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.
Mallott, Murkowski try to put human face on King Cove road
Lt. Gov. Byron Mallottt was in Washington, D.C. this morning to make another plea for a road between King Cove and the all-weather airport in Cold Bay. Congressman Don Young threatened to build the road himself. Download Audio
Legislature tries again to let voters choose state AG
Proposals to make the state attorney general an elected position have appeared year after year in the Alaska Legislature. This time the measure, sponsored by Rep. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak, has moved through three committees and is pending in Senate Rules. Both sides of this debate -- pro and con -- say they want to keep politics out of the AG’s office. Download Audio
Growing a modern workforce in Ketchikan
The Ketchikan Shipyard had a reputation in the 1980s and '90s as a giant money pit. The state spent millions to build it, and critics complained it couldn’t do cost-effective repairs. It closed for two years. Then, with big infusions of public cash, the yard got going again. It is now building two major new ferries. Today, a shipyard executive spoke at a U.S. Senate hearing about what he hopes will be the yard’s new reputation, as a model of workforce development for modern manufacturing. Download Audio
FAA bill hits rough patch
Congress is back in Washington this week. High on its to-do list is passing an FAA bill before legal authority for the aviation agency expires in mid-July. The House bill includes a controversial provision that would privatize air-traffic control, but that bill is in a holding pattern and hasn’t been approved by the full house. The Senate is trying to pass its own bill. Download Audio
Forest Service chief: Firefighting cost leaves little room for prevention, other programs
The Forest Service is in a bad place: To pay the cost of fighting mega fires, the agency has had to raid other programs, including its fire prevention budget. Sen. Lisa Murkowski supports a plan to end so-called “fire borrowing.” But Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell told her it’s not penciling out as they’d hoped. Download Audio
Rep. Young blames ‘bunch of idiots’ for Trump phenomenom
Donald Trump may be the leading Republican candidate for president, but Alaska Congressman Don Young is no fan. He blames "the people" for "following a pied piper over the edge of the cliff."
Feds say state can’t prosecute Allen; AG Richards sees end
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has declined to let the Alaska Department of Law act as federal prosecutors to pursue sex-trafficking charges against the once-powerful owner of oilfield services company VECO.
Alaska Air buys Virgin America, and may keep a hint of its bling
Alaska Airlines announced this morning it’s buying 9-year-old Virgin America in a deal worth $2.6 billion. It will turn Alaska into the fifth largest U.S. carrier. It’s too early to say how it might affect service for traveling Alaskans, but if any of the Virgin brand makes it onto Alaska’s jets, passengers can expect a flashier ride. Download Audio
Sanders fan vs. ‘superdelegate’: Re-enacting a 100-year feud
A Facebook confrontation between an Alaska Democratic Party superdelegate and a young Bernie Sanders supporter has gone viral. It’s become a lightening rod for Sanders supporters. It's also a replay of an internal party struggle that's gone on for a century. Download Audio
Defense expert: Senators blocked JBER cut with logic
The Army’s decision this week not to proceed with a planned troop cut at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson is unusual. A Brookings Institution analyst credits the Alaska congressional delegation, saying they had a good argument to make and they made it.
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Defense secretary on board with keeping JBER unit
Now even the secretary of Defense says he’d reverse the plan to cut several thousand troops from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, nearly ensuring the Anchorage base will retain 4-25 Infantry Brigade Combat team, at least for another year. Download Audio
Obama’s Supreme Court nomination draws criticism and praise
President Obama Wednesday nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Both of Alaska’s U.S. senators issued written statements reaffirming their support for the Senate’s Republican leaders, who are refusing to hold a hearing or a vote on the nominee. Download Audio
Push to label GE food, including salmon, has staunch opponents
This morning, the U.S. Senate considered a bill to block state labeling mandates for GMO foods, including fish. The bill didn’t get enough votes to advance, but the debate shows the forces Sen. Lisa Murkowski is up against as she tries to require consumer labels for genetically engineered salmon. Download Audio
Critics call feds’ new ‘mitigation’ a coerced fee
Conoco had to pay $8 million in mitigation for a project in NPR-A. Sen. Lisa Murkowski calls the amount arbitrary, "throwing a dart at the board." Another Republican senator says it's a way for the feds to hold projects hostage.
Trump’s take on public land bucks Western trend
Alaska issues don’t come up much in presidential debates, but Donald Trump did face a public lands question, and his answer struck a nerve among Western conservatives. Download Audio
Senators pan Arctic agreement as Canadian leader visits U.S.
When a U.S. president and a Canadian prime minister meet, it’s not a given that the Arctic will be on the agenda. But this morning, on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first official visit to Washington, D.C. the two leaders released an agreement on the Arctic, energy and climate. Alaska’s senators aren’t happy with it. Download Audio
Trudeau, Obama issue joint statement on Arctic, climate, energy
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is visiting Washington Thursday. He and President Barack Obama this morning issued a joint statement on Arctic leadership, climate and energy.
Sullivan says JBER troop cut not reversed yet
The battle to keep the 425 Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson may seem all but won, or at least postponed. But Sen. Dan Sullivan says it’s not a done deal yet. He is still talking about the value of the 425 at hearings, to build support.
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USFS chief says no to delay of Tongass timber transition
This morning in Washington, Forest Service chief Tom Tidwell said the same thing several different ways. He repeatedly insisted the plan to move to young-growth trees in the Tongass can sustain Southeast Alaska’s timber industry. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is unconvinced. Download Audio
What’s so critical about polar bear habitat?
A federal appeals court last week ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was following the law when it designated a California-sized piece of the Alaskan Arctic as critical habitat for the polar bear. Let's take a look at this designation and what it could mean for the industry.