Public Policy Tipoffs Involving Alaska
Alaska Airlines' Support for Those Impacted by the Spokane Complex Fire
SEATTLE, Aug. 13 [Category: BizAerospace] -- Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, posted the following news release:
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Alaska Airlines' support for those impacted by the Spokane Complex Fire
Summary
* Alaska Airlines has donated $25,000 to the Innovia Foundation and $25,000 to Northwest Harvest to help communities recover from the Spokane Complex Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Washington history.
* The company also supports disaster response efforts year-ro
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Aldo Leopold Foundation Urges Withdrawal of Drain Tile Setback Request and Enforcement of Wetland Easements
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site.
Aldo Leopold Foundation comments on Implementation of Drain Tile Setbacks
pg. 1
ALDO LEOPOLD FOUNDATION COMMENTS ON
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF DRAIN TILE SETBACKS
Notice by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service July 24, 2026
Submitted on 8/7/2026 by: W. B. (Buddy) Huff
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As Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks, Polar Bears Spend More Time on Land--and More Time Consuming Seabird Eggs
BRONX, New York, Aug. 12 [Category: Environment] -- The Wildlife Conservation Society issued the following news release:
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As Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks, Polar Bears Spend More Time on Land--and More Time Consuming Seabird Eggs
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BRONX, NY, August 12, 2026-A polar bear spends nearly a day walking across a remote Arctic island, crushing and consuming eggs, and destroying almost an entire colony of seabird nests. While reported elsewhere in the Arctic, until recently, such scenes were almost u
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ICYMI: GOP Senate Candidates Are Threatening Medicare and Medicaid [American Journal News]
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release on Aug. 12, 2026:
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ICYMI: GOP Senate Candidates Are Threatening Medicare and Medicaid [American Journal News]
In case you missed it, new reporting from American Journal News is exposing Republican Senate candidates who have "expressed an interest in cutting or eliminating [Medicare and Medicaid], which provide health insurance to more than 123 million people."
In key Senate battlegroun
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BLM Invites Additional Public Feedback for December 2026 Oil and Gas Lease Sale in Colorado
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management issued the following news release:
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BLM Invites Additional Public Feedback for December 2026 Oil and Gas Lease Sale in Colorado
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LAKEWOOD, Colo. - The Bureau of Land Management today opened a 30-day public comment period to receive public input on plans to include 113 oil and gas parcels totaling 126,445 acres in Colorado in a December 2026 sale. The comment period ends September 11, 2026.
The BLM com
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BLM Seeks Initial Input for March 2027 Sale of Oil and Gas Leases in Wyoming
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management issued the following news release:
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BLM Seeks Initial Input for March 2027 Sale of Oil and Gas Leases in Wyoming
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CHEYENNNE, Wyo.- The Bureau of Land Management today opened a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on 328 oil and gas parcels totaling 427,701 acres that may be included in a March 2027 lease sale in Wyoming. The scoping period ends September 10, 2026.
Leasing is the first
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Boreal Partners in Flight Oppose Weakening Drain Tile Setback Rule to Protect Prairie Pothole Region Bird Habitats
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site.
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Re: FWS-R6-ES-2026-2641
Public Comment on Drain Tile Setback Rule in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR)
Dear Sir/Madam,
This letter represents the Boreal Partners in Flight (BPIF) public comments on the Drain Tile Setback Rule in the PPR. BPIF is a coalition of scientists, conservationists, and birders who work toge
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CAIR-MI Welcomes Charges for Alaska Man Who Allegedly Threatened Dearborn Mayor Abdullah, Said 'All Muslims Must Now Die'
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on Aug. 12, 2026:
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CAIR-MI Welcomes Charges for Alaska Man Who Allegedly Threatened Dearborn Mayor Abdullah, Said 'All Muslims Must Now Die'
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today welcomed federal charges against an Alaska man accused of making threats to injure and murder Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and issuing violent, Islamophobic threats ag
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Community Health Centers of Burlington Urges CMS to Remove Significant Impairment Requirement and Enhance Safeguards in Medicaid Community Engagement Rule
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site.
July 31, 2026
The Honorable Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-2454-IFC
P.O. Box 8016
Baltimore, MD 21244-8016
RE: Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals
Submitted via regulations.gov
Dear Secreta
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Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Democrats On Offense, Slam GOP Health Care Cuts Devastating Their States
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release on Aug. 12, 2026:
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Democrats On Offense, Slam GOP Health Care Cuts Devastating Their States
Democrats in key Senate battleground states continue to go on offense, blanketing the airwaves and sounding the alarm at protests and local roundtables about the devastating impact of Republicans' health care cuts as rural hospitals shutter, labor and delivery units close, and hundreds of thousand
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Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: What They're Saying - GOP-Created Health Care Crisis Rips Away Care Across Key Senate Battleground States
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: GOP-Created Health Care Crisis Rips Away Care Across Key Senate Battleground States
GOP Senate candidates' votes to gut Medicaid and refusal to extend ACA tax credits force health care costs to skyrocket, people to lose care as midterms approach
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In key Senate battleground states, voters are already feeling the pain from GOP Senate candidates' t
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Documents Show ICE Call Center Planned for Adams
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 11 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Tennessee Bar Association posted the following commentary blog:
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Documents Show ICE Call Center Planned for Adams
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Federal contract documents show that the Robertson County city of Adams is the proposed site of a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) call center.
The Tennessee Lookout reports that the Department of Homeland Security has awarded a $63 million contract to an Alaska corporation to operate a national
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DOI Geological Survey seeks proposals for Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Geological Survey, seeks proposals for a Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). This initiative aims to promote collaborative research and cooperative education in support of ecosystem management and conservation in Alaska's complex ecological landscapes.
Funding for this opportunity ranges from $1 to $453,203, allowing eligible organizations to tailor their p
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Federal Register: SBA Issues Final Rule Removing 8(a) Program Social Disadvantage Presumption for Individual Owners
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) amends its regulations to align the Section 8(a) Business Development Program with constitutional requirements and the law. The rule applies only to the 8(a) BD eligibility of small businesses owned and controlled by individuals. It does not in any way amend or affect the eligibility of entity-owned small businesses.
Specifically, the rule amends SBA's regulations to remove the rebuttable presumption that individuals be
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Giffords Opposes ATF Proposed Rule on Biological Sex Designation Citing Risks to Firearm Background Checks and Transgender Rights
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site.
August 4, 2026
ATF Rulemaking Comments
Mail Stop 6N-518, Office of Regulatory Affairs
Enforcement Programs and Services
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
99 New York Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20226
ATTN: RIN 1140-AA64; Docket No. ATF-2026-0010; ATF No. 2025R-33P
INTRODUCTION
This comment is submi
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Merkley, Oregon Lawmakers: NOAA Must Keep Its Fleet in Newport
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following news release:
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Merkley, Oregon Lawmakers: NOAA Must Keep Its Fleet in Newport
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Today, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led Oregon Congressional Delegation members-including Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)-to urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and General Servi
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N.C. HHS Raises Concerns Over CMS Medicaid Work Requirements and Urges Suspension of Enforcement Due to Operational Burdens and Coverage Loss Risks
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site.
JOSH STEIN
Governor
DEVDUTTA SANGVAI
Secretary
MELANIE BUSH
Deputy Secretary, NC Medicaid
July 30, 2026
Via Federal Rulemaking Portal
The Honorable Dr. Mehmet Oz
Administrator
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-2454-IFC
P.O. Box 8016
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New U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground range open to private industry for rapid innovation
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Maryland, Aug. 12 -- The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command issued the following news:
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New U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground range open to private industry for rapid innovation
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Unlike most military installations, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground's (YPG) primary purpose is not to train troops for combat, but to test the equipment they use to ensure it works as it should.
With a unique mission, YPG's funding model is also unique. Perhaps 30% of YPG's funding comes
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NOAA Scientists Discover Repeat Spawning in Pacific Capelin
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news:
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NOAA Scientists Discover Repeat Spawning in Pacific Capelin
Pacific capelin are a major forage species for predators in the North Pacific. They are short-lived and, like salmon, were thought to spawn only once and die. A new study found that some are capable of spawning multiple times.
For certain fish species, like Pacific salmon, reproduction is a
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Okla. A.G. Drummond Co-Leads 25-State Coalition Urging Supreme Court to Take Up Iowa Immigration Enforcement Case
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Aug. 13 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release:
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Drummond co-leads 25-state coalition urging Supreme Court to take up Iowa immigration enforcement case
Attorney General Gentner Drummond is co-leading a coalition in supporting Iowa's law criminalizing illegal entry into the state. Drummond and 24 attorneys general filed an amicus brief today in Bird v. Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear
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Oral Health Coalitions Urge CMS to Mitigate Medicaid Coverage Losses From Community Engagement Requirements
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site.
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July 29, 2026
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Re: Medicaid Program; Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals, Interim Final Rule
File Code: CMS-2454-IFC
Dear Administrator Oz:
On behalf of the undersigned organizations, the American Network o
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Pallone Presses U.S. Airlines for Answers on Surveillance Pricing
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release:
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Pallone Presses U.S. Airlines for Answers on Surveillance Pricing
"One study found that an airline boosted its own revenue by as much as six percent by leveraging AI pricing based on consumer information, an increase that comes at the expense of consumers."
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Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) req
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Report From Justice Dept. Presidential Religious Liberty Commission: America's First Freedom
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (TNSLrpt) -- America's First Freedom - A report from U.S. Department of Justice Presidential Religious Liberty Commission - June 2026 (224 pages)
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Contents
Establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission ... 8
Commission Members ... 9
Advisory Board Members ... 10
Executive Summary ... 12
Introduction ... 24
The Creation of the Religious Liberty Commission ... 24
The Commission Hearings ... 26
Chapter 1: Religion as an Indispensable Support ... 28
Religion:
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Sen. Crapo: Working Families Tax Cuts in Americans' Own Words
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release:
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The Working Families Tax Cuts in Americans' Own Words
The Working Families Tax Cuts are putting more money in Americans' pockets and spurring economic growth, as reflected in tax filing season data, business surveys and economic indicators. But the law's impact goes beyond the numbers. It is reflected in entrepreneurs boosting employee pay, businesses investing i
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VoteVets Action Fund Launches $225,000 Ad Campaign Holding Sen. Dan Sullivan Accountable for the Cost of the Iran War
PORTLAND, Oregon, Aug. 12 -- VoteVets issued the following news release on Aug. 11, 2026:
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VoteVets Action Fund Launches $225,000 Ad Campaign Holding Sen. Dan Sullivan Accountable for the Cost of the Iran War
New spot tells Alaskans what Sullivan's 12 votes for the war are costing working families
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Today, VoteVets Action Fund launched a new $225,000 ad campaign holding Senator Dan Sullivan accountable for voting 12 times in support of the war in Iran: a war that has cost $37.5 billion
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W&M's We the Teachers brings educators from all 50 states for civics training
WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, Aug. 12 -- William and Mary issued the following news:
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W&M's We the Teachers brings educators from all 50 states for civics training
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On a Sunday evening in late July, history, civics and social studies teachers stood in the Great Hall of the Wren Building-teachers from Brevig Mission, Alaska, and Memphis, Tennessee; from Honolulu and Las Vegas; from Washington, D.C., and a Department of Defense school in Germany.
The gathering-a cohort of 100 teachers-was th
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