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Trump trade agreement with Europe: ‘We’ve had decades of bad deals — those days are over’

President Donald Trump on Sunday unveiled a trade agreement with the European Union that will impose a 15% tariff on all imports from the 27-country bloc, a move he hailed as a win for American workers and the US economy.

Trump announced the deal following a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. The agreement comes after weeks of tough talk, with Trump threatening to set tariffs as high as 30% on European goods.

“It’s a good deal for everybody,” Trump said after the meeting.

As part of the agreement, the EU will also purchase $750 billion worth of American energy and invest $600 billion into the US economy, Trump said. Specifics of the investment plan were not yet available, but this could bode well for Alaska.

The North Slope holds an estimated 35 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, positioning the state as a key player in America’s energy future. The $44 billion Alaska LNG project aims to tap that potential by constructing an 800-mile pipeline from the North Slope to a proposed export terminal near Anchorage, with operations projected to begin around 2030 or 2031. The project aligns with the European Union’s $750 billion commitment to purchase US energy, particularly liquefied natural gas, as Europe continues to shift away from dependence on Russian gas supplies.

According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, total goods trade between the United States and the European Union was an estimated $975.9 billion in 2024. US goods exports to the EU totaled $370.2 billion, while imports reached $605.8 billion — resulting in a $235.6 billion trade deficit.

By comparison, total U.S. goods trade with Japan amounted to $227.9 billion in 2024.

The tariff deal is the largest trade achievement of Trump’s first year back in office. Last week, the president announced similar agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines, each involving a 19% tariff on imports. His deal with Japan has a 15% import tariff.

Since before he was elected, Trump has made tariffs a central feature of his economic platform, to help restore lost manufacturing jobs, shift the tax burden off of American families, and generate revenue to reduce the national debt. He has frequently criticized previous administrations for “one-sided” trade deals.

“We’ve had decades of bad deals — those days are over,” Trump said. “We’re rebuilding American industry, one negotiation at a time.”

Court reloads Second Amendment, shoots down California’s ammo background requirement

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that California’s background check law for ammunition purchases violates the Second Amendment.

The decision in Rhode v. Bonta, leaned on a legal framework established by the US Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which requires courts to evaluate gun laws through a “text and history” test. Under this standard, modern firearms regulations must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of gun control as understood at the time of the Constitution’s ratification.

The Ninth Circuit determined California’s law burdens conduct protected by the plain text of the Second Amendment because it restricts access to ammunition, a necessary component for keeping firearms operable. The court wrote that the law “meaningfully constrains the right to keep and bear arms.”

The panel researched whether the state’s background check requirement for ammunition had any historical analogues, and found no evidence of any similar regulation in the 18th or 19th centuries. Judges concluded that the law lacked historical precedent.

The court also addressed a specific footnote in Bruen in which the Supreme Court noted that certain “shall-issue” licensing schemes may be constitutional. However, the Ninth Circuit found this footnote irrelevant to California’s law, which applies not to concealed carry permits but to the purchase of ammunition. The court emphasized that the California regime imposes a more severe burden by requiring a background check before each and every ammunition purchase, regardless of previous checks.

In affirming the lower court’s permanent injunction, the Ninth Circuit said California’s law is incompatible with the Constitution’s protection of the right to bear arms. Unless the decision is stayed or overturned by the Supreme Court, which appears unlikely, California can no longer enforce its background check requirement for ammunition sales.

Video: Drone footage reveals sprawling vagrant occupation expanding in S. Anchorage greenbelt

Must Read Alaska revisited a wooded area in South Anchorage this month, where we first reported in April on sprawling, often multi-level vagrant encampments hidden within a greenbelt near Northwood/Strawberry/Raspberry Road residential neighborhoods.

New drone footage taken by a concerned neighbor in late July shows not only that the camps remain, but that they’ve grown:

The footage, shot over the wooded area reveals an alarming accumulation of trash, debris, and makeshift structures — all on public land and all still untouched by municipal intervention.

Must Read Alaska brought this issue to public attention with drone images capturing the magnitude of the problem: multiple large encampments only somewhat concealed beneath the forest canopy. In April the camps already showed signs of long-term settlement, with some featuring stacked structures, extensive tarps, and large amounts of household items and waste. Neighbors are now calling it an occupation.

“Nothing has changed,” said a source who lives nearby. “If anything, there are more structures, more trash, and more activity. It’s a permanent occupation now.”

Despite repeated complaints from nearby homeowners and calls for action to the Anchorage Police Department and city officials, no visible cleanup or abatement has occurred. It’s SLAZ South — the Mayor Suzanne LaFrance Autonomous Zone.

The Campbell Creek Trail, once a beloved path for runners, cyclists, and dog walkers, has become a “no-go zone.” Reports of open drug use, theft, and vandalism have steadily increased on social media, even as city officials speak of compassion and transitional housing strategies. The new law that passed this month prohibiting occupation of public land has not touched this encampment.

The latest drone footage shows dozens of tarps, makeshift shelters, shopping carts, discarded electronics, and household waste scattered across the forest floor. Some structures are clearly long-established and reinforced, indicating the occupants have little fear of being removed.

A work session of the Anchorage Assembly is set for Monday to discuss another $18 million in grant awards for congregate shelter services in Anchorage.

Meanwhile, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance announced last week a “Beyond the Beige” program to award $100,000 in public money to muralists to paint images on buildings around the downtown area.

Must Read Alaska will continue to monitor the occupation and provide updates as the summer progresses.

Assembly to award multi-millions in grants for congregate shelter services

The Anchorage Assembly is holding a work session Monday, July 28, to deliberate two major contract awards totaling over $18 million for congregate shelter services aimed at chronically homeless individuals who are not adaptable to other forms of shelter because they generally cannot follow rules of more structured shelters.

The proposed awards come as part of Request for Proposal 2025P012:

  • Assembly Memorandum AM 562-2025 recommends awarding up to $11,115,360 to MASH Property Management, LLC.
  • Assembly Memorandum AM 567-2025 recommends awarding up to $7,147,126 to Henning, Inc.

Both contracts would be administered through the Anchorage Health Department, with the total not-to-exceed amounts contingent on all renewal options being exercised.

The stated goal of the funding is to provide safe, supervised, and appropriate congregate shelter environments for individuals who have not successfully transitioned to other housing models such as low-barrier shelters, hotel conversions, or permanent supportive housing.

The contracts add to a growing list of public expenditures aimed at managing Anchorage’s homeless crisis. In 2024:

  • The Assembly approved $4 million in emergency funds in September to secure 450 winter shelter beds.
  • The state budget drafted in April included another $4 million for a year-round, 200-bed low-barrier shelter in Midtown.
  • The municipality spent $1.5 million to move 150 clients into permanent housing with supportive services.

These figures represent only a portion of the city’s annual spending on homelessness, and does not include all the overhead of running programs, or the public safety responses, including incidents such as the vagrants who set fire to a park in protest of the city’s abatement of the encampment.

A 2023 report noted that Anchorage had spent $161 million on the crisis since 2020, an average of roughly $40 million per year. That figure is likely only a portion of the real costs.

Despite the enormous outlay, residents of Anchorage continue to grapple with escalating problems associated with chronic hobo lifestyles, including shoplifting and camp violence fueled by alcohol and drug transactions and addiction.

As lawlessness abounds, Anchorage Assembly hosts workshop to ‘reimagine’ public safety

As crime continues to surge in Anchorage, the city’s liberal-listing Assembly is forging ahead with a vision to reshape police oversight — starting with a community workshop that aims to “reimagine” public safety.

The Task Force to Reimagine the Public Safety Advisory Commission, formed earlier this year, will hold a Community Workshop on Monday, Aug. 5, at the Spenard Recreation Center. The stated goal is to gather input from residents about what safety and well-being mean to them and how public safety systems can “best serve” the community.

The event is facilitated by Denali Daniels and Associates and is billed as a free, in-person forum for “open, honest and constructive dialogue” about policing and safety perceptions in Anchorage.

But beneath the surface, the initiative is anti-police, is a product of Assembly members who have accused the police of overreacting in violent, dangerous situations. The civilian oversight is a form of second-guessing police officers who are coping with Anchorage’s growing wave of psychotic and drug-addled offenders.

After the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis and the global unrest that followed, a group of municipal leaders under the National League of Cities formed what they called the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force, aiming to overhaul how cities keep people safe. Launched in 2021 after months of “listening sessions,” the effort, co-chaired by leftist mayors and backed by progressive think tanks like the Vera Institute, set out to redefine public safety with a heavy emphasis on racial equity, “credible messengers,” and reducing jail use.

In Anchorage, it appears the Assembly wants to recreate SB 91 all over again. That was the state law that led to a massive crime wave because criminals were arrested and released. It was repealed soon after Mike Dunleavy became governor.

The national task force issued two reports full of recommendations for local governments, framed as a “21st-century public safety agenda.” The goals? Promote alternatives to traditional law enforcement, rethink budgets, and elevate activist-driven ideas on justice reform. This is what Anchorage leftist leaders have in mind.

Assemblyman Felix Rivera, who has supported past police reform efforts, released a statement saying, “Anchorage’s public safety systems should reflect the values and needs of the people they serve… We will start by asking what public safety means to our community.”

It’s more political than practical. Instead of standing behind officers as they deal with increasingly dangerous criminals, the Assembly majority seems more focused on adding layers of bureaucracy and public relations workshops.

The push for a new, more expansive Public Safety Advisory Commission comes as police officers face rising violence in the streets, staffing shortages, and a revolving door justice system. Meanwhile, the Assembly is seeking broader community oversight, which is the national trend among progressive-led city councils and assemblies.

The August 5 event is one of several planned engagement efforts, including an online community feedback form, where residents are encouraged to share their values, concerns, and “lived experiences” related to public safety.

Community Workshop – Reimagining Public Safety
Date: Aug. 5
Time: 5:30–7:30 pm
Location: Spenard Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room, 2020 W 48th Avenue
Pre-registration encouraged but not required
Virtual sessions to be announced at a later date

Anchorage mayor pushes ‘Beyond the Beige’ public art grants, while vagrancy, decay take over the city

As Anchorage grapples with a worsening vagrancy crisis and growing outlaw encampments spreading through public spaces, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has unveiled her latest initiative: a taxpayer-funded public arts campaign called “Beyond the Beige.”

The $100,000 program, a joint venture between the Municipality of Anchorage and the Anchorage Community Development Authority, has funded five projects designed to make the city’s public spaces more visually engaging. The mayor’s announcement comes at a time when residents are voicing increasing concerns about crime, encampments, and deteriorating infrastructure.

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance touts public art as a way to make Anchorage more beautiful. The mural to be painted on a building downtown will be above the reach of vandals and will cost the city $25,000 to install. Other grant awards total $100,000.

“This program is about pride of place,” LaFrance said in a press release. “Public art connects our community, creates joy in everyday places, and reflects who we are to each other.”

But for many residents, LaFrance’s pride and joy is harder to locate.

A drive through Anchorage today reveals sprawling tent camps, discarded needles, and boarded-up businesses, especially in areas once considered safe and vibrant. Downtown sidewalks are now flanked not just by murals and “functional animal sculptures,” but by visible signs of human dysfunction and defecation. Trails are “no go” zones, and parks are public safety hazards.

It’s a tale of two Anchorages. On one side, there will be bike racks shaped like animals and more and more murals of ravens. On the other, broken glass, human waste, and people living in tarps on public land.

Among the publicly funded art projects:

  • $30,000 “Open-Air Art Project” that will bring “cultural pop-ups” to city parks like Tikishla Park and Kiwanis Fish Creek — parks, where vandalism and safety concerns prevail.
  • $25,000 mural by artist Crystal Worl covering the side of the historic McKinley Tower with a massive image of a raven dreaming about salmon. A previous contract to Worl allowed her to paint over an existing mural that brought to life the history of Anchorage. That old mural is now gone, replaced with native images — including a raven, totem creatures, wolves, and deer.
  • $23,000 “Welcome to Anchorage” mural downtown, where fewer and fewer people willingly visit.
  • $12,000 installment of animal-shaped bike racks in Northeast Anchorage parks, where no one feels safe to visit.
  • $10,000 “Cabin Fever” outdoor gallery on a downtown construction fence, likely temporary, but maybe permanent.

While the ACDA touts these projects as “fueling partnerships that turn creativity into community growth,” the timing raises questions about the LaFrance Administration priorities, in which murals that are of questionable value take precedence over basic public health and safety.

LaFrance and her supporters declared former Mayor Dave Bronson incompetent. They convinced voters that LaFrance would make Anchorage better. Competence in LaFrance’s Anchorage is putting up visual distractions to make residents and visitors feel better after witnessing the breakdown of the social fabric of a once-vibrant city.

Zack Gottshall: Lisa Murkowski finally admits it — now the GOP must do its job

By ZACK GOTTSHALL

Sen. Lisa Murkowski recently declared on national television: “The GOP is more of a MAGA party, and I don’t fit well.”

Let’s be honest — that wasn’t news. It was a long-overdue confession.

Sen. Murkowski hasn’t represented the Republican Party’s values in over a decade. In 2010, she lost her primary and returned to the US Senate only by way of a write-in campaign supported largely by Democrats and independents. Since then, she’s voted to convict President Donald Trump, opposed constitutionalist judicial nominees, and regularly sides with the very left-wing interests she claims to “balance.”

Now she openly admits she doesn’t align with the party at all.

So the real question is this: Why does the senator still call herself a Republican when it’s politically convenient, yet reject Republican values when it matters most? And why does the Alaska GOP continue to treat her like she’s one of us, as if she’s fighting for conservative principles, when time and again, she’s shown she’s not?

Murkowski often claims she is “voting her conscience” or “representing her constituents.” But the facts don’t back that up. Alaskans voted for President Donald J. Trump three times: In 2016, 2020, and again in 2024. He won our state by clear margins each time. The majority of Alaskans support conservative, pro-America policies, not the DC brand of bipartisan gamesmanship Murkowski defends.

So when she claims to speak on behalf of Alaskan voters, she is clearly wrong. Her record aligns more with the priorities of Senate Democrats than with the Republican majority of her own state.

Across Alaska, numerous Republican House Districts have passed formal censure resolutions against Senator Lisa Murkowski, including Districts 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 26, 29, and 31. District 6 on the Kenai Peninsula even invoked the Alaska GOP’s Article VII rule, calling for Murkowski’s permanent disqualification from endorsements or official support.

But despite this widespread and growing demand from the grassroots, party leadership has refused to place the matter on the agenda of a State Central Committee meeting, and the State Central Committee has failed to assert its authority to force the issue or bring it forward for a vote.

Worse still, some Republican leaders actively pressure or punish conservatives who challenge Murkowski’s influence, discouraging opposition and rewarding loyalty to the status quo. That’s not leadership — that’s cowardice.

It should not be controversial to say that a Republican senator should support Making America Great Again. MAGA is not a cult or a slogan. It’s a mission: Secure our borders. Protect our rights. Strengthen families. End government bloat. Defend our Constitution. Rebuild what was lost.

If Murkowski rejects that, then let her. But don’t let her keep the “R” next to her name while she votes like a Democrat and mocks the very people she claims to represent.

This isn’t about revenge. It’s about accountability. The Alaska Republican Party must stop enabling betrayal and start standing for something.

If Murkowski wants to caucus with Democrats, fine. But let her do it as one of them, not as a fraud hiding behind the Republican name.

We need bold conservatives. We need principled leadership. And we need to stop cowering behind political convenience.

Alaskans deserve a senator who reflects their values, not one who defies them. If Murkowski chooses to walk away from the Republican Party in principle, then Alaska voters should replace her in practice. We have the strength, the talent, and the grassroots momentum to elect a bold, unapologetic conservative who will fight for our state, defend our Constitution, and support the America First agenda.

Alaska doesn’t need a Democrat with an “R” by her name — we need a Republican who governs like one.

Alaska Republicans: demand a vote to censure Lisa Murkowski. Demand the GOP act like the conservative party it claims to be. And if party leadership won’t do it — replace them.

Enough is enough.

Zack Gottshall is former Vice Chair of the Alaska Republican Party.

Flush with decisions, Ketchikan voters will tackle wastewater fix and charter changes on October ballot

Voters in the City of Ketchikan will once again face several ballot propositions when they go to the polls on Oct. 7. The Ketchikan City Council on Thursday approved seven resolutions placing the measures on the municipal election ballot, marking the second consecutive year voters will be asked to weigh in on a full slate of charter amendments and funding proposals.

Last year, all seven propositions on the municipal ballot passed. This year, the most financially impactful measure involves a proposed $15 million bonding or loan package to fund a federally mandated wastewater disinfection facility and to repair aging emergency wastewater lines. If approved, the bond would lead to higher wastewater rates for residents. The EPA has been pushing coastal Alaska communities to upgrade wastewater treatment systems to meet revised environmental regulations.

Here are what the some of the other ballot measures entail:

Resolution No. 25-2970 authorizes the city to issue wastewater revenue obligations not to exceed $15 million to cover the full project cost.

Resolution No. 25-2975: Would amend Section 2-13 of the charter so that ordinances go into effect immediately after final passage and publication, or on a specified date, instead of being delayed.

Resolution No. 25-2976: Would amend Section 3-1 to allow the city manager to reside anywhere on Revillagigedo Island, expanding eligibility to the entire road-connected area rather than within city limits.

Resolution No. 25-2977: Proposes major changes to Section 5-17, eliminating voter approval and referendum requirements for various city property transactions, long-term contracts, and utility sales.

Resolution No. 25-2978: Would amend Section 5-18 to update the city’s competitive bidding requirements for public improvements, allowing contracts below a certain amount to be made by soliciting at least three written quotations.

Resolution No. 25-2979: Seeks to amend Section 5-19 to allow the city to purchase goods or services from city employees, councilmembers, or the mayor, provided that three written quotes are obtained.

Resolution No. 25-2980: Would change Section 5-21 to remove the strict four-month reporting deadline for the city’s independent annual audit, instead allowing the deadline to be set by council resolution.

In addition, two seats on the Ketchikan city council are up for election. They are currently held by Councilwoman Lallette Kistler and Councilwoman Abby Bradberry. The first day to file for office is Aug. 1.

FBI Deputy Director Bongino says recent findings have ‘shocked me down to my core’

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino published an unusual and highly personal statement on social media late Friday, pledging a sweeping internal effort to root out public corruption and vowing that the Bureau would conduct its investigations “by the book and in accordance with the law.”

In a lengthy post to his X account, Bongino said recent developments uncovered by ongoing investigations had “shocked [him] down to [his] core,” and that the truth would be pursued with “an honest and dignified effort.”

“We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned,” he wrote from his official government account.

Though the statement did not identify specific subjects of investigation, the cryptic language sparked widespread speculation on about what the FBI’s second-in-command was referring to. He wrote the note in response to a news article in Just the News that said a 2016 intelligence report, conducted by the Democrat administration of Barack Obama, said Kremlin preferred GOP over Dems, while the truth is quite different.

“The Obama-era ICA claimed the Kremlin has a history of preferring Republicans over Democrats, but decades of Moscow history contradicts the narrative that was pushed — and believed as gospel by the legacy media and public,” Just the News reported in this article.

Bongino, a former US Secret Service agent and conservative media personality, was appointed deputy director of the FBI in March by FBI Director Kash Patel, another high-profile Trump administration figure. The two were brought on after President Donald Trump’s re-election, reflecting a dramatic shift in leadership at the nation’s top law enforcement agency.

Since taking office, Bongino has distanced himself from his previous career in media, where he was known for sharp criticism of the FBI, the Department of Justice, and what he described as a “deep state” culture of political bias.

But his statement on Friday marked the first time he has spoken publicly in such stark, emotional terms about internal FBI discoveries since joining the agency’s leadership.

“We are going to get the answers WE ALL DESERVE,” he wrote. “Not ‘my truth,’ or ‘your truth,’ but THE TRUTH.”

Bongino’s post comes amid continued scrutiny of the FBI’s role in politically sensitive investigations, including its past surveillance of the Trump campaign, raiding of his home at Mar-a-Lago, its mishandling of the Hunter Biden laptop case, and more recently, its review of materials tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Director Patel and Bongino have previously signaled a desire to restore trust in the Bureau by rooting out what they see as internal partisanship and abuse of power.

In an interview earlier this year, Bongino said he would work to “rebuild the FBI from the inside out,” promising transparency and accountability without political favor.