Trump Departs for Historic Alaska Meeting with Putin in Bid for Peace Deal

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President Donald Trump departed Washington, D.C., on Friday morning, heading to Anchorage, Alaska, for a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The talks are expected to address territorial disputes, sanctions, and the broader path toward a peace agreement involving both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Air Force One took off just after 8 a.m. ET, with Trump speaking briefly to reporters onboard. He emphasized that while his focus is on American interests, the mission is about preventing further bloodshed in Eastern Europe.

“Economically severe. Yes, it will be very severe. I’m not doing this for my health, okay,” Trump said. “I don’t need it. I’d like to focus on our country, but I’m doing this to save a lot of lives. Yeah, very severe.”

According to Trump, Russia will face significant economic repercussions if a deal is not reached. He also acknowledged that land swaps could form part of the negotiations but stressed that such decisions ultimately belong to Ukraine.

“[Territorial swaps will] be discussed, but I’ve got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they’ll make a proper decision,” he noted. “But I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine. I’m here to get them at a table.”

While no concrete schedule for the Alaska talks has been released, the meeting’s location—halfway between Moscow and Washington—has been described as a symbolic midpoint for a potentially groundbreaking dialogue.

Trump reiterated his belief that Putin’s ambitions had been curtailed during his presidency.

“Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine. If I wasn’t president, he would, right now, be taking all of Ukraine, but he’s not going to do it,” Trump said.

Emergency Declared in Alaska as Glacier Basin Nears Record Flood Release

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Authorities in Alaska’s capital are bracing for what could be one of the largest glacial lake outburst floods on record, triggering state, local, and tribal disaster declarations before the waters even begin to surge.

On Sunday, Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a statewide disaster declaration in anticipation of a potentially catastrophic release from Suicide Basin — a glacial side basin perched above the Mendenhall Glacier. The move follows earlier declarations from the City and Borough of Juneau and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

Hydrologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have confirmed that Suicide Basin is now holding water volumes equal to or greater than those measured during the worst flooding events on record. The ice-dammed basin has already begun to overtop, with icebergs drifting toward an overflow channel — an ominous sign that floodwaters could soon pour into the Mendenhall River and surrounding neighborhoods.

“This year is different. We’re not just responding — we’re ready,” Juneau City Manager Katie Koester said. “The HESCO barriers are in place, and we believe they will perform as designed, but our job is to plan for every scenario — especially in the face of what could be another historic flood event.”

The August 2024 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) devastated parts of the Mendenhall Valley, damaging homes, public infrastructure, and utilities. That disaster led to both state and federal emergency declarations. Officials say the proactive approach this year will allow state resources and personnel to be pre-positioned.

The NWS warned that in past years, overtopping has preceded major flooding by as much as six days. On Sunday, August 10, instruments began detecting slow drops in basin water levels — another sign the release could be imminent.

Residents have been urged to finalize flood preparations immediately. Emergency alerts have been sent to cell phones throughout Juneau, and printed evacuation preparation notices are being distributed to every home within the 17-foot inundation zone. A second alert will be issued when water begins its rapid descent from the basin.

Governor Dunleavy underscored the importance of acting early: “By issuing this declaration before the flood occurs, we can position resources in advance to reduce impacts and preserve community safety.”

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Experts Warn Hidden Earthquake Threat beneath North America Could Strike Fairbanks at Any Moment

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A previously quiet fault line beneath North America is now feared to be a ticking time bomb, and experts warn it could unleash a devastating earthquake with no warning, shaking parts of the US.

Canadian scientists have discovered that the Tintina Fault, located just 12 miles from Dawson City in the Yukon, has been silently building up underground pressure and may be on the verge of erupting in a massive quake.

The fault runs beneath highways, rivers, and critical infrastructure, and stretches into interior Alaska, raising fears it could send tremors into British Columbia, Alberta, and Montana, according to seismologists.

Dr Michael West, state seismologist at Alaska Earthquake Center, told the Daily Mail: ‘This new study shows it has been quietly building toward a potentially very large earthquake.’

‘It is one of the least studied fault systems in North America, and that needs to change,’ he added.

One section alone is approximately 81 miles long and could generate a magnitude 7.5 earthquake or greater, strong enough to shatter roads, destroy pipelines, and trigger landslides across the both Canada and the US. (Read more from “Experts Warn Hidden Earthquake Threat beneath North America Could Strike Fairbanks at Any Moment” HERE)

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Federal Land Sales, More Logging and More Oil Revenue: What’s in the Big Federal Bill for Alaska?

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Members of the U.S. Senate last week proposed a major sale of federal land as part of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” proposed by Republicans to fund the U.S. government.

If adopted, the proposed sale could be significant for Alaska, where the federal government owns and manages 61% of all land in the state.

Under language proposed by the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service would be required to sell between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public land across 11 Western states, including Alaska.

National parks and monuments would be off limits to sale, but wide swaths of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land would still be available.

The proposed language states that the sold land “shall be used solely for the development of housing or to address associated community needs,” and that the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture can determine whether the sold land is being used for an appropriate purpose. (Read more from “Federal Land Sales, More Logging and More Oil Revenue: What’s in the Big Federal Bill for Alaska?” HERE)

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Alaska Hits Shocking Heat Record as Dangerous Phenomenon Accelerates: ‘Those Temps Could Feel Like 110’

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In a tragic milestone for rising global temperatures, the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Alaska, the first such alert in the state’s history, Grist reported.

Facing 22 hours of summer daylight and temperatures forecast to reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, Ciara Santiago, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fairbanks, Alaska, issued the historic advisory.

“People in [the] Lower 48 might think that’s nothing, but here those temps could feel like 110,” Santiago said, per Grist.

With June temperatures normally in the low 70s, the heat posed a challenge for residents more accustomed to dealing with brutal winters than hot summers. Most homes were designed to trap rather than release heat, and few buildings have air conditioning, Grist reported.

Due to a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification, areas near the Earth’s poles are warming at a much faster rate than the rest of the planet. With one-third of the state within the Arctic Circle, Alaska has experienced these effects firsthand, warming twice as fast as the lower 48 states, according to Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. (Read more from “Alaska Hits Shocking Heat Record as Dangerous Phenomenon Accelerates: ‘Those Temps Could Feel Like 110’” HERE)

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Murkowski Really Doesn’t Want To Take ‘Big Hammer’ To Biden’s Massive Climate Bill

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Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is working to preserve some provisions of former President Joe Biden’s signature climate bill as Republicans look for savings to pay for their reconciliation package, according to Politico.

Murkowski suggested that her party should be “taking a more cautious and conscientious approach” to repealing the bill instead of taking a “big hammer” to the green energy credits included in Biden’s trillion-dollar Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Politico reported. The IRA, which received no votes from Republicans in Congress in 2022, is facing major cuts as Republicans look for possible savings to fund President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda.

As part of the proposed GOP budget bill to advance the Trump administration’s priorities, House Republicans plan to cut billions in clean energy subsidies implemented during the previous administration, including credits for electric vehicles, “green” household products like heat pumps and energy-saving doors and windows.

Credits for hydrogen production, as well as advanced manufacturing and nuclear power production would be phased out, dividing right-of-center energy policy analysts. The bill also seeks to end “transferability,” which allows project sponsors to transfer the credit to a third party, and crack down on the ability of Chinese companies to benefit from the subsidies.

“I’m pretty sure that there would be a fair number on that list, on the House side, who are hoping against hope that we in the Senate will work to soften that,” Murkowski told Politico. She was one of four Republican senators who asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune in April to preserve certain energy tax credits in the IRA. (Read more from “Murkowski Really Doesn’t Want To Take ‘Big Hammer’ To Biden’s Massive Climate Bill” HERE)

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Russian Military Aircraft Enter Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone

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The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported Thursday that Russian military aircraft were detected in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday and Wednesday. NORAD said such activity “occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.”

The ADIZ is a zone that extends outward from the sovereign air space of a nation, forming a buffer zone between sovereign and international air space. Planes that enter an ADIZ are identified and tracked to ensure they do not behave in a threatening or provocative manner.

NORAD said the Russian aircraft tracked on Tuesday and Wednesday did not attempt to enter either American or Canadian airspace.

Tensions along the northern frontier have been elevated since an incident in January where an unusually large number of Russian warplanes were spotted in the Arctic, prompting U.S. and Canadian fighters to scramble in response. (Read more from “Russian Military Aircraft Enter Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone” HERE)

Viral Video Shows Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Punching Screaming Man Who Attacked Female Passenger

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An Alaska Airlines flight attendant was forced to repeatedly pummel a screaming man experiencing a “violent medical episode” to free the woman he was attacking during it, viral video shows.

The disturbing footage, uploaded to social media, shows the male flight attendant aboard Flt. 221 to Portland, Ore., desperately trying to save the female passenger after the man behind her suddenly grabbed her hair before take-off from Oakland, Calif., on Feb. 1.

“Let go of her hair!” someone can be heard shouting as the flight attendant tries to pry the man’s hands off her locks.

When that fails, the flight attendant starts punching the man in the throat and torso until the unruly passenger finally relents and lets go of the frightened woman, who was helped out of the aisle by other flyers.

The flight attendant can be seen pushing the man’s face back, keeping him in place as the passenger began howling uncontrollably.

(Read more from “Viral Video Shows Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Punching Screaming Man Who Attacked Female Passenger” HERE)

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Deadly Plane Crash Makes Ominous State History as ‘Item of Interest’ Found at Site

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The remains of 10 people who were in a commuter plane that crashed off the coast of Alaska have been recovered, authorities said Saturday.

“All ten individuals aboard the Bering Air plane have been officially brought home,” the Nome Volunteer Fire Department wrote on Facebook.

Rhone Baumgartner, 46, and Kameron Hartvigson, 41, boarded the flight to Nome after traveling to Unalakleet to work on a heat recovery system servicing the community’s water plant, according to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, The Associated Press reported.

The pilot killed in the crash has been identified as Chad Antill, 34, of Nome. The other victims, according to the Anchorage Daily News, were Liane Ryan, 52, of Wasilla; Donnell Erickson, 58, of Nome; Andrew Gonzalez, 30, of Wasilla; Jadee Moncur, 52, of Eagle River; Ian Hofmann, 45, of Anchorage; Talaluk Katchatag, 34, of Unalakleet, and Carol Mooers, 48, of Unalakleet. . .

The Coast Guard determined the severity of the wreckage was beyond the possibility of survival but announced an “item of interest” related to the search was recovered.

This was one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years. (Read more from “Deadly Plane Crash Makes Ominous State History as ‘Item of Interest’ Found at Site” HERE)

Alaska Plane That Went Missing Found in Sea Ice With All 10 on Board Dead

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The wreckage of the small plane that went missing flying over Alaska was found Friday on sea ice — with all 10 on board dead, authorities said.

Coast Guard spokesperson Mike Salerno said rescue crews located the plane by helicopter while scouring over the aircraft’s last known location and lowered two rescue swimmers to investigate.

The two swimmers identified three bodies inside the plane, while seven others are believed to be inside the wreckage but were inaccessible due to the condition of the aircraft, the US Coast Guard Alaska said in a statement on X.

The Cessna Caravan carrying nine passengers and one pilot left Unalakleet around 2:37 p.m. Thursday and was headed for Nome, about 150 miles away, but lost contact with officials less than an hour later.


(Credit: USCG)

Wreckage of the missing aircraft was located 34 miles southeast of Nome, officials said.

Officials on Friday said the plane experienced a “rapid loss” in elevation and speed just before vanishing. (Read more from “Alaska Plane That Went Missing Found in Sea Ice With All 10 on Board Dead” HERE)

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