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U.S. President Joe Biden presents Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson a Presidential Citizens Medal during a ceremony to mark the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in the East Room of the White House, Jan. 6, 2023. Biden awarded over a dozen Presidential Citizens Medals to police officers who defended the Capitol and state officials who resisted pressure to overturn 2020 presidential election results. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Biden honors more than a dozen Americans for upholding democracy on Jan. 6

BY: - January 6, 2023

WASHINGTON — On the second anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, President Joe Biden on Friday awarded citizen medals to 14 Americans who protected democracy and law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol. “Two years ago on Jan. 6 our democracy was attacked,” Biden said at the White House. “Our democracy held because […]

U.S. House GOP backs McCarthy as speaker after tense and chaotic late-night session

BY: and - January 6, 2023

This story has been updated. WASHINGTON — The U.S. House elected Kevin McCarthy speaker early Saturday after most of the chamber’s Republicans finally gathered behind him, ending a four-day stalemate that led to the most rounds of voting for a speaker since before the Civil War.  The California Republican was able to clinch the gavel […]

With session approaching, Alaska House members seek to avoid leadership struggle like in U.S. House

BY: - January 6, 2023

As Americans watch the U.S. House struggle to elect a leader, Alaskans may soon see a similar situation develop in the state House of Representatives. “These proceedings back east, it’s a stark reminder to a lot of us that we could be going through the same thing,” said Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham. Eleven days before […]

Sen. Gary Stevens of Kodiak speaks at an Anchorage news conference on Friday announcing the formation of a 17-member bipartisan majority caucus. Stevens, a Republican, will be president of the body and Republican Cathy Giessel, sitting next to him, will be majority leader. Giessel, of Anchorage, represented her Anchorage district in the past but was defeated by a more hard-line Republican in the 2020 primary, Under the ranked-choice voting system, she was returned to the seat this year. The caucus will have nine Democrats and eight Republicans, including Stevens and Giessel. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Legislative leader touts consensus approach and outlines likely priorities for Alaska Senate

BY: - January 6, 2023

As the Alaska Legislature’s 2023 session approaches, a state Senate leader on Thursday highlighted the potential benefits of that body’s newly formed bipartisan majority coalition. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel said the nine Democrats and eight Republican in the coalition have shared values. “This coalition formed with a goal, and that is working together […]

An aerial view of the American flags flying over an international bridge as immigrants line up next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence to seek asylum on Dec. 22, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. A spike in the number of migrants seeking asylum in the United States has challenged local, state and federal authorities. The numbers are expected to increase as the fate of the Title 42 authority to expel migrants remains in limbo pending a Supreme Court decision expected after Christmas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Biden administration to rapidly expel more migrants at the border, add legal pathways

BY: and - January 5, 2023

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Thursday announced dual immigration strategies that would increase expulsions of migrants who attempt to cross the Southern border, while also expanding opportunities for migrants from several countries to legally enter the United States. But the sweeping new immigration plan brought condemnation from advocates who said he should not broaden […]

Alaska’s population rose slightly in 2022, but more people continue to leave than arrive

BY: - January 5, 2023

Alaska’s population rose in 2022 according to new estimates released Thursday by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, marking a second consecutive year of increases after four years of declines.  State demographers also retroactively boosted the state’s 2021 population estimate after new data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated fewer people moved out […]

California Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy heads to the U.S. House chamber just after noon on Jan. 5, 2023, as the House began another day of votes on his bid to become speaker. "We're just going to keep working until we solve it," he told reporters. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

U.S. House stuck for a third day as Republicans struggle to unite around a speaker

BY: and - January 5, 2023

This story has been updated. WASHINGTON — The U.S. House adjourned Thursday again without a speaker, racking up five more ballots throughout the day before members left the floor shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern, with some decamping to closed-door negotiations and others leaving the Capitol. “I am not a part of any negotiations,” Colorado’s Lauren […]

Alaska legislators say abortion-related legislation is unlikely to advance in the Capitol this year

BY: - January 5, 2023

Two weeks before the Alaska Legislature convenes in Juneau, members of the state House and Senate say they don’t expect much work this year on legislation involving controversial social issues like abortion and transgender rights. “I think it’s safe to say that the social issues along those lines probably will not get a lot of […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 28: Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testifies during the sixth hearing by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence for almost a year related to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, is presenting its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building during an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for President Joe Biden. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Trump fixation on Wisconsin, Ginni Thomas text regrets and more from the Jan. 6 panel

BY: - January 5, 2023

In the final weeks of 2022, the Democrat-led U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, attack on the Capitol disclosed thousands of pages of transcripts of interviews the panel’s members and staff conducted with key witnesses. The transcripts were central to a committee report released in December that held Donald Trump responsible for the 2021 […]

Advocates, legislators and pregnant workers rally on Capitol Hill in support of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act on Dec. 1, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for A Better Balance)

Here’s what you need to know about new workplace protections for pregnant, nursing workers

BY: - January 4, 2023

The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill President Joe Biden signed last week ushers in expanded protections for workers who are pregnant or nursing. Proponents of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act — both included as amendments to the spending bill — say the measures clarify rights for these workers, […]

U.S. Rep.-elect Steve Scalise (R-LA) (R) talks to Rep.-elect Ken Buck (R-CO) in the House Chambers on the second day of elections for speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 4, 2023 in Washington, D.C. The House of Representatives is meeting to vote for the next speaker after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) failed to earn more than 218 votes on three separate Tuesday ballots, the first time in 100 years that the speaker was not elected on the first ballot. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

U.S. House paralyzed following second day of GOP failure to elect a speaker

BY: and - January 4, 2023

This story has been updated. WASHINGTON — The U.S. House adjourned without a speaker for the second day in a row Wednesday as Republicans’ stalemate over who should lead the chamber for the next two years dragged on, with Kevin McCarthy failing to get the votes needed to become speaker on three more ballots. The […]

ConocoPhillips’ building is seen in downtown Anchorage. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz)

Two companies’ dispute over access to Alaska’s next big oil development is now headed to court

BY: - January 4, 2023

ConocoPhillips has sued Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration in an effort to block a state-issued permit that provides a competing company access to its major proposed North Slope oil development. Conoco, represented by attorneys in Anchorage and Pittsburgh, filed its lawsuit Friday, prolonging a fight with the state and Australia-based oil company Santos that’s been […]