- Big news: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge to ObamaCare subsidies, which the law hinges on. The case boils down to a sentence that was left out of the original legislation. The court will hear the challenge as early as this spring and will rule by the end of June.
- According to the November jobs report, the U.S. has added 321,000 jobs — the 10th month in a row in which the economy has added at least 200,000 jobs. Unemployment has stayed at 5.8%. The Washington Post reports that the last time we saw such forward movement was back in 1994.
- Saudi Arabia has continued to slash oil prices, but only for Asian and U.S. buyers in a move that Reuters interprets as a continued escalation for market share.
- It turns out that when CEO’s complain about “uncertainty”, what they are really saying is “more corporate tax cuts, if you’d be so kind.” That’s the assertion of the Huffington Post and they have the data to back up their claim.
- Alaska’s acting Attorney General (yet to be confirmed by the Legislature), Craig Richards, will begin reviewing the ongoing issues of the Alaska National Guard; including gay marriage, according to Stars and Stripes.
- Department of Revenue staff and their contracted advisors are looking at ways to minimize the negative impact the market downturn will have on Alaska’s savings and retirement trust funds.
- Cybersecurity bills are in competition to see which version will make it to Pres. Obama’s desk in 2015. The Hill reports that both bills focus on information sharing between Homeland Security and other agencies, but differ greatly regarding authorized power expansion.
- The Rolling Stone apologized for a shoddily reported piece about a brutal rape during a party at a fraternity on the University of Virginia campus. Before the piece began to be dissected, it caused national outrage and resulted in the suspension of the fraternity. Now, Rolling Stone says there are “discrepancies,” in the reporting, including the fact that there might not have been a party at all on the night in question.
- The Juneau school district superintendent has decided to replace 4th-grade questionable school district curriculum with one that the district will develop. The Juneau Empire reports that charge is that Native experiences in the McGraw Hill curriculum were sugar-coated. Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand President Freda Westman called the curriculum “offensive.”
- The transition from majority to minority in the U.S. Senate is not going well for Democrats, and even less so for Sen. Harry Reid, according to The Hill.
- The wish-list for the Fairbanks North Star Borough for the upcoming session is about a half a billion dollars, including park upgrades, natural gas distribution infrastructure, road improvements, and $4 million to fund an upgrade for the borough’s 14 transfer sites. The Fairbanks News Miner quotes Sen. John Coghill as not being optimistic that the borough will get the funds. Rep. Scott Kawasaki echoes those sentiments.
- While up in Nome, KNOM reports that the City Assembly is prioritizing their legislative needs to focus on upgrades to their water/sewer and roads. Rep. Neal Foster told the city not to get its hopes up. Sen. Donny Olson was more optimistic. With the new administration, the city is “not going to be fighting against the same bureaucrats that we’ve been fighting against.”
- Hillary Clinton explains to Politico how she keeps it real.
- Want updates regarding marijuana regulations? The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has a page where you can sign up for all things politically marijuana as this ballot measure matures into statutory law.
Regarding the Fairbanks “wish list”; This year everybody will began to face the fiscal reality in Alaska.
I do wonder if Fairbanks now would like to have at least the $50,000 their Senator Kelly, as co-chair of Senate Finance, included in the budget to make available “free” pregnancy tests in the bars as an effective way to deter fetal alcohol syndrome. I still like to think of that expenditure for pregnancy tests in bars as being the “apex” of wasteful state spending before fiscal reality set in. .
AK’s AG was NOMINATED by the GOV., the legislature must CONFIRM the nomination, beginning with confirmation hearings during session. It will be telling when committees of referral are assigned as to whether the nominee is well liked. AKA: the fewer committees of referral, the more likely the confirmation.