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.
Transgender troops: Sullivan says let them serve
The U.S. Senate passed an annual Defense bill Monday night that includes icebreakers and more missile interceptors, which Sen. Dan Sullivan championed. The bill does nothing to block President Trump’s effort to ban transgender people from the military, a ban Sullivan opposes. Listen now
Seismic work in ANWR: Can they do that?
The Interior Department is trying to let industry into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to conduct seismic exploration on the coastal plain. Is that legal? Listen now
HUD sends money to Alaska communities, including ‘Middle Spenard’
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced $7 million in grants to 14 Alaska tribal organizations, much of it for housing. One grantee aims to redevelop a commercial building on Spenard Road. Listen now
New EPA vetting adds uncertainty for Alaska grants worth millions
The EPA is reportedly funneling all grant money through a single political appointee in the nation's capital. Grants to Alaska were allegedly blocked for two weeks, starting the day Sen. Murkowski voted against a health care bill. Listen now
Rep. Young apologizes for his ‘offending words’ on House floor
Judged against his past statements, what Young said about a freshman Democrat was nothing spectacular. But then Young did something unusual: He made nice. Listen now
Alaskan says he’ll build consensus in Interior post
Former DNR commissioner Joe Balash has been nominated for assistant Interior secretary, overseeing the BLM and other offices. Balash says his perspective on resource extraction formed early, and was shaped by his love of salmon. Listen now
Senators aim for ACA fixes, Murkowski-style
This was the kind of health care hearing Sen. Murkowski has been calling for: Public and bipartisan. But time is short, even to fix flaws in the Affordable Care Act, let alone replace it. Listen now
Investigators drop query into Zinke calls to Alaska senators
The IG's office issued a letter saying Alaska's U.S. senators declined to discuss the matter with investigators and further investigation would be pointless.
Appeals Court: FCC right in denying Dish-Doyon bidding discounts
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday the Federal Communications Commission was right to deny bidding discounts worth billions of dollars to a subsidiary of Doyon Limited, the Alaska Native Regional Corporation for Interior Alaska. Listen now
Trump’s streamlining order: You’ve seen its kind before
President Trump signed an order to speed up environmental reviews of infrastructure projects. His announcement of it, in the lobby of Trump Tower, was eclipsed by what he said next, about Charlottesville. But, back to that order: Can it really change things? Listen now
Alaska senators fault Trump’s tack on racist rally
Alaska's U.S. senators have issued a second round of statements following the rally of White nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. This time their criticisms are aimed at President Trump. Listen now
Sen. Sullivan calls out neo-Nazis; Critics abound
Sen. Dan Sullivan issued a strongly worded statement that singled out the alt-right and their allies. On Facebook, some thanked Sullivan. But quite a few defended the White supremacists, or complained he should have allotted equal blame to the left. Listen now
Sullivan wants 28 more interceptors at Ft. Greely
The missile defense system based at Fort Greely has a spotty test record, but Sen. Dan Sullivan says he has confidence it can shield the nation. He is one of the Senate's biggest boosters of missile defense and says Congress should add more interceptors to the Alaska site. Listen now
US Senate passes marine debris bill
A bill targeting plastic waste in the ocean and other marine debris cleared the U.S. Senate last week. Sen. Dan Sullivan sponsored it, with support from right and left. Listen now
Drue Pearce appointed to US pipeline safety agency
A former Alaska Senate president has a new job in the Trump administration. Drue Pearce is now the deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Listen now
U.S. senators: Same state, same party, not same page
While Sen. Murkowski was in the national spotlight for defying her party on health care, Sen. Sullivan, stuck to the party line and attracted little attention. The two senators vote opposite each other more than most Republican pairs from the same state. Listen now
Zinke tweets beer pic showing he’s A-OK with Murkowski
If harsh words were spoken, Sen. Lisa Murkowski appears to have patched things up with Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke. Zinke tweeted a picture of himself and Murkowski having beers together, two Alaskan Brewing Company pale ales. Listen now
Premera says ACA premiums to drop 22%
Finally, a bit of good news about Alaska's health care marketplace: Premera says premiums on the government-run exchange will decrease in 2018 by 22 percent. This is despite uncertainty about what the Trump administration might do as it administers Barack Obama's signature health care law. The rate could drop further still. Listen now
Murkowski bucks party with health care vote
It was a dramatic day in the U.S. Senate with the return of Sen. McCain. Alaska's two senators split their votes on whether to begin debate on a Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act. Both said the final outcome for the bill is uncertain. Listen now
Bill rider holds GE salmon at bay
The FDA has already approved a GE salmon for human consumption. One reason it's not for sale in the U.S. -- a few short paragraphs that hitched a ride on a congressional spending bill. Listen now