Prominent community members of Alaska’s North Slope warmly welcomed top Trump administration officials last week while ripping into the prior administration led by former President Joe Biden.
A trio of Trump cabinet officials – Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright – traveled to northern Alaska last week to announce that Biden-era restrictions on oil development in the region would be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-moves-to-unlock-millions-of-oil-rich-acres-in-alaska-from-biden-environmental-rules?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=15&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Moves+To+Unlock+Millions+Of+Oil-Rich+Acres+In+Alaska+From+Biden+Environmental+Rules">rescinded</a>. The cabinet officials met with North Slope residents in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
Inupiat tribal leaders and officials greeted the news enthusiastically, according to video of the meeting obtained by The Daily Wire.
“When we had a similar meeting with the former Secretary of the Interior, that rule was announced after everybody got on the plane and flew out,” said Josiah Patkotak, mayor of North Slope Borough. He added that the prior administration’s rule “was contrary to what the public comment was.”
“Here we are, full transparency from our own secretary, and I think that deserves another round of applause,” Patkotak said after Burgum announced the administration’s intent to scrap the Biden-era restrictions.
Last year, the Biden administration banned oil and gas exploration and drilling across 10.6 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPRA), a reserve set aside decades ago by Congress for future oil development. The administration put tight restrictions on development on another roughly three million acres of the reserve. In total, over half of the roughly 23-million acre reserve was locked to development.
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“Our ask is the same as always: that the North Slope Inupiat be central to discussions and decisions about land use in our region,” said Rex Rock, Sr., the president and CEO of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation.
“Under the previous administration, as you heard, there were many actions that undermined our people’s self-determination, ignored our voices, and negatively impacted our communities. Their 2024 rule, Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska, was not supported by a single entity in our region – and they still chose to implement it,” he said.
“Our region opposed the 2022 NPRA integrated activity plan because it took 50% of the NPRA off the table for development, which impacts the ability of our region to provide services to our people and communities,” Rock added.
Charles Lampe, the current president of the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation, said that under the Biden administration, the North Slope and its residents “were under attack” by environmental groups. Groups such as <a href="https://www.wilderness.org/wild-places/alaska/oil-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge">The Wilderness Society</a> have long pushed for federal restrictions on Alaska’s North Slope that would ban development and industry, even in the petroleum reserve.
“On Day 1, President Trump told the Fish and Wildlife Department to deny that request. And that was such an amazing thing for us to be able to see. And we were so proud of our president then because he made sure that our ancestral homelands weren’t going to be stolen, [but] protected,” Lampe said. “So, I really need to bring back this just immense gratitude to President Trump for that action.”
“If the other guy would have won,” said Lampe, refering to former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, “there&#8217;s no doubt in my mind that our homeland would have been stolen, and there&#8217;s nothing we could have done about it.”

North Slope Borough, Alaska

Alaskan Tribal Leaders Offer ‘Immense Gratitude’ To Trump For Killing Biden Oil Development Bans

Alaska

Chris Wright

Doug Burgum

Energy

Lee Zeldin

Oil and Gas

U.S.

The Trump administration is rolling back Biden-era regulations that blocked energy development in Alaska’s national petroleum reserve.
The Biden administration restricted oil exploration and drilling across 13.3 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (APR-A) last year in a move that angered industry, state, and tribal leaders. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced Monday that the Trump administration would reverse those rules.
“Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support America’s energy security through responsible development,” said Burgum in a <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-moves-rescind-2024-rule-alaskas-petroleum-reserve">statement</a>. “The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical. We&#8217;re restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track.”
Alaska’s sole representative in the U.S. House, Nick Begich, celebrated the news.
“Alaska’s right to self-determination is being restored. Thank you @SecretaryBurgum and @POTUS for your leadership and recognizing Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential,” he wrote in a post on <a href="https://x.com/RepNickBegich/status/1929595733591969997">X</a>.
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Last year, the Biden administration issued final rules banning oil and gas drilling across 10.6 million acres in the oil reserve. Over another roughly three million acres, the administration put added protections in place. The rules locked up more than half of the state&#8217;s roughly 23 million-acre petroleum reserve.
The Biden administration also denied the state a permit to build a 211-mile industrial road through the Alaskan wilderness to reach a large copper deposit.
Biden&#8217;s Interior Department cracked down on development in the preserve after the administration approved the Willow Project, an $8 billion oil development project in Alaska. The approval ignited protest against the Biden administration from environmental groups. The administration then cracked down on oil and gas development in Alaska while fuel prices in the United States <a href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&amp;s=emm_epm0_pte_nus_dpg&amp;f=m">remained</a> high.
The entire preserve “contains a mean estimate of 895 million barrels of oil and a mean estimate of 52.8 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas,” according to an Institute for Energy Research <a href="https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/National-Petroleum-Reserve-Fact-Sheet-DRS-1-2.pdf">fact sheet</a>.
The Department of the Interior on Monday said that former President Joe Biden’s action “exceeds the agency’s statutory authority under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976.”
“The 2024 rule significantly expanded procedural requirements and created a presumption against oil and gas activity in approximately 13 million acres designated as ‘Special Areas’ unless operators could prove minimal or no adverse effects on surface resources. These provisions not only lack a basis in the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act but undermine the BLM’s obligation to carry out an effective and timely leasing program,” the Interior Department said.
President Donald Trump has prioritized developing the United States’ domestic oil and gas resources. He has also marked out Alaska’s resources for development, in particular.
One of Trump’s first moves as president was to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-alaskas-extraordinary-resource-potential/">direct</a> a streamlined regulatory process for development in Alaska, covering not just oil and gas, but mining, forestry, fishing, and other industries.

Trump Moves To Unlock Millions Of Oil-Rich Acres In Alaska From Biden Environmental Rules

Department of the Interior

Donald Trump

Authorities said on Friday that there are no survivors after finding a Bering Air Cessna Caravan with 10 people on board that crashed on sea ice after going missing over the Norton Sound in Alaska on Thursday.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, rescuers looking for the missing aircraft spotted the wreckage from a helicopter, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/missing-aircraft-alaska-search-10-people-eb496188285ed54c9a527f658d4ff70a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The Cessna Caravan, which is a single-engine propeller plane, left Unalakleet, Alaska, at 2:37 p.m. local time and was supposed to land in Nome, Alaska, which is a short flight across the Norton Sound. At around 4:00 p.m., Alaska State troopers received word around 4:00 p.m. that the plane was overdue, and authorities began search operations.
The Coast Guard said that at 3:18, the airplane had “some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed.&#8221; Visibility was poor at the time of the crash as the area experienced light snow and fog.
All 10 people onboard the flight, which included nine passengers and one pilot, were adults, Lt. Ben Endres of the Alaska State Troopers said, according to the AP. Bering Air is based in Nome and operates passenger and charter airline services. Since the sea ice is unstable, authorities are trying to move fast to recover the bodies and any parts of the plane that will aid officials in their investigation into the crash.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> (1/2) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCG</a> has ended its search for the missing plane after the aircraft was located approx. 34 miles southeast of Nome. 3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased. <a href="https://t.co/XndzBYHdCE">pic.twitter.com/XndzBYHdCE</a>
&mdash; USCGAlaska (@USCGAlaska) <a href="https://twitter.com/USCGAlaska/status/1888023010877260283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“They are on the ice as we speak,” said Nome Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jim West. “The conditions out there are dynamic, and so we’ve got to do it safely and the fastest way we can.”
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski addressed the crash during a press conference, saying, “It’s hard to accept the reality of our loss.” Nome Mayor John Handeland added, “Nome is a strong community, and in challenging times we come together and support each other. I expect the outpouring of support to continue in the coming days as we all work to recover from this tragic incident.&#8221;
The crash is the third on U.S. soil in 2025. Last month, an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three service members collided with an American Eagle flight that had 64 people on board. The crash sent both aircraft into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people involved. Days later, a medical jet carrying a pediatric patient crashed in north Philadelphia, killing all six people on board and one person on the ground and injuring more than 20 others.

USCG Alaska

Missing Alaska Plane Found; Authorities Say There Are No Survivors

Airplane

Airplane crash

Coast Guard

A plane with 10 people aboard went missing while flying from Unalakleet to Nome, Alaska, on Thursday, sparking a search and rescue operation from state and federal authorities.
The Bering Air Caravan airplane with one pilot and nine passengers left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. local time, and Alaska State troopers received word around 4:00 p.m. that the plane was overdue in Nome, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plane-missing-alaska-10-on-board-nome/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=740695350" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The plane appeared to be traveling over the Norton Sound when it potentially encountered near-whiteout fog. FlightRadar <a href="https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n321ba#39086384" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> showed a Bering Air Caravan plane last reporting data at 3:16 p.m.
&#8220;U.S. Coast Guard District 17 responded to an aircraft emergency notification from Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at 4:30 p.m. today for a Cessna Caravan that reported to have 10 people aboard,&#8221; U.S. Coast Guard Alaska <a href="https://x.com/USCGAlaska/status/1887733606472388886" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Kodiak to search their last known position. The aircraft was 12 miles offshore transiting from Unalakleet to Nome when its position was lost. More information to follow as it becomes available.&#8221;
The Bering Air Cessna Caravan is a single-engine propeller plane. Bering Air is based in Nome and operates passenger and charter airline services.
Due to low visibility, the search plane flew over the water and along the shoreline with equipment that could help locate the missing aircraft. Authorities told people not to form their own search parties due to the weather. The Nome Volunteer Fire Department said, &#8220;We continue to expand search efforts to as many avenues as possible until the plane is located.&#8221;
In an update at 12:30 a.m. local time on Friday, the fire department said the plane was still missing.
&#8220;We do not have any updated information on the location of the missing aircraft. Crews are still searching on the ground, canvassing as much area as possible,&#8221; the fire department <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NVFDAlaska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> added. &#8220;The National Guard C-130 reported they found nothing found so far. The Airforce also sent a C-130 resumed the search and also have reported no visuals, and have one hour of flight search time remaining. If nothing further is reported, the next update will be at 9am.&#8221;
The incident comes after an Army Black Hawk helicopter with three service members collided with an American Eagle flight that had 64 people on board. The crash sent both aircraft into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people involved. Days later, a medical jet carrying a pediatric patient crashed in north Philadelphia, killing all six people on board and one person on the ground and injuring more than 20 others.

U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter

Authorities Begin Search And Rescue Operation After Plane Goes Missing In Alaska

Air and Space

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> announced Monday that he would ban offshore drilling for more than 625 million acres of U.S. waters before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated. 
Biden&#8217;s prohibition through two presidential memoranda on new oil and natural gas leases will cover the entire East Coast and West Coast of the continental U.S., the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the Alaska coastline. The White House said the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act gave Biden the authority to make such a sweeping ban on energy production.
“In protecting more than 625 million acres of the U.S. ocean from offshore drilling, President Biden has determined that the environmental and economic risks and harms that would result from drilling in these areas outweigh their limited fossil fuel resource potential,” the White House said in a statement. “With these withdrawals, President Biden is protecting coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies – including fishing, recreation, and tourism – from oil spills and other impacts of offshore drilling.”
He previously used the same 1953 law to ban drilling for portions of the North Bering Sea and 2.8 million acres of the Beaufort Sea. 
“The withdrawals have no expiration date, and prohibit all future oil and natural gas leasing in the areas withdrawn,” the White House said. 
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The move from Biden comes just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has promised to increase American oil production and make it easier for oil and gas companies to drill in U.S. waters.
Trump told Hugh Hewitt on Monday that he would take immediate action to reverse Biden&#8217;s executive actions.
&#8220;I see it just came over that Biden has banned all oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal territory. It&#8217;s ridiculous. I&#8217;ll unban it immediately,&#8221; he said.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
PRESIDENT TRUMP: &#8220;I see it just came over that Biden has banned all oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal territory. It&#8217;s ridiculous. I&#8217;ll unban it immediately.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/mGijm5N6v7">pic.twitter.com/mGijm5N6v7</a>
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1876272349542252936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/karolineleavitt/status/1876228351028858932" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday that the ban was motivated by revenge. 
“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices,” she said. “Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”
While campaigning for president, Trump vowed to make the U.S. “energy dominant&#8221; and dramatically increase energy production. 
“We’re going to supply it all over Europe, all over the world,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-vows-to-unleash-u-s-energy-production-we-have-more-liquid-gold-than-saudi-arabia-russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “We’re going to be double and triple what they’re doing. We’re going to have tremendous energy, and we’re going to lower our prices of energy.”
During his first term in office, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disgraceful-decision-trump-press-secretary-blasts-bidens-move-to-block-more-offshore-drilling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order to rescind former President Barack Obama’s orders to withdraw hundreds of millions of acres of submerged land on the outer continental shelf, leading to a court battle. Obama also pointed to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act for his actions.

US President Joe Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act

Biden Bans Offshore Drilling For Most Of U.S. Coastline Before Trump Takes Over

Atlantic Ocean

Executive

Gulf of Mexico

Joe Biden

Karoline Leavitt

Pacific Ocean

Politics

While most Americans focus on the presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the undercard fights on every ballot in the country will determine which party will control the House of Representatives in 2025.
Unlike the U.S. Senate, where winning the election puts you in office for six years, every single House seat is up for grabs each election cycle. Republicans currently <a href="https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">control</a> the House by a slim eight-seat majority — 220 to 212 — and there are three vacancies. That means Democrats need to pick up at least five seats to tilt the scales.
There are dozens of competitive races that will determine who holds the all-powerful gavel going into 2025 — and whichever party wins the presidency will be hamstrung without control of the lower chamber of Congress.
Here are 10 toss-up House races to watch on Election Day, and potentially in the days following:
<h4>Alaska — Lone District</h4>
The only House district in Alaska is held by Democrat Mary Peltola who beat out Republicans Sarah Palin and Nicholas Begich in 2022. With her 2022 win, Peltola became the first Democrat from Alaska to serve in the House since 1972. Peltola&#8217;s victory two years ago was due, in part, to Alaska&#8217;s ranked-choice voting system, which split the Republican vote between Palin and Begich. This year, Peltola is running against Begich, Democrat Eric Hafner, and John Howe of the Independence Party.
Following a September <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alaska-democrat-flips-on-men-in-womens-sports-following-daily-wire-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Wire report</a> on Peltola&#8217;s transgender stances, the Democrat flipped her position on men competing in women&#8217;s sports, saying during a debate in October, &#8220;I don’t think that we should have men competing in women’s sports.&#8221;
In the most recent polls of the race, Begich <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/house/2024/alaska/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leads</a> Peltola by around 4 points. In Alaska&#8217;s ranked-choice voting system, a candidate must reach over 50% before being declared the winner. The Decision Desk HQ <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/alaska-at-large/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forecast</a> currently gives Begich a 62% chance of winning the race.
<h4>Arizona — 1st District</h4>
Republican David Schweikert has held the 1st District seat in Arizona since 2023 after serving as the 6th District&#8217;s congressman for 10 years. Schweikert has focused on fiscal conservatism and addressing the national debt. Schweikert squeaked out a victory by just over 3,000 votes in 2022 over Democrat Jevin Hodge. His opponent this year is Democrat Amish Shah, a current state representative and emergency room doctor, who has <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/08/amish-shah-gets-primetime-interview-as-david-schweikert-avoids-debate/75210240007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focused</a> on abortion.
Parts of Arizona&#8217;s 1st District fall in Maricopa County, where election officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/officials-in-arizonas-maricopa-county-say-counting-ballots-could-take-up-to-13-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month that it could take up to 13 days to “complete tabulation of all the ballots that come in.” Maricopa County, which is the largest county in Arizona, was also at the center of controversy in the aftermath of the 2020 and 2022 elections.
The Decision Desk HQ <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/arizona-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forecast</a> currently gives Schweikert a 68% chance of winning re-election.
<h4>Arizona — 6th District</h4>
First-term Republican Juan Ciscomani is running for re-election in Arizona&#8217;s 6th District and is in a tight race with the Democrat he barely beat in 2022, Kirsten Engel. Ciscomani has centered his campaign on pushing for more border security amid the record border encounters during the Biden-Harris administration. Engel, meanwhile, is focused on pro-abortion policies.
The 6th Congressional District is located in Arizona&#8217;s southeast corner. The Decision Desk HQ <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/arizona-6/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forecast</a> currently gives Ciscomani an 83% chance of winning.
<h4>California — 13th District</h4>
First-term Republican John Duarte faces off against Democrat Adam Gray in California&#8217;s 13th District. Duarte narrowly defeated Gray in the 2022 election. The freshman congressman is a moderate Republican who officially <a href="https://www.turlockjournal.com/news/government/rep-duarte-backs-trump-calls-conviction-miscarriage-justice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Trump earlier this year after the former president was convicted on 34 felony counts in a Manhattan court. Gray, who served in California&#8217;s State Assembly, lost to Duarte in 2022 by just over 500 votes in what was one of the closest House races that year.
The Decision Desk HQ <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/california-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forecast</a> gives Duarte a 55% chance of defeating Gray again.
<h4>Colorado — 8th District</h4>
Another freshman congressman, Democrat Yadira Caraveo, is being challenged by Republican Gabe Evans, a state representative and former police officer and Army captain. The race in Colorado&#8217;s 8th District has grown closer in recent weeks. Caraveo currently has a 71% chance of winning, according to <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/colorado-8/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Decision Desk HQ</a>.
<h4>Iowa — 3rd District</h4>
Republican Zach Nunn, a first-term congressman, faces Democrat Lanon Baccam in Iowa&#8217;s 3rd District. Baccam, a veteran and federal Agriculture Department official, has hammered Nunn over the issue of abortion. Nunn, meanwhile, has focused his campaign on the economy and has hit the trail with Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Nunn pulled off an upset over Democrat Rep. Cindy Axne in 2022, helping the GOP secure control of the House. Decision Desk HQ gives Nunn a <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/iowa-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">55% chance</a> of winning.
<h4>Michigan — 7th District</h4>
After Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin entered the race for retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow&#8217;s seat, Michigan&#8217;s 7th District was thrown wide open with Republican Tom Barrett seeking to flip the seat for the GOP. Curtis Hertel is challenging Barrett in hopes of keeping the district in the hands of the Democrats. Barrett lost to Slotkin by around 5 points in the 2022 election.
Hertel was recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-running-in-michigan-swing-district-says-americans-owe-a-debt-to-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> for saying on video that Americans &#8220;owe a debt&#8221; to illegal immigrants, adding that he has no &#8220;interest in deporting anybody.&#8221;
Current polling shows Barrett with a slight edge over Hertel. Barrett has a <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/michigan-7/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">63% chance</a> of winning, according to Decision Desk HQ.
<h4>Michigan — 8th District</h4>
Another district in the battleground state of Michigan could be a pick-up for Republicans. Democrat Rep. Dan Kildee, who represented Michigan&#8217;s 8th District, announced last year that he would not seek re-election, creating another open House seat. Republican Paul Junge has focused on securing the border while Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet has focused on abortion.
According to <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/michigan-8/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Decision Desk HQ</a>, Junge currently holds a 55% chance of winning the race.
<h4>New York — 19th District</h4>
Republicans could lose a seat in New York&#8217;s 19th District where incumbent Republican Marc Molinaro faces a tough challenge from Democrat Josh Riley. Molinaro has voted across the party line while in Congress, but during the campaign, he has focused on immigration, a top issue for Republicans. Riley served as general counsel to U.S. Senator Al Franken on the Senate Judiciary Committee and has &#8220;<a href="https://joshrileyforcongress.com/meet-josh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">championed</a> an effort in federal court to ratify the federal Equal Rights Amendment, which would make abortion access a constitutional right.&#8221;
The 2024 race is a rematch of 2022 when Molinaro won by nearly 4 points. Molinaro was favored to win the race for most of the 2024 campaign, according to forecasts by <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/new-york-19/">Decision Desk HQ</a>, but now Riley currently has a 58% chance of winning.
<h4>Oregon — 5th District</h4>
In Oregon&#8217;s 5th District, Republicans are hoping to hold onto another seat as incumbent Lori Chavez-Deremer faces Democrat challenger Janelle Bynum. Chavez-Deremer won in a tight race in 2022 over Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner, giving the Republicans another important seat in its slim majority.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/swing-state-dem-voted-to-fund-down-payment-assistance-for-illegal-immigrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in September that Bynum sponsored legislation that sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to a program that discriminates against U.S. citizens and offers down payment assistance to illegal immigrants.
Chavez-Deremer is narrowly favored to win the race, standing at 58% in Decision Desk HQ&#8217;s <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/oregon-5/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forecast</a>.
<h4>Many other close races to watch</h4>
Of course, this isn&#8217;t an all-encompassing list of House races to keep an eye on come Election Night. But each one will play a pivotal role in determining which party will be in power in January. Decision Desk HQ gives Republicans a 53% chance of maintaining a majority in the House, with the overall seat <a href="https://elections2024.thehill.com/forecast/2024/house/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projections</a> showing the GOP at 218 and Democrats at 217.

The United States Capitol building

10 Must-Watch Races That Could Determine Control Of The House

10 Races That Could Determine Control Of The House

2024 Election

California

Colorado

Iowa

Michigan

New York

Oregon

U.S. House of Representatives

An Alaska Democrat who formerly voted against legislation defending the integrity of women&#8217;s sports and spaces has now reversed her position on the topic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vulnerable-alaska-democrats-embrace-of-transgenderism-could-cost-her-in-november">following a September report on her transgender stances</a> from The Daily Wire.
“I don&#8217;t think that we should have men competing in women&#8217;s sports,&#8221; Mary Peltola said during an Alaska Chamber of Commerce debate Monday, as she distanced herself from left-wing activists pushing the topic.
&#8220;This causes a lot of feelings for people, this is a culture wars issue,&#8221; she argued. &#8220;I&#8217;m not a very good activist, I&#8217;m not a champion on one side or another of most of these culture wars, because I feel like they are a complete and total waste of our time. We have real problems, we&#8217;ve got inflation, we&#8217;ve got every sector of the economy without skilled labor, skilled workforce &#8230; the list goes on and on.&#8221;
&#8220;No, I don&#8217;t think that we should have men competing in women&#8217;s sports, but you know, on the other hand, look at the number of female Olympian athletes who have been questioned about their femininity, they&#8217;re questioned, are they even a woman,&#8221; she added. &#8220;This is just not something that is number one for me.&#8221;
Peltola did not immediately respond to a request for comment clarifying which Olympian athletes she was referring to, and whether they identify as transgender. Her flip-flop came one day after <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000192-ab23-dd10-a593-abf703e80000">internal GOP polling showed</a> her opponent, Nick Begich, emerging as the front-runner in the race for the Alaska congressional seat.
NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen told The Daily Wire that her reversal indicates a desperate, last-minute pitch to voters.
“Democrat Mary Peltola’s shameless flip-flopping reeks of desperation,&#8221; he said. &#8220;After cashing checks from radical groups and voting to let biological males dominate female athletes, Peltola now reverses herself — proving she&#8217;ll say anything to cling to power as polls show her losing.”
The Daily Wire reported in September that Peltola&#8217;s embrace of transgenderism could be her downfall in the upcoming election, particularly given how Alaska has taken steps to protect women&#8217;s spaces.
The Alaska Board of Education <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-transgender-athletes-ban-bcad7bc2706fc74e2dd55274237d374f">voted in August 2023</a> to block boys who identify as girls from playing on girls’ athletic teams, as The Daily Wire previously reported, and the Alaska House of Representatives <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2024/05/12/alaska-house-adopts-bill-limiting-transgender-athletes-over-minority-filibuster/">passed a law in May 2024</a> banning boys from playing in girls’ sports.
The bill then went to the Alaska State Senate, where it is expected to die. But the House Republicans who voted for the bill told Alaska Public Media they were prioritizing the issue at the request of their constituents.
When Peltola initially ran for office in 2022, she danced around addressing whether men should be allowed in women&#8217;s sports.
“I need to better acquaint myself with this issue, which I believe is more complicated than some make it out to be,” Peltola <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/08/06/candidate-qa-us-house-mary-peltola/">told the Anchorage Daily News</a> in August 2022. “My starting point is that sports should be fair for all students, and we must protect the rights of all students – especially those that are already subject to significant discrimination. I look forward to learning more, and focusing on the many other pressing challenges the U.S. Congress is facing.”
A year later, in 2023, she <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/734">voted</a> <a href="https://mustreadalaska.com/house-passes-bill-to-protect-females-from-transgenders-in-sports-but-peltola-aligns-with-dems-as-a-no-vote/">against</a> the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023” — legislation prohibiting school athletic programs from allowing boys who identify as girls to play in girls’ sports. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives, would have made it a violation of Title IX for federally-funded education programs to allow men in women’s athletic programs.
She also voted against Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace&#8217;s <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023190">amendment</a> to that legislation, which would have required a study on the effect men participating in women’s sports has on women.
Peltola went so far as to co-sponsor the far-left “Equality Act,” legislation that would <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2021/02/25/the-equality-act-lgbtq-transgender-democrats/">amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act</a> to prevent “discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation,” meaning that men who identify as women could not be denied access to female locker rooms, prisons, shelters, and more.
“Must Read Alaska” <a href="https://mustreadalaska.com/shocker-peltola-cosponsors-house-bill-to-force-girls-bathrooms-open-to-boys/">reported at the time</a> that the Equality Act would apply to institutions like Anchorage’s “Downtown Hope Center,” a faith-based cold-weather shelter where women can seek refuge from the state&#8217;s extreme cold during the night.
The Daily Wire previously highlighted that Peltola has received about $6,000 from the far-left Human Rights Campaign, an organization that <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/08/25/harris-plays-coy-on-child-gender-transitions-but-far-left-groups-endorsing-child-sex-changes-have-her-back/">pushes transgender sex change</a> hormones, surgery, and puberty blockers for children. She has also received $5,500 from Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the action arm of Planned Parenthood, which <a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/uploads/filer_public/db/88/db881467-f6e5-47a3-a6a3-2c7d3ea545e0/gac2.pdf">boasts</a> of being the “second largest provider” of transgender hormones like estrogen and testosterone.

US-NEWS-ALASKSACONGRESS-DEBATE-LV

Alaska Democrat Flips On Men In Women’s Sports Following Daily Wire Report

LGBTQ

Transgender

When Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola ran for Congress in 2022, she danced around addressing whether trans-identifying men should be allowed in women&#8217;s sports. Fairness is important, she indicated, but she needed to learn more.
&#8220;I need to better acquaint myself with this issue, which I believe is more complicated than some make it out to be,&#8221; Peltola <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/08/06/candidate-qa-us-house-mary-peltola/">told the Anchorage Daily News</a> in August 2022. &#8220;My starting point is that sports should be fair for all students, and we must protect the rights of all students – especially those that are already subject to significant discrimination. I look forward to learning more, and focusing on the many other pressing challenges the U.S. Congress is facing.&#8221;
Fast forward about a year to April 2023, when Peltola <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/734">voted</a> <a href="https://mustreadalaska.com/house-passes-bill-to-protect-females-from-transgenders-in-sports-but-peltola-aligns-with-dems-as-a-no-vote/">against</a> the &#8220;Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023&#8221; — legislation prohibiting school athletic programs from allowing boys who identify as girls to play in girls&#8217; sports. The bill, which passed the House of Republicans, would have made it a violation of Title IX for federally-funded education programs to allow men in women&#8217;s athletic programs.
When Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023190">put forward an amendment</a> to that same legislation, which would have required a study on the effect that men participating in women&#8217;s sports has on women, Peltola voted against it.
She also co-sponsored the far-left &#8220;Equality Act,&#8221; legislation that would <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2021/02/25/the-equality-act-lgbtq-transgender-democrats/">amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act</a> to prevent &#8220;discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation,&#8221; meaning that individuals who identify as another gender could not be denied access to the locker room of their choice.
<div id="attachment_801643" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-801643" class="wp-image-801643 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/09/GettyImages-1423463200-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a>(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)</div>
The Equality Act would specifically require public women&#8217;s facilities, such as women&#8217;s bathrooms, locker rooms, and shelters, to admit men who identify as transgender women. Critics have pointed out that women who are trying to escape violent men and seek refuge in shelters would then be forced to share living spaces with men who identify as women.
As &#8220;Must Read Alaska&#8221; <a href="https://mustreadalaska.com/shocker-peltola-cosponsors-house-bill-to-force-girls-bathrooms-open-to-boys/">reported at the time</a>, the bill would apply to institutions like Anchorage&#8217;s &#8220;Downtown Hope Center,&#8221; a faith-based cold-weather shelter where women can seek refuge during the night.
Peltola&#8217;s positions may put her out of step with her home state. The Alaska Board of Education <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-transgender-athletes-ban-bcad7bc2706fc74e2dd55274237d374f">voted in August 2023</a> to block boys who identify as girls from playing on girls&#8217; athletic teams. And the Alaska House of Representatives <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2024/05/12/alaska-house-adopts-bill-limiting-transgender-athletes-over-minority-filibuster/">passed a law in May 2024</a> banning boys from playing in girls&#8217; sports. The bill then went to the State Senate, where it is expected to die, but the House Republicans who voted for the bill told Alaska Public Media that they were prioritizing the issue at the request of their constituents.
“Alaskans are outraged by Rep. Mary Peltola&#8217;s misguided championing of the radical transgender agenda,&#8221; Cindy Glassmaker, an Alaskan mother of three daughters who play or played high school sports, told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Peltola&#8217;s stance is a slap in the face to every female athlete,&#8221; Glassmaker added. &#8220;We&#8217;re not buying this woke nonsense that cancels women&#8217;s sports and hands women&#8217;s hard-earned rights to biological men.”
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Great news!!! Despite the theatrics and a 17 hour filibuster from Alaska House dems, HB 183 (women&#39;s sports bill) passed in a 22-18 vote. 
Good for <a href="https://twitter.com/akgop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@akgop</a> and bill sponsor Rep Allard for holding the line. Now the bill heads to the Senate. Onwards! 👏🏼 <a href="https://t.co/wwxT2BfJno">pic.twitter.com/wwxT2BfJno</a>
&mdash; Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1789980337956655302?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Peltola did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire asking for clarity on her gender positions.
Since 2022, Peltola has received about $6,000 from the Human Rights Campaign, which <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/08/25/harris-plays-coy-on-child-gender-transitions-but-far-left-groups-endorsing-child-sex-changes-have-her-back/">pushes transgender sex change</a> hormones, surgery, and puberty blockers for children, and $5,500 from Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the action arm of Planned Parenthood, which <a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/uploads/filer_public/db/88/db881467-f6e5-47a3-a6a3-2c7d3ea545e0/gac2.pdf">boasts</a> of being the &#8220;second largest provider&#8221; of transgender hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
Her opponent, Nick Begich, told The Daily Wire that Peltola is endangering the rights of women in Alaska.
“Mary Peltola’s reckless push to allow biological males to compete against girls isn&#8217;t just unfair— it&#8217;s a direct assault on women&#8217;s athletics,&#8221; Begich said. &#8220;Alaska can’t allow Peltola’s radical woke ideology to erase opportunities for our daughters, sisters, and mothers. It was our late Senator Ted Stevens who fought for Title IX and Mary Peltola should not be working to erase such an important part of his legacy.”
Peltola <a href="https://mustreadalaska.com/results-roll-in-peltola-begich-dahlstrom-salisbury-are-top-four/">finished first</a> in the August primary, coming in at 50.38% with 48,418 votes. Begich followed her at 26.98% with 25,930 votes, and Nancy Dahlstrom came next with 20.01% and 19,234 votes.
But <a href="https://www.nrcc.org/2024/09/23/new-poll-nick-begich-takes-the-lead-over-mary-peltola/">NRCC polling</a> released Monday found Begich &#8220;surging into the lead&#8221; against Peltola. Begich is now leading Peltola 44% to 40% on the first round ballot, with 10% undecided.
That polling found that the more voters learn about Peltola, the less they like her.
&#8220;Among those who have seen, read, or heard something recently about Peltola, a plurality of voters are left with a more unfavorable impression of Peltola.&#8221;
&#8220;Mary Peltola is taking on water despite her initial spending advantage, driven in large part by Republican ads highlighting her support for the Biden agenda and votes against Alaska’s veterans and those actively serving in uniform,&#8221; <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000192-1c90-db93-a5d6-9db37c150000">says a memo from American Viewpoint</a> on the key findings of the Alaska survey. &#8220;If this trend continues, Nick Begich will be the next Member of Congress from Alaska.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-ELECTION-PORTRAIT

Vulnerable Alaska Democrat’s Embrace of Transgenderism Could Cost Her In November

Sig Hansen reflected ahead of Season 20 of the popular reality series “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/television">Deadliest Catch</a>.”
The 58-year-old Norwegian-American sea captain spoke with <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/deadliest-catch-star-sig-hansen-challenge-keeping-men-alive-hit-tv-series">Fox News Digital</a> about some of the challenges he faced over the years, including extremely dangerous conditions and being powerless against the forces of nature. 
“Deadliest Catch” premiered on the Discovery Channel in April 2005. The reality show depicts the dangers that crab fishermen experience on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alaska">Bering Sea</a> during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons.
When asked about challenges the crew faced, Hansen said it all came down to one major factor.
&#8220;I mean, there&#8217;s always a challenge. The challenge is to succeed, right?&#8221; the sea captain told Fox News. &#8220;There are life-threatening situations – been in a few of those. I think the biggest challenge is always the weather. That&#8217;s always a big one, and keeping your guys motivated, that&#8217;s always a big challenge.&#8221;
&#8220;You know, and finding crab. It&#8217;ll happen, it just takes time, but it&#8217;ll happen. Especially if you&#8217;re good and you know what you&#8217;re doing,” Hansen continued.
The reality star also spoke about life-threatening situations over the years. 
&#8220;We&#8217;ve had events where the boat was icing down to the point where I thought there was no return. We&#8217;ve had struggles with mechanical issues where, you know, we&#8217;ve had, like, tanks where our crab tanks either fill with water when they&#8217;re not supposed to, and that creates instability on the boat. Things of that nature,&#8221; he told the outlet.
He went on, &#8220;There&#8217;s been many challenges and there were challenges where I&#8217;ve seen boats literally go down. You know, eight miles away from me, and there&#8217;s nothing I can do about it,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;You watch people and friends that you know, and you&#8217;re literally in the fog. They&#8217;re right over there and there&#8217;s nothing I can do about it, and they&#8217;re gone.&#8221;
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As for why this show has been popular so long while so many others have failed, Hansen said he believes viewers are drawn to the hard work involved.
&#8220;Number one, it&#8217;s blue collar and there&#8217;s a work ethic and I think people respect that. I think the show&#8217;s successful because, through time, the photography&#8217;s better, the cameras are better, the people that record what we do are better, and I think that it shows,&#8221; Hansen told Fox News. &#8220;My wife and I watch what they film, and she just can&#8217;t believe it. She&#8217;s like, &#8216;Oh my God, I feel like I&#8217;m in it.'&#8221;
&#8220;Twenty years ago, that was not the case,” he continued. “So, I think it brings you closer; it brings you into our living room, and I think it&#8217;s successful because it&#8217;s multi-generational. Grandma, grandpa watches, grandson, granddaughter. It&#8217;s just multi-generational, and I&#8217;ve said it before: This was not meant to be a family program. We do have foul language. We do horrible things that should not be done, and families watch it together. It ain&#8217;t a family program, but that&#8217;s what it turned out to be.&#8221;
Season 20 of “Deadliest Catch” debuts on June 11.

Sig Hansen

‘Deadliest Catch’ Star On Show’s 20th Season: ‘There’s A Work Ethic … People Respect That’

'Deadliest Catch' Star On Show's 20th Season: 'There's A Work Ethic ... People Respect That'

Entertainment

Reality TV

A group of Republican attorneys general announced a new lawsuit against the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> over its changes to Title IX that would expand prohibitions on discrimination to include gender identity.
The 85-page <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/KS-Title-IX-Complaint-filing-copy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a>, filed by Kansas, Utah, Alaska, Wyoming, Moms For Liberty, Young America’s Foundation, and Female Athletes United, says that the rule politicizes the education system to “conform to the radical ideological views of the Biden administration and its allies.”
The Education Department, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, the Justice Department, and Attorney General Merrick Garland are all named in the suit. Conservatives have argued that Biden’s changes to Title IX will endanger state laws keeping males out of women’s sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms.
“If Biden has his way, a 16-year-old female high school student on an overnight field trip could be forced to share a hotel room with a biological male who identifies as a girl or the district would risk losing federal funding,” <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/more-states-girls-sue-biden-admin-illegal-attempt-rewrite-title-ix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. “A 14-year-old girl could be forced to share a locker room and change in front of an 18-year-old man who identifies as a woman or the district could lose funds. It’s unconscionable, it’s dangerous for girls and women, and it’s against federal law.”
During a press conference announcing the suit, Kobach said that there were multiple concerns with the rules, including the intrusion of transgender-identifying males into female spaces, loss of due process for students accused of sexual misconduct, and expansion of benefits for students and school staff for abortions.
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“Sports should be free of politics, we’re not injecting politics into sports, we’re keeping politics out because it is a pure, ideological crusade that is driving this attempt to change women’s sports,” Kobach <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/963297708765749">said</a> during a press conference.
The suit argues that Biden’s new guidelines violate federal law, as well as the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments.
“This unlawful rule also robs girls and women of their opportunity to participate in their school’s education programs and activities, especially athletics, by forcing them to compete with biological males,” the suit says. “It forces both boys and girls, in their most formative years, to sacrifice their privacy in personal spaces such as restrooms, locker rooms, and even overnight accommodations.”
A number of other Republican officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-states-file-flurry-of-lawsuits-against-biden-admin-over-transgender-title-ix-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have filed</a> challenges to Biden’s Title IX re-write, including Montana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Idaho, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

President Biden Speaks On American Investments And Jobs Agenda

More Red States Move To Block Biden’s ‘Unconscionable’ Changes To Title IX

Biden Administration

Courts

Kansas

Title IX

Transgender Athletes

Utah

Wyoming

Young America's Foundation

President Joe Biden rolled out new actions on Friday to curb oil production and mining in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alaska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alaska</a>, drawing criticism from Republicans and local leaders who say the move will compromise national security and hurt the economy. 
The action, taken through the Department of Interior, blocks the granting of any new leases for oil drilling or mining on 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Alaska is also blocked from building a road to a copper deposit in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The deposit was estimated to contain about $7.5 billion worth of copper, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/climate/biden-alaska-drilling-mining-nrpa.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The New York Times. 
“I am proud that my Administration is taking action to conserve more than 13 million acres in the Western Arctic and to honor the culture, history, and enduring wisdom of Alaska Natives who have lived on and stewarded these lands since time immemorial,” Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/19/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-protecting-alaskas-arctic-lands-waters-and-wildlife/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “My Administration will continue to take ambitious action to meet the urgency of the climate crisis, protect America’s lands and waters, and fulfill our responsibility to the next generation of Americans.”
The decision drew sharp criticism from Republicans who said that the move would weaken America’s domestic energy production.
“Joe Biden is fine with our adversaries producing energy and dominating the world’s critical minerals while shutting down our own in America, as long as the far-left radicals he feels are key to his reelection are satisfied,’&#8217; Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said. “What a dangerous world this president has created.”
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Our adversaries are celebrating the Biden administration’s sanctions against America’s energy &amp; critical mineral production—locking up Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve and blocking access to the prolific Ambler Mining District. 
No wonder authoritarians are on the march. <a href="https://t.co/PcUwIqUDB0">pic.twitter.com/PcUwIqUDB0</a>
&mdash; Sen. Dan Sullivan (@SenDanSullivan) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenDanSullivan/status/1781071636860399644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Leaders of the North Slope Borough, the home to the National Petroleum Reserve, <a href="https://voiceofthearcticinupiat.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NPR-A-Press-Release-4.19.24.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Biden’s decision.
“The DOI seems to believe that they care about this land more than we do,” said North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak. “The elected leaders of the North Slope spoke in unison in opposition to this rule and the rulemaking process. To refuse to listen to our voices is to say that you know better &#8211; better than the people who have been this land’s stewards for the past 10,000 years, and who depend on its continued health for their own survival.”
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Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/war-on-alaska-biden-admin-cancels-alaskan-oil-and-gas-leases-bans-drilling-on-millions-of-acres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first announced</a> the plan to stop granting new leases back in September as part of his broader push to guide the United States toward a so-called “green transition.” Climate activists have still been upset with Biden, even after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-by-a-thousand-cuts-oil-executive-details-how-biden-is-a-drag-on-the-industry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canceled</a> the Keystone XL pipeline expansion and aggressively pushed green energy because he did <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-arctic-refuge-oil-gas-leases-interior-318dcc3f2d5b104a800bf3ba48e764b7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allow</a> the Willow oil project in Alaska’s North Slope to go forward. 
As Biden has restricted domestic energy production, gas prices have remained high and are <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently</a> up about 20 cents per gallon in the last month, according to recent data.

General Views Of The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System

Biden Slammed After Taking New Action To Curb Oil Production In Alaska

Department of Interior

A fanatical environmentalist group claimed it wrecked a gala at which Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was to be honored by a major oil company and called her a “murderer” and an “ecocidal pyromaniac.”
A video posted by the group Climate Defiance, a self-proclaimed “youth-led group using direct action to resist fossil fuels,” showed people storming a stage and tussling with other participants at the event.
“We just shut down a gala honoring U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski,” the group tweeted. “Murkowski is a murderer. She incinerates us to enrich her cronies. As Chevron&#8217;s top lobbyist gave her an award, we stepped in and stopped the ceremony. Respect us or expect us.”
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BREAKING: We just shut down a gala honoring U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski is a murderer. She incinerates us to enrich her cronies. As Chevron&#39;s top lobbyist gave her an award, we stepped in and stopped the ceremony. Respect us or expect us. 🧵 <a href="https://t.co/Q72mHerpdg">pic.twitter.com/Q72mHerpdg</a>
&mdash; Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateDefiance/status/1780981172442415450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“Murkowski brands herself as a moderate but in truth she is an ecocidal pyromaniac. She fought tooth and nail to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to big oil. Is nothing sacred? Is nothing sacred?” they continued.
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Murkowski brands herself as a moderate but in truth she is an ecocidal pyromaniac. She fought tooth and nail to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to big oil. Is nothing sacred? Is nothing sacred? (2/5) <a href="https://t.co/PTcG8TvSvz">pic.twitter.com/PTcG8TvSvz</a>
&mdash; Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateDefiance/status/1780981174296289352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“Murkowski played a lead role in persuading Biden to approve the Willow Project. This monstrosity will transport 200,000 barrels of oil every single day. This is hideous. This is cruel and barbaric beyond description,” they added.
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Murkowski played a lead role in persuading Biden to approve the Willow Project. This monstrosity will transport 200,000 barrels of oil every single day. This is hideous. This is cruel and barbaric beyond description. (3/5)
&mdash; Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateDefiance/status/1780981176565461073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) consists of 19,286,722 acres in northeastern Alaska. Polar bears, grizzly bears, and American black bears reside within the Refuge, along with moose, caribou, wolves, and foxes. In August 2020, the Department of opened 1.5 million acres of the coastal plain for drilling, less than 1% of the area of the ANWR. On January 20, 2021, President Biden, on his first day in office, implemented a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-public-health-and-environment-and-restoring-science-to-tackle-climate-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moratorium</a> on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1713449380053000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0e-HYFsZYxlnnLDshKhFqj">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Referring to the coastal plain, the U.S. Geological Survey has <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-0028-01/fs-0028-01.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, “Technically recoverable oil within the ANWR 1002 area (excluding State and Native areas) is estimated to be between 4.3 and 11.8 billion barrels (95- and 5-percent probability range), with a mean value of 7.7 billion barrels.”
“Total petroleum imports into the United States amounted to 8.5 million barrels per day in 2023,” <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/191251/total-petroleum-imports-into-the-us-since-2000/#:~:text=Total%20petroleum%20imports%20into%20the,petroleum%20imported%20into%20the%20U.S." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Statista</a> reported.
If 7.7 billion barrels could be retrieved from the ANWR, that would constitute importation of 8.5 million barrels for 905 years, assuring American energy independence for nearly a millennium.

2023 JDRF Children’s Congress, Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing

‘Murderer … Ecocidal Pyromaniac’: Radical Eco-Group Claims It Stormed Stage, Wrecked Murkowski Event

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Environmentalists

Lisa Murkowski

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