From David Lightman in D.C.:
Look at it this way, Sarah Palin told a Washington journalists’ dinner Saturday night: If Joe Biden had lost, he’d be peddling a book today titled, “Going Rogaine.”
Biden, of course, is now vice president (and with a head of thinning hair), while Palin stopped in [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage---
Fifteen state representatives wrote Gov. Sean Parnell today to say they were "troubled by the mounting evidence that (Alaska’s 2007 oil tax increase) may wind up doing more harm than good to future oil development."
The representatives, including state House Speaker Mike Chenault and other top [...]
From the Associated Press --
A longtime critic of Sarah Palin has filed an ethics complaint alleging past aides of the former Alaska governor misused state resources during her run as the Republican vice presidential candidate.
Andree McLeod filed her complaint Friday with the state attorney general's office. Five other ethics [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
The Washington Post reports that a special prosecutor is wrapping up his investigation into the conduct of the Justice Department team that handled the corruption case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska.
Henry F. Schuelke III "is nearing the end of his" [...]
From the Associated Press --
State Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom has been picked as the new Rules Committee Chairwoman in the state House of Representatives.
The Rules Committee controls which bills reach the House floor.The Eagle River Republican replaces former state Rep. John Coghill, who was chosen to replace Gene Therriault in the [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
The Senate voted 41-59 against Sen. Lisa Murkowski's amendment, only the second to be voted on as the Senate begins consideration of its version of a health care overhaul bill.
Murkowski's amendment would have banned the government from using guidelines from the U.S. [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced an amendment today to the health care bill that effectively bans the government from using guidelines from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force to deny coverage.
Murkowski's amendment, aimed at guidelines the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force released last' [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
When Harry Noah quit as the governor’s in-state gas pipeline chief, he wrote an email saying it was because he needed time to deal with a family farming business in Oregon.
But Rep. Jay Ramras continues to insist there was much more to it than [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
The Republican-led state House majority will meet in Fairbanks Wednesday and Thursday to make committee assignments and talk about the upcoming legislative session.
The most chatter going into the meeting is about who will be replacing John Coghill in the influential position of rules chair.
The [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
Curious how members of the House of Representatives are spending your money in their offices? For the first time, the House has released that information online.
Rep. Don Young's office account information from the most recent quarter is on page 2771 in [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's book may be selling even faster than it can be printed, but a survey of what news piqued the public's interest this week found people were far more interested in what's going on with health care. The debate [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. –
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is calling for a hearing to look into how the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force developed recommendations that calling for pushing back the age and frequency at which women get screened for breast cancer.
Murkowski, along with 21 other senators [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
Gov. Sean Parnell just announced that he's appointing Tammie Wilson to take North Pole Republican John Coghill's seat in the state House.
The seat's open because Parnell appointed Coghill to the state Senate seat vacated by Gene Therriault's decision to take a job as an adviser [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington, Pennsylvania --
Sarah Palin says in her new memoir, "Going Rogue," that there are no coincidences. But how about this one?
I drove up to Washington, Pa., last night from Washington D.C. to do a story on Palin's book tour. (See tomorrow's paper.) The event [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
Don't expect Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski to cross party lines to vote for the health care bill released this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.
Murkowski calls it "deeply disappointing and in many ways is even worse than the Senate Finance Committee-passed'" [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
Gov. Sean Parnell just sent out a press release confirming that Noah resigned.
The release offers no details on the reason. It says Noah will stay on until a replacement is named and then "pursue a private-sector venture in Oregon."
The release said Parnell "remains committed to" [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
The fact checking of former Sarah Palin's new memoir continues, and now, questions have been raised about her role in the lawsuit against Exxon Mobil. People involved in the legal wrangling tell Reuters that they believe the former Alaska governor distorted her importance [...]
From David Hulen in Anchorage --
Some items (news and opinion) that caught our eye over the past 24 hours or so:
1. 10 Reasons That Sarah Palin Could Win the Republican Nomination (FiveThirtyEight.com) Excerpt:
She's tough to campaign against. Why? Because any perceived or real slight against Palin is' [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington and Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
Sarah Palin's book is out this morning and available at booksellers throughout Anchorage and nationwide. Friends and foes are busy scrutinizing every word of the 413-page HarperCollins book, a compilation af anecdotes, political prescriptions and score settling.' [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
So has Gov. Sean Parnell read his predecessor's memoir? He doesn't have his hands on a copy of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's book yet, Parnell said Monday. The order is in, though, and the book's due out Tuesday.
"I promised to buy it,'" [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
The issue of Newsweek that hit newstands today has Sarah Palin on the cover -- posing in a photo originally shot for a Runner's World magazine story.
Wonder where Newsweek is coming from on Palin? Not too hard to tell.
"How Do You Solve a Problem Like'" [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. –
Oprah Winfrey’s show is on right now in Washington D.C., and here are some highlights from Oprah’s interview with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. I'll be updating as the show continues:
On whether Oprah, who backed Barack Obama in the 2008 election, "snubbed" Palin' [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. –
The Republican who heads up the federal agency overseeing the construction of Alaska's proposed natural gas pipeline is stepping down.
Drue Pearce, a former Alaska Senate president, was asked by President Barack Obama to step down from the small agency, known as the Office [...]
From Rich Mauer at Elmendorf --
The chaplain started the program with a reading from Ecclesiasticus: To everything there is a season…. He also made references to the Fort Hood shootings.
The Air Force Bank of the Pacific then played the national anthem, although a cappela.
Obama is making his entrance. Everyone's cameras [...]
From Rich Mauer at Elmendorf --
National media just arrived. One grabbed two folding chairs from the local press table from reporters who were mingling around. They won't be happy.
Just talking to Ethan & Mara Berkowitz. They had two of Don Young's tickets.
Young's office called to offer them — a' [...]
From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --
Click here to read a White House transcript of President Obama's speech today at Elmendorf.
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From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --
“I asked the president who he’s got in the NCAA tournament this year, because I know he’s a huge basketball fan. He says' [...]
NOME, Alaska (AP) — Neal Foster has been appointed to a state House seat to replace his late father, Rep. Richard Foster, who died last month.
Gov. Sean Parnell made the announcement in Nome on Tuesday.
Neal Foster, a Democrat, will serve District 39, an area which stretches from Hooper Bay to [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
Frank Bailey’s co-authors for “Renegade: Sarah Palin's Hatchet Man,” are pulling out.
Word came in a brief emailed statement today from Joy Morgan and her daughter, Christiana Grace, Southern California public relations pros who were writing the book with Bailey.
Bailey was Palin’s close aide, director [...]
From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --
North Pole Republicans today selected a list of three candidates to replace Rep. John Coghill, who has moved to the state Senate.
State party chairman Randy Ruedrich says the candidates are:
-- Doug Isaacson, the newly re-elected mayor of North Pole.
-- Tammie Wilson, who [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's role in several East Coast elections got a lot of attention in recent weeks, especially when she threw her support behind a third-party conservative candidate over the Republican in the NY-23 congressional seat. (The Democrat, Bill Owens, won the [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
Sarah Palin posted this afternoon on her Facebook page that she hopes her upcoming book tour will include interviews with Barbara Walters and several conservative talk show hosts as well as "local Alaska personalities Bob & Mark and Eddie Burke."
Here's her full post:
I' [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
John Harris told me today he might drop out of the governor’s race.
“I just want to see what the governor does, I think that’s fair. If the governor does fine I probably won’t run. There’s no reason to go after somebody if they’re doing a [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. –
Former Gov. Tony Knowles was one of nearly a dozen Alaskans in Washington D.C. today to talk alternative energy at an Interior Department conference.
Knowles, a Democrat who was Alaska governor from 1994 to 2002, was invited to the event in his capacity [...]
From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --
All of Washington is abuzz today over a report in the Washington Post about a memo accidentally leaked by the House Ethics Committee. The July memo details how the committee's investigators "have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several" [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
Gov. Sean Parnell met with the press today in a wide ranging discussion in his downtown Anchorage office. Here are some excerpts.
On Sarah Palin:
I think I have a calmer existence here than Gov. Palin experienced. Being able to speak with two, four, six, eight, ten, [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
The Alaska Democratic Party today sent three names to Gov. Sean Parnell as suggestions for him to choose between in picking the late Richard Foster's replacement in the state House.
One of them is Foster's son, Neal Foster, who is on the Nome City Council.
The other [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
A new CNN poll says 64 percent of those questioned feel Sarah Palin is a good role model for women. But more than 7 of every ten people felt she is not qualified to be president.
CNN reports Republicans appeared split with 52 percent saying [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage -
Sarah Palin emailed a statement today following claims by Levi Johnston on the CBS "Early Show" that he's keeping some unspecified "huge" things about Sarah Palin from the public.
Johnston also said on the show that Palin joked about her son Trig, calling him' [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
State House Judiciary Chairman Jay Ramras wrote Judge John Sedwick today asking him to throw the book at Bill Allen and Rick Smith.
Sedwick is to sentence the former Veco executives tomorrow for bribing Alaska legislators.
"Their degenerative behavior cannot be whitewashed by any provision of" [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
Sarah Palin reported in financial disclosures out this morning that she received $1.25 million from publisher HarperCollins as "retainer for book" before she resigned as governor in July.
The report doesn't give a date for when Palin received the money. But the disclosures cover' [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
The Wall Street Journal has a story up today on Sean Parnell. The hook, of course, is Sarah Palin. The headline on the piece reads "Palin Successor Focuses on Energy Agenda."
Here's a taste:
Mr. Parnell, a Republican who was one of Ms. Palin's allies [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage--
Alaska lawmakers are again talking about building a new legislative office building in Anchorage, after ditching a plan to do so last year because of the price tag and worries of Juneau legislators that it could be a backhanded Capitol move.
The Legislative Council, a panel of [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
An Anchorage funeral for longtime Nome Rep. Richard Foster will be held Nov. 6.
It's to start at 2 p.m. at the Alaska National Guard headquarters on Fort Richardson. Attendees will have to go to the visitors building at the gate and show drivers license, proof [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage--
Kenai Republican Sen. Tom Wagoner’s request to join the bipartisan majority has been declined, Senate President Gary Stevens confirmed today.
“I’ve just spoken with Senator Wagoner and explained to him that, as much as some of us would have liked to have him aboard and in the [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage-
The nine state Senate Republicans today unanimously confirmed John Coghill to take North Pole Republican Sen. Gene Therriault's seat.
Gov. Sean Parnell earlier appointed Coghill, a Republican state representative from North Pole, to take the Senate seat that opened when Therriault resigned for a job advising' [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
Frank Bailey is jumping on the Sarah Palin book bandwagon with his own upcoming tome entitled: “Renegade: Sarah Palin's Hatchet Man.”
For those who don’t remember Frank Bailey, he was the “Troopergate” figure who was Palin’s close aide and director of boards and commissions.
He's best known [...]
Alaska revenue commissioner Pat Galvin and pipeline coordinator Mark Myers are taking questions from the public tonight about the state’s efforts to secure a natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48. The meeting, put on by legislators Bill Wielechowski and Max Gruenberg, starts at 7 p.m. at Begich Middle School. [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --
Jay Ramras put out a press release this morning to announce his plan to run for lieutenant governor in next year's election. He is the second Republican to get into the race, the other being Craig Campbell, who is currently filling in the position.
No Democrats [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
Sarah Palin’s poll numbers have dropped behind both Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney as a potential candidate for the 2012 Republican nomination, a new Rasmussen poll says. The national polling firm said Palin would be trounced if she went head-to-head with either fellow [...]
From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage –
Sarah Palin is apparently headed to a suburb of Milwaukee next month as the draw for a Wisconsin Right to Life fundraising event.
Wisconsin Right to Life says (and I haven’t seen a Palin confirmation) she’ll be appearing Nov. 6 at the Wisconsin Exposition Center.
Tickets [...]
