now
Trump ‘really didn’t care’ about ANWR. Then a friend called.
President Trump says he didn't care much about opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling - until a friend told him other presidents had tried to and failed. Listen now
Enviros sue over King Cove road
That was fast. Conservation groups filed a lawsuit to thwart the King Cove land exchange Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced last week. The swap is intended to allow through part of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to Cold Bay. Listen now
Bad timing: Power outage hit Earthquake Center before 7.9 shaker
The tsunami warning that rattled Alaskans last week exposed weak spots in the disaster safety net. A fluke caused the Alaska Earthquake Center to go dark for an hour. Listen now
Tsunami warning: what’s important, and what’s crucial
The Trump administration has proposed significant cuts to the tsunami warning system. That includes all funding for 39 sophisticated data buoys. Tsunami experts worry about this but are even more concerned about proposed cuts to something a whole lot more basic. Listen now
Alaska’s US senators split on abortion vote
The U.S. Senate on Monday rejected a bill to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of only two Republicans to vote “no” on the procedural motion. Listen now
Delegation to Zinke: Thanks, but no thanks, for huge leasing plan
The congressional delegation has asked Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke to exclude all but three areas from his plan for oil and gas leasing off Alaska's shores. Listen now
Zinke signs land trade to allow road for King Cove
Alaska's congressional delegation ticked another item off its decades-old to-do list Monday: Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke signed a land swap agreement to allow a road in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge for King Cove. Listen now