President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that one of his top spokespersons and communication staffers, Karoline Leavitt will be the next White House Press secretary.
She is serving as the national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and was assistant press secretary and writer during the first Trump administration.
In 2022, Leavitt ran for the U.S. House for New Hampshire’s 1st district, winning the Republican primary but losing to incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas.
By ALEXANDER DOLITSKY
In the early 1980s, I attended a graduate school at Brown University, where only two Soviet-born and raised students attended the time. I was from Kiev, and Boris was from Odessa. Both cities were part of the former Soviet Union. I was a graduate student in the anthropology department and Boris was a graduate student in the math department. We were a novelty and an enigma at Brown University.
At that time, the West and the Soviet Union were in the heyday of the Cold War; every Soviet–like presence was under “microscope” by U.S. authorities and the American public in general. Considering these tense circumstances, I was questioned frequently by Brown students about my country of origin and upbringing; the East European accent has long revealed my foreign identity. Often the follow up question by fellow students was somewhat parochial: “Alexander, are you a Marxist?” And my usual response to the question was, “No, I am an anthropologist.”
With Brown being one of the oldest and most venerable Ivy League universities in the nation, it was surprising to see how little these post–graduate students knew about Marxist teaching, while sincerely embracing it. In my college years in the former Soviet Union, I was well–versed and educated in the Marxist–Leninist subjects: historical and dialectical materialism, scientific communism, scientific atheism, history of the Communist Party and history of the labor movement.
So, on various occasions, I had to explain to my fellow classmates that the communist Karl Marx rejected utopian socialism notions of Robert Owen and Charles Fourier in favor of what he coined “scientific communism.” Marx claimed that changes in the economic structure of society of his time were the result of class conflicts or class struggles between the capitalists (bourgeoisie) and the workers (proletarians). For Marx, classes were defined and structured by the relations concerning: (1) work and labor and (2) ownership or possession of property and the means of production.
In fact, the traditional or classical Marxist economic models and class definitions are no longer applicable to modern industrial societies. Today’s definition of classes and social stratification are no longer linked to a mode of production—factories and plants to the proletariat class and agriculture and farming to the peasants—but defined according to the peoples’ income level and wealth, regardless of their occupation and social status as lower, middle, upper middle, high or oligarch class. Thus, plumbers, carpenters, farmers or educators can belong to any of the income–related classes that reflect their income and wealth level.
I also pointed out to my classmates that in his book “Manifesto of the Communist Party,” published in 1848, Marx stated: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.”
In other words, Marx was not seeking natural or moral laws for guidance; he was turning to the lessons of history and revolutionary uprising against the ruling class of the time. In post-WWII America, there were several progressive far-left scholars and academicians who advanced Marxism and, as a result, influenced millions of Americans in far–left activism and neo-Marxism. Here are few prominent names:
Howard Zinn (1922–2010) was a historian and a professor of political science at Boston University. His approaches incorporated ideas from Marxism, anarchism and socialism. Since the 1960s, he has been a benchmark for civil rights and the anti–war movement in the United States. He was the author of more than 20 books, including two provocative books: “A People’s History of the United States” and “Declarations of Independence.”
Marvin Harris (1927–2001) studied at Columbia University where he also taught from 1953 to 1980, serving as chairman of its department of anthropology from 1966 to 1969. He did field work in Brazil, Ecuador, Mozambique, India and East Harlem, New York. His major book “Cultural Materialism” is based on the principles of historical materialism, a term used to describe Marx’s theory and interpretation of history. Historical materialism posits that history is made because of struggle between different social classes, rooted in the underlying economic base.
Noam Chomsky (1928—) is an American linguist, philosopher, political scientist and activist. He is an emeritus professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and one of the most prominent figures in linguistics. He is also recognized for his political activism, characterized by strong criticism of contemporary capitalism and the foreign policies of the United States. He describes himself as a libertarian socialist and sympathizer of anarcho–syndicalism—one of the branches of anarchism linked to the labor movement through syndicalism. He is a member of the IWW union—Industrial Workers of the World—a group that follows the revolutionary syndicalist theory.
Thus, what is the connection between Marxism of the 19th century and so-called neo-Marxism and far-left activism in America today? Evidently, “white privilege” and “critical race” doctrines, and DEI are an ideological platform and guidance for other neo-Marxist rhetoric such as “systemic racism,” “collective justice,” “Black Lives Matter” and today’s “Antifa.”
The “white privilege” and “critical race” doctrines claim an existence of a social or class division in the society that is based on race conflict, race struggle, race warfare and race advantages between naturally born white people and other people of color.
This rhetoric serves to threaten opposing ideologies, politics and lifestyles. They are the tactics and methods designed to implement “white privilege” and “critical race” doctrines, DEI, and “systemic racism” into our system of governing and to undermine our constitutional freedoms, which are based on the idea of all races being treated equally.
To promote white privilege, critical race doctrines and systemic racism, neo–Marxists and far–left progressives advocate for a complete destruction of Western democracy and what they see as the socio-economic system of oppression—Capitalism.
As my long–time and trusted friend observed in our private correspondence, “Well, I’m afraid it may be too late to save democracy in the U.S.A. I’m afraid it’s all gone too far down the drain already. The corruption is phenomenal, so widespread, and even so right out there in the open now; and the gullibility of the public (especially the educated elite) is also phenomenal. If House investigations in the next two years (and there is so much that needs to be investigated) don’t open American voters’ eyes, then it will be too late to save the U.S. from its demise. I always knew this was coming, but I always thought it would occur after my lifetime, not during it.”
On the positive note, in response to my friend and like-minded individuals, we may not succeed in saving traditional America and its Judeo–Christian values, but if we don’t try and fight for its preservation and traditional continuity then we certainly lose.
George Washington in his farewell address stated: “Virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.” In other words, if a society is to remain free, self-government must be referred to individual citizens governing their own behavior. This is the most critical foundation of American exceptionalism, from its very inception.
As prominent American sociologist Charles Murray noted in his book Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010, “America will remain exceptional only to the extent that its people embody the same qualities that made it work for the two centuries of its existence. The founding virtues are central to that kind of citizenry.”
Alexander B. Dolitsky was born and raised in Kiev in the former Soviet Union. He received an M.A. in history from Kiev Pedagogical Institute, Ukraine, in 1976; an M.A. in anthropology and archaeology from Brown University in 1983; and was enroled in the Ph.D. program in Anthropology at Bryn Mawr College from 1983 to 1985, where he was also a lecturer in the Russian Center. In the U.S.S.R., he was a social studies teacher for three years, and an archaeologist for five years for the Ukranian Academy of Sciences. In 1978, he settled in the United States. Dolitsky visited Alaska for the first time in 1981, while conducting field research for graduate school at Brown. He lived first in Sitka in 1985 and then settled in Juneau in 1986. From 1985 to 1987, he was a U.S. Forest Service archaeologist and social scientist. He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Alaska Southeast from 1985 to 1999; Social Studies Instructor at the Alyeska Central School, Alaska Department of Education from 1988 to 2006; and has been the Director of the Alaska-Siberia Research Center (see www.aksrc.homestead.com) from 1990 to present. He has conducted about 30 field studies in various areas of the former Soviet Union (including Siberia), Central Asia, South America, Eastern Europe and the United States (including Alaska). Dolitsky has been a lecturer on the World Discoverer, Spirit of Oceanus, and Clipper Odyssey vessels in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. He was the Project Manager for the WWII Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease Memorial, which was erected in Fairbanks in 2006. He has published extensively in the fields of anthropology, history, archaeology, and ethnography. His more recent publications include Fairy Tales and Myths of the Bering Strait Chukchi, Ancient Tales of Kamchatka; Tales and Legends of the Yupik Eskimos of Siberia; Old Russia in Modern America: Russian Old Believers in Alaska; Allies in Wartime: The Alaska-Siberia Airway During WWII; Spirit of the Siberian Tiger: Folktales of the Russian Far East; Living Wisdom of the Far North: Tales and Legends from Chukotka and Alaska; Pipeline to Russia; The Alaska-Siberia Air Route in WWII; and Old Russia in Modern America: Living Traditions of the Russian Old Believers; Ancient Tales of Chukotka, and Ancient Tales of Kamchatka.
Alexander Dolitsky: In a troubled world, a touch of humor is welcome cure
Alexander Dolitsky: Israel has been homeland of Jewish people for over 3,500 years
The Division of Elections counted another 17,000 ballots on Friday, and while overall results did not change, there are three races to watch today, as more ballots get counted:
Congressional race: The lead Nick Begich has over Rep. Mary Peltola has shrunk slightly to 9,175. Begich has gone from 49.66% of the vote to 48.88%. There have been 312,070 votes counted in this race. Begich has 152,545 and Peltola has 143,370.
Ballot Measure 2: The repeal of the ranked-choice voting scheme now in place in Alaska tightened to a 1,676-vote advantage for the repeal. There have been 304,154 votes counted in this race. Yes to repeal is 152,915, while No is at 151,239. 50.28 to 49.72, less than a .56% difference.
This is nearly a mirror image of the ballot measure in 2020 that installed ranked-choice voting. That year, voters approved the scheme by 50.55% of the vote, while this year, the repeal of ranked-choice is winning by that margin.
District 18 Alaska House: The lead that Democrat Cliff Groh has over Republican challenger David Nelson has shrunk to 10 votes. There have been 3,419 votes counted. Groh has 1,713 and Nelson has 1,703; there were three write-in votes.
Other races: In this recent count, the curtain has come down on Rep. David Eastman, with Jubilee Underwood, who has 50.64% of the vote to 48.05%. There are not enough ballots outstanding in District 27 to change the results.
More ballots will be counted today — as many as 6,000. A minuscule number of military overseas ballots will come until Nov. 20, when the division will run its final calculations plus the ranking process. Districts 28, 36, 38, and 40, as well as District 6 and Senate Districts D, F, and L will have to be decided by the ranked-choice algorithm.
President Donald Trump not only has named North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as the next Department of Interior Secretary, he has now named him chairman of a newly formed National Energy Council.
The council will touch all departments and agencies “involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, of ALL forms of American Energy,” Trump said. “This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation. With U.S. Energy Dominance, we will drive down Inflation, win the A.I. arms race with China (and others), and expand American Diplomatic Power to end Wars all across the World.”
Trump continued in his announcement talking about the radical Left’s war on American energy, which has forced the nation’s allies to buy from adversaries, who are using the proceeds to fund war and terrorism.
“As Chairman of the National Energy Council, Doug will have a seat on the National Security Council. As Secretary of the Interior, Doug will be a key leader in ushering in a new ‘Golden Age of American Prosperity’ and World Peace. The Biden-Harris Administration has driven our National Debt to a record $36 TRILLION DOLLARS. Yet America is blessed with vast amounts of ‘Liquid Gold’ and other valuable Minerals and Resources, right beneath our feet. We will ‘DRILL BABY DRILL,’ expand ALL forms of Energy production to grow our Economy, and create good-paying jobs. By smartly utilizing our amazing National Assets, we will preserve and protect our most beautiful places, AND reduce our deficits and our debt!” he wrote.
He also said that his administration will work to undo damage done by Democrats to the nation’s energy grid, and increase power, reduce cost of electricity, and ensure there is power without the fear of blackouts and brownouts.
He said America will win “the battle for A.I. superiority, which is key to National Security and our Nation’s Prosperity. Doug Burgum will protect our Nation’s Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again!”
By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO
It’s a tale as old as time—or at least as old as sibling squabbles and playground spats.
When we see and hear a child with chocolate-stained fingers blaming their sibling for the missing cake; it’s another thing entirely to see a politician pull the same trick, straight-faced, while wielding the power of high office of the United States Senate.
When Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the woman who famously inherited her Senate seat from her father, dismisses Trump’s latest AG choice as “not a serious nomination,” it’s a masterclass in irony so rich that it should come with a health warning.
In politics, this moves up a notch (or 20) as the well-loved ad hominem attack, where logic steps aside to let character assassination shine. Of all people to bear the brunt of this strategy, none have been more consistently targeted than Donald J. Trump. In modern politics, no figure has survived such relentless, outsized character attacks. But here we are, watching Alaska’s political elite wield irony with all the finesse of a child swinging a baseball bat in the living room—everyone ducks, yet the windows still shatter.
Let’s break down Murkowski’s “serious” criteria, shall we?
She commented, “We need to have a serious attorney general… This one was not on my bingo card.” That’s a tall order from someone whose own ticket to Capitol Hill was practically printed by her dad’s office printer.
In 2002, then-Gov. Frank Murkowski handpicked his daughter Lisa for the Senate, memorializing nepotism as the equivalent of a “serious nomination.” One can only imagine the “serious” qualifications needed: a decent family photo, good table manners, a fussy, needy and shallow persona, and the ability to dial Dad’s number in Juneau.
Let’s rewind to the beginning. Murkowski’s law career didn’t quite start with a bang; she passed the bar on her fifth attempt. This number of attempts suggests persistence, perhaps, but hardly screams “future U.S. Senator.”
From there, she worked quietly in Anchorage before suddenly finding herself vaulted into national office thanks to a convenient appointment by her father, then-Governor Frank Murkowski. In other words, Murkowski’s political career began with a handout wrapped in a Senate seat.
Matt Gaetz, on the other hand, climbed a much different and onerous ladder. He passed the bar on his first try, won a Florida House seat in a competitive special election, and later moved up to Congress after prevailing over multiple opponents. His track record shows a genuine climb, not the gift-wrapped inheritance Murkowski enjoyed.
The humor here practically writes itself: The senator, whose career kicked off with a “serious” bit of nepotism, now questions Gaetz’s credibility as a nominee?
Perhaps it’s best to take Murkowski’s words with a grain of irony the size of Denali. After all, in Alaska’s high-stakes political bingo, it seems you don’t need qualifications, just a well-connected father and a quip about seriousness.
The senator’s remark boils down to: “Qualifications? Meh. Family connections? Essential!”
And when Murkowski, who occupies one of the most nepotism-infused seats in modern politics, suddenly champions seriousness in public office, it’s as if Alaska’s state motto quietly changed to “Do as I say, not as I do.”
In the end, maybe Lisa Murkowski should host a bingo night with serious qualifications on the cards: “Pass the bar (eventually),” “Have dad’s phone number,” and “Win by appointment, not by election.”
In her Alaska bingo, everyone’s a winner as long as they have the right connections.
Michael Tavoliero is a senior writer at Must Read Alaska.
By ROBERT SEITZ
My intent was to cover the things Alaska should focus on as the legislators prioritize the topics of interest for Alaska with the new federal administration.
But some of the conversations that have been stated in the news from some of more vocal elected officials were too disturbing to ignore.
I have heard that legislators will have a balanced budget no matter how much they need to steal from the Permanent Fund dividend due the citizens of Alaska, and that they are going to provide increased funding to Alaska schools.
Instead of only considering raiding the dividend, why not consider long-term finances for the State of Alaska? I think a priority for this legislative session is to work on encouraging, incentivizing and enabling legislation to ensure active interest in any lease sales which might be arranged in the near future.
One of the most important objects for Alaska to work on at this time is to get increased oil flow in the Trans Alaska Pipeline, with a goal of a million barrels a day or more so that we can have assured revenue sufficient to fund the necessary items of the annual budget well into the future. The way to ensure a balanced budget with the least hassle is to ensure future revenues. Oil and gas are the best revenue sources we have.
The other very important task is to ensure increased production of Cook Inlet gas. We need to have this fuel source reinforced before any other alternative fuel is considered. We need this to happen immediately. This is the one fuel source we know is in place, can be accessed and which has infrastructure already developed for it. While we are working on getting Cook Inlet gas production enhanced I think compressed gas from the North Slope to Fairbanks would be an excellent addition to help Fairbanks winter air quality issues and provide natural gas powered electrical generation from the Fairbanks end of the intertie.
All efforts to increase mining or oil production are going to be met with strong resistance from environmental groups. In my opinion the greenhouse gas warming hysteria is unfounded and needs to be halted. Yes, we have some climate change, where the weather in many places is different than what has been experienced in recent memory. We had a couple of winters in which the Arctic Sea Ice did not reach its full historical extent, but now winter ice has returned to the Bering Sea and the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The temperatures in these seas have decreased back to normal values.
To combat the strong environmental interference that will be brought against our efforts to increase production of our resources, Alaska scientists need to explain why the waters in northwest Alaska are turning red; show that cold is returning to Alaska; show that the changes we see are not attributable to an increasing level of CO2. We will have to combat this misleading greenhouse gas warming plot in court.
Another issue that has been a major focus during every legislative session and during this recent campaign is funding of Alaska schools. It is insane to consider increasing funding without some criteria set for the various school districts to meet before increased funding is permitted. The school districts need to drop the social engineering programs they have instituted. Parental involvement and responsibility must be the norm. The programs in school need to focus on teaching basic skills. When reading and math scores show significant improvement an increase can be considered. Graduation rate must also be one of the metrics that are evaluated.
It is anticipated that there will be another push to legislate an RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) and I continue to advocate against such action. I do not believe that mandated goals for addition of renewables to the Railbelt System will result in less costly electricity, resilience or reliability.
In previous articles I have indicated that there are many technical issues that will interfere with proper operation if inverter based resources are added in utility scale sizes without sufficient engineering and study. I strongly advocate for free market to drive the expansion of renewable resource on the Railbelt. The continued addition of “rooftop” residential and commercial installation is still a good move. Addition of renewable resources at industrial facilities would be a reasonable move providing the addition benefits the facility and is economically viable.
If we can’t get the increased gas production I will be advocating that everyone get wood stoves to ensure heat for their homes. Rolling brown outs that California has to resort to does not seem a good solution for Alaska. Whatever we can do to encourage renewable energy development in remote communities remains a high recommendation.
With the new Trump Administration coming into leadership of the nation we have opportunity to get our revenue flow better established. With cooperation of within the Alaska government and between the Alaska government and the Federal government, we should have a good outcome; more solutions and fewer battles.
Robert Seitz is a professional electrical engineer and lifelong concerned Alaskan.
By CASEY HARPER | THE CENTER SQUARE
Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will take over a new effort to make the government more efficient.
President-elect Donald Trump’s new “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, is a government efficiency effort that has turned a public spotlight onto government waste and duplication in a way not done for years.
While journalists and nonprofits have been writing about examples of government waste during that time, very little of it actually got much attention.
Musk created a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) account on X where he is asking followers for suggestions.
Aside from lopping off entire agencies, here are some examples of controversial federal spending that, based on Musk and Ramaswamy’s recent comments, could be in the line of fire for coming cuts:
Fewer than 30 students of the 900 enrolled at Lathrop High School in Fairbanks took part in the walkout on Wednesday that protested the election of Donald Trump as president.
Students carried signs, one of which read, ironically, “Abortions save lives,” and others that referred to the dangers of climate change, the importance of LGBTQ+ sexual orientation, and other key Democrat issues.
The protest was supported by the Native-oriented Sunrise Movement and the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action, a program of the Alaska Center (for the Environment), which is underwritten by dark money from Outside the state.
Meanwhile, while there was little interest in the walkout, someone painted “MAGA” on a rock known as Spirit Rock near the entrance of the school.
By DAVE DONLEY
Under a new “Patriotic Activities” policy adopted by the Anchorage School Board, no patriotic activities of any kind are mandated to occur in Anchorage schools other than the Pledge of Allegiance which is mandated by state law. Although some patriotic days and activities are mentioned none are mandated to be recognized. Pearl Harbor Day Dec. 7 and Sept. 11 are not mentioned at all.
The result is that an ASD student could attend every class of every day of the school year and never hear the National Anthem or Alaska Flag Song played.
Of particular concern to me during the process was public testimony and Board Member comments that a district-wide policy would be inappropriate because patriotic activities, such as the National Anthem, might be offensive to the students at certain public schools.
In March 2023, I sponsored a School Board resolution to adopt new patriotic activities within Anchorage schools. Board Policy 6115 stated:
“The School Board encourages activities that instill pride in our country. The Pledge of Allegiance shall be recited, or patriotic exercises conducted on a regular basis as determined by the School Board.” Unfortunately, not all Anchorage schools were saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Board had rejected my past efforts to adopt additional “patriotic exercises.”
My Resolution 146 would have had schools recognize Veteran’s Day, Sept. 11, 2001, and Pearl Harbor Day by playing the National Anthem sometime during the school day. Additionally, Juneteenth and Independence Day would be recognized during the last week of the school year by reading two sentences from the beginning of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence over school speaker systems.
Further, on Constitution Day, the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States would be read over the public address system or at a school-wide assembly. Constitution Day is a federal holiday, and federal law requires public schools to recognize it as a condition of federal funding. ASD had no policy requiring this and various schools do various Constitution-related activities. Finally, the resolution called for schools to play the National Anthem and “Alaska’s Flag” at least once a month at some time during a school day.
In March 2023, Resolution 146 was referred to the School Board’s Governance Committee. The committee requested a report from the administration on current patriotic activities and held multiple meetings. Over the next year and some months, the committee adopted multiple amendments, and the administration recommended the adoption of an amended resolution. In April 2024, after the municipal election, the committee moved the resolution back to the full School Board with a recommendation of adoption.
At the May 21 meeting, after over a year in committee, Member Margo Bellamy moved to send the resolution back to committee and the board voted 5-2 to do so. Member Bellamy offered no specific reason and made no suggestions for changes. Member Andy Holleman, the new board President, joined me in voting against returning the resolution to committee. The only board member to offer any suggested changes was Member Kelly Lessens, who had drafted language that additional instruction be provided to students about the significance of these holidays. I supported that additional language, but she did not offer it prior to the resolution’s return to committee.
At the August 29 meeting of the School Board Governance Committee, my resolution was replaced by a much watered-down version. Other than complying with state law mandating the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance, the new version mandated no other patriotic activities and did not recognize 9/11 or December 7.
The new resolution version was considered at the October 1, School Board meeting. I offered five amendments to restore:
1. Playing the National Anthem once a month;
2. Playing the Alaska Flag Song once a month;
3. Playing the national anthem on Veteran’s Day, Sept. 11, and Dec. 7;
4. Reading the introduction to the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation once during the school year; and
5. Reading the preamble of the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day.
Three of my amendments failed without a second. Two were seconded but rejected by a majority vote. Although disappointed, I voted for the final version because it is better than the former policy and it was approved.
I am pleased to report that with passage of the final version, all ASD schools are at least now saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.
Former Senator Dave Donley served 16 years in the Alaska Legislature, is in his third and final term on the Anchorage School Board and has twins in public high school. This comment is from Donley as an individual and not on behalf of the Anchorage School Board or Anchorage School District.
