The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced a change to its Athlete Safety Policy on Monday, formally barring transgenders (men who live as women) from competing in women’s categories at both Olympic and Paralympic events. The policy shift brings the USOPC into compliance with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14201, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed Feb. 5.
The revised guidelines state that eligibility for women’s sports will now be determined strictly by biological sex, although the guidelines refer to this as “sex assigned at birth.” As a result, transgenders who are biological males will be directed to compete in men’s or open categories, effectively ending access to women’s divisions for any athlete not born female.
The USOPC policy does not explicitly reference transgender athletes. Instead, it adopts the terminology and framework set out in the presidential executive order, which focuses on safeguarding what it describes as the integrity of women’s sports.
This update reverses USOPC policy, which at last as in April 2025 had deferred decisions on gender eligibility to individual international federations and national governing bodies. Under the new directive, all NGBs are now required to adopt uniform policies based on biological sex. The change applies across all levels of competition, from grassroots programs to elite international events, and will directly increase the chances for women athletes competing for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
With this latest action, the United States becomes one of the first major Olympic nations to codify such restrictions across all sporting disciplines in response to national policy.
The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded its investigation into the 2023 plane crash that killed Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr., husband of former US Rep. Mary Peltola, placing the blame squarely on pilot error.
According to the NTSB’s final report, Peltola’s decision to fly his overloaded aircraft in dangerous wind conditions with unapproved external cargo was the primary cause of the fatal accident on Sept. 12, 2023. The NTSB cited his choice to exceed the plane’s certified weight limits and to fly with moose antlers improperly lashed to the wing strut as key factors leading to a loss of control.
The plane rolled immediately upon takeoff. Hunter video screenshot.
Peltola was ferrying moose meat and antlers from a remote hunting camp about 80 miles northwest of Holy Cross after a group of hunters harvested a moose. After successfully transporting the first load of meat earlier that day, Peltola returned for a second trip, this time with the plane loaded 117 pounds over its certified maximum takeoff weight. The aircraft was so overloaded that even after burning fuel en route, it would have landed nearly 180 pounds over its maximum landing weight.
The runway, located at the crest of a hill, presented additional challenges. Terrain rapidly dropped away to the north before rising sharply within three-quarters of a mile. At the time of the crash, shifting north winds likely provided initial lift but caused turbulence and downdrafts as the heavily burdened plane turned south over the valley, contributing to the crash just beyond the hunters’ view.
Screenshot
The NTSB ruled out mechanical failure, noting the engine was running at full power during the accident. The plane’s airframe, originally manufactured nearly 70 years prior, had been heavily modified over the years. Despite being equipped with numerous FAA-approved alterations, the true flight performance characteristics were unknown, especially when flown over its weight limit.
The report also documented that while carrying antlers externally is common in Alaska, it requires FAA approval—documentation that was absent for this aircraft. Though Peltola suffered from cardiovascular disease, investigators found no evidence that his health contributed to the accident.
The crash occurred around 8:47 p.m., and despite surviving the impact, Peltola succumbed to his injuries within hours due to the severity of the crash and the remoteness of the site. Air National Guard rescuers arrived several hours later, but the cockpit had sustained catastrophic damage, compromising any chance of survival even with safety restraints.
Just four days earlier, Rep. Mary Peltola filed a wrongful death lawsuit on July 18 in Bethel Superior Court. The lawsuit names guide Bruce Werba and his companies—Alaska Pike Safaris, Wilderness Adventures LLC, and Neitz Aviation—as defendants. Peltola alleges that unsafe working conditions, excessive duty hours, overloading, and improper external cargo contributed to her husband’s death.
Peltola would have been notified by the NTSB last week that the report would be released soon; it is standard procedure for the agency to notify next of kin in advance.
The complaint also claims that Peltola was an employee of the companies and was operating the aircraft under a purchase agreement, having made payments on the plane before his death. The lawsuit alleges the defendants failed to provide workers’ compensation insurance and have withheld funds owed to Peltola’s estate.
With the two-year deadline for filing a wrongful death suit approaching, Rep. Peltola seeks damages of more than $100,000 and has requested a jury trial. As of July 22, no court date has been set. The probate case surrounding Peltola’s estate remains open, complicated by ongoing family disputes and unresolved financial claims.
In a high-profile joint op-ed published Monday in the cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk, Alaska Congressman Nick Begich and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota made a forceful case for finalizing a Republican-led legislative framework for cryptocurrency and digital assets.
The column spotlights Begich’s growing stature in Congress as a leading voice on financial innovation, alongside Emmer, a senior member of Republican leadership, who attended college at University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The two lawmakers celebrated the recent signing of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act by President Donald Trump. The bill, championed in the Senate by Sen. Bill Hagerty, establishes the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, which are digital tokens pegged to secure assets such as the US dollar. According to Begich and Emmer’s column, the measure brings “clear rules that promote transparency, protect consumers, and boost demand for U.S. Treasuries,” while reinforcing the dollar’s dominance in global commerce.
Calling the bill a “major win for American leadership in digital finance,” Begich and Emmer argued it was only the first step. They urged the Senate to swiftly pass the Digital Asset Market Structure Clarity (CLARITY) Act, spearheaded by Financial Services Chairman French Hill, which recently cleared the House. The CLARITY Act would establish clear regulatory distinctions between digital commodities and traditional securities, giving defined oversight roles to both the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Without the CLARITY Act, the rules governing digital assets will remain fragmented, confusing, and vulnerable to politicization,” they wrote, warning that under the Biden administration, “regulatory ambiguity was weaponized” and drove crypto innovation overseas. They pointed to the collapse of offshore exchange FTX as a consequence of the United States’ previous lack of regulatory clarity.
Begich and Emmer framed the new Republican agenda as a reversal of the previous administration’s hostility toward digital finance, noting that President Trump has embraced American leadership in blockchain through recent executive actions, support for bitcoin reserves, and backing from “the most pro-crypto Congress in U.S. history.”
In addition to market structure reforms, the op-ed pressed the Senate to advance the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, which would ban the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The two congressmen described CBDCs as a threat to civil liberties, likening them to the surveillance tools used by authoritarian regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party.
“We must draw a firm line in defense of American freedom,” they wrote, adding, “We cannot unleash a new era of innovation while leaving the door open for future administrations to turn that same technology against our own citizens.”
Begich and Emmer closed their argument by framing digital asset innovation as a bipartisan opportunity. “This isn’t a Republican issue or a Democratic issue. It’s an American issue,” they wrote, appealing to Americans of all ages and regions.
With the GENIUS Act now law and President Trump signaling full-throttle support for crypto innovation, the two Republican lawmakers said Congress must “finish the job” by delivering the rest of the digital asset legislative package to the president’s desk.
Begich’s rising influence on Capitol Hill has been noted among Republican circles, with his focus on economic freedom, technology, and individual financial sovereignty placing him at the forefront of a new generation of House leadership. Emmer, serving as Majority Whip, provides crucial leadership backing as Republicans aim to reshape U.S. financial regulation for the digital age.
In a nation founded on liberty and limited government, it is staggering that no one, not Congress, not the Department of Justice, not even legal scholars, knows how many federal crimes exist. Estimates suggest over 5,000 federal statutes and more than 300,000 regulatory offenses are embedded within the Code of Federal Regulations. This isn’t just a matter of volume. It’s erosion: of justice, liberty, and public trust. Overcriminalization is a direct threat to the rule of law and the constitutional guarantees at the core of American democracy.
Alaska reflects this crisis. Its legal code contains an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 crimes ranging from fisheries violations to licensing infractions. Many carry criminal penalties disconnected from public harm or moral wrongdoing. The result is a system that punishes ordinary behavior, overwhelms individuals with unknowable obligations, and expands government power far beyond reason.
This burden extends to local regulation. In Anchorage, municipal ordinances add layers of cost and complexity to everyday life. Title 21 of the Anchorage Municipal Code, which governs land use and development, imposes dense zoning, aesthetic, and safety standards that far exceed those in the neighboring Mat-Su Borough. While Mat-Su offers flexibility, Anchorage mandates exhaustive reviews, costly inspections, and rigid design requirements. Property owners with wells and septic systems face high compliance costs, often for marginal or redundant benefits. These rules act as hidden taxes and barriers to entry, driving up living costs and deepening public disillusionment with government.
The rise of overcriminalization directly undermines the Bill of Rights. The Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches is diluted when obscure violations justify intrusions. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments’ due process guarantees are weakened when citizens are held accountable for conduct, they could not reasonably know was criminal. The Sixth Amendment promise of a fair trial becomes hollow when arbitrary charges are used to extract plea deals. The Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines is tested daily by disproportionate penalties for minor regulatory violations.
While citizen safety matters, the institutionalization of overcriminalization was no accident. It was born of progressive-era and left-wing policies that, under the guise of reform, sought to control behavior through administrative expansion. Since the early 20th century, unaccountable agencies have wielded quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial power, replacing traditional lawmaking with layers of regulation. The New Deal, Great Society, and decades of centralized planning entrenched this model, emphasizing behavioral control over individual freedom and personal responsibility.
This shift transformed the law into a trap. Rules once designed to punish harm now penalize nonconformity. Regulatory micromanagement, based on the belief that government knows best, has weaponized legal systems against innovation, autonomy, and liberty. Left unchecked, these policies have dismantled due process and equal protection, replacing constitutional governance with bureaucratic paternalism. Reclaiming limited, just law is essential to preserving the dignity of the individual.
The Alaska Constitution’s Declaration of Rights is also at risk. Articles I, Sections 1 through 24 affirm liberty, due process, and property rights. But when Alaskans face prosecution under vague, excessive laws lacking clarity or proportionality, these rights become illusions.
A deeper question arises: Is the Alaska Legislature indifferent or simply lethargic in the face of this crisis? Every legislator swears an oath to uphold the U.S. and Alaska Constitutions. That oath demands not just new legislation, but an ongoing duty to repeal outdated, unjust, or duplicative laws. Failing to do so, especially allowing crimes created by unelected agencies to persist, is a quiet betrayal of constitutional duty.
Law in a free society must be knowable, reasonable, and just. Today, Alaska’s legal code is often indecipherable and punitive. Ordinary citizens are trapped by strict liability offenses, unclear mandates, and disproportionate penalties. This harms vulnerable populations most, rural Alaskans, Indigenous communities, and low-income residents unfamiliar with bureaucratic nuance.
Moreover, arbitrary enforcement fosters unequal justice. A system navigable only by the powerful is not law. It is privilege.
Compounding this crisis is a corporatist mandate that forces individuals and small businesses to hire legal, accounting, and compliance professionals simply to stay within the bounds of regulation. This creates a structural advantage for large institutions that can absorb these costs. The law becomes a tool of the well-connected while ordinary Alaskans are marginalized.
This corporatist structure has been institutionalized. People have been conditioned to accept endless paperwork, consultant fees, and professional gatekeepers as the cost of participation in civic life. But freedom shouldn’t require permission slips. Deregulation isn’t just a political stance. It’s a moral necessity. It is the only path to restoring equal justice and reviving civic participation.
Throughout American history, courageous individuals have taken it upon themselves to challenge and reform the legal codes that shape civic life. One of the earliest and most influential efforts was Thomas Jefferson’s comprehensive revision of Virginia’s statutes following the American Revolution. Believing that laws should be clear, just, and reflect the ideals of a free republic, Jefferson undertook the monumental task of eliminating feudal and monarchical remnants from the colonial code. His reforms included proposals to abolish primogeniture, establish religious freedom, and streamline criminal law, efforts that laid the foundation for modern American legal philosophy.
In the centuries since, countless citizens, jurists, legislators, and activists have followed that example, drafting new constitutions, striking down unjust statutes, and pushing for reforms that reaffirm the rule of law as a tool of liberty rather than oppression. Their legacy reminds us that law is not sacred because it is written, but because it serves justice.
The path forward is clear. Alaska must conduct a thorough audit of its statutes and regulations. Laws lacking intent, proportionality, or public harm should be repealed or converted to civil penalties. Regulatory agencies must lose the power to criminalize conduct without legislative consent. And mens rea, the principle that criminal punishment requires criminal intent, must be restored.
But legal reform alone isn’t enough. Alaska must also reorient its education and resource development systems to teach young people the value of law as a tool for liberty. Civic literacy should be central in public education. Young Alaskans must understand their rights and the responsibilities that come with them.
A free society depends on informed citizens. Alaska must cultivate a culture that knows its Constitution, values personal liberty, and understands the law not as a threat, but as a framework for freedom.
The Bible in Hosea 4:6 teaches us: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
If we are to remain a state, and a nation, governed by the rule of law, that law must be limited, accessible, and just. Reform is no longer optional. It is imperative.
Washington state’s Medicaid spending has quintupled, or increased five times over, since the 2013-15 biennium, according to an analysis by The Center Square.
Along with that increased spending, the number of those on Medicaid has climbed, though some health care experts note that despite this increased spending Washington continues to undercompensate medical providers who treat Medicaid patients.
In the 2013-15 operating budget, Washington state spent $7.85 billion on Medicaid. Spending was evenly split between the federal government and the state. As part of the Medicaid expansion, the federal government offered to cover 100% of the expansion costs for the first three years, then decrease it on a sliding scale to 90%.
Washington state was planning to spend $42 billion on Medicaid in the 2025-27 biennium, with $26 billion coming from the feds. However, with President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Act seeking to reduce both funding and the number of people on Medicaid in Washington state, some healthcare experts warn that Washington taxpayers can expect to hear calls for more taxes to cover the lost funding.
“Taxpayers are going to start hearing why we need to increase the tax revenue because of that bill passing,” Washington Policy Center Healthcare Center Director Elizabeth New told The Center Square.”
However, she added that “the bottom line is people who are traditional Medicaid recipients are not in danger here,” arguing that the program was in need of reform. According to a 2014 report by WPC Senior Fellow Roger Stark, Washington’s Medicaid program was expanded by the state Legislature through “a one-line budget gimmick,” after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that states could voluntarily choose whether to do so under the Affordable Care Act. Prior to that, Medicaid provided health insurance for families with children that earned less than 133% of the Federal Poverty Level, for long-term care patients, and the disabled. The expansion included any adult who earns less than 138% of the FPL.
“The 2015 Legislature must again face the long-term impact of what the Medicaid expansion means for the people of our state,” Stark wrote in 2014.
In 2013, there was an estimated 1.3 million people enrolled in Washington’s Medicaid program, known as Apple Health. According to the Washington Health Care Authority, there were 2.17 million residents enrolled in Apple Health as of January 2022. Nearly half of all births in Washington state in 2020 were covered by Apple Health. As of 2023, the uninsured rate was 4.8%.
As a result of the Apple Health expansion, New said that “you had these inflated numbers of people who didn’t even need care. That added hundreds of thousands of able-bodied adults to the Medicaid rolls.”
She added that the suspension of Medicaid eligibility redetermination during COVID “kept enrollment artificially high. The safety net is too wide. Eligibility goes out to people in need and not in need, and we’re not doing a state recovery the way we could be.”
In an email, she wrote that “there is a valid argument to be made that even if able-bodied expansion enrollees lose coverage because they don’t meet community-participation or redetermination requirements, they could simply use ER services when needing care. That will bring pain to hospitals and cost-shifting to commercial payers. BUT I hope the reforms help shaves down the expansion group, ending Medicaid for those with other insurance options through work or on the subsidized exchange, etc., and reserving taxpayer-financed care for those without other health insurance options.”
According to the Washington Health Care Authority, between 200,000 and 320,000 Washington residents are projected to lose Medicaid coverage, while the state is estimated to lose billions in funding at a time when it already faces a fiscal crisis by 2027 despite the largest tax increase in state history and record revenue levels.
House Health Care & Wellness Committee Chair Rep. Dan Bronoske, D-Lakewood, wrote in an email to The Center Square regarding the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that “I believe that health care outcomes will be worse for the people of Washington as a direct result of this piece of legislation. The state of Washington is projected to lose billions in federal funding between 2025-2034.”
“The entire state Legislature will have to collectively determine how to control the damage to AppleHealth/Medicaid and the people who will be negatively impacted by the changes made by the federal government,” he wrote further. “Let me be clear, I believe every single one of us will feel these impacts, not just the people covered under Apple Health and the expansion.”
The Anchorage Assembly has scheduled a work session for July 25 titled “Worksession Draft AR for Better Public Meetings Project.” While the meeting’s time and location are publicly posted on the Municipality of Anchorage’s online calendar, there are no additional details or documents available to explain the purpose or scope of the proposed resolution. The public is being kept in the dark about what constitutes a “better public meeting.”
This lack of publicly accessible information has raised concerns among citizen observers who have noted a growing pattern of the Assembly not releasing documents in a timely manner prior to its work sessions and committee meetings.
The “Better Public Meetings Project” is a national initiative by liberals ostensibly to improve the quality and effectiveness of public meetings through the use of community-engaged research, civic engagement scorecards, and civic infrastructure assessments. Spearheaded by the left-of-center National Civic League, the project worked with select pilot communities to develop strategies aimed at creating more collaborative, deliberative, and inclusive public meeting processes.
Last month, Assembly chairman Chris Constant mouthed “F-U” at a woman who was waiting to testify in a public hearing. He denied doing it, but it’s all on tape and he made his feelings clear to the woman.
A key component of the project focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, with an emphasis on making public meetings more accessible and welcoming to community members who may not typically participate in government proceedings.
The project is funded by the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution Foundation.
It is currently unclear whether Anchorage is applying to participate as a pilot community or if the Assembly is simply considering adopting some of the project’s recommended best practices. With no supporting documents posted ahead of the meeting, residents are left in the dark about the Assembly’s intentions.
The work session is scheduled for Friday, July 25, at City Hall in conference room 155. At some point before then, citizens might see documents posted at this municipal website tab.
During his Senate confirmation, FDA Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary said that no more mRNA Covid boosters would be approved without adequate scientific data.
Gone were the days when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would just rubber-stamp the newest and greatest booster jabs Big Pharma had developed.
And no longer would the Covid booster be recommended for children, pregnant women, or perfectly healthy adults unless over the age of 65. The jab would still be available for those at high risk, and it would be a shared decision between the patient and the doctor.
I was caught off guard when on July 10 the FDA gave full approval to Moderna’s Covid-19 jab (Spikevax) for children aged six months to 11 years old. It became the first Covid jab for kids that would no longer be given under emergency authorization. It could be used in children who have at least one medical condition that puts them at risk for a severe Covid infection.
Dr. Robert Malone, a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said the FDA’s full approval of Spikevax blindsided RFK Jr. while RFK Jr. was on vacation. The next day, after passing this update to Spikevax, Moderna’s shares rose by at least 3.8%.
Then Moderna’s shares rose 8.83% after six medical organizations sued Kennedy over changes to Covid-19 vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and healthy children.
I know. It isn’t about the money. Or is it?
There are unanswered questions as described by Dr. Robert Malone, an inventor of mRNA vaccines and DNA vaccines and also a speaker at our first Alaska Covid Alliance Conference in 2021:
Why approve Moderna’s Spikevax for this indication and not provide similar approval for the Pfizer product?
Did FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary know and endorse this decision, or was it decided and acted upon at the level of FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Director Vinay Prasad?
Was the timing of this decision occurring while both Secretary Kennedy and his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephanie Spear were on vacation coincidental?
What are the pre-existing conditions that FDA considers as placing “children aged 6 months through 11 years at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease”? In other words, using plain language, what are the specific diseases of childhood that your child may have that would make them eligible for this FDA-licensed product?
What and where are the data that demonstrate that the benefits of receiving this product outweigh the risks for children with these specific diseases? Are medical practitioners and parents going to be allowed to see the risk/benefit analysis data, which (presumably) the FDA used to justify this decision?
What is the number of “children aged 6 months through 11 years at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease” that need to be treated with this product to prevent one death or one avoidable hospitalization unambiguously due to severe COVID-19 disease?
I especially find it interesting that Big Pharma named the vaccine Spikevax. We know the spike protein is what causes the damage. Are they subtly telling us what we already know?
While Big Pharma and Mainstream Media are “high-fiving,” there are still a lot of questions and concerns:
Why submit children to a drug that can do harm to them with no guarantee it will stop the child from getting Covid? Who are we concerned about — our children or the Big Pharma stockholders? Are their bottom lines more important than our children’s health?
Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance/Alaskans 4 Personal Freedom.
The US Coast Guard’s newest addition to its polar fleet, the icebreaking cutter Storis, arrived in Seattle July 11 on its journey north to assist in America’s Arctic and polar operations. The vessel, acquired as part of the Coast Guard’s modernization strategy, is the first polar icebreaker added to the fleet in more than a quarter-century.
The arrival follows a series of significant milestones since Storis began its journey northward, including a successful transit through the Panama Canal, testing of new operational systems, and the introduction of updated crewing concepts. The vessel’s integration is part of the Coast Guard’s broader Force Design 2028 initiative, aimed at enhancing capabilities in response to evolving maritime demands.
Once preparations in Seattle are complete, Storis will continue its transit north to Juneau, where the ship is scheduled to be officially commissioned into service Aug. 10.
As the nation’s third active polar icebreaker, Storis is intended to fill critical gaps in U.S. polar presence. Its acquisition provides an immediate operational capability to assure access to the Arctic and Antarctic regions, safeguard U.S. sovereignty, and support broader national security objectives. The addition of Storis is described as a bridging measure, providing vital surface presence until the arrival of new, purpose-built polar security cutters in the coming years.
The State Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions has concluded its review of a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred in Anchorage on May 12, involving Anchorage Police Department Officer Carter Mayes and Utuva Alaelua.
The review determined that Officer Mayes was legally justified in using deadly force during the incident.
The shooting arose from a traffic stop involving Alaelua. During the encounter, Officer Mayes inquired about the presence of firearms in the vehicle, and Alaelua denied having any weapons. However, officers observed a handgun on Alaelua’s lap. When instructed to exit the vehicle, Alaelua reached toward his lap, prompting Officer Mayes to fire a single shot. Alaelua was declared deceased at the scene.
The ruling comes amid escalating calls for expanded oversight of the Anchorage Police Department. Activists with the Party for Socialism and Liberation Anchorage are collecting signatures for a proposed ballot initiative that would establish an independent inspector general for the city, aimed at increasing stress on police. Simultaneously, the Anchorage Assembly is moving forward with a proposal to create a formal police oversight commission.
The push for greater oversight comes as a string of violent incidents has marred the Anchorage summer. On Sunday, police responded to a mass shooting in downtown Anchorage, directly across from the police station; one person died. Days earlier, a shooting near Mulcahy Stadium forced young baseball players to take shelter in dugouts during an evening game. Both shooters remain at large as of Monday. Police have not released many details about either event.
The Anchorage Assembly is applying pressure on police and playing Monday morning quarterback whenever a police officer has to use his/her weapon, at the same time police are dealing with rising violent crime in Anchorage.
