Biden’s big fiscal gamble on America’s future
April 9 By Edward Luce The last time the US budget deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product was in double digits for more than a year was during the second world war. Joe Biden was just an infant. Few had heard of Harry…
Biden admin nixes plan to sell National Archives building in Seattle
April 9 By Liz Ruskin In a win for Alaska tribes, the Biden Administration has cancelled the sale of a National Archives building in Seattle, citing lack of tribal consultation. Alaska Native and Pacific Northwest tribes opposed the sale when it was revealed during the…
Competing with China a farfetched guise for US’ infrastructure plan
April 8 By Michael Stewart As the US government unveils a $2 trillion infrastructure plan, President Joe Biden said that the US must put itself “in a position to win the global competition with China.” At a press briefing on Sunday, a White House spokesperson…
THE POLITICS OF BIGOTRY: WHY REPUBLICANS STILL FABRICATE CONFLICTS WITHOUT PROOF IN ORDER TO STOKE FEAR
April 8 By Robert Reich There is no ‘surge’ of migrants at the border and there is no huge voter fraud problem, there is only an attack from the Republican hard-right. Republicans are outraged – outraged! – at the surge of migrants at the southern…
Alaska Supreme Court restores access to public employee and teacher retirement benefits
April 8 By Matt Miller The Alaska Supreme Court says the Legislature violated the state constitution when it arbitrarily limited when some public employees could return to work and resume making retirement contributions. The decision provides a second chance for many as 78,000 Alaskans to…
Will the world boycott China’s Winter Olympics?
April 8 By Kelly Brown The US says China has committed genocide in Xinjiang. Its human rights report says the Uighurs are on target. More than one million of them were randomly put in jail. They were tortured, men faced forced sterilisation, women were raped,…
Alaska sues PFAS makers as lawmakers seek broader action from regulators
April 7 By Jacob Resneck The state of Alaska is suing manufacturers of a pair of the toxic PFAS compounds that have contaminated groundwater across the state. The lawsuit filed Wednesday (4-7-2021) names chemical giants 3M, Dupont and others. It comes the same day as…
The Changing Face Of Political Risk
April 7 By Steve Culp I wrote a column nearly nine years ago about managing political risk. In 2012, there were a number of significant developments with geopolitical impact including the opening of Brexit negotiations, debates about the US debt ceiling, and the Arab Spring…
Give Republicans the climate credit they deserve
April 6 By Greg Walden President Biden’s energy agenda, like banning the Keystone pipeline and halting oil and gas activity on federal lands, have given Republicans a lot to oppose in these first 100 days. However, some have wrongly interpreted that opposition to Republicans sticking…
Russia and China are beating the U.S. at vaccine diplomacy, experts say
April 6 By Alexander Smith It didn’t take long for the seeds of Russia’s vaccine diplomacy in South America to show green shoots. Soon after Moscow sold 5.2 million doses of its Sputnik V vaccine, President Vladimir Putin was on the phone with his Bolivian…
Alaska lawmakers are considering a range of proposals to change the state’s elections laws
April 5 By James Brooks Driven by national politics, the Alaska Legislature is considering an unusually large number of proposals to change the state’s election system. Eight different ideas — two from Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration, three from legislative Democrats and three from legislative Republicans…
‘Green New Deal’ Leaders See Biden Climate Plans As A Victory, Kind Of
April 5 By Danielle Kurtzleben Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a blunt initial response to the prospect of a new, climate-focused infrastructure package weighing in at around $2 trillion. “The size of it is disappointing. It’s not enough,” she said. However, in President Biden’s new plan…