🇺🇸 Shutdowns, Secrets, and Seismic Shifts: America’s High-Stakes Week

Jeffrey Epstein’s final mug shot in 2019, now at the center of a congressional push for full public release of related DOJ files, as lawmakers and survivors demand transparency and accountability.

By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline News | November 2025

From Alaska’s seismic stations to Capitol Hill and COP30 in Brazil, this week’s headlines are all about high stakes: shuttered monitoring networks, partisan showdowns over funding and transparency, and global battles over fossil fuels and climate finance.

Alaska Seismic Stations Face Shutdown as Land‑Use Rules Reversed

Nine coastal seismic stations are scheduled to go offline, while the federal government rescinds protections on millions of acres of Alaska land, a sharp shift in both safety monitoring and energy policy.

Seismic Monitoring Shutdown

The Alaska Earthquake Center (AEC), part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has confirmed that NOAA will not renew a longstanding contract. According to AEC Director Mike West, “we are anticipating direct data feeds to stop in mid‑November.” Alaska Public Media+1
These seismic stations have long provided real-time data to NOAA’s National Tsunami Warning Center, enabling rapid alerts following undersea earthquakes. Alaska Public Media
The contract in question had been roughly $300,000 per year, and its lapse means that AEC says they “will not continue operating those stations in the Aleutians … that are entirely NOAA-supported.” Anchorage Daily News

Rollback of Protections in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR‑A)

On November 17, 2025, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a final rule rescinding the “Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska” regulation adopted in May 2024. GovInfo
According to the BLM, the 2024 rule “exceeds the agency’s statutory authority under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 … and undermines the purpose of that Act.” GovInfo
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that rescinding the rule “restores common-sense management and ensures responsible development benefits both Alaska and the nation.” U.S. Department of the Interior+2U.S. Department of the Interior+2
The final rule will become effective on December 17, 2025, according to the Federal Register. GovInfo
In addition, the Interior Department has withdrawn three policy documents that imposed stricter “Special Area” protections inside NPR‑A, including a 2024 request for information, a special-areas report, and an interim management memorandum. U.S. Department of the Interior+2Bureau of Land Management+2
This deregulatory action aligns with Executive Order 14153, titled “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” which directs the Department of the Interior to promote energy development in Alaska. Bureau of Indian Affairs+1
To operationalize that executive order, Secretary Burgum issued Secretary’s Order 3422, instructing Interior to “take all necessary steps” to exercise its discretion in unlocking Alaska’s natural resources. U.S. Department of the Interior

Implications (Based on Official Sources)

The discontinuation of seismic data feeds could significantly degrade tsunami early-warning capacity along Alaska’s coast, especially in seismically active regions like the Aleutians.
By rolling back the 2024 protections and reinstating a more permissive regulatory framework (pre‑2024), the BLM is signaling a strong pivot toward energy development in Alaska, particularly oil and gas leasing.
With the rescinded special-area policies, areas that were previously more restricted for environmental or subsistence reasons may now be more accessible for industrial development.
These changes reflect a broader federal strategy, guided by EO 14153 and Secretary’s Order 3422, to emphasize resource extraction and economic development over previous conservation-focused policies.

🇺🇸 National

Shutdown Ends, But Bipartisan Divisions Remain

On November 12, 2025, President Trump signed a funding bill that reopened the federal government after a 43-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.
The bill provides full-year funding for parts of government, extends other funding through January 30, 2026, and protects federal workers by restoring back pay and reversing recent layoffs. PBS+1
In a Statement of Administration Policy on the earlier H.R. 1968 (the continuing resolution that set up conditions), the Trump–Vance administration warned that failing to pass a CR would “result in a Government shutdown” and pledged to support funding to avoid this outcome. The White House
On the healthcare front, the funding package leaves unresolved tension: Democrats had sought to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, but Republicans declined to include them in this short-term funding deal.
Because many of these issues were deferred, political analysts and some lawmakers are warning that without a durable compromise on health care subsidies and appropriations, another shutdown could loom. (Primary public statements on this tension are implicit in funding bill design and the deferred ACA vote.)

Epstein Files Transparency Push

Representatives Thomas Massie (R‑KY) and Ro Khanna (D‑CA) introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405) on July 15, 2025. The bill would require the Attorney General to release “all documents and records in possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein.” Congress.gov
In a press release, Rep. Khanna accused the Department of Justice of “stonewalling” and said that “less than 1% of files have been released,” calling for the full release (with redactions to protect victims). Congressman Ro Khanna
According to the bill text, once enacted, the Attorney General would have 30 days to make the documents public, subject to redactions for privacy. Congress.gov
The bill is backed by a discharge petition mechanism: if the House does not act in seven legislative days, the petition would force a floor vote. Nasdaq+1
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have publicly supported the effort, stating that the records are vital both for transparency and for public reckoning. (Their statements are part of the sponsors’ press materials.) Congressman Ro Khanna

Why These Developments Matter

Short-Term Fix, Long-Term Risk: The shutdown’s end is a relief, but because key policy fights (like ACA tax credits) were postponed, the fundamental partisan divides remain. The reliance on stopgap funding means risk remains for future impasses.
Transparency Battle Gaining Legal Force: The Epstein Files Transparency Act is not just symbolic. It has legal mechanisms built in (via Congress) to compel document release if leadership resists. That raises stakes for DOJ and for accountability.
Public Trust and Justice: Survivors’ involvement gives the transparency push moral weight, and the battle is playing out at the intersection of oversight, victim rights, and government power.

🌍 Global Watch: COP30 & Climate Legal Reckoning

Landmark court rulings and financing roadmaps clash with fossil-fuel inertia at the Belém climate summit.

1. ICJ Opinion Raises the Legal Stakes on Fossil Fuels

On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion on states’ obligations regarding climate change, finding that “fossil fuel production, licensing, and subsidies … may constitute an internationally wrongful act.” International Court of Justice+2fossilfueltreaty.org+2
The Court emphasized that states must cooperate to protect the climate system, and pointed to “treaties and … coordinated forms of implementation” (like a treaty) as a key pathway. fossilfueltreaty.org
According to the Court, permitting new fossil fuel projects or providing subsidies could trigger international responsibility. IISD+1

2. Fossil Fuel Treaty Gains Momentum at COP30

The Fossil Fuel Non‑Proliferation Treaty Initiative reports that COP30 in Belém is a rallying point for a “global plan” to phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable way. fossilfueltreaty.org+1
The Initiative says it is building off (1) COP28’s language on “transition away from fossil fuels” and (2) the ICJ’s advisory opinion, as a legal basis for limiting fossil production. fossilfueltreaty.org
Their demands: issue a formal mandate for negotiating a treaty that halts new fossil fuel projects, phases out existing extraction, and funds a fair global transition. fossilfueltreaty.org

3. Financing the Transition: Roadmap to $1.3 Trillion

COP30’s presidency is pushing a “Baku-to-Belém Roadmap” that calls for mobilizing US$ 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate finance. Business Standard
According to the COP30 morning brief, a ministerial session will translate this roadmap into actionable pathways. Governments are working to define how to raise and deliver these funds. COP30
The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force proposes “solidarity levies” (taxes) on under‑taxed, high-carbon sectors as a financing tool. Their technical report outlines possible levies (e.g., on aviation) to help generate revenue. Global Solidarity Levies Task Force
In parallel, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) notes that tax policy (like rethinking fossil fuel subsidies and introducing green tax incentives) is a major lever at COP30 to redirect public money toward clean energy. IISD

4. Calls for Just Transition and Accountability

Several climate-justice organizations (Oil Change International, 350.org, Observatório do Clima, CAN International) released a briefing ahead of COP30 demanding a fair and funded phase‑out of fossil fuels, aligned with 1.5°C goals. Oil Change International
These groups call for: (a) no new fossil fuel expansion, (b) legal recognition of climate obligations (citing the ICJ ruling), and (c) scaled-up finance to help vulnerable countries and communities make the transition. Oil Change International
They also support establishing a Belém Action Mechanism for a Just Transition (BAM) to ensure that phase-out plans are equitable. 350

5. Broader Framing from the UN

In his opening remarks at COP30, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that the world needs “a bold and credible response plan” to close the gap on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and accelerate a just energy transition. UNFCCC
He reiterated that the transition must be “just, orderly and equitable,” building on commitments from COP28 to triple renewable capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. UNFCCC

Why This Matters (Analysis, Based on Primary Sources)

The ICJ’s advisory opinion isn’t just symbolic. It raises the prospect that countries could face international legal pressure for allowing fossil fuel expansion.
COP30 is becoming a potential turning point, not just through voluntary pledges, but via institutionalizing a treaty-based approach to managing fossil fuel decline.
The $1.3T roadmap shows negotiators recognize financing is the linchpin. Without serious money, and creative mechanisms like levies, a just transition is unlikely to scale.
Equity is front and center: calls for justice, solidarity, and legal accountability suggest that many are pushing COP30 to deliver more than rhetorical promises.
But there’s tension: raising $1.3T/year requires major political will, tax innovation, and alignment across countries, and not all parties may be ready to commit.