On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order enabling military families to choose the best education fit for their children. This executive order will free up federal funding so parents can improve their kids’ education.
Here is part of the executive order:
“Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their zip code. However, for generations, our government-assigned education system has failed millions of parents, students and teachers. This executive order begins to rectify that wrong by opening up opportunities for students to attend the school that best fits their needs.”
It will require the efforts of the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, the Department of Health & Human Services, and the Department of Interior.
The Department of Defense will be tasked with formulating a plan for parents to use its funds so parents can choose the best school for their kids.
The Department of Education will be tasked with putting school choice programs at the top of its list for some grant programs.
The Department of Health and Social Services will be tasked with providing guidance on how states can use the block grants to support school choice.
And the Department of the Interior is to issue a plan so that American Indian and Alaskan Native children can also have school choice.
What would this mean for Alaskan military children?
Alaska received $131,636,007 in federal funding for fiscal year 2025. Some of this funding was from the federal impact aid. This aid assists local school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of federal property that pays no local taxes. It also assists school districts that have added costs due to the increased number of students, especially military children. This is Title VII funding.
This impact aid could surely be directed to military parents to choose the best education for their children.
The Department of Defense has helped many military children get better opportunities for education success. Because of very poor public schools in some states, it has established its own Department of Defense schools. There are 21 Department of Defense schools in several states, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
These schools began because military members were refusing assignments to these areas due to the mediocre public schools.
This comes at a great time because the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results just came out. It showed that nationally only 31% of our 4th grade students read proficiently. And only 30% of our nation’s 8th graders read proficiently.
Alaska is failing its students even more. The NAEP data show that only 22% of Alaska’s 4th graders are proficient in reading.
The system is broken. It’s failing our kids and our nation.
President Trump’s executive order allowing the children of military members to use federal funds is a step in the right direction.
David Boyle is the education writer at Must Read Alaska.
Update: Officials say there are no survivors to the crash. President Donald Trump on Thursday said it appears it was due to a series of bad decisions.
Original story from Jan. 29: Aircraft traffic has been suspended at Ronald Reagan National Airport after a military helicopter and jet collided in midair.
American Airlines Flight 5342, inbound from Wichita, Kansas, collided with the Blackhawk helicopter. Over 100 ambulances have rushed to the scene. Early reports say as many as 60 souls were onboard the jetliner, which then fell into the Potomac River. It appeared that the Blackhawk flew right into the jet.
The airport that serves the nation’s capital is the most tightly controlled airspace on the planet.
“Emergency personnel are responding to an aircraft incident on the airfield. The terminal remains open. Will update,” the airport said on X.
The midair collision was captured by a camera at the Kennedy Center:
Update: The flight was operated by PSA Airlines with a CRJ-700, manufactured by Bombardier of Canada. American Airlines says there were 60 passengers and four crew members onboard.
The airlines wrote: “If you believe you may have loved ones on board Flight 5342, call American Airlines toll-free at 800-679-8215. Those calling from outside the U.S. can visit news.aa.com for additional phone numbers. Family members in Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can call 800-679-8215 directly.”
President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and asked that God bless the souls of the victims. He thanked the first responders and said he would provide updates as details arise.
CNN blamed the Trump Administration.
On air newscaster Abby Phillip said, “Look, it’s January 29th. We are just nine days out from a presidential transition and administrative transition. The FAA administrator resigned at the end of the Biden administration, so there is no permanent confirmed FAA administrator right now.”
This story will be updated as details emerge as to who was on the aircraft and why the air traffic controllers did not control the air space.
President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on Wednesday aimed at expanding school choice for American families, reinforcing his administration’s commitment to empowering parents in directing their children’s education.
The order comes in response to ongoing concerns about the state of K-12 public education in the United States. According to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 70% of eighth graders are below proficient in reading, while 72 percent are below proficient in math. Additionally, geographically based school assignments contribute to rising housing costs in districts with higher-performing schools, placing financial strain on millions of American families.
“When our public education system fails such a large segment of society, it hinders our national competitiveness and devastates families and communities,” said President Trump. “Parents want and deserve the best education for their children, and my administration is committed to making that a reality.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy was effusive: “President @realDonaldTrumpis serious about improving educational outcomes for all American children. Fantastic!”
The executive order establishes a framework to support state-based K-12 educational choice programs and increase competition within the education sector. Among its key provisions are:
Guidance for States: Within 60 days, the Secretary of Education will issue guidance on how states can use federal formula funds to support educational choice initiatives, ensuring that public funding follows students to their preferred schools.
Discretionary Grant Programs: The Department of Education will prioritize education freedom in its discretionary grant programs, while the Departments of Labor and Education will evaluate and recommend ways to leverage grants to expand education options for families and teachers.
Support for Low-Income Families: The Department of Health and Human Services will explore ways to use block grants, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDGB), to help working families afford private, charter, or faith-based schooling options.
Aid for Military Families: The Department of Defense will review mechanisms to allow military-connected families to use federal education funds for school choice, ensuring greater flexibility and quality options for children of service members.
Options for Native American Students: The Secretary of the Interior will examine how Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school funding can be redirected to provide greater educational choice for Native American families, including access to private and charter schools.
More than a dozen states have already implemented universal K-12 scholarship programs, allowing families to choose the best educational setting for their children. Research suggests that well-designed school choice programs improve student achievement and encourage nearby public schools to enhance their performance.
Supporters of the executive order argue that expanding school choice is critical to addressing long-standing disparities in education quality. They emphasize that increasing competition will drive innovation and improve educational outcomes for students across the country.
President Trump’s executive order marks a shift in federal education policy, placing the emphasis on parental control and student success rather than on a one-size-fits-all public education system.
The administration expects initial policy changes to take effect by the 2025-26 school year, with agencies providing recommendations and implementation plans within the next 90 days.
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon (WPC 1158) arrived at the cutter’s new homeport in Kodiak, Tuesday after a long voyage from Key West, Fla. The cutter is scheduled to be commissioned during a ceremony in April.
The Witherspoon is the first of three fast response cutters scheduled to be homeported at Coast Guard Base Kodiak and is now the fourth fast response cutters currently based in Alaska.
While the ships will be homeported in Kodiak, they will operate throughout the 17th Coast Guard District to include the U.S. Arctic, Gulf of Alaska, and Bering Sea.
The crew of the Witherspoon will carry out Coast Guard missions such as maritime law enforcement and security, living marine resources, and search and rescue, the Coast Guard said in a statement. They will provide security for Alaskan coastal communities as they continue to utilize the ocean for their livelihoods while preserving Alaska’s living marine resources in conjunction with our partner agencies.
Congressman Nick Begich welcomed the news.
“Increasing the Coast Guard’s presence in Alaska could not come at a more important time. As foreign adversaries increase activity off Alaska’s coast and foreign commercial fishing vessels encroach on our territory, a strong commitment to the Coast Guard in Alaska sends an important message: U.S. sovereignty will be guarded from our most Southern border to our most Northern,” he said.
“The crew is humbled to be associated to a namesake honoring Capt. John G. Witherspoon, a trailblazer who found enjoyment and purpose in leading and mentoring others,” said Lt. Cmdr. Adam Young, commanding officer of the Witherspoon. “It is fitting that the cutter’s first sail was no tall order, stretching more than 7,000 nautical miles from Key West to Kodiak. Throughout the last five months, the crew displayed remarkable teamwork and resilience, a true testament to the core values Capt. Witherspoon epitomized throughout his illustrious career. I couldn’t be prouder of the team we have onboard, and I look forward to experiencing the beauty of Alaska once again.”
The new cutters arriving in Alaska are designed to replace the service’s fleet of 110-foot cutters that are projected to be decommissioned this year.
The Coast Guard is currently scheduled to have six fast response cutters operating throughout Alaska by the end of 2025 to reinforce the nation’s maritime boundaries and shorten on-scene response times to support search and rescue efforts and better serve the people of Alaska, the Coast Guard statement said.
Fast response cutters feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment as well as over-the-horizon response boat deployment capability and improved habitability for the crew. The ships can reach speeds of 28 knots and are equipped to coordinate operations with partner agencies and long-range Coast Guard assets such as the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutters.
The 154-foot ships are designed to conduct drug and migrant interdictions; ports, waterways and coastal security operations; fisheries and environmental protection patrols; national defense missions; and search and rescue. Each cutter is designed for a crew of 24, has a range of 2,500 miles and is equipped for patrols up to five days. The fast response cutters are part of the Coast Guard’s overall fleet modernization initiative.
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Emma Pokon has been selected by President Donald Trump to be the new Region 10 Administrator at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, it was announced by Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday.
“It has been an incredible privilege to be a member of DEC’s leadership for the last five years and to serve in Governor Dunleavy’s cabinet,” said Commissioner Pokon. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue public service in this new role and look forward to working with EPA leadership and Region 10 to ensure balanced implementation of the nation’s environmental laws.”
““I can’t think of any Alaskan better suited to oversee federal environmental regulations and laws for Alaska than Emma Pokon,” Dunleavy said. “She has performed an admirable job leading the Department of Environmental Conservation and protecting Alaska’s pristine land and waters, and I join Alaskans from across the state in congratulating her for her new role.”
Congressman Nick Begich was pleased with the news.
“It’s fantastic to have an Alaskan back in a role that covers the Northwest, where Alaska has a bigger footprint than Idaho, Oregon, and Washington combined. Rather than operate as a tollgate constructed to say ‘No’, the EPA must reorient to become a partner in responsible development. Emma Poken will provide that leadership, and I join my colleagues in saying congratulations! We’re looking forward to working with you,” Begich said.
Pokon was appointed commissioner by Governor Dunleavy in December 2023, her last day at the department will be February 5. Deputy Commissioner Christina Carpenter will serve acting commissioner pending the governor’s selection of a new DEC commissioner.
She joined DEC in February 2020 from the Alaska Department of Law where she served as a senior assistant Attorney General assigned to support DEC.
In her time with the Department of Law, she worked as a special assistant to the Attorney General, and she worked closely with the Department of Natural Resources and the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
Before that, Pokon represented the North Slope Borough in natural resource and environmental matters, and she served as a law clerk for the Fairbanks Superior Court. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in chemistry from Hamilton College. She also achieved a JD and a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School.
She replaces Biden appointee Casey Sixkiller.
Pokon’s region will cover Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
President Donald Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to expand the migrant operations center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide space for high-priority criminal aliens in the United States, and to address any other immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.
“This memorandum is issued in order to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty,” Trump said.
In several localities of immigration enforcement focus, such as Chicago and Seattle, known criminal aliens with ties to terror groups have already been rounded up.
Guantanamo Bay will hold up to 30,000 illegal immigrants living in the United States who cannot be deported back to their home countries because their countries refuse to repatriate them.
Guantanamo Bay has been long used to house members of terror groups. The United States shoulders the burdens for many countries, particularly in the Arab world, who are content to keep their criminals in U.S. custody. But during the Biden Administration, it was reduced in capacity from the U.S. war on terrorism. During the Biden Administration, Guantanamo Bay was reduced in capacity and had 15 detainees after 11 were sent to Oman.
“We’re going to send them out to Guantanamo,” Trump said during the signing of the order in the White House, after he signed his first bill from Congress, the Laken Riley Act.
In other words, if the home countries won’t take back their citizens, Trump will find space for them in a prison community on the parcel of land the U.S. has control of in Cuba.
Recent ICE enforcement actions since Trump became president include:
ICE ERO Boston arrests illegal MS-13 member charged with firearms, drug crimes
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston apprehended an illegally present 19-year-old Guatemalan gang member charged with drug and weapons crimes. Officers from ICE ERO Boston arrested Luis Adolfo Guerra-Perez in Boston Jan. 22.
ICE ERO Baltimore arrests Salvadoran gang member with weapons charges
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended a 19-year-old Salvadoran national and member of the MS-13 foreign terrorist organization. ICE officers from Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore arrested Anderson Geovany Romero in Hyattsville, Maryland, Jan. 25. This undocumented alien was apprehended after the Prince George’s Detention Center failed to honor an immigration detainer and released him from custody. Romero has pending criminal charges for possessing a loaded handgun and ammunition.
ICE Boston arrests Honduran illegal alien charged with sex crimes, assault and battery, armed robbery
Officers from ICE ERO Boston arrested Juan Alberto Rodezno-Marin, an illegally present Honduran national charged with sex crimes, armed robbery and assault and battery.
ICE ERO Boston arrests Haitian gang member with numerous convictions
ICE officers from ERO Boston arrested Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles, a member of a violent Haitian street gang, in Boston Jan. 22. Charles’ convictions include multiple drug, weapons, and assault and battery crimes.
ICE ERO San Francisco arrests Guatemalan citizen convicted of lewd acts with a minor
ICE officers from ERO San Francisco arrested Juan Velasquez-Francisco in Sacramento, California Jan. 23.
ERO Houston repatriates accused child rapist to Mexico who has illegally entered US 4 times
ICE’s ERO Houston, with assistance from ERO Mexico and the SAFE Task Force, repatriated Nestor Flores Encarnacion, a 58-year-old undocumented alien, to his home country of Mexico Jan. 23.
Most cabinet nominees invite their families and key supporters to attend their confirmation hearing. Yet, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s team is calling upon thousands of Americans to descend on the nation’s capitol to rally behind his nomination.
Kennedy, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is set to appear before the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees Wednesday and Thursday flanked by a legion of “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)” advocates. If busloads of supporters were to pack the Senate Dirksen building hallways as planned, it would be a striking display of grassroots support for one of Trump’s cabinet nominees whose confirmation fate is uncertain due to a number of Senate Republican holdouts.
Kennedy’s numerous supporters, many of who are calling their senators or visiting their offices in person to lobby on his behalf — view the confirmation hearings — and Kennedy’s nomination more broadly — as a once in a lifetime opportunity to reverse Americans’ worsening health outcomes.
“This is a pivotal moment in history,” Zen Honeycutt, founding executive director of the medical freedom and health advocacy nonprofit, Moms Across America, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Look how many people are coming to DC. A year ago, people were like the government was completely bought out and felt hopeless. Most people have had a crisis of trust in the government [during former President Biden’s term].
“He’s [Kennedy] bridging the divide,” Honeycutt, a prominent MAHA advocate who traveled to Washington to support Kennedy, added. He’s bringing people together.”
Kennedy’s opposition and current holdouts may include Murkowski
Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination, partly funded by Big Pharma, appears to be formidable. The former Vice President Mike Pence-aligned group Advancing American Freedom is running ads hammering Kennedy for his longtime support for abortion rights while Democratic Party-affiliated groups — Protect Our Care, Committee to Protect Health Care and 314 Action — are highlighting Kennedy’s past comments on vaccines and labeling the nominee as a threat to public health.
Left-wing Democratic senators, including Patty Murray of Washington, have come out hard against Kennedy for his “dangerous” views on vaccines despite the HHS nominee maintaining that he will not seek to ban the shots, but subject them to further scientific study.
Kennedy can afford to lose the support of just three Republican senators on the Senate floor assuming all Senate Democrats oppose his nomination. But his nomination has to clear the Senate Finance Committee first and due to the panel’s 14-13 Republican majority, just one GOP senator could prevent Kennedy’s nomination from advancing out of committee.
GOP senators who sit on the finance committee and have thus far refrained from endorsing him prior to Wednesday’s confirmation hearing include Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
“Every Democratic Senate Senator and every Republican senator should be voting ‘yes’ on him,” Honeycutt told the DCNF, citing Kennedy’s commitment to tackle the various health crises facing Americans. “It should be practically impossible for senators to not confirm him.”
Kennedy’s team is also urging the HHS nominee’s supporters to call the offices of GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who are seen as potential “no” votes on Kennedy’s confirmation when his nomination reaches the Senate floor. All three notably voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s nomination last Friday.
MAHA advocates want Kennedy’s holdouts to understand that they are committed to funding and running primary challenges against senators who vote “no” on Kennedy’s nomination in their next election.
“Will they [senators] be on the right side of history,” Honeycutt questioned. “[Or] Will they be looking back at this point two years from now — before their elections — and be wondering maybe I should have listened to all of these Americans that were speaking up for Kennedy?
“They [Kennedy’s detractors] want to continue to be able to do business as the status quo, which is a corrupt system,” Honeycutt added.
An ‘unstoppable’ movement
Honeycutt and other MAHA activists are confident that Kennedy’s supporters outnumber his detractors, which they hope will be on full display during the HHS nominee’s back-to-back confirmation hearings.
“The MAHA movement is a tidal wave of people,” Honeycutt told the DCNF. “There are hundreds of us working together, collaborating — even people who don’t like each other — to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ right now.”
MAHA advocates’ conviction that senators must honor the will of the American people by confirming Kennedy and their determination to see his nomination through that could very well catch senators by surprise, Honeycutt told the DCNF.
“This has never happened before in the history of America that I remember where people have rallied for a [cabinet] appointee,” Honeycutt observed to the DCNF. “And I think this is a testament to the love that people have for Kennedy.”
“He has said I will die with my boots on for your children,” Honeycutt reflected. “He has inspired us and gives us hope.”
In the event senators were to reject Kennedy’s nomination, which MAHA advocates promise will be met with fervent backlash, the HHS nominee’s supporters believe the MAHA movement he helped launch will persist and demand accountability from the senators who chose to tank his confirmation.
“There’s no stopping it [the MAHA movement] even if Kennedy doesn’t get appointed,” Honeycutt told the DCNF. “There is an unstoppable movement of people who are fully aware that what Kennedy has been advocating for is absolutely correct.”
“[And] a lot of what Kennedy has been advocating for … is already underway,” Honeycutt added, citing the Biden administration banning the artificial food dye, Red No. 3 in the last weeks of the administration and Trump reinstating U.S. service members previously discharged for refusing to take the COVID-19 shots.
Federal employees are one of the most powerful union blocs in the nation. But President Donald Trump has a deal for them — either come back to work in the office full time or leave with eight months of severance pay.
On Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management told federal workers they have a Feb. 6 deadline to make up their minds. If they quit, they’ll get all the pay and benefits they get now until Sept. 30.
Alaska is home to about 15,000 federal workers, excluding military.
“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce,” the email to federal workers says.
But that doesn’t mean they can keep their jobs, even if they decide to return to the office to work.
“At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions,” the memo advises. It also said, “the federal workforce is expected to undergo significant near-term changes” and that “the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees.”
Most federal offices are lightly staffed since the Covid pandemic policies in the Biden Administration allowed workers to work from home. According to Congressman Scott Perry, federal government agencies are using just 12% of the space in their headquarters buildings on average, citing a recent report from the Public Buildings Reform Board. The taxpayers are paying for a “mountain of unused office space,” he said. Not to mention the lapse in productivity and accountability.
The Trump Administration estimates that between 5-10% of federal employees will accept the offer and leave, which could save taxpayers about $100 billion a year.
With a federal workforce (not counting military) of 2.4 million, the federal government provides jobs for about 2% of the U.S. workforce.
While Congressman Nick Begich III was in policy meetings in Miami with the Republicans of the U.S. House, his son, Nick Begich IV, was having his own “high-level” meetings.
Nick turned 13 on Tuesday, and was greeted by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who asked him to join in an adjacent meeting room, where he was introduced to Vice President JD Vance. The photos speak for themselves.
It was an unexpected birthday experience for the newly minted teenager that Congressman Begich celebrated on social media.
“As a father, there is no greater feeling than seeing your kids develop a love for their country and an understanding of what makes our nation so special,” Congressman Begich wrote, as he posted photographs of the younger Nick with both Speaker Johnson and Vice President Vance.
Then it got even better. Speaker Johnson noticed the cheery item on social media and shared it with the wold on his own X feed, where there are 928,000 followers who could see the birthday photos of the young Alaskan.
The Republican conference has embraced Begich and his family. As Alaska sees Congressman Begich making strides to grow Alaska’s prominence in the national debates about energy and economy, it’s also about family, and making sure the future has ample opportunity for future generations.
Whatever days away from the classroom young Nick has spent in Miami may have been exceeded by the education of a lifetime. Nick IV’s 13th birthday will be hard to top next year.
