At Alaska Headline Living, mornings start with the sun streaming through birch, pine, and quaking aspen … a gentle reminder that every day in Alaska begins with its own quiet magic.
Fresh stories shaping Alaska, America, and the world, with an eye on whatâs coming next and a smile to close it out.
Alaska
1. Petition to repeal Alaskaâs election system kicks off review
Alaska Division of Elections is reviewing signatures submitted by repeal-campaigners who want to overturn the stateâs 2020 switch to an open primary and rankedâchoice general election system.Â
What to watch for:Â If the petition clears the signature threshold, Alaskans could vote in 2026 on whether to undo the current system. That would reshape how campaigns, parties and voter behaviour evolve here.
2. Why Alaskans are facing EV shortages
A current barrier: cargo-ships are increasingly refusing to transport electric vehicles into Alaska due to the fire-risk of lithium-ion batteries. E&E News by POLITICO
What to watch for: If EV imports stay constrained, Alaskaâs transition to electric transportation may slow. The infrastructure investment gap may grow, creating strategic disadvantages or policy pressure for subsidies, alternate delivery systems or regulation.
3. Small quake near Anchorage underscores seismic-readiness
A magnitude 3.7 earthquake occurred ~29 miles southwest of Anchorage. Volcano Discovery
What to watch for: Even small quakes highlight Alaskaâs ongoing earthquake risk. They serve as reminders for preparedness efforts, infrastructure resilience, and how public officials communicate risk to communities.
United States
4. Short-term funding bill advances amid shutdown pressures
The Senate passed a bill to fund the federal government through January 30; the House is expected to vote soon.Â
What to watch for:Â Watch whether the House accepts this timeline or demands changes (e.g., health-subsidy funding). The billâs path will signal how the current shutdown (or near-shutdown) situation will affect policy, agencies, and public trust over the coming months.
5. Private dinner with Trump and Wall Street CEOs raises shape-of-policy questions
Donald Trump is set to host several major business-leaders at the White House. Reuters
What to watch for: These kinds of high-level meetings often precede shifts in regulatory, financial or industrial policy. Keep an eye on any announcements or signals around banking, corporate taxation, or executive/industry priorities.
6. Banks and insurers ramp up AI agents with plans to add oversight roles
Financial institutions are deploying customer-facing AI systems and are simultaneously creating new roles to supervise those systems.
What to watch for:Â This points to the evolving job-landscape and regulatory terrain in finance. The emergence of âAI overseers,â legal frameworks around algorithmic decisions, and consumer-trust implications will unfold in the next years.
World
7. Fossil-fuel infrastructure flagged as human rights risk by Amnesty International
Amnesty warns that the global fossil-fuel obsession contributes to major human-rights violations worldwide.Â
What to watch for:Â As climate policy and development finance dust up in the coming decade, the human rights dimension will gain traction. International investment decisions, litigation risk and reputational factors will increasingly shape energy infrastructure choices.
8. Clean-energy growth accelerates – per International Energy Agency Outlook
The IEAâs 2025 World Energy Outlook highlights record growth in renewables and suggests fossil-fuel-expansion is not required to meet many future energy needs. The Union of Concerned Scientists
What to watch for:Â This sets up major transitions: capital flows toward clean tech, policy pivot points, workforce changes, and countries rethinking how to integrate renewables, grid-storage and distributed energy in the next decade.
9. Indigenous protesters clash at COP30 climate summit in Brazil
Indigenous leaders forced entry into the summit venue in Belém, Brazil, demanding more rights over forests and land-management in the climate dialogue.
What to watch for:Â The dynamics of inclusion and justice at climate summits will shape negotiation outcomes. The roles of Indigenous communities, land-rights, and forest-policy frameworks are likely to see renewed visibility in the coming years.
10. Canada & France reiterate defence/trade collaboration ahead of Franceâs G7 presidency
Anita Anand (Canadaâs Foreign Affairs Minister) and Franceâs minister reaffirmed cooperation on security, trade and critical-minerals ahead of Franceâs 2026 G7 presidency. Canada
What to watch for: With the G7, critical minerals, defence links and trade ties all in flux, this signals groundwork for multilateral agendas in the near future: minerals for clean-energy / electric-vehicle supply chains, defence industrial cooperation, and the evolving role of the G7.
đ Last, but not least … Basketball.
11. New format for NBA All-Star Game: U.S. teams vs. World team
The NBA announced a new All-Star Game format for February 15, 2026: two U.S. teams and one World team, in a round-robin style. Olympics
Why this matters going forward: Sports formats often reflect globalization and marketing dynamics. This shift underscores the NBAâs increasing focus on international players and audiences. For fans it could mean fresh matchups, branding changes, and a more inclusive âworld talentâ narrative.
