The New York Times and The Washington Post won Pulitzer Prizes for their “Russia Collusion” stories in 2018, stories based in lies.
To directly quote the 2018-2019 Pulitzer Prize Board, these news agencies earned the awards, “For deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation’s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the president-elect’s transition team and his eventual administration.”
The Durham Reportexposed all of that to simply be false. There was no Russian interference in the 2016 election. There was no collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. There were no Russians directing Trump’s transition team and his administration. Disinformation, a purposeful lie, was weaponized against the right.
Rachel Maddow claimed Trump was an actual agent of Russia taking orders from Vladimir Putin. Do you realize what damage that lie has done to our society? Maddow, along with many others, has lost all sense of duty to the truth, and the American people are paying the price.
Their sources were from the deep state; the very people who concocted the lie in the first place. And because the media also hated Trump, they went with it.
Jim Lakely is the Vice President and Director of Communications of The Heartland Institute.Read this analysis in full at The Heartland Institute.
A group of nine senators, led by Alaska U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan penned a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, expressing concerns over the Fed’s involvement in climate activism and calling for a return to addressing pressing economic issues affecting the American people.
The senators cautioned against the Fed’s deviation from its statutory authority and emphasized the need for a focus on matters such as record inflation and the recent regional banking collapse that has shaken confidence in the banking system.
Sullivan underscored the consequences that arise when federal regulators prioritize activist-driven environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles over their mandated responsibilities.
He criticized the infiltration of far-left environmental activism in various government offices and agencies, including the Securities & Exchange Commission, the Defense Department, and the Federal Reserve, under the Biden administration, and pledged to hold federal officials accountable and ensure compliance with the law.
The senators highlighted that Chairman Powell himself acknowledged during his confirmation process that the Fed is not a “climate policymaker.”
But under Powell’s leadership, the Fed has begun implementing ESG principles into the risk analysis required of banks, using what is increasingly known as a “climate-stress test.”
Describing this as policy disguised as risk analysis, the letter contended that the Fed’s signaling implies that activities by banks not aligned with net-zero goals by 2050 are inherently risky and unfavorable.
The senators argued that this approach diverts capital away from traditional energy development at a critical time for the nation’s economic and national security, while inadvertently empowering America’s adversaries. They attributed the climate stress test as the logical outcome of the Fed’s growing track record of climate activism.
“We are growing increasingly frustrated with the Federal Reserve’s … engagement on environmental policymaking and research far outside of its statutory mandate, all while there is persistent inflation and a crisis of confidence in the banking sector,” the senators, wrote in the May 17 letter.
The senators emphasized the urgency of addressing issues well within the Fed’s statutory authority, citing recent failures in inflationary policy and oversight that contributed to the regional banking collapse. They stressed the importance of preserving the central bank’s independence as a safeguard against partisan interests and warned that the Fed’s persistent entry into the political arena, particularly on climate change, has undermined its legitimacy.
“We urge you to rein in the Fed’s regional banks and its economists who are seemingly ignoring your leadership. The Fed’s credibility hangs in the balance, and without a course correction, history will find you either complicit or ineffective as Chairman,” Sullivan wrote.
Joining Sullivan in signing the letter were Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Braun (R-IN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Lee (R-IN), and James Risch (R-Idaho). Their collective efforts reflect a commitment to holding federal officials accountable and maintaining the integrity of the central bank.
During Powell’s confirmation in 2022, Sen. Sullivan voted against him because the Biden Administration was forcing climate change mission-creep into the Fed, and Powell had done little to stop it.
“The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate from Congress: maintaining price stability while keeping unemployment low. During Chairman Powell’s first term as chair, the Fed has failed dramatically on the first. There are many reasons for this, but one clear cause is the Fed’s decision to take its eye off the ball of these statutory mandates required by Congress,” Sullivan wrote in a statement explaining his vote in 2022.
“The citizens of Alaska who I represent are hurting badly from high inflation. They are also well aware of the federal government’s and federal regulators’ attempts to choke off capital to energy producers in Alaska and other states by shoehorning climate policies into areas that are inconsistent with statutory mandates from Congress. A number of Biden administration finance nominees have been focused on doing this—both those who have been confirmed and rejected by the Senate—including nominees to the Fed, the SEC, the Treasury, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency,” he wrote.
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks is in Alaska this weekend to engage in discussions with service members and experts regarding quality of life concerns and the Defense Department’s response to climate change’s potential impact on national security in the region.
During her visit, Hicks plans to travel to multiple locations in Alaska, including Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Wainwright, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
At each installation, Hicks will conduct roundtable discussions with service members, focusing on topics such as access to mental health care, and efforts to prevent suicide.
Her itinerary includes tours of housing facilities, barracks, childcare centers, commissaries, healthcare facilities, and recreational venues to see observe firsthand the improvements implemented by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.
Hicks will speak with experts studying the potential effects of climate change on the Defense Department’s ability to safeguard America’s interests. According to the Department of Defense, Alaska is particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.
Her visit coincides with the planned stopover of Air Force One on Sunday, as President Joe Biden makes his way back from Japan, landing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for fueling. A Temporary Flight Restriction has been posted for air space around Anchorage starting at 10:30 am on Sunday and residents can expect to see military jets in the area.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan grilled Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro over the prioritization of climate change over military readiness.
The senator was asking why the Navy is not focusing on its shipbuilding plan — which is required by statute — but instead released its climate action plan.
“The Chinese military is not worried about climate change. It is worried about shipbuilding, hypersonics, and conducting a successful military invasion of Taiwan. Russia is not worried about climate change, it is worried about pushing its aggression deeper into Ukraine. And yet we have a secretary who’s releasing his climate action plan before it does anything on shipping. It’s remarkable. It’s outrageous. The only ones who are excited about it are Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin,” Sen Sullivan said.
Nathaniel E. Erfurth, a 34-year-old resident of Soldotna and high school teacher of government and history teacher at Soldotna High School, was arrested by the Alaska State Troopers, following a thorough investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a minor. The arrest was made by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Soldotna Major Crimes Unit.
The investigation revealed that Erfurth, who had been employed as a high school teacher at the time, had engaged in sexual abuse with a female juvenile multiple times between the years 2017 and 2019.
During this period, Erfurth held the position of Kenai Peninsula Education Association president. He has been on release from teaching, while serving the union.
Erfurth is a rising political figure on the Kenai Peninsula. In 2022, Erfurth donated $400 to the campaign of Anchorage Democrat Ted Eischeid, in his race for House District 22 against Republican Stanley Wright.
On April 3, the Alaska State Troopers received a report regarding the alleged sexual abuse, prompting the Soldotna Major Crimes Unit to launch an extensive investigation.
The investigators gathered evidence and interviewed witnesses to substantiate the claims against Erfurth.
Today’s arrest marks a significant step forward in the case, as Erfurth was remanded to the Wildwood Pretrial Facility on charges of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Second Degree and Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Fourth Degree.
Although no additional victims has been found thus far, the Alaska State Troopers urge anyone with information that may be relevant to come forward and contact them at (907) 262-4453.
Erfurth was a political advocate for more funding in education, testifying in front of the Senate Education Committee in February in favor of raising the base student allocation — the permanent funding formula — for Alaska school districts. In a March commentary published in the Kenai Peninsula Clarion, he wrote, “Public education funding is an investment in our schools, students, businesses and local economy. Now is the time for the Alaska Legislature to pass a meaningful increase to the base student allocation.”
He also was active with trying to raise the BSA in House Finance last year and in 2021.
If convicted, Erfurth (pronounced Ur-furth) could face substantial penalties, including imprisonment and the possibility of being registered as a sex offender.
The KPEA executive board meets next on May 23 at 6:30 pm.
Former President Barack Obama made the list. So did Daniel Yergin, an energy expert who is one of the keynote speakers at Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage this month.
About 500 Americans were added to the no-entry list by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday.
Some of them were people like Rep. Ryan Zinke, of Montana; Matthew Continetti, a writer at the National Review; or news analyst Rachel Maddow, of MSNBC.
Some comedians also were banned from travel to Russia, not that Stephen Colbert had any plans to schedule a Moscow stand-up. A surprising number were from
The new list is an add-on to previous lists that included other prominent Americans, such as President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
Interestingly, people from the RAND Research Corporation show up nearly 70 times on the list, and the Carnegie Endowment is also represented several times.
No Alaskans were spotted on the latest Russian “naughty list,” which is translated and pasted below so readers do not have to click on the link to the Russian Foreign Ministry. If you notice a name that intrigues you, add your comments below the story.
Cara Abercrombie – Senior Director of Defense Affairs, National Security Council;
Robert J. Abernethy – Vice Chairman, NGO Atlantic Council;
Michael J. Abramowitz, President of the NGO Freedom House;
Bruce Adams – Executive Vice President of In-Q-Tel Corporation;
Paloma Adams-Allen – Deputy Director of the Agency for International Development;
Aaron Azelton – Director of Citizen Participation Programs, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs Research Center;
Glenn Ivey (Glenn Frederick Ivey) – member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Maryland);
Stuart E. Eizenstat – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Atlantic Council;
Jasmine Alexander-Greene, Russian and Eurasian Research Analyst, Carnegie Endowment;
Jill M. Albertelli, President, Military Engine Division, Pratt & Whitney Corporation;
Rebecca Balint – Member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Vermont);
Hector Balderas – Former New Mexico Attorney General;
Valerie Jane Bunce – professor at Cornell University;
Michael S. Barr – Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve;
Rachel K. Bauman – political adviser for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus;
Ryan Bauer, Senior Analyst, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Brandon Baker, Vice President, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Douglas A. Beck, Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Center for a New American Security;
Adam Seth Boehler – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Atlantic Council;
Leonard Benardo – Executive Vice President, Open Society Foundations;
Samuel Bendett – Advisor for Strategy, Policy and Planning, NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Ariana Berengaut – Advisor to the National Security Council;
Michael Byrd (Michael Leroy Byrd) – the police officer who killed Ashley Babbit during the so-called. “Assault on the Capitol”;
David S. Burke – Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
Erin Burnett – commentator on CNN;
Jared Bernstein – candidate for the position of head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers;
Aaron Paul Bean – Member of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party (Piece of Florida);
Anika Binnendijk, Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Maher Bitar, Senior Director of Intelligence Programs, National Security Council;
Jason Blazakis – Director of the Center for the Study of Terrorism, Extremism and Counter-Terrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies;
Alexis A. Blanc – Researcher, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Scott Blanchard, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, General Dynamics: Mission Systems Corporation;
James Neal Blue – Chairman of General Atomics Corporation;
Linden Stanley Blue – Deputy Chairman of General Atomics;
Denis A. Bovin, Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Center for a New American Security;
Robert Bonta (Robert Andres Bonta) – Attorney General of the State of California;
Christopher Bort, Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment;
Scott Boston – Senior Analyst, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Andrea G. Botta – Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company “Schernier”;
Keisha Lance Bottoms – Former Director of the White House Office of Public Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations;
Stephen C. Bowsher, President, In-Q-Tel Corporation;
Jessica Brandt – Research Fellow, Foreign
Frances Z. Brown – Vice President for Research, Carnegie Endowment;
Charles Q. Brown Jr. – Chief of Staff, Department of the Air Force;
Chris Brady – President of General Dynamics: Mission Systems Corporation;
Saskia Brechenmacher, Fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment;
Joshua Chad Brecheen – Member of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party (Pc. Oklahoma);
Esther Brimmer – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Atlantic Council;
Katie Elizabeth Britt – Republican Senator from Alabama;
William Bill Bradley – Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
Nicole Jai Budzinski – Member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Illinois);
Winfield A. Boerckel – Vice President, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Daniel Brooks Baer – Senior Vice President for Policy Research, Carnegie Endowment;
Philip J. Weiser – Colorado Attorney General;
Andrew S. Weiss – Vice President of Research at the Carnegie Endowment;
Michael Weitzenfeld – Vice President, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Lisa Wang – Deputy Minister of Commerce;
Kristin Van Abel, Senior Analyst, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Derrick Francis Van Orden – Member of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party (Wisconsin);
Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador at Large, Department of State for Global Criminal Justice;
Gabriel Vasquez – Member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Piece of New Mexico);
Melanie Verveer – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Atlantic Council;
David Wessel, Senior Fellow, Economic Research, Brookings Institution;
Rohan S. Weerasinghe, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
Jodi Vittori, Professor at Georgetown University, Carnegie Endowment Fellow;
Elisabeth Wishnick, Senior Research Fellow, NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Christine E. Wormuth – Secretary of the US Army;
Kevin Vorndran – Head of the FBI Territorial Office for Washington, DC;
David Woodworth – Analyst, RAND Corporation Research Center;
James Vance (James David Vance) – Republican Senator from Ohio;
Jonathan D. Geithner – Vice President, NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Daniel S. Hamilton, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution;
Weiss Dustin Gard – Deputy Director of National Intelligence;
80 Erica Gaston, Carnegie Endowment Fellow;
Ken Gause – Director of Strategy, Policy, Plans and Programs for Special Projects, NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Firat H. Gezen, President, General Dynamics Ordnance and Technical Systems Corporation;
Edward Geist, Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Daniel M. Gerstein – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Carl D. Glaeser, Member of the Board of Directors, NGO Center for a New American Security;
John K. Glenn – Senior Director, International Forum for Democratic Studies;
James M. Goldgeier, professor at American University’s School of International Service;
Dmitry Gorenburg – expert of the NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Ian Gottesman, Chief Information Officer, Carnegie Endowment;
Gurbir Singh Grewal, Director of Enforcement, Federal Securities and Exchange Commission;
Matthew Graves (Matthew Michael Graves) – Attorney of the District of Columbia;
Michelle Grise – Researcher, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Michael Greenwald – Senior Adviser to the President and Chief Executive Officer of NGO Atlantic Council;
95 Samantha Gross Foreign Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution;
Derek Grossman – Senior Analyst, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Timish Holowinsky – Performers
Timish Holowinsky, Executive Director, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University;
Jennifer Gould – Vice President, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Olivia Alair Dalton – First Deputy Chief of the Press Office of the White House;
Anita Babbitt Dunn – Senior Advisor to the President of the United States;
Richard Danzig (Richard Jeffrey Danzig) – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Center for a New American Security;
Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Atlantic Council;
Christopher Darby – Executive Director of In-Q-Tel Corporation;
Himamauli Das – acting Head of Financial Intelligence of the Ministry of Finance;
Matthew Duss – Carnegie Endowment Fellow;
Steven A. Denning – Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Carnegie Endowment;
Anthony D’Esposito – Member of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party (NY);
Deborah Roche Lee James – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Atlantic Council;
John Edward James – Member of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party (Michigan);
Letitia James – Attorney General of the State of New York;
Jonathan Luther Jackson – member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Illinois);
Brian Michael Jenkins – Senior Advisor to the President of the RAND Corporation Research Center;
Kathy Jennings – Delaware Attorney General;
Gian Gentile, Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Mike Januzik – Vice President, RAND Corporation Research Center;
James Logan Jones Jr. – Honorary Executive Chairman, NGO Atlantic Council;
Gina Ortiz Jones – Deputy Secretary of the Air Force;
Seth G. Jones – Senior Vice President, NGO Center for Strategic and International Studies;
Jay Charles Johnson – Member of the Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin Corporation;
David E. Johnson, Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Michael Johnson – Analyst, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Vladimir Georgiyevich Dibrova (Volodymyr Dibrova) – employee of the Ukrainian Research Center at Harvard University;
Stacey Angela Dixon – First Deputy Director of National Intelligence;
Kim Deal, Principal Scientist, NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
James Francis Dobbins Jr., Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe – Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
Thomas J. Donovan – Former Vermont Attorney General;
Michael J. Driscoll – Deputy Director of the New York division of the FBI;
John Scott Duarte – Member of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party (State of California);
130 Caitlin Durkovich Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Resilience and Response at the National Security Council;
Donald Davis (Donald Gene Davis) – Member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Piece of North Carolina);
Paul K. Davis, Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
133 Daniel Howard Yergin, Economics and Energy Expert, Member of the Brookings Institution Board of Trustees;
134 Jeffrey Dunston Zients – White House Chief of Staff;
Mary Menell Zients – wife of D. Zients, head of the White House Staff;
Deven J. Parekh – Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
281 Stewart Patrick, Director and Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment;
Stephanie Pezard – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Matthew Page (Matthew T. Page) – Program Fellow in Democracy, Conflict, and Governance, Carnegie Endowment;
Eric Peltz – Senior Vice President, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Thomas B. Pepinsky, Brookings Institution Expert;
George Perkovich – Vice President for Research, Carnegie Endowment;
Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern – Member of the Executive Committee of the Scientific Society. T. Shevchenko in the USA;
Brittany Louise Pettersen – Member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Colorado);
James D. Pillen – Governor of Nebraska;
Colette S. Peters – Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons;
Jeffrey M. Peterson – Vice President, NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Christine M. Peterson, Financial Director, NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Kenneth Polite – Assistant Attorney General;
Christopher Paul – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Jared Schultz Polis – Governor of Colorado;
Arati Prabhakar – Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy;
297 Everett Price – Senior Political Advisor;
Benjamin Press – Carnegie Endowment Analyst;
Mirande Priebe – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Penny Sue Pritzker – Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment, sister of Illinois Governor J. Pritzker;
Andrew Radin, Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Jack Riley (K. Jack Riley) – Vice President of the RAND Corporation Research Center;
Delia Catalina Ramirez, Democratic Member of the House of Representatives (Illinois);
304 Karl A. Racine, District of Columbia Attorney General;
Alison Rausch – Vice President for Development, Carnegie Endowment;
306 Bradford Jay Raffensperger Secretary of State of Georgia;
Catherine B. Raynolds, Member of the Board of Directors of General Dynamics Corporation;
Leo Rafael Reif – Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
Carlyn Reichel – Senior Director, National Security Council Strategic Initiatives;
Philip Remler, Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment;
Bruce Reed – Deputy White House Chief of Staff;
Curtis Reed – Chief of Staff of the National Security Council;
313 Andrea Risotto, Director of Communications, Brookings Institution;
Charles P. Ries – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Clint Reach – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
John Richardson – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Center for a New American Security;
Heather Cox Richardson, professor at Boston College;
John Francis William Rogers – Chairman, NGO Atlantic Council;
Julie Chavez Rodriguez – Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs;
Matthew Rojansky – Executive Director of the NGO American-Russian Foundation for Economic and Legal Development, former director of the NGO “Cannon Institute” (2013-2022);
Cherie Rosenblum – Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Executive Director of the Military Advisory Board of the NGO Center for Naval Analysis;
Ellen Rosenblum – Oregon Attorney General;
Peter James Roskam – Deputy Chairman of the NGO National Endowment for Democracy;
Melissa Rowe – Vice President of the RAND Corporation Research Center;
Ashley L. Rhoades, Research Fellow, Rand Corporation Research Center;
Mark C. Roualet – Executive Vice President, General Dynamics Corporation;
James P. Rubin, Special Representative and Coordinator, State Department Center for Global Engagement;
Eugene Rumer, Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment;
Dafna Hochman Rand, Director of the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance;
Victoria Ransom – Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
Scott Savitz – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Benjamin J. Sacks, Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
David Sundberg – Assistant Chief of the FBI Territorial Office for Washington, DC;
Lee Satterfield – Undersecretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs;
Laura Taylor Swain – Judge of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York;
Anna Switzer, Associate Director for Russia and Eurasia, Carnegie Endowment;
Michael Hikari Cecire – Senior Political Advisor;
Eric Ciaramella, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment;
George Siguier – Member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment;
Dilpreet Sidhu – Deputy Chief of Staff of the Deputy Minister of Defense;
Shannon Simrell, Representative of the Helsinki Commission at the US Permanent Mission to the OSCE;
Melanie W. Sisson, Fellow, Brookings Institution;
David Evans Skaggs – Deputy Chairman of the NGO National Endowment for Democracy;
Curtis Michael Scaparotti – Member of the Board of Directors of the NGO Atlantic Council;
Joe Scarborough – commentator on the TV channel “MSNBC”;
Hillary Jeanne Scholten – member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party (Michigan);
Joel Scanlon – Executive Vice President of the Hudson Institution;
Andrew Scott – Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director of Cyber Policy at the National Security Council;
Sally Sleeper – Vice President, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Amanda Sloat, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council;
Jeffrey H. Smith, Member of the Board of Trustees, In-Q-Tel Corporation;
John L. Smith – Special Counsel, Department of Justice;
Colin D. Smith – Senior Research Fellow, RAND Corporation Research Center;
Richard Sokolsky, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment;
The election for the board of Chugach Electric Association ended Friday, and the green candidates backed by Outside money made headway.
Nine candidates were competing for three seats to guide the future of Anchorage’s electric utility. Three of the candidates were endorsed by Outside dark money through the Alaska Center for the Environment.
The results were that two of the green-endorsed candidates won seats on the board: Susanne Fleek-Green and Jim Nordland.
The results:
14,156 votes of 90,210 members voted.
Susanne Fleek-Green 6,725 Jim Nordland 6,417 Bettina Chastain 6.258 Shaina Kilcoyne 6,002 Harold Hollis 4,944 Brad Authier 4,056 Steve Konkel 2,109 Scott Von Gemmingen 1,871 James Wileman, 1,341 By-law change passed: 7,712 ves to 6,202 no
Because it is an electric association, campaign transparency laws do not apply and so the public will not know how much dark money came into play to influence voters, but across America, the environmental industry is trying to take over electric utilities and force them into solar and wind energy.
The electric utility, which bought Anchorage Municipal Light and Power two years ago, has nearly 500 employees.
The 2023 annual meeting, election, and member appreciation event was held Friday afternoon, with the annual meeting following at ChangePoint Alaska.
The U.S. Forest Service’s public comment period for the draft supplemental environmental impact statement for the Greens Creek Mine North Expansion Project reaches its deadline next week.
The comment period, which began on March 24, is an opportunity for interested individuals and organizations to voice their opinions on the proposed expansion. The deadline for submitting comments is May 23 at 11:59 p.m. Alaska time.
The Greens Creek Mine, operational since 1989, is planning to expand its current tailings operations and extend production beyond 2031.
Situated on both private and public lands, including a portion of the Admiralty Island National Monument, the mine is near Hawk Inlet, about 18 miles southwest of Juneau, and is the largest private-sector employer in Juneau. The mine supports approximately 494 jobs and contributes $76 million in total annual wages to the local economy. Access to the mine, which is operated by Hecla Greens Creek Mining Company, is by sea and a 13-mile access road.
The Greens Creek Mine is an underground cut-and-fill and long-hole stoping operation that uses flotation and gravity processes to recover silver, gold, lead, and zinc. Power is supplied by local hydroelectric-powered utility with diesel generators as a backup.
The mine operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. In 2020, Greens Creek produced approximately 10.5 million ounces of silver, 48,491 ounces of gold, 56,813 tons of zinc, and 21,400 tons of lead.
Over the years, the Forest Service has conducted four National Environmental Policy Act reviews for the existing Greens Creek Mine facilities. This supplemental environmental impact statement serves as a further evaluation of the proposed expansion project, assessing its potential environmental consequences and ensuring compliance with regulations.
The economic significance of the Greens Creek Mine is profound for the region. Each year, the mine purchases goods and services worth approximately $65 million from more than 350 businesses across Alaska. It holds the highest taxable assessed property value in Juneau and contributes $2.5 million annually in property and sales taxes.
The Alaska Resource Development Council is encouraging people to voice their support for “Alternative D: B Road West Relocation 2” to the U.S. Forest Service. By doing so, they can help facilitate responsible mining operations and secure critical jobs.
For further information about the Greens Creek Mine and the proposed expansion project, check out this link.Detailed project documents, including the DSEIS, can be found on the U.S. Forest Service public project page.
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the 2024 Presidential election. The senator’s campaign filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission’s website on Friday.
Scott is set to make his formal announcement on Monday in South Carolina, providing a backdrop of familiarity and local support for the conservative senator’s presidential ambitions.
An evangelical Christian and conservative, Scott was raised by a single mother and has always regarded America as a land of opportunity, not oppression. He hinting at a run for the White House when he launched a presidential exploratory committee back in April.
He joins an already crowded GOP field, which includes former President Donald Trump, former United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and talk radio host Larry Elder.
Meanwhile, another big potential contender is on the horizon, as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to declare his candidacy next week.
Scott, who has built a reputation as a unifying figure within the Republican Party, will undoubtedly seek to differentiate himself from his competitors.
The number of people illegally entering the U.S. solely through the southern border in the first four months of this year is greater than the population of Delaware, the home state of the president, and the populations of five other states.
So far this year, at least 1,047,528, people have been apprehended or reported evading capture, according to data analyzed by The Center Square. The total is greater than the estimated populations of Delaware (1,031,985), South Dakota (923,484), North Dakota (780,588), Alaska (732,294), Vermont (647,156) and Wyoming (583,279).
The numbers are larger than 290 of the 300 largest cities in the U.S., edging out the population of Austin, Texas, which is currently the 10th largest city.
Combined, they also total more than the individual estimated populations of 75 countries and territories, including Figi, Luxembourg and the Bahamas.
In April, at least 284,864 foreign nationals were apprehended or reported as gotaways, those who evade capture after illegally entering the U.S. In March, apprehensions and gotaways totaled at least 266,824; February’s numbers totaled at least 279,842; January’s totaled at least 215,998, according to the data.
The data is derived from official CBP reports in addition to gotaway data obtained by The Center Square from a Border Patrol agent. The agent provided the information on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. It only includes Border Patrol data and excludes Office of Field Operations data, meaning the numbers are higher than reported.
CBP does not make public the gotaway data. If it did, the numbers would be higher.
Last month was an anomaly, with the Rio Grande Valley Sector of Texas reporting roughly one-third fewer gotaways than it normally does, which indicates in part that there are fewer agents in the field to detect and report them. The majority of agents have been pulled off the line, away from their statutory duty of homeland security, to instead process a record number of foreign nationals who’ve illegally entered the U.S. to be released instead of removed.
The gotaway numbers also don’t tell the whole story, the Border Patrol agent and others in law enforcement have explained to The Center Square, because they don’t include unknown and unrecorded gotaways – as in the case of the RGV last month. Not all gotaways are recorded because not all are identified, meaning the number of those illegally entering the U.S. is expected to be much greater than reported.
The April numbers were released as CBP reported that at least 332 known or suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the southern and northern borders this fiscal year.
Former CBP Chief Tom Homan has warned that, “What’s happening is the greatest national security threat since 9/11. Border Patrol has arrested people from 171 countries. Many of these countries are sponsors of terrorism.”
Pointing to the record number of gotaways, now estimated to total over 1.7 million since January 2021, he said, “If you don’t think a single one of the 1.7 million is coming from a country that sponsors terrorism, then you’re ignoring the data. That’s what makes this a huge national security issue.”
Because Border Patrol agents have been pulled off the line, “not doing their law enforcement mission to protect our nation,” former CBP chief Mark Morgan said, “our borders [are] completely wide open, completely vulnerable.”
As a result, he said, the Biden administration has “literally handed over operational control over to the cartels. With no agents on the line, the cartels exploit this every day.”
“The amount of drugs pouring in through the border kill 9,000 Americans every 30 days,” Morgan said. “It’s equivalent to a fully loaded 737 [plane] crashing into a mountainside killing everybody on board – every single day.”
