The weather looks favorable for the Arctic Thunder Open House and air show at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Past events have brought in as many as 300,000 visitors to the base to see over 40 static displays across 30 acres, with aircraft and other inventory from the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Secret. There will be at least seven international partners taking part in some capacity, and seven hours of flying demonstrations, including six military aerial demonstrations, eight civilian aerial demonstrations and joint force demonstrations.
Access to the base during the show is limited. Gates open at 9 a.m. Civilian access is at the Boniface and Richardson gates only, but no ride-sharing drivers (Uber or Lyft) or taxis will be allowed, and neither will recreational vehicles, trailers or oversized vehicles. Department of Defense ID cardholders can access shuttles to reach the open house through Muldoon and Government Hill gates. Admission and parking is free, but parking is extremely limited.
The schedule:
11:15 a.m. National Anthem/opening ceremony with the 211th and 212th rescue squadrons
Followed By (order subject to change)
Melissa Dawn Burns (Edge 540)
The Pacific Air Forces C-17 Demonstration Team
Undaunted Airshows (RV-7, RV-8)
The Pacific Air Forces F-16 Demonstration Team
T-33 Acemaker
Undaunted Airshows (RV-7, RV-8)
German Air Force PA-200 Tornado
The U.S. Army Golden Knights
The JBER Joint Forces Demonstration
Melissa Dawn Burns (Edge 540)
The U.S. Air Force F-22 Demonstration Team
The U.S. Air Force Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds
All the information about the airshow is at this JBER link.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has reappointed Ethan Schutt to the Alaska Permanent Fund Board of Trustees, where he serves as the current chairman.
This move allays concerns by some that if he was not reappointed, trustee Ellie Rubenstein might ascend to the chairmanship of Alaska’s $80 billion investment account. She has been identified as having conflicts of interest with her own investment groups and that of her father, Carlyle Group’s founder David Rubenstein.
A leaked email revealed by the Alaska Landmine showed that Rubenstein had said she had spoken to Dunleavy and that he was not going to reappoint Schutt, which would have set her up to take his place.
“I am honored to continue serving on the APFC Board of Trustees,” Schutt said in a prepared statement. “My commitment to serving in the best interest of Alaskans – both current and future generations – remains steadfast. In working together, we ensure the growth and prosperity of Alaska’s renewable financial resource.”
Schutt will continue to serve in one of the four public member seats, which have staggered four-year terms. He served his first term on the Board from 2020 to 2024, and has served as chair since 2022.
An Athabascan from Tok, Schutt has a bachelor of science degree with honors in mathematics from Washington State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.
I’’vewritten before about the Anchorage Assembly’s fascination with threatening the infrastructure that allows for 90% of the Municipality’s water supply and approximately six percent of Southcentral Alaska’s overall power generation.
The Eklutna hydroelectric project is currently in the final phases of a reauthorization of its fish and wildlife mitigation and enhancement plan. The final plan, as developed over a five-year process by the voting members of its ownership group, is in the hands of Alaska’s Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The governor is set to make a final decision on whether to accept the plan, no later than early October.
However, the Anchorage Assembly and the current mayor are telling the governor that he needs to stop that process and delay it up to two years. On Friday, at a hastily called special Assembly meeting, the liberal supermajority will pass a resolution codifying those demands.
The language of the resolution nearly mirrors the draft comments by new Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, who, while serving as chair of the Assembly herself, showed a propensity to kowtow to now-Assembly Chairman Chris Constant on many issues.
While many hoped that being elected mayor would change that, it is clear that Constant is still pulling LaFrance’s strings as Anchorage’s overall puppet master.
Their reasoning for delaying final authorization borders on ridiculous: the Municipality, which lost voting rights years ago, doesn’t believe they and other non-voting organizations have had enough time or influence in the process.
When they ultimately pass the resolution tomorrow, they’ll ask Anchorage voters to conveniently forget that five years of studies and public input – including hundreds of hours the owners spent with the Assembly, Native Village of Eklutna, various environmental groups (ENGOs) and other non-voting members – not to mention $8 million in ratepayer and taxpayer money has already been invested in the process.
The Assembly has gone on record wanting full restoration of the Eklutna River, but that was never required under the terms of the fish and wildlife agreement, would threaten the water supply and cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars.
They believe the wishes of the Native Village of Eklutna and its 100 members should be given equal consideration to the 275,000 other residents of the Municipality.
They believe that other energy solutions (i.e., wind and solar) can more than make up the power produced by the Eklutna system. Ask Anchorage residents what that might have looked like this past January, when the current wind solution would have powered less than 700 homes on the coldest day of the year, while the Eklutna supply powered over 28,000 between Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley.
It is clear this isn’t about fiduciary responsibility, nor is it about process. This is a power-grab by an Assembly and Mayor more interested in kissing up to special interests than it is in sound public policy.
Here’s hoping Gov. Dunleavy dismisses the resolution and its demands, reauthorizes the project’s revised fish and wildlife agreement, and puts this issue to rest for another 35 years.
Rick Whitbeck is the Alaska State Director for Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs and fights back against economy-killing and family-destroying environmental extremism. Contact him at [email protected]and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @PTFAlaska
Vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance asked on X/Twitter the question on the minds of many Americans:
“If Joe Biden doesn’t have the cognitive function to run for re-election, then he certainly doesn’t have the cognitive function to remain as Commander-In-Chief. How can any Dem pushing him to drop out of the presidential race, argue in good faith that he should stay on as POTUS?”
Operatives at the highest levels of the Democratic Party have been conducting a trickle campaign to erode the ground under President Biden, who is said to have Covid, according to the White House.
Biden had a fourth dose of Paxlovid and his “loose, nonproductive cough and hoarseness continue to be his primary symptoms, but they have improved meaningfully from yesterday,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a letterreleased Friday.
The number of nationally elected Democrats calling for Biden to step back from his reelection campaign is now over 60, with more senators and representatives joining the call for Biden to leave the race.
Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska has not joined that chorus of Democrats. She is still on record saying Biden is the “sharpest, smartest” person she has met in Washington, D.C., although she has also acknowledged more recently that Biden will lose Alaska in a landslide.
Headlines from news organizations are amping up the pressure:
“Democratic mood darkens as Biden faces new pressure,” wrote BBC.
“Behind the Curtain: Top Dems now believe Biden will exit,” wrote Axios.
More Democrats call on Biden to exit; his team says he is ‘absolutely’ still in the race, wrote the Los Angeles Times.
But Biden is fighting mad at his own party for undermining him in what appears to be an internal coup that would thwart the will of the primary voters.
Biden said Friday he plans to return to the campaign trail next week and sees a path to victory over Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris was meeting with donors on Friday and his campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that “he’s in it to win it.”
The software company CrowdStrike says that the a major computer outage affecting banks, businesses, airports, and even Alaska’s 911 emergency system was not a cyberattack. Instead, it’s a “single content update” is to blame for the meltdown, but that the patch for the error “has been deployed,” referring customers to its support portal for updates.
Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted, the company said.
It’s the kind of widespread computer disruption that was expected when the year 2000 rolled around, due to expected computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates. The worldwide disruption, however, was anticipated and was mostly avoided when the clock struck 12 on Jan. 1, 2000.
The current outage has stranded thousands of travelers, including Alaska Republican delegates and guests coming back from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the airport is experiencing what would be one of its busiest days of the year.
Members of the Alaska delegation to the convention who are flying Delta are experiencing up to two-hour delays leaving Milwaukee or Chicago, sources said, but Alaska Airlines flights were operating normally.
“With the global technology issue impacting several airlines this morning, please check your flight status directly with your carrier. Longer lines and wait times are possible, please allow extra time,” Chicago O’Hare International Airport said on Facebook.
Although Alaska Airlines was not impacted directly, it felt the effects of transfer passengers not showing up for flights.
Airlines and airports around the world are feeling the domino effects.
In Anchorage, state courts and some hospital services were impacted.
By 6:45 a.m., Alaska’s 911 system had been restored, according to a notice by the Alaska State Troopers.
In Seattle, Seattle Children’s Hospital clinics closed, as are most Social Security offices. In Southern California, Boston and New York, court proceedings and operations were disrupted as workers were unable to log into their computer workstations.
One major impact was to bump a lot of the news about the Republican National Convention off of the pages of America’s news websites, as the focus turned to CrowdStrike.
What is CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike is a dominant supplier of software that businesses use to protect from ransomware attacks. Over half of Fortune 500 companies use the software. According to the company’s website, Crowdstrike hs been around since 2012 and currently has the “world’s most advanced cloud-native platform that protects and enables the people, processes and technologies that drive modern enterprise.”
Headlines from around the country after the Trump acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday:
New York Times: “Trump Reverts to Attacks as He Accepts Nomination”
“Speaking at the Republican convention for more than 90 minutes, former President Trump pivoted to familiar grievances after recounting the attempt on his life.”
“Trump Details Assassination Attempt in Convention Speech”
“Donald Trump said he had ‘God on my side’ during the shooting at his rally on Saturday.
Washington Post: “Trump accepts GOP nod in lengthy speech”
“The former president’s address wrapped a fresh gesture toward unity around his usual dark view of American decline and loathing for political opponents and immigrants. Thursday’s speech marked Donald Trump’s first public remarks since the assassination attempt.”
Los Angeles Times: “Trump recounts assassination attempt, then lays out dark portrait of America”
“Trump’s speech Thursday culminates a week of worship at the Republican National Convention.”
Seattle Times: “Trump urges unity after assassination attempt while proposing sweeping populist agenda in RNC finale”
New York Post: “Trump delivers heartfelt call for ‘unity’ and recounts harrowing assassination bid in RNC speech: ‘Every single moment we have on Earth is a gift’”
Chicago Tribune: “Trump describes assassination attempt in personal detail as he accepts Republican nomination”
“Donald Trump, somber and bandaged, accepted his party’s nomination on Thursday at the Republican National Convention just five days after an assassination attempt that could have ended his life.”
Detroit Free Press: “Fact-checking RNC Day 4: What Trump, other speakers got right and wrong”
USA Today: “Takeaways: Somber Trump acceptance speech turns into grievance list”
“Trump 3.0: Kinder-and-gentler, but with warnings of apocalypse, too”
Donald Trump came out on the stage to a roaring reception in Milwaukee on Thursday night. He brought a sense of calm and composure, and a message of national unity. More than an hour and a half later, he was still speaking, bandaged ear and all. He started with the teleprompter, but then ad-libbed the rest of his remarks. It was an emotion-filled night at the Republican National Convention, and it felt as though history was being made and America was being restored.
At the outset of his acceptance speech for the Republican nomination, he recounted moment by moment what had happened to him just five days earlier, when an assassin’s bullet grazed his ear while he was speaking to a rally in Butler, Penn.
He said he would recount the assassination attempt to the convention attendees on Thursday, but admitted he wasn’t eager to do so, because it was painful to tell. And he would not likely be willing to recount it again.
After giving his account of what it felt like to have his ear nicked by a whizzing bullet and come so close to death, he recognized the firefighter who had been hit and killed by a bullet during the attempt on Trump’s life, and during his entire speech, firefighter Corey Comperatore’s firefighter uniform was positioned on the stage as a silent sentry. Trump went over to the uniform and kissed the helmet that had once kept Comperatore safe. He called for a moment of silence in the stadium in honor of the man killed by the assassin’s bullet.
Trump later showed the chart that he said he had tilted his head to look at during the Pennsylvania rally, and recalled that the small movement of his head to look at the chart was what saved his life. He also said he felt there was providence at work, that God had a hand in it, and that he felt serene.
“I stand before you in this arena only by the Almighty Grace of God,” he said.
“Last time I put up that chart, I never really got to look at it. But without that chart, I would not be here today,” he said. Here’s the chart, shown at the rally on Saturday, and again on Thursday:
The chart that Trump showed at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and again on Thursday night at the Republican National Convention.
“I’m not supposed to be here.” Trump said. “I’m not supposed to be here.” The crowd shouted back, “Yes You Are!”
“We will not break. We will not bend. We will not back down. And I will never stop fighting for you, your family, and our magnificent country. Never,” Trump vowed. “I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America,” Trump said, in his unifying message.
The former president also spoke about returning America to energy dominance and said he will end the green energy “scam” that is being perpetuated by the Biden Administration. He will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one. That was a message welcomed by Rick Whitbeck, Alaska director of Power the Future.
“Tonight, Donald Trump showed why he is the clear choice to lead America for the next four years. His resolve, leadership and vision are in stark contrast to our current President. His focus on American energy, where he seeks to make us not just independent, but dominant again on the world stage, is exactly what Alaskans and Americans should be happy to hear. The first Trump administration brought Alaska opportunities in ANWR, the NPR-A and the Ambler Mining District. All were shut down by Joe Biden and his band of eco-radicals. A second Trump presidency will once again allow Alaska’s energy future to shine brightly. What a four years that will be for our great state,” Whitbeck said.
“At the heart of the Republican platform is our pledge to end this border nightmare, and fully restore the sacred and sovereign borders of the United States of America… We’re going to do that on day 1. Drill, baby, drill, and close our borders,” Trump said, before speaking at length about the invasion of illegal immigrants through the border with Mexico.
““They are sending their murderers to the United States of America … that’s why to keep our families safe, the Republican Party promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country,” he said.
Trump, who barely mentioned President Joe Biden in his speech, also brought up his idea of creating an “iron dome” for America, similar to one that Israel has, to guard against missile attacks. It is something that he had mentioned to Sen. Dan Sullivan earlier.
Congressional candidate Nick Begich, who is at the convention all week, sent Must Read Alaska his immediate reaction to the speech:
“Tonight President Trump reminded us that we can be strong again; reminded us that we can be prosperous again; reminded us that we can be safe again; reminded us that we can restore American greatness. We remember the America we had under President Trump and what we have lost under Joe Biden. To fix this disaster, we have to fight for our children, for our people, and for our future. This election truly is the most important of our lifetimes. It’s never been more important for us to show up in August and again in November – and when we do, we will make our State and our Nation better than it has ever been. Not just for this generation but for generations to come.”
Alaska’s Trump campaign Chair Kelly Tshibaka sent this reaction:
“Trump spoke to all Americans tonight with courage, compassion, and vision. As he stood at the podium this evening, he spoke not only as our future Commander-In-Chief, but as the nation’s Unifier-In-Chief. Trump established himself as the leader Americans need in this time to bring people together across political divides.”
Alaska delegate Earl Lackey, at 84 the oldest member of the Alaska delegation to Milwaukee, sent Must Read Alaska readers a video he took of the finale of the evening, with the red, white, and blue balloon top:
The finale for the Republican National Convention, with the traditional balloon drop, as video-recorded by Alaska delegate Earl Lackey of Alaska Raceway Park.
Over in the Democratic Party, Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama are now on record trying to get President Joe Biden out of the race.
That news, relayed by The Washington Post and other major Democrat newspapers on Thursday, can only mean it’s all but certain that Biden will not run again. Many expect him to make some kind of statement this weekend, as the excitement from the Republican National Convention dissipates and the Democrat strategists look for a new way to battle the surge of enthusiasm across America that has been built for Trump this week.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy was seated three seats from former President Donald Trump on Thursday evening at the Republican National Convention, in the first row of Trump’s designated box.
It’s a signal of the closeness in the relationship between the two political figures — a former and possibly future president and a second-term Republican Alaska governor. Dunleavy has been a strong supporter of Trump through thick and thin and was early to endorse him for president in 2023, after Trump announced his run. Dunleavy has said numerous times that Trump was the best president Alaska has ever had, when it comes to Alaska issues.
There would be dozens of other Republican governors or lawmakers who would jump at the chance to be three seats from the former president on the night when Trump is giving speech in which he will formally accept the nomination of the party.
Carmela Warfield, Alaska Republican Party chairwoman, said she snapped a couple of photos, one of Trump reaching over to shake Dunleavy’s hand. Then, Dunleavy turned and pointed straight at Warfield, who snapped another photo.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy spots Alaska Republican Party Chairwoman Carmela Warfield on the convention floor, just as she snaps this photo of him in the box assigned to Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.
“Governor Dunleavy being seated in the President’s Box with President Trump, on the last night of our Republican National Convention, is a sign of great things to come for Alaska. There could not be a greater contrast between the Biden administration – which has levied more sanctions on Alaska than he has on the country of Iran – and what the future holds for Alaska with a united Republican Party under a Trump administration. Together, President Trump and Governor Dunleavy will make America energy dominant again. Let’s get to work!” said Warfield.
Rumors are swirling that Dunleavy will be tapped for a seat in the Trump cabinet, if Trump is elected president in November. Those rumors have been around for months, but are especially being discussed now, and the seating arrangement at the convention has fed further speculation about a possible position as Secretary of the Interior.
Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan has been a star at the Republican National Convention, appearing at events alongside grassroots Alaskans, dressed in a smart suit, with his wife Julie Fate Sullivan at his side. He has spent more time there than most other Republican senators or congressional representatives.
But Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been seen nowhere, not even in Alaska, according to reports from around the state. She’s done a deep dive into silence. And she has been largely absent from her social media account. That may be because she is a “never-Trumper,” with her well-known hatred of Donald Trump.
Neither senator is allowed to use their official social media accounts for political business, but Murkowski has been quiet for four days since her one social media post that spoke about the assassination attempt against Trump.
Today, her staff simply posted a congratulatory message to Alaska’s two Olympic athletes, Kristen Faulkner of Homer, on the U.S. Cycling Pursuit Team; and Alev Kelter of Eagle River, on the U.S. Rugby team. The message was from the entire congressional delegation.
Murkowski avoided being with the Alaska Republicans who are at the convention, and has said several times she is considering leaving the Republican Party, especially is Trump is elected. For her, Trump is a bridge too far.
She may now be realizing that, with Republicans on the rise and the likelihood that Trump will win in November, she could very well be odd-man-out in a new Republican majority in the Senate.
Murkowski has to pick her path carefully now, because she is in line to become a leading Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, should the Republicans regain majority rule in the Senate.
Murkowski was the only Republican senator facing re-election in 2021 who voted Trump guilty at his impeachment trial. Trump went on to endorse Kelly Tshibaka for Alaska’s Senate seat, but Murkowski’s minions outsmarted him by convincing Alaskans to adopt ranked-choice voting, which ensured her reelection.
“She is neither Republican in form or action. Everything she’s done to this point is about big-government — she just wants to grow government,” observed Michael Tavoliero, a Republican activist from Eagle River. “When you look at her record, she maintained that ‘you put legislation repealing Obamacare in front of it I’ll vote for it,’ but when it was in front of her she was a key vote to keep it in place. She voted for every big-money Biden bill we’ve seen.”
In addition to being on the outs with her own party, Murkowski has had other bad news this week that may contribute to her going into her bunker.
An applicant for U.S. District Court judgeship was outed by the Alaska Landmineas being involved in a sex-texting scandal with former federal District Court Judge Josh Kindred, who has recently and quite suddenly resigned under pressure, after an investigation by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Landmine disrobed the seedy scandal that involves lawyers in both the Justice Department of the Biden Administration, and the court system itself.
Although Michelle Nesbett applied, she was not among those who were actually considered, even as she lines up with Murkowski on many liberal issues. Nesbett was the Alaska attorney who led 120 women lawyers from Alaska to Washington, D.C. to meet with Murkowski and ask her to vote down the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Murkowski complied and voted against Kavanaugh, who was confirmed, nonetheless.
After receiving applicants for the open position created by the retirement of Judge Timothy Burgess, Sullivan last September set up a panel to help the delegation recommend a judge candidate. The nine-member panel helped him delay the appointment of a liberal to that seat. He and Murkowski don’t appear to agree on candidates for the job of federal judge.
Murkowski was hostile to the nominating council process Sullivan set in place, preferring to defer to the highly political Alaska Bar Association. Murkowski said the Sullivan judicial council process would delay filling a vacant Alaska U.S. District Court seat.
The application period for that judgeship ended in November, and 16 have applied. It’s the president who names the federal judges, but almost always with the advice of the state’s delegation. And that is where things get sticky.
With the rise of Donald Trump as a viable nominee, and the fall of President Joe Biden, who has gone from slightly addled to nearly decrepit, Murkowski is finding herself in a no-man’s land. She had probably hoped to put in a liberal pro-abortion judge to line up with U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, who is an appointee of President Barack Obama. But now, with Biden ailing and Trump in a position to win, she may lose this opportunity to make a liberal-dominated district court for Alaska.
Murkowski aligns with Democrats more than Republicans, yet if she becomes an actual registered “independent,” she may get no significant role in the leadership organization in the Senate that seems more and more likely to favor Republicans. And her hatred of Trump makes her less of an asset to Alaska.
