Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
Sullivan wants 28 more interceptors at Ft. Greely
The missile defense system based at Fort Greely has a spotty test record, but Sen. Dan Sullivan says he has confidence it can shield the nation. He is one of the Senate's biggest boosters of missile defense and says Congress should add more interceptors to the Alaska site. Listen now
US Senate passes marine debris bill
A bill targeting plastic waste in the ocean and other marine debris cleared the U.S. Senate last week. Sen. Dan Sullivan sponsored it, with support from right and left. Listen now
Drue Pearce appointed to US pipeline safety agency
A former Alaska Senate president has a new job in the Trump administration. Drue Pearce is now the deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Listen now
U.S. senators: Same state, same party, not same page
While Sen. Murkowski was in the national spotlight for defying her party on health care, Sen. Sullivan, stuck to the party line and attracted little attention. The two senators vote opposite each other more than most Republican pairs from the same state. Listen now
Zinke tweets beer pic showing he’s A-OK with Murkowski
If harsh words were spoken, Sen. Lisa Murkowski appears to have patched things up with Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke. Zinke tweeted a picture of himself and Murkowski having beers together, two Alaskan Brewing Company pale ales. Listen now
Premera says ACA premiums to drop 22%
Finally, a bit of good news about Alaska's health care marketplace: Premera says premiums on the government-run exchange will decrease in 2018 by 22 percent. This is despite uncertainty about what the Trump administration might do as it administers Barack Obama's signature health care law. The rate could drop further still. Listen now
Murkowski bucks party with health care vote
It was a dramatic day in the U.S. Senate with the return of Sen. McCain. Alaska's two senators split their votes on whether to begin debate on a Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act. Both said the final outcome for the bill is uncertain. Listen now
Bill rider holds GE salmon at bay
The FDA has already approved a GE salmon for human consumption. One reason it's not for sale in the U.S. -- a few short paragraphs that hitched a ride on a congressional spending bill. Listen now
Federal scientist says Arctic climate work cost him position
A former policy adviser at the Interior Department says the Trump Administration has retaliated against him for warning about the dangers of climate change to Alaska Native communities.
Trump picks Alaskan for Interior Department post
Alaskan Joe Balash has been selected to be the assistant secretary for lands and mineral management. Listen now
King Cove Road bill passes U.S. House
The U.S. House has passed a bill that would allow a road between King Cove and Cold Bay. If it becomes law, it could end a decades-long quest of Alaska's congressional delegation: An escape route for a town near the start of the Aleutian Chain. Listen now
Alaska’s U.S. senators diverge on repeal, replace
Murkowski wants open hearings on health care, with Democrats. Sullivan says Republicans should keep working as they have because they are nearing a solution that's "very positive for Alaska and the country." Listen now
With budget, US House inches toward ANWR
A budget blueprint in the U.S. House is reviving hopes for Alaskans who want to see the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge open to oil drilling. Listen now
Repeal without replace? Murkowski tweets ‘no’
GOP leaders want to repeal the Affordable Care Act now and replace it later. Sen. Murkowski says "Trust us" plan would just add to market chaos. Listen now
Health care bill has ‘caribou kickback’ for Alaska
A new health care bill in the U.S. Senate has a special Alaska carve-out, worth more than $100 million a year, to attract Alaska's senators. But one critic says it's less than it appears. Listen now
Senators seethe at IHS blunders
Sen. Murkowski says the IHS is already failing Native communities in the Lower 48, and she wasn't the only outraged senator demanding answers at from the head of the agency. Listen now
Feds agree to shore up Alaska’s insurance market
The U.S. Health & Human Services Department has agreed to send federal money to the State of Alaska for reinsurance, which lowers costs for people who buy their own health insurance. Some see it as a model to prevent market "death spirals." Listen now
EPA takes step toward ending ‘pre-emptive veto’ of Pebble Mine
The EPA has announced its intention to reverse course on an action that would have thwarted the proposed Pebble mine in the Bristol Bay watershed. Listen now
What enviros won by losing the pipeline battle
With the pipeline turning 40, a look back at how Big Green fought Big Oil, how that fight transformed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and why Congress ever agreed to it.
Bucking Trump, Senate FAA bill leaves controllers in place
President Trump wants to privatize air traffic control across the country. But the U.S. Senate’s Commerce Committee passed an aviation bill last week that does not include it. Listen now