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!”
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.
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.
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:
Billions to maintain office buildings, many of which are empty as employees work from home.
$6 million for United States Agency for International Development to boost tourism in Egypt.
$400 million of taxpayer dollars for presidential campaigns.
$2.6 million in taxpayer dollars to fund a critical race theory program that trains students to promote CRT.
$1 million for the West Harlem “Environmental Justice Center.”
$50 million via “Environmental Justice” grant to anti-Israel group.
$3 billion overall for “Environmental Justice” grants to groups, many of which are accused of partisanship.
Part of New York’s $9 billion in federal COVID funding went to train staff in ‘culturally responsive sustaining instruction’ and ‘privilege’ and to recognize ‘equity warriors.’”
$200,000 spent by the Department of Defense on Starbucks espresso machines
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.
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.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Thursday that she filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), alleging discrimination against hurricane victims who supported President-elect Donald Trump.
Moody filed a lawsuit against FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and a former FEMA supervisor for violating the civil rights of Florida residents in the response to Hurricanes Helene in September and Milton in October. The lawsuit claims that FEMA personnel intentionally avoided assisting Trump-supporting residents in Lake Placid, Fla.
Hurricane season is not over, and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in scandal – withholding aid from storm victims in Florida who support @realDonaldTrump.
I am taking swift legal action to find out how far FEMA’s political discrimination reaches… pic.twitter.com/D7fr0gXlNm
A FEMA supervisor allegedly directed aid teams to avoid homes of Trump supporters while distributing relief after Hurricane Milton in Florida, as revealed by internal communications and federal staff. Marn’i Washington, a Disaster Survivor Assistance crew leader in Highlands County, was identified as the supervisor behind the directive, according to The Daily Wire, which shared a flowchart displaying the leadership structure.
FEMA disclosed it had terminated Washington, and the case has been referred to the Office of Special Counsel for further investigation, Reuters reported. Criswell called the actions “a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to serve all people impartially.”
Washington stated Tuesday that such actions were not an “isolated” event. Washington, who led a Disaster Survivor Assistance team in Highlands County, claimed that similar practices occurred in North and South Carolina following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
FEMA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The Daily Caller News Foundation is an independent and nonpartisan newswire service
A bizarre election fraud case involving a nearly forgotten Alaska state representative will possibly begin Monday, after dozens of delays.
The trial for former Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux has been postponed and rescheduled numerous times since she and two others were indicted for voter misconduct for actions they allegedly took during the 2018 election involving LeDoux’s reelection campaign.
As of Friday, the trial is now set for Nov. 18 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 603 of the Nesbett Courthouse in Anchorage, with Judge Kevin Saxby presiding. She is represented by attorney Kevin Fitzgerald.
In July, Lisa Simpson, formerly Lisa Vaught, signed a plea agreement for her role in the fraud. Simpson is the former chief of staff and was the campaign manager for LeDoux. Simpson had faced five charges of voter misconduct, some of them felony charges. She may be a witness in the case against LeDoux, should it proceed.
In 2018, LeDoux won the Republican primary against challenger Aaron Weaver and then the general election against Democrat Lyn Franks and write-in candidate Jake Sloan. She then lost the Republican primary in 2020 to David Nelson. But there was evidently some illegal voter registrations being done on her behalf to get more votes secured for her.
In 2020, LeDoux and Simpson were charged with voter misconduct and unlawful interference with voting after an investigation by the FBI and the Alaska State Troopers stemming from the registration of Simpson’s son and other voters as voters in LeDoux’s district, part of East Anchorage that was then District 15, during the 2018 election.
On June 2, 2021, an Anchorage grand jury indicted Gabrielle LeDoux, Lisa (Vaught) Simpson, and [her son, who was exploited] on multiple counts of voter misconduct in the first degree. These charges stem from the investigation that started in 2018 after the Division of Elections identified some irregularities in some of the absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots returned for the primary election for House District 15. The Alaska State Troopers, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, conducted the investigation.
In the years that have passed, at least one witness has died. Charlie Chang, a Democrat who LeDoux paid and brought in as a consultant from California to help her interface with the Hmong community in her district, suddenly died in California, according to LeDoux.
LeDoux, who is an attorney, was 72 when she was indicted. Now 76 years old, she has been able to hold off justice for four years for the allegedly illegal series of events that occurred six years ago.
The delays in this trial have been extraordinary, as this calendar of events shows:
President-elect Donald Trump will name North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to head up the Department of Interior. Many Alaskans had been speculating the job of secretary of Interior would go to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who has been close with Trump.
Trump revealed his choice at an event at Mar-a-Lago and said it would be official on Friday.
Trump on Bergum: He’s going to be announced for a very big position.. Actually he’s going to head the Department of Interior pic.twitter.com/t3xVdBIu3U
Although Dunleavy was a logical pick, it’s unclear why Trump went a different direction. The job of the secretary of Interior impacts Alaska more than any other state, since so much of Alaska is owned by the federal government.
Some are saying Dunleavy might be in line for the Secretary of Energy, but there are rumors that former Gov. Sarah Palin might get that job. She, too, is close with Trump.
Doug Burgum took office as the 33rd governor of North Dakota on Dec. 15, 2016. It was his first run for governor and he is term-limited out this month.
Under his leadership, North Dakota now has the nation’s third-highest GDP per capita, ranks second in energy production per capita, and has some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation.
Burgum briefly ran for president, but his candidacy did not catch fire. Instead, he led his state to become a national leader in innovation, energy, agriculture, and technology.
“His efforts to drive engagement with the five tribal nations with whom North Dakota shares geography have greatly improved state-tribal relationships through collaboration and addressing challenges and opportunities with understanding and mutual respect,” his bio says at the official page of the governor.
Gov. Burgum has championed the largest income tax relief package in state history in 2023.
He has been a leader in transforming education and equipping students with the essential skills for life and learning, preparing graduates for a choice-ready future in college, career or the military. He stands with those in recovery and, with First Lady Kathryn Burgum, is pushing a positive movement to eliminate the shame and stigma of the disease of addiction and support behavioral health, mental health and addiction by focusing on the foundations of well-being.
