Alaska

5 things to know for Oct. 14: Middle East, SpaceX, Alaska typhoon, TSA checkpoints, Tariff threats | CNN

Published

5 months ago

October 14, 2025

5 things to know for Oct. 14: Middle East, SpaceX, Alaska typhoon, TSA checkpoints, Tariff threats | CNN

In a rare show of acknowledgment, former President Joe Biden commended President Donald Trump on Monday for helping broker the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Former Vice President Kamala Harris also praised the Trump administration’s role in a similar bipartisan gesture, describing the deal as “an important first step toward a more hopeful future.”

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

The first phase of President Trump’s Gaza agreement achieved key breakthroughs on Monday, resulting in the release of all 20 living Israeli hostages and the freeing of thousands of Palestinian detainees. The second, more challenging phase — aimed at dismantling Hamas and deciding Gaza’s future leadership — has yet to be negotiated. Trump hailed a “historic dawn of a new Middle East” in remarks before the Israeli parliament as the deal brought a temporary halt to hostilities in the region. It now remains to be seen how the next round of Gaza negotiations will proceed, who will be part of a peacekeeping force and whether a Palestinian state will ever be formed.

Israelis and Palestinians celebrate freedom as hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees are released

2:43

SpaceX’s Starship megarocket completed an hour-long test flight Monday before making a fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The company is racing to develop the vehicle to help NASA achieve a moon landing planned for 2027. Acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy hailed the test flight as “another major step toward landing Americans on the moon’s south pole.” Duffy’s remarks come amid renewed skepticism that Starship will be ready in time to complete the mission in less than two years. Duffy — who is serving double duty as President Trump’s Secretary of Transportation — has been among the loudest voices warning that the US must return to the lunar surface before China lands on the moon.

SpaceX launches Starship megarocket’s 11th test flight

1:10

At least one death has been confirmed after a powerful storm tore through western Alaska over the weekend. Search and rescue efforts are underway across remote coastal communities to find missing residents. This comes after hurricane-force winds triggered record-breaking storm surge, displacing over 1,000 residents and tearing homes from their foundations. At least 51 people have been rescued in Kwigillingok and the nearby village of Kipnuk, a local tribal health agency and state officials said. The sparsely populated villages are more than 400 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Several major US airports are refusing to play a video of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the government shutdown. The video is intended to play at TSA checkpoints, with Noem stating, “Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.” Airports that have announced they will not show the video include Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International, Portland International, Seattle-Tacoma International, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and three airports in New York. Many airport officials have cited the video’s political tone as the reason for declining to air it.

Traders were jolted on Friday after President Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports, sparking a sell-off in volatile assets like tech stocks and cryptocurrencies. Nervous investors then dumped their riskier bets and fled to the perceived safety of government-issued Treasury bonds and gold. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.56% while the S&P 500 posted its worst day since April. Stocks then rebounded sharply on Monday as investors tried to temper their concerns about renewed US-China trade tensions. Bitcoin, which fell from roughly $122,500 to a low of around $104,600 on Friday, has also recouped some of its losses and is now trading around $111,000.

GET ‘5 THINGS’ IN YOUR INBOX

A US company has engineered a new type of wood that could potentially leave steel in the dust.

The FDA has cleared another blood test to help rule out Alzheimer’s disease in people showing symptoms.

LendingTree CEO and founder Doug Lebda dies in ATV accident

A company spokesperson said the tragic accident occurred at a family farm in North Carolina.

A young girl quickly stepped in to help her little brother when he began choking during playtime. See the video here.

The Tennessee Titans have fired head coach Brian Callahan after the team’s lackluster 1-5 start to the NFL season.

Johnson warned Monday that the ongoing government shutdown could soon rank among the longest in American history. The previous government shutdown in 2018-2019 was the longest in history, lasting 35 days. Today marks the shutdown’s 14th day.

🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect.

And finally…

Watch how scam victims lose millions to a con with a modern twist

10:02

into cryptocurrency. In this video, CNN’s Kyung Lah confronts a crook who tried to steal thousands from her.

Source link

Alaska

Musician performs under the aurora in Nenana — without gloves, in 17 degrees

Published

3 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Musician performs under the aurora in Nenana — without gloves, in 17 degrees

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A musician with Alaska Native roots recorded an hour-long live set in Interior Alaska beneath the aurora.

Chastity Ashley, a drummer, vocalist and DJ who performs under the name Neon Pony, celebrated a year since she traveled to Nenana to record a live music set beneath the northern lights for her series Beats and Hidden Retreats.

Ashley, who has Indigenous roots in New Mexico, said she was drawn to Alaska in part because of the role drums play in Alaska Native culture. A handmade Alaskan hand drum, brought to her by a man from just outside Anchorage, was incorporated into the performance in February 2025.

Recording in the cold

The team spent eight days in Nenana waiting for the aurora to appear. Ashley said the lights did not come out until around 4 a.m., and she performed a continuous, uninterrupted hour-long set in 17-degree weather without gloves.

“It was freezing. I couldn’t wear gloves because I’m actually playing, yeah, hand drums and holding drumsticks. And there was ice underneath my feet,” Ashley said.

“So, I had to really utilize my balance and my willpower and my ability to just really immerse in the music and let go and make it about the celebration of what I was doing as opposed to worrying about all the other elements or what could go wrong.”

She said she performed in a leotard to allow full range of motion while drumming, DJing and singing.

Filming on Nenana tribal land

Ashley said she did not initially know the filming location was on indigenous land. After local authorities told her the decision was not theirs to make, she contacted the Nenana tribe directly for permission.

“I went into it kind of starting to tell them who I was and that I too was a part of a native background,” Ashley said. “And they just did not even care. They’re like, listen, we’re about to have a party for one of our friends here. Go and do what you like.”

Ashley said the tribe gave her full permission to film on the reservation, and that the aurora footage seen in the episode was captured there.

Seeing the aurora for the first time

Ashley said the Nenana performance marked her first time seeing the northern lights in person.

“It felt as if I were awake in a dream,” she said. “It really doesn’t seem real.”

She said she felt humbled and blessed to perform beneath the aurora and to celebrate its beauty and grandeur through her music.

“I feel incredibly humbled and blessed that not only did I get to take part in seeing something like that, but to play underneath it and celebrate its beauty and its grandeur.”

The Alaska episode is the second installment of Beats and Hidden Retreats, which is available on YouTube at @NeonPony. Ashley said two additional episodes are in production and she hopes to make it back up to Alaska in the future.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Source link

Alaska

Over $150K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

Published

15 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Over 0K worth of drugs seized from man in Juneau, police say

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – An Alaska drug task force seized roughly $162,000 worth of controlled substances during an operation in Juneau Thursday, according to the Juneau Police Department.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, investigators with the Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) approached 50-year-old Juneau resident Jermiah Pond in the Nugget Mall parking lot while he was sitting in his car, according to JPD.

A probation search of the car revealed a container holding about 7.3 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine, as well as about 1.21 gross grams of a substance that tested presumptively positive for fentanyl.

As part of the investigation, investigators executed a search warrant at Pond’s residence, during which they found about 46.63 gross grams of ketamine, 293.56 gross grams of fentanyl, 25.84 gross grams of methamphetamine and 25.5 gross grams of MDMA.

In all, it amounted to just less than a pound of drugs worth $162,500.

Investigators also seized $102,640 in cash and multiple recreational vehicles believed to be associated with the investigation.

Pond was lodged on charges of second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, two counts of third-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, five counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a substance and an outstanding felony probation warrant.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Source link

Alaska

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Sand Point teen found 3 days after going missing in lake

SAND POINT, Alaska (KTUU) – A teenage boy who was last seen Monday when the canoe he was in tipped over has been found by a dive team in a lake near Sand Point, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Alaska’s News Source confirmed with the person, who is close to the search efforts, that the dive team found 15-year-old Kaipo Kaminanga deceased Thursday in Red Cove Lake, located a short drive from the town of Sand Point on the Aleutian Island chain.

Kaminanga was last seen canoeing with three other friends on Monday when the boat tipped over.

A search and rescue operation ensued shortly after.

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team posted on Facebook Thursday night that they were able to “locate and recover” Kaminanga at around 5 p.m. Thursday.

“We are glad we could bring closure to his family, friends and community,” the post said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more details become available.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Source link