Democratic U.S. House candidate Matt Schultz is seen in an undated photo published on his campaign website. An Anchorage pastor, Schultz suspended his campaign on Friday and urged voters to support independent Bill Hill. (Screenshot)
Matt Schultz, a Democrat running for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat, suspended his campaign on Friday and threw his support to independent candidate Bill Hill.
Schultz, an Anchorage pastor, released a statement urging “all Democrats, Independents, and all Alaskans who believe in protecting our democracy” to vote for Hill to oust first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich.
“I entered this race because I believe public service is a moral calling, and because too many Alaskans feel unheard in the fight for a fairer, more just world. I am deeply disappointed that the GOP chose to meddle in this race and that too many institutions within the Democratic Party ecosystem declined to meaningfully support a campaign rooted in service, integrity, and the needs of working Alaskans,” Schultz said in his statement.
Bill Hill is seen in an undated headshot provided by his campaign. (Contributed photo)
“But we are living through a moment when our democracy itself is under threat, and defeating Nick Begich and restoring a Democratic majority in the House must come before any one candidate or campaign. It has become clear to me in recent days that remaining in this race no longer serves that urgent purpose,” he said. “Today, I am suspending my campaign and calling on Democrats, Independents, and all Alaskans who believe in protecting our democracy to vote for Bill Hill in the general election this November.”
Schultz’s announcement followed news of an effort by Republican advocates to attack Hill in advance of the Aug.18 primary.
A message aimed at “Democrat primary voters,” asserted that “’independent’ Bill Hill can’t be trusted.”
Earlier this week, Hill’s campaign characterized the attacks as evidence that Republicans consider him a bigger threat to Begich’s re-election.
Hill, a commercial fisher and former teacher and school district superintendent, has gotten backing from labor unions, education and Tribal organizations. He is Athabascan and from the Bristol Bay region, and he has support from Alaska Native organizations and prominent Alaska Native leaders.
U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, R=Alaska, speaks at the June 17, 2026, Resource Development Council for Alaska annual luncheon in Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Hill and Begich are considered front runners among now 14 candidates for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat. The top four vote-getters in the August primary will advance to the general election on November 3.
Late Friday, after Schultz’s announcement, Hill issued a statement praising the Democratic candidate.
Hill said he and Schultz “have similar motivations and values.”
“We’re proud Alaskans. We both know what it’s like to work hard to put food on the table. And more than anything, Matt and I both know that Nick Begich does not represent Alaska,” Hill said.
“Today Matt made a tough and selfless decision to put Alaskans first. Matt has run a strong, grassroots, Alaskan campaign. He’s made a clear case for lower costs, affordable healthcare, and an end to the rampant corruption in DC. These are the same issues I’ve committed to fight for in Congress.”
A response from the Republican Party said Schultz’s decision showed the weakness of the Democratic party in Alaska.
Campaign signs for Democrats Matt Schultz and Tom Begich are seen in a Midtown Anchorage yard on July 17, 2026. Schultz mounted his campaign to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich. But he endorsed Nick’s uncle, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Begich, a former state senator. Schultz suspended his campaign on July 17 and urged supporters to rally behind independent Bill Hill. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
“Today’s far-left Democrat Party is so toxic in Alaska that DC Democrats poured dark money behind Bill Hill, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, to sideline one of their own. The Democrat’s desperately put their thumb on the scale which tells you everything you need to know about how far out of touch their policies have become with hardworking Alaskans,” National Republican Congressional Campaign spokesperson Zach Bannon said in a statement.
Nick Begich, a Republican who has aligned himself with President Trump, comes from a prominent Alaska Democratic family.
His uncle, former state Sen. Tom Begich, D-Anchorage, is among the leading candidates running for governor this year.
In a statement, Tom Begich also praised Schultz for running “an incredible campaign” and thanked the pastor for backing his gubernatorial campaign.
“I’ve been grateful for Matt’s endorsement in this election and, more importantly, for his friendship,” Tom Begich’s statement said. “Now we turn to the general election. We must unite behind Bill Hill and work to restore the rule of law and civility in Alaska and across the country.”
Nick Begich is also the nephew of Tom’s brother, former U.S. Sen. and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who is a Democrat.
State senators crowd around Matt Kissinger, commercial director of the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., shortly before lawmakers voted Thursday, July 16, 2026, on a compromise version of a tax break intended to benefit the trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. (Corinne Smith photo/Alaska Beacon)
On Wednesday, one day before the Alaska Legislature voted on a multibillion-dollar tax break for the proposed trans-Alaska gas pipeline, Rep. Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, gave the pipeline’s lead developer a sneak preview of the bill.
For weeks, Schrage had been in charge of negotiating a compromise version of the tax break that could get approval from the state House, Senate and Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
He walked Glenfarne Alaska President Adam Prestidge through the compromise, explaining section by section how skeptics in the state Senate had given ground on labor issues and project timing. Skeptics also were no longer insisting that the pipeline be subject to a revised tax on privately held oil and gas firms.
Given those changes, Schrage asked: Could Glenfarne support the bill?
According to Schrage, Prestidge said it could, and Glenfarne would publish a news release to that effect.
Glenfarne disputes Schrage’s account, and that difference in perspectives appears to have contributed to a failed vote on Thursday that killed the bill — and possibly with it, the current version of the gas pipeline project.
“The governor’s probably in a bad mood,” said Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, “but he was definitely told on several occasions when we were negotiating this bill that this is our last and final offer. The bill goes down, it’s dead. There’s no playing around.”
Glenfarne has repeatedly said that changes to the state’s petroleum property tax are needed in order to get financing for the pipeline project, which is expected to cost as much as $54.5 billion.
The bill wouldn’t have guaranteed a pipeline, but as Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, said earlier this year, the lack of a bill would guarantee not having a pipeline.
The tax break would require the state and local governments to forgo more than $10 billion in revenue over 30 years, and some legislators are skeptical of the proposal. Getting their votes required a compromise.
A tax revision, variously called an “S Corp tax” or “pass-through entities tax” would apply certain income taxes to some companies that don’t currently pay them. It was included in the pipeline bill to win the votes of skeptical lawmakers, but prior versions of the tax have drawn opposition and led to an impasse.
On Thursday, after Schrage told fellow lawmakers that Glenfarne supported the new version, a bipartisan, bicameral committee voted 4-2 to advance it to the full House and Senate.
No news release came, and Schrage talked to Prestidge again.
Hilcorp, an oil and gas firm owned by billionaire businessman Jeffery Hildebrand, is the operator of the Prudhoe Bay and Point Thompson oil and gas units on the North Slope. Those units would supply gas for the pipeline that Glenfarne intends to build.
Hilcorp is also the company that would be most affected by the revised tax.
“What I heard from Glenfarne is that Hilcorp told them that if they came out in support of the bill, that they would make all their contractual negotiations impossible for them, and essentially threatened to use their future negotiations, which they knew they would have to enter into, to leverage them and and make things incredibly difficult,” Schrage said.
After Thursday’s committee vote, pro-development groups issued a statement asking legislators to vote down the revised bill, citing the tax revision and its potential effect on natural gas prices in the state.
“When you tax entities that are providing you with a commodity, it will increase the end cost of said commodity,” said Steve Wackowski, president and CEO of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, a trade group that signed the statement.
Before the state Senate voted on Thursday afternoon, lawmakers there learned that Glenfarne and the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. — a state-owned firm developing the pipeline with Glenfarne — might have issues with the S Corp provision after all.
AGDC owns 25% of the gas line project, while Glenfarne owns 75%.
They called for a brief break in order to talk with Prestidge and Matt Kissinger, the commercial director of AGDC, in private.
Kissinger told senators that AGDC was fine with gasline-related provisions of the bill but had no comment on the pass-through provision because AGDC isn’t a tax-paying entity.
“They wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole because they answer to the (governor),” said Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka on Friday.
By phone to senators on Thursday, Prestidge said Glenfarne opposed the S Corp provision.
Members of the 14-person Senate majority caucus left that meeting with no agreement on whether or not to pass the bill. It ultimately passed the Senate by a single vote after Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, changed from “no” to “yes.”
Before the House could vote, Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a statement saying he opposed the latest version of the bill and would veto it if it passed the House.
No veto was needed: Only 19 members of the House voted for the bill, two short of what was needed to advance it.
Only one of the House’s 21 Republicans — Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak — voted for the bill; all of the House’s Democrats and independents voted for it. That flipped a vote on a prior version, when opposition came from a handful of Democrats and independents.
Several Republicans who voted against the bill said they did so because it would affect companies that are drilling for oil and gas in Cook Inlet — Hilcorp, as well as HEX and Furie. Armstrong Oil and Gas, a firm active on the North Slope, would also be affected.
Partially because of corporate secrecy and partially because of the haste with which the compromise advanced, there was no information on how much each company would pay.
In addition, members of the all-Republican House minority caucus were excluded from the closed-door negotiating that led to the compromise bill. The exact text of the final version came as a surprise to them.
“All of a sudden, we would have a tax on our three most important companies, which would be Hilcorp, HEX, and Armstrong,” said Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake. “I think (voting no) was the right thing to do, and my whole caucus apparently agrees, as well as the Senate minority.”
Schrage, who voted for the bill, disagreed.
“The bill worked for Glenfarne and would have allowed them to keep moving the project forward and given them a shot. They were happy and pleased with the work product. I don’t think they ever loved the S Corp provision, but it didn’t harm them. And it was only when Hillcorp came in to essentially leverage the parties at play that everything fell apart,” Schrage said afterward.
Glenfarne disputes Schrage’s account of what occurred, calling it “misleading and incorrect.”
“Glenfarne didn’t take a position on a bill we hadn’t seen, and once we saw the bill we immediately opposed it, including our June 19 statement to the media. This tax increases commercial and economic uncertainty in Alaska for the whole industry working together to support this project and bring energy relief. A $16 project energy price cap and tax-driven cost increases make project economics increasingly challenged,” said spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick by email.
Fitzpatrick’s statement refers to a clause in the gas pipeline bill that caps the price of natural gas for Alaskans. If taxes rise on Hilcorp, it could then raise the price of North Slope gas it sells into the pipeline, making it difficult for Glenfarne to meet the required price, said those familiar with the issue.
“It’s frustrating that Hillcorp has so much influence over the state of Alaska,” said Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel on Friday. “Glenfarne or the governor wouldn’t stand up to them for the better interests of the state of Alaska.”
Schrage says he has phone records and text messages to back up his account.
“I think the evidence is pretty clear,” Schrage said. “The governor, Glenfarne and minority Republicans all indicated support for the bill passed out of the conference committee minus the closure of the passthrough entity tax loophole which the entire AKLNG project was exempted from. Given that exemption and the support for the rest of the bill, what possible reason would Glenfarne have to oppose the bill other than pressure from Hilcorp?”
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, took to social media on Thursday to accuse Dunleavy of working for “a Texas billionaire,” the owner of Hilcorp.
“Yeah, that’s bulls**t. OK, that’s bulls**t. He’s just — and you could quote me, that’s bulls**t. OK, he’s a bulls**tter,” Dunleavy said of Wielechowski, speaking to reporters after a news conference on Thursday evening. “He is one of a handful in the Senate and the Democrats that are going to try and kill this gas line for the very people they purport to represent — poor people, single moms with kids — that their bills are going through the roof. Why doesn’t he give a rip about them? Why doesn’t he care about them?”
“Why is he insisting on an S Corp in this bill?” Dunleavy asked.
Because Dunleavy would veto a standalone bill, Wielechowski said afterward.
“The reason that it hasn’t been passed is because he’s threatened to veto it, and you need 45 votes to override that, and there’s zero chance we’re going to get it,” Wielechowski said.
Alaska is facing a long-term deficit, with spending on services and the Permanent Fund dividend expected to greatly exceed the amount of available revenue. Legislators have been trying since 2017 to pass a bill containing the S Corp provision.
Dunleavy has vetoed numerous standalone tax bills, saying repeatedly that he will not approve any that are not part of a comprehensive plan to bring state expenses and revenue into line over the long term.
“He’s killed all of the new revenue bills that we’ve offered,” said Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage.
“This is a huge gap in our revenue stream. It is an inequality in our tax structure,” she said, noting that other oil companies pay the tax that Hilcorp would pay. “How is it that Conoco and Exxon have been able to pay this tax and still continue to explore on the North Slope?”
Dunleavy said insisting on an S Corp provision in the gas pipeline bill amounts to hostage-taking.
“So you can’t get an S corp bill passed that’s unvetted, that nobody really knows what it does, unless you hold the people hostage with a gas bill? Well, that’s a representative for you. That’s a senator for you. That’s pretty sad, to be perfectly honest with you,” he said. “Pretty sad.”
NEW YORK — Will Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final mark the coronation of Lionel Messi-era Argentina as the best national team of all time? Or will Spain’s next-greatest generation take a huge step toward claiming that title for itself? It’s a dream finale between two iconic soccer powers. With Messi and coach Lionel Scaloni leading the way, La Albiceleste have filled the proud soccer country’s trophy cabinet over the past five years, winning two Copa Américas, one Finalissima and the 2022 World Cup. Should Argentina prevail on Sunday, it would stand alone as the only team ever to claim back-to-back-to-back-to-back world and continental titles. Only it and Spain’s iconic 2008-2012 squad have ever three-peated. This version of La Roja is just getting started. “We’re trying to do the same, to try to show the world that we can be the best team,” Spain captain Rodri said during Friday’s pre-World Cup final press conference in Midtown Manhattan, a few miles east of 81,000-seat New York New Jersey Stadium, the site of Sunday’s championship. The reigning European champs are well on their way. In addition to beating England to the silverware at Euro 2024, they won the UEFA Nations League in 2023 and finished second in 2021 and 2025, enough to be named FIFA’s team of the year in the latter. Yet it still feels surprising that the pre-tournament favorites to win this World Cup dispatched mighty France so easily to reach their first finale since 2010, when La Roja won the competition for the only time in history. While Argentina’s late comebacks throughout the knockout stage have enchanted, Spain has been ruthlessly, almost boringly efficient. It’s allowed just one goal, to Belgium in the quarterfinals, in seven outings on the way to Sunday’s decider. It’s a battle of styles; the seemingly unflappable Spaniards against the ferocious, battle-tested Argentines; of champions, European and South American; of history, as the two countries have long been linked through language and fútbol; and by legacy. Argentina can become the first nation to repeat as World Cup winners since Pele-led Brazil, La Albliceleste’s chief nemesis, did it more than six decades ago. In what most expect will be the last World Cup match the astonishing 39-year-old Messi ever plays, he’ll either A. triumph and further cement his status as the sport’s undisputed GOAT, or B. symbolically pass the torch to 19-year-old fellow Barcelona product Lamine Yamal. Yamal, Spain’s best player and Messi’s most obvious successor as the leading man for the people’s game, is still waiting for his breakout match at his maiden World Cup. If it comes on Sunday in front of an audience of billions, Yamal will instantly become immortal, too. Yet La Roja has other threats. “It’s not just Lamine,” veteran Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez said on Friday. “They have huge depth. They work for each other. They’re in the final for a reason.” Still, none of these Spanish players have won a World Cup. Seventeen of Argentina’s 26-man squad received winners medals four years ago in Qatar. Despite this significant experience gap, Rodri claims to be unfazed. “We’ve been gradually growing,” he said. “Our team has matured in the past few years. I said this back in the days that this generation was going to be very successful, and that the road was towards the greatest achievement for a footballer: lifting the World Cup.” The Xavi and Andrés Iniesta-led 2010 team serves as this La Roja side’s inspiration. They proved that Spain could win the most coveted trophy there is. “They had the mentality of going after something that, back in the day, seemed impossible for our country — lifting the World Cup,” said Rodri. “That’s what they did — they had the determination. That’s what I learned from that generation.” All these layers set Sunday’s matinée up as an instant classic, a must-watch. Somehow, Spain and Argentina haven’t met in a competitive match in 60 years. This one could be talked about for longer than that. “On Sunday we will watch a great show, two great national teams, two super teams,” Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente said. “I think that it’s going to be an amazing final, and that good football will rule over everything else.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
WordPress 7.0.2 went out today with two important security updates. One is a type of pre-authorization RCE we (fortunately!) have only seen a few times in WordPress’ 23-year history; the last, I believe, in the PHPMailer class five years ago.
Major kudos to Adam Kues of Searchlight Cyber for finding the batch REST API RCE, to TF1T, dtro, and haongo on the facilitated SQL injection!
Thanks to responsible disclosure, the WordPress.org Security team was able to coordinate with hosts and CDNs to mitigate the attack at the network layer. Please upgrade anyway! But it’s a huge relief to know the vast majority of WordPress sites were protected by defense-in-depth even before the updates went out.
I really appreciate how people and organizations that otherwise might not be on the best of terms come together in times like this. (Full credits in the release post.) Everyone buries the hatchet to protect as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: security is going to be a big topic this year as the technology industry digests the incredible advances in AI models. It’s a good time to review your plans and processes, sweat the details, invest in maintenance, and hug a sysadmin.
NEW YORK — Will this be Lionel Messi’s last match for Argentina? Lionel Scaloni chuckled at the question directed at him on Friday evening, two days before his side battles Spain in what promises to be an epic World Cup final on Sunday. “What do I know? Ask him,” the Argentine manager said at a press conference in New York City. “I don’t have the faintest idea, to be honest. He doesn’t stop surprising us.” There’s a good chance Messi doesn’t even know the answer himself. For years, retirement has hovered over every major tournament he has played. Each World Cup has been framed as his last – until it wasn’t. Now, at 39, he finds himself one win away from hoisting another trophy. Messi has been masterful this summer. He has scored eight goals, tying Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot lead, while adding four assists. Two of those came late in Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 semifinal victory over England, yet another reminder of what he’s capable of doing when the stakes are highest. We’ve always known how much Messi means to his team and his country. The murals painted across Argentina, the mass of jerseys represented in stadiums, he’s a symbol of national pride. And that bond has somehow become more visible at this World Cup. During a training session on Friday, Argentina was doing rondo drills when Messi lost possession and started walking to the middle of the circle. Lisandro Martínez grabbed his captain by the hands and steered him back to the outside instead, taking his place in the middle. It was a playful moment, but also a display of the respect this team has for Messi. After Argentina beat England to reach its second straight final, Enzo Fernández hoisted Messi onto his shoulders while the rest of the team jumped around them in celebration while also singing and dancing. Whenever Messi is knocked to the ground during a match, teammates usually rush in and defend him. No one embodies that more than Rodrigo De Paul, who has visibly been his fiercest ally and protector throughout the tournament. “He is pure history,” Scaloni said of Messi. “A legend. I feel proud. He’s the best footballer that the world has seen, and I think that’s something beautiful. Being able to reach the final at 39 years of age, well, I think that’s something unbelievable. And that is why I say we must enjoy him. Diego Maradona, we still miss him, but Messi is still with us. So we need to attach importance to what he does. “He is history. He is a legend.” Scaloni went on to talk about how special this time is for the group. “It’s very difficult to do this,” Scaloni said. “They’ve achieved things that back in the day were totally unthinkable. I told them yesterday that they had done something unbelievable and that I was deeply thankful. My whole staff and myself will be thankful forever. “It wasn’t easy to get to this stage of the World Cup and compete for so many years at this level, so I think this is wonderful. I hope we win, but if we don’t, this journey was unbelievable and an example for everyone. I hope it will help our people and our country.” Messi wasn’t the only player facing questions about his future this week. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has vowed in the past that if Argentina wins a second consecutive World Cup, he will retire. The 33-year-old didn’t want to address those comments directly in the days leading up to the massive showdown with Spain. Instead, he’s focused on the opportunity ahead. “We said the only thing we’re thinking about is winning,” Martinez said in front of a packed room of reporters. “Overcoming adversity is something we’ve been doing for the past few years. It’s difficult to express into words. Sometimes I even feel like crying just thinking about what we’ve achieved. I’m so grateful.” “We need to know how to enjoy these moments as a professional footballer,” Martinez continued. “Sometimes we are not aware of what’s going on. So the message I conveyed to my teammates is that we have to enjoy these moments and prepare for the game with happiness. “Things can go good or bad, but we’ll always remember this moment.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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If your first thought when seeing the now-viral photo of Lionel Messi bathing Lamine Yamal as an infant is how unbelievable it is that the two will be playing against each other in Sunday’s World Cup final, you’re not alone; Messi shares the sentiment. “That picture with Lamine, now we are facing in a final after a photo was taken of when he was a baby,” Messi told seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady at Fanatics Fest on Friday. “It’s just insane.” The photo was taken by reelance photographer Joan Monfort during a promotional charity photo shoot nearly two decades ago, when Messi was 20 years old and Yamal was an infant. Nearly 20 years later, the two will face off in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Messi’s Argentina and Yamal’s Spain on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium. Messi shares a great admiration for Yamal, who stars for FC Barcelona just as Messi did from 2000 to 2021, but he’s hoping that he and his teammates can keep the 19-year-old superstar quiet for one night. “Lamine is truly amazing,” Messi said. “I’ve followed him a lot because he plays for a club I love so much. He has a chance to achieve something historic — we’re going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen this time.” Both Messi and Yamal are chasing history. Messi could become the first player to win back-to-back World Cup titles as team captain, while Yamal could become the second-youngest player to win the World Cup final as a starter. The only thing standing in their way? Each other. “We’ll try to put on a good match, but I hope he and his team don’t put on a good one,” Messi said. The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX one.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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