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.
Energy bill fails; Murkowski blames House
It was two years in the making, but it seems Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s energy bill is now dead. Murkowski says House leaders stopped negotiating on the bill, which included Republican and Democratic priorities. Listen Now
Congress adds soldiers, removes pressure for JBER cut
President-elect Donald Trump has called for a much bigger military, and Congress took a step in that direction today. Listen Now
Trump taps petroleum industry ally for top EPA job
President-elect Donald Trump has selected a friend of the oil and gas industry to be EPA administrator: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Sen. Dan Sullivan says he'll curtail EPA "overreach." Environmentalists say Pruitt disagrees with the EPA mission. Listen Now
Trump transition team adds Alaskan as tribal liaison
An Alaskan has officially joined President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team. The Trump team has selected former state senator Jerry Ward as its liaison to the 500-plus federally recognized tribes. Listen Now
Palin for VA? She seems eager
The Donald Trump transition team hasn’t named a VA secretary yet, but news broke today that ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is vying for the job. She's the mother of an Iraq vet, and she's got Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer on her side. Listen Now
Deadline nears for Murkowski energy bill
Time is running out on one of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s top priorities: a far-reaching energy bill. And she says, despite the election results, the bill will only be harder to pass next year. Listen Now
Updated: Offshore leasing plan excludes Arctic
The U.S. Interior Department has announced its new five-year plan for oil and gas leasing in federal waters, and it does not include any new lease sales in the Arctic. The plan calls for one sale for northern Cook Inlet, in 2021.
Obama’s Alaska regs could cling long into Trump’s term
As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to dump Obama-era policies and unleash the energy industry to produce more oil, gas and coal. It would seem like good times for natural resource extraction in Alaska. Trump's EPA may do a U-turn to help the Pebble mine, but some of President Obama's Alaska policies will be harder to dismantle. Listen Now
Rapture, shock, ANWR: Alaskans react to Trump victory
Rapturous Trump supporters said they'd expected this outcome all along, while surprised Republican officials ticked off a wish list of priorities that suddenly seemed within reach.
With GOP wins, Murkowski eyes ANWR
Alaska's congressional candidates won re-election handily. Sen. Murkowski says with Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, the odds have improved for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling,
Where to weep or cheer election returns in Anchorage
If your habit on election night was to roll down to the Egan Center and watch the returns projected onto the wall, forget about it. The Alaska Division of Elections has discontinued Election Central, due to budget constraints. But you don’t have to weep or cheer at home alone. In Anchorage, at least, people have options. Listen Now
Miller irks GOP by sending old flyers bashing Murkowski
In another sign that this is a strange election year, the U.S. Senate campaign of Libertarian Joe Miller is mailing leftover flyers the Alaska Republican Party printed in 2010, but didn’t send. The flyers are critical of the incumbent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski. In 2010, she was the candidate the party was trying to defeat in the General Election. Now, though, Murkowski is the Republican nominee, so the Republicans are crying foul on Miller. Listen Now
With money from Murkowski, GOP assails Miller
The Alaska Republican Party is attacking U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller in a series of hard-hitting mailers. This is the same Joe Miller who was the Republican Party’s own nominee six years ago, when he beat the incumbent, Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Now the party is accepting money from Murkowski’s campaign and using it against Miller, which he calls "money laundering." The party says it’s perfectly legal. Listen Now
Alaskan says Justice Thomas groped her in 1999
Moira Smith says U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas groped her 17 years ago. Thomas calls the accusation "preposterous." Listen Now
US Senate candidates debate Arctic issues in Barrow
Sen. Lisa Murkowski and three challengers - Margaret Stock, Ray Metcalfe and Breck Craig - debated today in Barrow in what is said to be the first U.S. Senate debate to take place above the Arctic Circle.
Husband of ADN owner hosts TV show featuring fellow billionaires
If you like to watch billionaires on TV, you don’t have to wait for Donald Trump to launch his own media network. The husband of Alaska Dispatch News owner Alice Rogoff now has his own prime-time television talk show. Listen Now
Your U.S. senator is a chairman. What does that do for you?
If U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is unseated in the next election, the victor would get her Senate seat, but not her chairmanship of the Energy Committee. So what does that matter to you? Listen Now
Really? Alaska in play in presidential race?
Alaska has not voted for a Democrat since LBJ in 1964. But pundits say even red states like Alaska are in play now. Pollster Celinda Lake says Hillary Clinton has made gains with Alaska men. Listen Now
Russian aggression unlikely to hit Arctic, say security experts
Moscow is antagonizing the U.S. on multiple fronts - in Europe, in Syria and in cyberspace. But security experts say in the Arctic, Russia is still playing nice. Listen Now
Tribe explores ‘self-determination’ options in downtown Craig
Indian law is often complicated and obscure. But one bit of Indian law just got a lot more concrete for the Southeast community of Craig: the concept of land into trust. The Craig Tribal Association is the first Alaska tribe to apply to put property in trust with the federal government. The property in question: A building and parking lot in central Craig. Listen Now