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Alaska attorney general wants states to have access to out-of-state abortion records

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Alaska attorney general wants states to have access to out-of-state abortion records


Abortion access remains legal and protected under the Alaska constitution, but Attorney General Treg Taylor is calling for states that banned abortion access to be allowed to pursue information about residents’ out-of-state abortion procedures.

Taylor was one of 19 Republican attorneys general to sign a June letter opposing a proposed rule by the administration of President Joe Biden that would ensure providers are not forced to disclose medical records with authorities in other states about reproductive health care. The letter claims that the proposed rule, which has not yet taken effect, would interfere “with States’ decisions to protect ‘prenatal life.’”

Taylor said he would not seek information about Alaskans’ abortion care. In an emailed statement, he said that the letter “is about preserving state’s rights in the face of federal overreach, and that is why Alaska joined.”

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With abortion now effectively banned in 15 states, many abortion patients are traveling to other states to legally end their pregnancies. In some states that have outlawed abortion access, legislatures have passed laws making it illegal to help others get abortion care. In Idaho, a law enacted earlier this year criminalizes helping minors travel out of state to get an abortion. Meanwhile, in some Democrat-controlled states, legislatures have passed laws to protect access to abortion care for individuals traveling from out-of-state.

“While this rule would have no effect on Alaska because abortions are legal, the rule seeks to thwart other states that have made a different policy decision on abortions post the Dobbs v. Jackson decision,” Taylor said by email, referencing the U.S. Supreme Court decision that last year overturned federal protections for abortion access, allowing numerous states to move forward with total or near-total abortion bans.

Public opinion polls have shown that around 60% of Alaskans support abortion access. The procedure is protected under the state constitution’s privacy clause. A ballot question last year on calling a constitutional convention, which could have allowed abortion opponents to weaken protections for the procedure, failed resoundingly.

According to Planned Parenthood, which operates abortion clinics in Alaska, it is possible that some out-of-state individuals travel to Alaska to seek abortion care. But it is more likely that Alaskans travel to other states for abortions when that is more convenient than accessing one of Planned Parenthood’s clinics in-state.

“Abortion is a time-sensitive procedure. It could mean that people are traveling to a bunch of different states depending on where there is an appointment that falls within the timeframe that they need,” said Mack Smith, a communications manager for Planned Parenthood. “Because Alaska is a fairly large state, it means that sometimes care is more accessible in another state like Washington. So we do have patients who travel to Washington for abortion care.”

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Taylor said he does not plan to seek information about Alaskans’ abortion care in other states, nor will Alaska provide information to other state agencies on individuals who come to Alaska for abortion care.

“Some news organizations have bizarrely asked if the state plans to pursue information on these procedures in other states or seeks to provide this information to other states. The answer is an emphatic ‘No,’” Taylor said by email.

The rule change proposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would amend the country’s strongest medical privacy measure — HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — to block state authorities from obtaining protected information about reproductive health care services received out-of-state for “criminal, civil, and administrative investigations and proceedings.”

The letter from the Republican attorneys general ties reproductive health care to gender-affirming care, stating that the rule would allow the Biden administration “to advance radical transgender-policy goals.” Unlike numerous other Republican-controlled states, Alaska has no laws limiting access to gender-affirming medical procedures.

Smith, with Planned Parenthood, called Taylor’s signature on the letter “a political stunt.”

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“Taylor signed on to the letter because he’s doing everything that his office will allow him to do, to try to strip people of their right to a safe and legal abortion,” she said. “Every opportunity that he gets to show that he is anti-abortion, he does that.”

Taylor earlier this year signed on to a letter cautioning companies against following new regulations from the Food and Drug Administration that would allow abortion drugs to be dispensed in pharmacies and by mail, rather than just in abortion clinics. Taylor signed the letter despite the fact that the state has no laws explicitly banning pharmacies from carrying the drugs. In response, several Alaska lawmakers sent a letter to Walgreens’ chief executive urging her to ignore the attorney general’s letter.

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Alaska

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Gets Fired For Twerking On The Job

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Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Gets Fired For Twerking On The Job


A flight attendant’s viral TikTok video ended up costing her job. Nelle Diala, who was working as a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines for over six months was reportedly fired from her job after recording a twerking video while at work, the New York Post reported. After losing her job for “violating” the airline’s “social media policy”, Diala set up a GoFundMe page for financial support. The twerking and dancing video, posted by Diala on her personal social media account, went viral on TikTok and Instagram. The video was captioned, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”

After being fired, Diala reposted the twerking video with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.” She added the hashtag #discriminationisreal.

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According to Diala’s GoFundMe page, she posted the “lighthearted video” during a layover. The video was shot in an empty aircraft. She wrote, “It was a harmless clip that was recorded at 6 am while waiting 2 hours for pilots. I was also celebrating the end of probation.”

“The video went viral overnight, but instead of love and support, it brought unexpected scrutiny. Although it was a poor decision on my behalf I didn’t think it would cost me my dream job,” she added.

Also Read: To Wi-Fi Or Not To Wi-Fi On A Plane? Pros And Cons Of Using Internet At 30,000 Feet

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Talking about being “wrongfully fired”, she said, “My employer accused me of violating their social media policy. I explained that the video wasn’t intended to harm anyone or the company, but they didn’t want to listen. Without warning, they terminated me. No discussion, no chance to defend myself-and no chance for a thorough and proper investigation.”

The seemingly “harmless clip” has led Diala to lose her “dream job”. She shared, “Losing my job was devastating. I’ve always been careful about what I share online, and I never thought this video, which didn’t even mention the airline by name, would cost me my career. Now, I am trying to figure out how to move forward.”






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Federal funds will help DOT study wildlife crashes on Glenn Highway

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Federal funds will help DOT study wildlife crashes on Glenn Highway


New federal funds will help Alaska’s Department of Transportation develop a plan to reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife on one of the state’s busiest highways.

The U.S. Transportation Department gave the state a $626,659 grant in December to conduct a wildlife-vehicle collision study along the Glenn Highway corridor stretching between Anchorage’s Airport Heights neighborhood to the Glenn-Parks Highway interchange.

Over 30,000 residents drive the highway each way daily.

Mark Eisenman, the Anchorage area planner for the department, hopes the study will help generate new ideas to reduce wildlife crashes on the Glenn Highway.

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“That’s one of the things we’re hoping to get out of this is to also have the study look at what’s been done, not just nationwide, but maybe worldwide,” Eisenman said. “Maybe where the best spot for a wildlife crossing would be, or is a wildlife crossing even the right mitigation strategy for these crashes?”

Eisenman said the most common wildlife collisions are with moose. There were nine fatal moose-vehicle crashes on the highway between 2018 and 2023. DOT estimates Alaska experiences about 765 animal-vehicle collisions annually.

In the late 1980s, DOT lengthened and raised a downtown Anchorage bridge to allow moose and wildlife to pass underneath, instead of on the roadway. But Eisenman said it wasn’t built tall enough for the moose to comfortably pass through, so many avoid it.

DOT also installed fencing along high-risk areas of the highway in an effort to prevent moose from traveling onto the highway.

Moose typically die in collisions, he said, and can also cause significant damage to vehicles. There are several signs along the Glenn Highway that tally fatal moose collisions, and he said they’re the primary signal to drivers to watch for wildlife.

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“The big thing is, the Glenn Highway is 65 (miles per hour) for most of that stretch, and reaction time to stop when you’re going that fast for an animal jumping onto the road is almost impossible to avoid,” he said.

The city estimates 1,600 moose live in the Anchorage Bowl.



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Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’

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Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’


They deemed the stunt not-safe-for-twerk.

An Alaska Airlines flight attendant who was sacked for twerking on camera has created a GoFundMe to support her while she seeks a new berth.

The crewmember, named Nelle Diala, had filmed the viral booty-shaking TikTok video on the plane while waiting two hours for the captain to arrive, A View From the Wing reported.

“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. TikTok / @_jvnelle415

She captioned the clip, which also blew up on Instagram, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”

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Diala was reportedly doing a victory dance to celebrate the end of her new hire probationary period.

Unfortunately, her jubilation was short-lived as Alaska Airlines nipped her employment in the bum just six months into her contract.

The fanny-wagging flight attendant feels that she didn’t do anything wrong.

Diala was ripped online over her GoFundMe page. GoFundMe

Diala has since reposted the twerking clip with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.”

The new footage was hashtagged #discriminationisreal.

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The disgraced stewardess even set up a GoFundMe page to help support the so-called “wrongfully fired” flight attendant until she can land a new flight attendant gig.

“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. “Losing my job was devastating.”

“Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive,” Diala wrote on TikTok while reacting to news of her firing. “What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.” Getty Images

She claimed that the gig had allowed her to meet new people and see the world, among other perks.

While air hostessing was ostensibly a “dream job,” Diala admitted that she used the income to help fund her “blossoming lingerie and dessert businesses,” which she runs under the Instagram handles @cakezncake (which doesn’t appear to have any content?) and @figure8.lingerie.

As of Wednesday morning, the crowdfunding campaign has raised just $182 of its $12,000 goal.

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Diala was ripped online for twerking on the job as well as her subsequent GoFundMe efforts.

“You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then,” declared one critic on the popular aviation-focused Instagram page The Crew Lounge. “Terms and Conditions apply.”

“‘Support for wrongly fired flight attendant??’” mocked another. “Her GoFund title says it all. She still thinks she was wrongly fired. Girl you weren’t wrongly fired. Go apply for a new job and probably stop twerking in your uniform.”

“The fact that you don’t respect your job is one thing but doing it while in uniform and at work speaks volumes,” scoffed a third. “You’re the brand ambassador and it’s not a good look.”

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