Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media

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Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.

Alaskan selected for Indian Affairs post at Interior

President Trump has nominated ASRC vice president Tara MacLean Sweeney to be assistant secretary of Interior for Indian Affairs. Listen now

Senator Sullivan hires a new chief of staff

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has hired Larry Burton as chief of staff. Burton worked at BP for 17 years. This isn't his first stint working for Alaska's congressional delegation. Listen now

Pull out of Iran deal? Sullivan says no

Sen. Dan Sullivan was harshly critical of the Iran nuclear agreement in 2015. Now, though, he says the U.S. shouldn't pull out. He says enforcement is a better idea. Listen now

Premera to bump up premium to cover Trump cut

Last month Premera announced it would lowers rates 26 percent. But the drop may quite so steep for silver plans. The new factor: President Trump says he's cutting Cost Sharing Reductions. Listen now

New bill aims to reverse Obama restrictions on offshore drilling

The House measure would, among other things, allow lease sales in more Arctic waters and block new environmental standards for the Arctic. Listen now

Democrats in Congress join fight against Pebble Mine

42 members of the U.S. House and Senate are asking President Trump to leave in place Clean Water Act restrictions to protect Bristol Bay. A CNN report asks why the EPA moved so quickly to remove the administrative hurdle. Listen now

ANWR advances with GOP budget

The U.S. House has passed a budget plan that could open the door to drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Listen now
A map of Alaska, outlining the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

ANWR takes tiny step down rocky Senate road

You know how members of Congress sometimes try to pass legislation by attaching it to a fast-moving bill everyone loves? That's not the case here. ANWR is controversial, and the budget plan it's hitching a ride on isn't entirely popular, either. Listen now

How Trump’s tax plan would affect Alaskans

If President Trump's tax agenda goes into effect, taxes for people of all income groups would go down next year, on average. But only a few Alaskans would get the big tax breaks. Listen now

Enviros sound the alarm on ANWR

Environmentalists are warning that the Republican plan to cut taxes could include a move that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. Listen now

Even with repeal bill dead, Murkowski still not a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no’

The latest Senate effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act is dead after too many Republicans declared they would not support the Graham-Cassidy bill. But, as of Tuesday evening, Sen. Lisa Murkowski still was not clearly saying how she would have voted on Graham-Cassidy. Listen now

ACA repeal bill now peppered with Alaska money to draw Murkowski

"There is a lot of special treatment for Alaska," says one professor who has studied the bill. Murkowski says she can't be "bought off." Listen now

The Alaska impact of ACA repeal bill? Depends where you look

Sen. Murkowski says her position on Graham-Cassidy will hinge on data showing how Alaska would fare. Consultants' reports vary wildly, but they all show a loss. And now it's not clear senators will vote on. Listen now

VP Pence calls in to Anchorage talk radio

The future of the Affordable Care Act appears to rest on how Sen. Lisa Murkowski will vote next week. Alaska is getting some extra attention for it, including a special caller to a local conservative talk show Thursday. Listen now

‘Vote no’: Left takes to TV and sky to reach Murkowski

Advocates are cranking up the pressure on Sen. Murkowski to vote against the latest health care repeal. A Palmer conservative urging a "yes" vote calls Murkowski "untouchable." Listen now

Murkowski could swing Senate for latest ACA repeal

Defenders of the Obama health care law are applying as much pressure as they can to get Sen. Murkowski to vote no on the latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. All eyes were on her at the Capitol Tuesday. Listen now

Transgender troops: Sullivan says let them serve

The U.S. Senate passed an annual Defense bill Monday night that includes icebreakers and more missile interceptors, which Sen. Dan Sullivan championed. The bill does nothing to block President Trump’s effort to ban transgender people from the military, a ban Sullivan opposes. Listen now

Seismic work in ANWR: Can they do that?

The Interior Department is trying to let industry into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to conduct seismic exploration on the coastal plain. Is that legal? Listen now

HUD sends money to Alaska communities, including ‘Middle Spenard’

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced $7 million in grants to 14 Alaska tribal organizations, much of it for housing. One grantee aims to redevelop a commercial building on Spenard Road. Listen now