BRUSSELS — The Matongé area of Brussels was filled with drums and flags on Wednesday evening as every bar and barber shop showed the DR Congo vs. England game — the biggest Congolese match since 1974, when it won the African Cup of Nations and competed in the World Cup under the name Zaire.
Belgium’s relationship with DR Congo is rooted in its colonial rule, a legacy that continues to shape political, cultural and diplomatic ties today. Up to 50,000 members of the Congolese diaspora live in Brussels, with the vibrant Matongé as the epicenter.
English fans in Matongé were few and far between — and mainly silent — throughout most of the match as their team trailed for a long period before turning the game around.
Despite Congo’s eventual narrow defeat, supporters were stoked by the team’s performance. “At the end of the day Congo was better than England because they overperformed and England underperformed,” said Darshan Pham, whose family hails from DR Congo. “That’s the beauty of the games, it’s a victory for them anyway because they made it so far.”
Sydney Jadot, who worked for five years in DR Congo where his family is from, also admired the team’s fight: “What can I say? I think Congo fought well — they put all their hearts [into it] and England is more thorough.”
Alan Jackson’s final concert was a milestone moment not only for fans and fellow country stars in attendance, but also for his family.
At the historic show, the country icon was joined by his wife, Denise, and their three daughters, Mattie, Ali, and Dani, along with extended family as they gathered to witness a career-defining night.
Following the performance, witnessed by 80,000 fans in Music City, his eldest daughter, Mattie Jackson Smith, shared a heartfelt tribute on social media, reflecting on what she described as one of the most unforgettable moments of her father’s career.
Alan Jackson’s Daughters; Photo via Instagram
Alongside a gallery of photos from the evening, she opened her post by noting just how many of his shows she’s attended over the years, and how this one will always stand apart.
“There’s no telling what number show this was for me in 36 years. But it’s one I’ll never ever forget. We’ve always been so proud of @officialalanjackson, of course. But it’s easy to lose sight of just how remarkable his life and career has been when it’s always been the ‘normal’ backdrop to your life,” she wrote.
She went on to reflect on the impact of his music and the way it has resonated across generations, praising his commitment to authenticity throughout his career.
Alan Jackson Nissan Stadium; Photo by Sam Shapiro Media
“Saturday was anything but normal. His music has transcended generations. His words have both healed and celebrated real people’s lives in their broken and beautiful moments. He’s always sung the truth which is why fans always come back,” she continued.
In closing, Mattie said the night exceeded anything she could have imagined, ultimately solidifying her father’s legacy on one of the biggest stages of his career.
“Not only did he outperform my expectations, it was surreal and humbling and left me in awe to see 80,000 people (and tons more streaming elsewhere) come to celebrate and honor him once last time,” she wrote. “He’s still always first Dado to us, but what a night to forever solidify the icon he is to the world. Couldn’t be more proud!”
Alan Jackson; Photo by John Shearer, Getty Images
Mattie Jackson is the eldest of Alan Jackson’s three daughters and has recently stepped into a new role within his whiskey business. Silverbelly Whiskey, which Jackson launched in the summer of 2022, previously announced that Mattie has joined the brand as Master Blender.
When two teams take to the World Cup pitch, their national histories and politics take the field with them. Seldom is that weight as present as in Wednesday’s knockout stage game between the U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The U.S. played a decisive role in ending Bosnia’s nearly four-year war in the 1990s, a conflict that claimed more than 100,000 lives and produced the single worst crime on European soil since World War II — the Srebrenica Genocide, in which more than 8,000 Bosniaks, mostly men and boys, were summarily executed in early July 1995.
“The United States is an indispensable ally,” said Reuf Bajrović, the vice president of the US-Europe Alliance, a nonprofit group that works on mobilizing Americans around key European issues.
Bajrović, as many in Bosnia would, highlights that the existence of an “independent, free and sovereign Bosnia” is the direct result of U.S. involvement in ending the war and brokering a peace deal, widely known as the Dayton Peace Accords — signed in Dayton, Ohio.
Thirty years later, the country faces internal disputes and struggles with a political system that is deeply vulnerable to nationalist manipulation. But reaching this stage and competing against their erstwhile liberator has unleashed a rare moment of collective elation across the Balkan nation.
“A nation which was supposed to be erased from history is competing with the most powerful and influential nation in the world,” Bajrović continued. “The euphoria is absolute,” he continued.
Even the country’s most famous footballing son, former AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimović, said he felt “goosebumps” watching Bosnia’s fairytale run to the round of 32. Ibrahimović, who was born in Sweden but embraces his father’s Bosnian heritage, had earlier trolled his fellow Fox Sports co-anchors by playing pop-folk songs by Bosnian singer Lepa Brena as an homage to his roots.
Yet back home, some worry that America’s more recent role in Bosnia’s brittle political order has been anything but benign.
“Until Trump entered the scene, there was bipartisan support for Bosnia … after all, Americans are the founding fathers of the peace deal that became the Bosnian constitution,” said prominent author and political analyst Dragan Bursać, who is based in Banjaluka.
Two Trump administrations have steadily hollowed out that commitment, and some of the most destabilizing figures in Bosnia right now are Trump allies such as Rudy Giuliani and Rod Blagojevich.
Giuliani promotes the same kind of “Christian victimization” narratives as Blagojevich, and also often draws comparisons between Trump and Milorad Dodik, an ultranationalist pro-Putin Bosnian Serb leader, saying they’re victims of the same “lawfare” movement led by liberal or woke judges. Dodik was stripped of the presidency last year after directly violating the Bosnian constitution and encouraging separatist activity.
The “Christian victimization” rhetoric employs the same divisive logic that produced the war itself. In the 1990s, political and military leaders turned a country praised for its diversity against itself, pitting its nominally Orthodox Christian, Catholic and Muslim populations against one another as neighboring Serbia and Croatia backed forces across the border.
Giuliani’s and Blagojevich’s narratives have particular populist purchase with figures like Dodik, who was, until recently, on a U.S. sanctions and travel ban list. Giuliani is thought to have played a key role in getting the sanctions against Dodik lifted last year.
“Dodik is one of those European leaders who wholeheartedly supports Trump’s beliefs and sees himself as a mini-Trump in Bosnia,” Bursać continued.
Bosnia’s political system rests on intense ethnic power-sharing, which has now turned into one of its key weaknesses. In Banjaluka, the administrative seat of the Serb-majority entity of Republika Srpska, pro-Trump chants now ring out at rallies, including during a visit by Donald Trump Jr. in April.
“Now we’re facing a situation where many people would prefer the current U.S. administration ignore Bosnia as much as possible and not get involved, since they fear that there would be no positive effect,” Bursać explained.
Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, is a registered foreign agent for Dodik. His brother Joseph, along with Jesse Binnall — a former Trump attorney who worked to overturn the 2020 election — runs a company chasing a $1.8 billion investment in Bosnian airports, gas power plants and a pipeline.
The country that saved Bosnia is now, according to some accounts, actively engaged in undermining it.
“The U.S. policy in the 2020s is not something that Bosnians experienced in the past, and the U.S. never previously openly sided with nationalist Serb and Croats at the expense of the Bosniak-majority of the country,” Bajrović said.
Student backpacks seen on the first day of school at Harborview Elementary School in Juneau on Aug. 15, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Content warning: This story contains references to sexual violence and abuse of children.
A new statewide initiative aims to prevent and reduce Alaska’s pervasively high rates of child sexual abuse.
The statewide prevention plan is led by the Alaska Children’s Trust, a non-profit advocacy group focused on supporting children and families and preventing child abuse and neglect.
Trevor Storrs, the president and CEO of the Alaska Children’s Trust, said a coordinated effort among state and community groups, service providers, schools, caregivers and youth is needed to make serious strides in intervening and preventing abuse.
“We should not expect children to fight off these predators. We want them equipped with the tools, but it’s our job, not just as adults, but as a community and society, to make sure kids are safe,” he said.
The plan was developed last year with a variety of statewide groups, including representatives from Child Advocacy Centers, the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, the Office of Children’s Services, which runs the state’s foster care system, law enforcement, Tribes, health care providers, lived experience experts, faith communities, and the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
Storrs said the plan focuses on education and raising awareness, as well as preventing harm by developing and strengthening institutions so that questionable behavior is identified and stopped.
“If we don’t keep strong boundaries established, that’s when we start opening the door and predators see their opportunity,” he said. “If we keep those strong and not have those potential openings, it actually prevents the predators from ever accessing, or anybody who’s had even a slight inclination — they’re not being tempted to even try — and that is what our job is.”
The group launched the plan earlier this month and is providing an initial $100,000 in grant funding for prevention work in the three priority areas outlined by the initiative. Nonprofit organizations, tribes, local or state governments, schools and regional attendance areas are invited to apply by July 17.
Alaska has some of the highest rates of sexual violence and rates of child abuse, neglect, and child sexual abuse, in the nation. Many victims delay or never report abuse. AU.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Maltreatment report published this year noted reports of child abuse and neglect have declined somewhat since 2020, but Alaska rates in 2024 were 80% above the nationwide average.
Nationwide, American Indian and Alaska Native children have the highest rates of victimization, and in Alaska national data from the maltreatment report shows rates of abuse among American Indian or Alaska Native children are nearly three times higher than the overall statewide average.
The Alaska Children’s Trust cites a national survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2013 to 2015 that showed on average one in five Alaska children experience sexual abuse. A 2023 report from the Alaska Children’s Justice Act Task Force showed that an estimated one in seven children will experience an allegation of sexual abuse before their 12th birthday.
“The majority of child abuse and neglect cases that are substantiated are neglect, then it’s physical, and then it’s a small fraction of child sexual abuse,” Storrs said. But sexual abuse can have severe impacts on a child’s development, according to the CDC, with short and long term effects, including chronic health conditions, mental health issues and even post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Child sexual abuse is defined as any sexual activity between a child and adult or a child and another child that the child does not fully understand, does not consent to or is not developmentally prepared for and therefore cannot consent to. In Alaska, lawmakers this year changed the law to raise the age of consent to 18 years old.
An estimated 90% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known to the child or the child’s family, according to the CDC.
Perpetrators can exploit what Storrs calls “natural trust” to get close to a child, including people in positions like a coach, teacher, religious leader or friend of the family, in a pattern of behavior called grooming.
“Grooming is developing that relationship, developing a trust with the family that the child can be left alone with them,” Storrs said. “The trust with the child where their interactions may feel awkward, but are okay. The trust that it’s okay to keep secrets. They really build that trust and build that relationship that then allows them to abuse the child, to do what they do. And you see that in story after story when you talk to a survivor of child sexual abuse, they talk about the relationship.”
Storrs says addressing the stigma to intervene when behavior is inappropriate, also means implementing proper protocols for adults interacting with kids. He said for example, coaches should not text youth individually, but include parents in all communications.
That extends to online safety, he said. Nationally, there are increasing rates of predatory behavior and “sextortion,” a form of blackmail where perpetrators threaten to disclose information or images unless the victims make specific demands. Storrs said caregivers should talk with children and youth about what is and isn’t appropriate, in person and online.
“It’s also making sure that your child understands what the expectations and rules are, as well, of what it’s like to interact with an adult, and what are those boundaries,” he said.
Storrs said in raising awareness of potentially predatory behavior, it’s also important to trust children when they disclose inappropriate behavior.
“A lot of kids don’t disclose that X is happening, what they start disclosing is, ‘I don’t feel comfortable, I don’t want to go. I don’t like hanging out with this person anymore.’ They don’t feel connected,” he said. “That’s a sign.”
The statewide prevention plan likens preventing child sexual abuse to wildfire prevention. That means reducing risks, setting safety codes, educating communities and monitoring high risk situations — to prevent harm.
Three approaches to prevention
The statewide prevention plan has a three-pronged approach: educate and mobilize, cultivate safer environments and act early to prevent harm.
Storrs says all three involve children, families, and community-wide efforts, and the plan calls for local advocacy groups, service providers, schools and governments to gather community input and develop their own child sexual abuse prevention programs and resources best fit around cultural values. The initiative calls for local communities to develop and strengthen systems for children to safely report harm without fear of punishment and family disruption.
The first prong focuses on education: increasing awareness and reducing stigma, and increasing the number of people able to take action proactively. That means training for youth-focused employees like teachers and coaches, and building in protocols for reporting and addressing inappropriate behavior. It also involves providing educational resources for parents and caregivers on healthy boundaries, warning signs, and how to respond to concerns.
The plan calls for education and resources for children and youth on what’s appropriate. Storrs says the plan suggests children receive human development education, not necessarily sex education, so that children develop an understanding of consent, their body anatomy and healthy relationships.
“When you talk to a child about something, it does not give a child permission to engage in something or to act inappropriately,” he said, adding that teaching kids about sex does not give them permission to have it in the same way that teaching kids about car accidents doesn’t give them permission to drive recklessly.
Education is aimed at empowering children to identify when physical boundaries have been violated, Storrs said. “So when a kid needs to talk about any of their private areas or someone is trying to talk about it or touch it, they’re able to know what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate,” he said.
Similarly, reducing shame and stigma can empower children to talk with an adult or caregiver when they’ve experienced or seen adults behaving inappropriately. Children should know that adults should never ask them to keep secrets, Storrs said, and when inappropriate behavior has occurred they can get help to stop it from continuing.
The second prong, “cultivating safer environments,” calls for state and local governments, Tribes and service organizations to support programs and policies that help families meet essential basic needs to address conditions that put children at risk for sexual abuse.
Storrs noted that children and families with unstable housing, inadequate child care or health care can create circumstances that put children at higher risk.
“Our safety net plays a critical part in keeping kids safe, not just of child sexual abuse, but child abuse in general,” he said. “We know when families have stable housing, food security, all those things, it puts less stress on the family.”
The plan calls for increasing safety of physical and digital spaces where youth spend time, and local community organizations to hold listening sessions in communities to identify risk factors and best prevention strategies.
The third prong aims to prevent harm by increasing access to resources to respond to harmful sexual attitudes or behaviors. That includes addressing people who have harmed or are at risk of harming children.
“I truly believe there’s more gray in our world ever than there is black and white,” Storrs said. “And there are definitely individuals who are 100% predators, and it’s very clear. Then you have individuals that may have some thoughts, but don’t act on it, or it’s controlled internally by themselves and by within the society they are.”
The approach includes responding to harmful and problematic sexual behavior among youth. Storrs said with youth having access to graphic sexual material online, problematic behaviors and attitudes may arise. The plan aims to expand treatment and support services for youth to address harmful behaviors.
“We’re seeing that kids are sexually maturing faster or becoming more hypersexual at a much younger age without the knowledge, skills, supports and resources to then deal with it or understand it,” Storrs said. “And if kids do not have an adult to talk to, or have learned this information, it starts creating hyper sexual experiences, which then can lead to this harmful sexual behavior.”
Alaska has unique challenges with rural and remote communities having less access to services, Storrs said, as well as grappling with legacies of trauma and adversity. He said the initiative aims to push a statewide focus and investment in policies and programs that support children and families that can help prevent harm. The plan is a collaborative effort, he said, and in the first year advocates with the Alaska Children’s Trust will visit communities to discuss the plan, help raise awareness, identify gaps and strengthen protocols and safer environments to prevent abuse.
“What we want to create that’s very clear in our community, in our state, that we as a community are watching and will not stand for any type of inappropriate behavior with our kids,” Storrs said. “And we will say something, we will step in, and you won’t be allowed.”
BRUSSELS — Forty-four members of the European Parliament are urging FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reverse his decision to allow Russian athletes to play at this year’s inaugural U-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan.
They argue that Russia should not be readmitted to FIFA competitions until it enters peace negotiations with Ukraine, ceases fire and agrees to return children kidnapped from Ukrainian territories.
In a letter obtained by POLITICO, the lawmakers criticize global football body FIFA for ignoring what they described as “around 20,000 Ukrainian children … forcibly kidnapped and separated from their families by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s regime.”
“We urge FIFA to stand on the side of peace and not appease the aggressor – Russia,” the letter reads.
After Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in 2022, FIFA banned Russia from participating in all of its football competitions. FIFA lifted the blanket ban for youth competitions in 2023, but Russian teams have not played in its U-17 World Cups since.
FIFA announced last week its first U-15 World Cup, in which boys and girls will compete this October in Azerbaijan. At the time, the organization announced that the competition would be open to “all FIFA member associations,” opening the door to Russia’s participation.
Infantino said in February that FIFA should lift its ban on Russia, saying that bans “create more hatred.”
The European lawmakers argue that allowing Russia to participate could lead other member countries to boycott the competition, a stance they call “very understandable.” They argue that this would “distort FIFA sporting events, where the principle that the best team wins will no longer prevail.” Ukraine’s football federation has previously said it would not participate in competitions with Russia.
In March of 2022, Russia appealed the FIFA ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The body dismissed Russia’s claim. Russia’s gradual return to other sports has triggered outrage in Ukraine and been denounced by the EU.
For Ne-Yo, “So Sick” was a life-changing hit. Before the song’s release in late 2005, the artist born Shaffer Smith had already been a successful behind-the-scenes figure in the music industry, most notably as a writer on Mario’s chart-topping “Let Me Love You.” But when “So Sick” also soared up the Hot 100, Ne-Yo secured his own place in the spotlight.
Ne-Yo performs “So Sick” in a new episode of “The One,” an Apple Music video series in which artists present a stripped-down rendition of an especially significant track in their catalog. The video is viewable now on Ne-Yo and Apple Music’s YouTube channels.
Ne-Yo wrote “So Sick” with the Norwegian production duo Stargate after a chance encounter at New York’s Sony Music Studios, where he and Stargate were both working on new music. In John Seabrook’s book The Song Machine, he describes hearing Stargate’s beat for the song for the first time: “When the track started, I teared up.” He channeled his own recent heartbreak into lyrics about a painful breakup, leading to the song that would become his breakthrough hit.
Click to load video
“It’s definitely the one that started it all,” Ne-Yo later told Billboard of the song’s success. “So Sick” became Ne-Yo’s first No. 1 hit as a recording artist, establishing him as a radio fixture for years to come. The song has continued to be hugely popular in the streaming era, racking up enough plays to join Spotify’s Billions Club last year.
“So Sick” was the second single from Ne-Yo’s 2006 debut album In My Own Words, powering it to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart with more than 300,000 in first-week sales. The album recently turned 20 years old, an anniversary the singer is celebrating with a pair of new vinyl formats, a standard edition 2LP and a limited edition “Enchanted Night” Color 2LP, as well as a new CD edition. The 20th anniversary In My Own Words reissues are due out June 19 and available for pre-order now.
Representatives from Alaska utilities and energy organizations pose outside Idaho National Laboratory’s NRIC DOME during a May tour to learn about advanced nuclear reactor technologies and their potential role in Alaska’s energy future. (Photo courtesy Gewn Holdmann)
A couple years ago, shortly after Governor Dunleavy began his second term, I was killing time in the Juneau airport waiting for a flight when one of his staff called and said, “You might want to sit down before I tell you this.” The Governor had just thrown out a bold challenge: find a path to 10-cent per kilowatt electricity on the Railbelt. My knee-jerk response was, “That’s impossible.”
But my second thought was different: that’s a moonshot.
A goal like that forces you to throw out the playbook. We are not going to achieve 10-cent electricity by continuing down the path we are already on. It requires thinking beyond conventional assumptions and asking where the biggest opportunities lie given the direction federal policy, technology and energy markets are heading.
I still find myself returning to that question. And after nearly three decades working on Alaska energy issues, I have become increasingly convinced that natural gas is not a path to low-cost electricity – whether that means imported LNG or a North Slope gasline.
Should we be cheering for the Alaska LNG project? Absolutely. As an LNG export project, it has the potential to create jobs, generate state revenue and monetize a resource that has sat largely stranded for decades. But as a low-cost source for domestic power? Not so much.
The reason is simple. When fuel is a significant component of the cost of generating electricity, that cost doesn’t disappear once the plant is built – it continues for as long as the plant operates. Over time, fuel prices tend to rise, even if only with inflation, and history has shown they can also spike unexpectedly in response to global events.
Hydroelectric dams and nuclear plants follow a fundamentally different economic model. They require much larger up-front investments, but once built, fuel costs are low, predictable and far less exposed to global commodity markets. As those capital investments are paid off, the cost of producing electricity tends to trend downward. That is why historically, many of the places with the world’s lowest-cost electricity have achieved it through long-lived investments in hydroelectricity or nuclear power.
That does not mean electricity from these sorts of projects will be inexpensive on day one. Bradley Lake is a good example. When the hydroelectric project came online in the 1980s, it was one of the Railbelt’s most expensive sources of electricity because its construction costs had to be recovered. Today, with those capital costs largely paid off, it is one of the cheapest.
I recently wrote about the Susitna Hydroelectric Project because I think it’s worth taking another look. The state has already invested heavily in the studies required to develop it, and with today’s generous federal incentives – which could offset as much as 50 percent of capital costs if construction begins before 2033 – the project’s economics could look a lot more attractive.
But hydropower isn’t the only infrastructure-based technology Alaska could be looking at. Advanced nuclear qualifies for many of the same incentive programs and offers a few additional advantages. It can also co-generate heat – a major advantage in Alaska’s climate. And unlike hydropower, billions of dollars are currently flowing into the sector from both the federal government and private industry. That investment is accelerating innovation, driving down costs, and creating intense competition – not only among reactor developers, but also among prospective customers hoping to secure future reactor deployments and the energy they will produce.
The race to criticality
Last year, President Trump launched an energy moonshot of his own. Through four executive orders issued in rapid succession, he sought to jump-start a new era of nuclear energy in the United States. The orders established several ambitious targets, including rebuilding the nuclear supply chain and workforce, having ten large reactors under construction by 2030 and quadrupling U.S. nuclear generating capacity by 2050. But the most immediate goal was to have at least three advanced reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026.
Achieving criticality might sound alarming. However, in the world of nuclear energy, criticality is a good thing. It means a reactor is operating as intended, with each fission event, on average, causing one more fission event. When this happens, the chain reaction becomes self-sustaining and the reactor is officially “alive” and capable of producing power.
This goal was specifically focused on advanced reactors – a new generation of nuclear technologies designed to be smaller, safer, more standardized and easier to build than today’s conventional plants. Dozens of companies are pursuing these designs and billions of dollars have already been invested. Yet despite all of that activity, no advanced reactor has entered commercial operation in the United States.
That is what makes the President’s deadline so interesting. It cuts through the hype and provides a simple litmus test of industry readiness. Either three advanced reactors will achieve criticality by this week – or they won’t.
Field trip to INL’s National Reactor Innovation Center
I recently invited a group of utility executives and senior engineers from Alaska’s electric power industry to Idaho Falls. The trip was an opportunity to learn about the technology firsthand from leading experts. But I also wanted them to experience something more intangible: the sense of momentum building around advanced nuclear energy. The feeling that it may finally be approaching an inflection point – a transition from a technology of the future to one they can begin actively planning around.
If advanced reactors are going to meet the President’s deadline, Idaho National Laboratory is where that effort will ultimately be put to the test. Many of the technologies that defined the first nuclear age were invented, tested or demonstrated in the Idaho desert. But that was another era. More than half a century has passed since a new reactor achieved criticality there.
Yet even as construction of new nuclear power plants largely stalled in the United States after the early 1990s, INL maintained the expertise, facilities, and institutional knowledge that made it the nation’s premier nuclear research laboratory. After all, nuclear energy never disappeared. Existing reactors still generate roughly 20 percent of America’s electricity and the nuclear Navy remains a cornerstone of our national defense.
But there is a noticeably different energy around the lab these days. Activity has ramped up dramatically and employees proudly wear shirts emblazoned with the number “53” – a reminder that the next reactor to achieve criticality at Idaho National Laboratory will be the 53rd in its history.
Over the course of two long days, we visited some of the laboratory’s most important facilities. One place we were not allowed to enter, however, was DOME – a repurposed containment structure that has been transformed into the nation’s premier test facility for advanced nuclear microreactors.
I had visited the facility before, but access has become much more restricted since Radiant Nuclear moved its Kaleidos reactor there earlier this year. Designed to produce just one megawatt (MW) of electricity, Kaleidos is tiny compared to any existing commercial reactor in the U.S. – literally three orders of magnitude smaller in terms of power output. Its compact design allows it to be transported in shipping containers and deployed in locations that would be impractical for conventional nuclear plants. While still several years away from commercial production, a reactor of this scale could eventually provide an alternative to diesel generation for remote power needs, including in Alaska.
But we also learned about larger reactor designs known as small modular reactors, or SMRs. Unlike microreactors, which are intended to serve relatively small loads, SMRs are designed for more mainstream electricity generation. Rather than building a custom-designed reactor on site, most SMR concepts rely on standardized reactor modules that can be manufactured in factories and then transported to their final destination. Utilities can install a single module or add additional modules over time as electricity demand grows.
Many SMRs incorporate passive safety systems that rely on the laws of physics – rather than pumps or operator actions – to safely shut down and cool the reactor if something goes wrong. Because of these features and because many do not require water for cooling, these reactors have a much smaller footprint than conventional nuclear plants. This means there is a lot more flexibility in where they can be sited, including right next to the loads they are intended to serve.
And those loads are not just electrical. The ability of nuclear energy to provide high-temperature process heat is one reason there is so much interest in these systems. Industrial facilities such as chemical plants, refineries, steel mills and ammonia producers require large amounts of high-temperature heat, and those loads have proven particularly difficult to decarbonize.
We also took a slight detour through the desert to drive by the site where Oklo is beginning construction on its 75 MW Aurora reactor commercial demonstration plant. For now, it is little more than a large hole in the ground. But eventually, the reactor will be installed entirely underground, while the powerhouse will sit above it in an elegant A-frame building designed to look something like a ski chalet. They definitely have the marketing down.
Oklo already has customers lined up if this pilot proves successful. The company is pursuing a business model that many other developers are also adopting. Rather than selling reactors, they envision retaining ownership and selling electricity and heat under long-term contracts. In other words, the power purchaser would not be buying a nuclear reactor – it would be buying energy at a pre-agreed price, significantly reducing the risk for the customer whether it is a utility, military installation or industrial end-user.
Oklo was a familiar name to many of the tour participants, particularly those from Golden Valley Electric Association. It’s the same company that was selected by the U.S. Air Force to supply the 5 MW microreactor planned for Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. What struck me, however, was how much of the company’s attention now appears focused on its larger 75 MW Aurora reactor. Company representatives assured us that the Eielson project remains important, but the Aurora seems to be emerging as Oklo’s standard commercial offering, with future deployments intended to be built in multiples of that basic unit size.
That got me wondering: could there eventually be an opportunity to do both? Build the 5 MW microreactor at Eielson to serve the Air Force mission and then, if the technology proves successful, follow it with a larger 75 MW reactor at the same location supplying power to the GVEA’s grid? A project of that scale would go a long way toward reducing the Interior’s unhealthy reliance on liquid fuels to meet peak demand. It is at least a conversation worth having.
Nuclear at the tipping point
On June 4th, exactly one month ahead of President Trump’s target date, Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 microreactor achieved criticality at INL. During our visit to the lab, we had walked right past the very nondescript building that houses the reactor. Then, less than two weeks later, Valar Atomics’ Ward 250 followed. I would not be surprised if one or two other vendors make the deadline as well – we will know the final tally within a few days.
In the grand scheme of things, these criticality demonstrations are partly symbolic. None of these reactors will immediately begin producing commercial electricity; achieving criticality is simply one step on the road to full commercialization. But they may also represent a tipping point – the moment when the slope is no longer uphill. After decades of slow progress, advanced nuclear may finally have accumulated enough technical, financial and political momentum that deployment begins to accelerate much faster than many of us expect.
I am writing this article while visiting Richland, Washington – home of the Hanford site and, along with INL, one of the deepest concentrations of nuclear expertise in the country. For years, many assumed this region would host X-energy’s first commercial reactors. The local utility Energy Northwest had partnered with the nuclear vendor to develop four Xe-100 reactors totaling 320 MW, with plans to eventually expand to as many as twelve units. Amazon had also signed on to support the project and purchase power, making Richland seem like the obvious frontrunner.
Instead, X-Energy’s first commercial units will be installed at Dow Chemical’s Seadrift facility in Texas. Unlike a data center, Dow could make use of both the electricity and the high-temperature process heat produced by the reactors, improving the overall economics of the project. The Richland project is still moving forward, but it got bumped to second place.
There is a lesson here for Alaska. States do not lead by waiting for certainty. They lead by skating to where the puck is going – making strategic investments, building partnerships and positioning themselves for the opportunities of tomorrow. By the time a technology is fully proven, the first wave of deployments may already be spoken for. If Alaska waits until advanced nuclear is a sure thing, we may find ourselves at the back of a very long line.
Getting ahead of that curve does not require Alaska to commit to building a reactor. It just requires preparing for the possibility. That effort could take many forms. It might begin with issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to better understand which reactor designs are the best fit for Alaska’s unique needs. It could include evaluating potential Railbelt sites and pursuing a Nuclear Regulatory Commission Early Site Permit to preserve future siting options. Or it might involve exploring with the Air Force whether the Eielson microreactor pilot project could create opportunities for future expansion or shared infrastructure. It should also include bringing together the state, utilities, local governments and other stakeholders to consider when and where nuclear could make sense in light of all our energy options.
None of these actions commits anyone to building a reactor. They simply preserve options, shorten future lead times and position the state to move quickly if – or when – the technology proves itself. Many states are already taking exactly these kinds of preparatory steps.
When Governor Dunleavy challenged us to pursue the moonshot goal of 10-cent electricity on the Railbelt, former Senator Click Bishop responded by covering a whiteboard in his Juneau office with proposed energy projects. Whenever someone came in with a new idea, he added it to the board. Over time, it grew to include virtually every major energy-related opportunity in Alaska, all placed on a more or less level playing field. The goal was not to pick winners and losers. It was to keep as many viable options moving forward and let economics, technology readiness and execution determine which ones ultimately succeed. The vision was an Alaska with abundant, affordable energy capable of supporting new industries, attracting investment and creating opportunities that simply do not exist in a high-cost energy economy.
That is exactly how we should still be thinking today.
Alaska needs leadership and a coordinated effort to keep multiple opportunities moving forward. We cannot afford to pin all of our hopes on a single outcome. If we are serious about building an affordable energy future, we need to think beyond conventional assumptions and invest in the opportunities most likely to shape tomorrow’s energy landscape.
Whether advanced nuclear ultimately becomes part of Alaska’s energy future remains to be seen. But I would hate to see that decision made for us because we failed to prepare while the opportunity was still within reach. Preparing today does not commit Alaska to nuclear energy. It simply preserves our ability to choose tomorrow.
You wanted power rankings? I got your power rankings right here. Don’t like mine? You can always get your own. Remember, these 2026 FIFA World Cup power rankings change as the tournament goes on. And we do have changes from last week. My colleague Thierry Henry is going to be happy because France is right at No. 1. I don’t think there’s a lot of people that are going to disagree with that. A couple other things to keep in mind here. With Morocco beating the Netherlands, the Atlas Lions are in. And for the first time at this tournament, Mexico gets in after what I saw in that win over Ecuador. So welcome, Mexico. And the U.S. is hanging around too. Agree? Disagree? Let’s dive into it: Odds to win the World Cup: +3000 (9th) After earning six points from its group stage with wins over Paraguay and Australia, along with a loss to Türkiye, the U.S. will try to win its first knockout stage game since 2002 when it takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. A pro-U.S. crowd in the San Francisco Bay Area should help things, but the co-hosts can’t underestimate this opponent. Next opponent: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Round of 32, July 1) Odds to win the World Cup: +1700 (6th) Is Cristiano Ronaldo back? He proclaimed he was when he scored twice against Uzbekistan. Portugal finished second in its group after a scoreless but still electric draw against Colombia in Miami. Ronaldo now gets a reunion with former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modrić as the two 40-year-old superstars face off in Toronto. Next opponent: Croatia (Round of 32, July 2) Odds to win the World Cup: +2700 (8th) What a way to break a 40-year drought. El Tri came out strong against Ecuador for its first knockout round win since 1986 in front of an absolutely pulsating crowd in Mexico City. Now comes what will potentially be a match for the ages against England for a chance to reach the quarterfinals. Next opponent: England (Round of 16, July 5) Odds to win the World Cup: +2500 (7th) Morocco is living up to its high expectations after reaching the 2022 semifinals. A stoppage-time goal against the Netherlands led to a penalty-shootout win over the Dutch to advance to the round of 16. That’s now four games and no defeats so far at this tournament. Next opponent: Canada (Round of 16, July 4) Odds to win the World Cup: +1000 (5th) Under manager Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazilians are rediscovering their style of “Joga Bonito.” Having relied on Vinícius Júnior for goals in the group stage, the five-time champions saw Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli instead come up clutch in the round of 32 win over Japan. The reward for the win? Having to contain Erling Haaland and the infamous Viking Row. Next opponent: Norway (Round of 16, July 5) Odds to win the World Cup: +800 (4th) When England needed him the most, Harry Kane stepped up in heroic fashion. Down a goal against a superb DR Congo side, Kane rallied the Three Lions with two second-half goals in the round of 32 classic. Now comes a match against the tournament co-hosts in Mexico City that will be absolute theater. Next opponent: Mexico (Round of 16, July 5) Odds to win the World Cup: +3300 (10th) It still feels as though Colombia has yet to kick it into the next gear — which is a scary thought. Luís Diaz and Daniel Muñoz have been the standout players for the Los Cafeteros, who wrapped up the group stage as winners following a nervy draw against Portugal in Miami. Next opponent: Ghana (Round of 32, July 3) Odds to win the World Cup: +700 (3rd) This is another team that is still finding its rhythm. A relatively staid win over Uruguay saw La Roja win the group. Lamine Yamal is fit again. It’s now time to flip the switch in the knockout rounds and make that expected run to the final. Next opponent: Austria (Round of 32, July 2) Odds to win the World Cup: +410 (2nd) The people want to see Lionel Messi, even if it’s just a substitute. Because even when he comes into the game in the second half like he did against Algeria, he still scores golazos. He now has 19 career goals at the World Cup, extending the record he broke earlier in the tournament. Next opponent: Cape Verde (Round of 32, July 3) Odds to win the World Cup: +180 (1st) There shouldn’t be a surprise as to who is now No. 1 in the rankings. If you were to rank the best players in the world, France arguably has three of them — Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé — near the top. The path to the final is looking clearer for Les Bleus. Next opponent: Paraguay (Round of 16, July 4)Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
It’s time to get out your calendars and circle these dates. Every college football season has a handful of games that decide conference races, reshape the College Football Playoff picture and produce moments fans remember for years. With just over two months until kickoff, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt lists 10 matchups he believes will define the 2026 season. Klatt: This is the first big game for Kyle Whittingham, and it’s going to be an indication of whether Michigan is going to be back in playoff form. Are the Wolverines going to compete for a Big Ten title? We’re going to find out in Week 2 on September 12th. Both of these programs want to raise their level this year to the upper-echelon of these conferences. Oklahoma wants to be an upper-tier SEC title contender. Michigan would like to do the same in the Big Ten. This game is obviously a monster game in this direction, even if it’s not directly tied to the standings in each conference. It’s also about the individuals in this game. What does Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer look like after an offseason to get healthy? What does the offense look like for Oklahoma? It’s the same question for Michigan. What is the marriage going to look like, what is the blueprint, what is the recipe, what do we get out of the Jason Beck- Bryce Underwood marriage? Klatt: This is going to be an absolute monster rematch. This is not Arch Manning in his first game as a real starter. This is not Julian Sayin in his first time as a real starter. Now, you have incumbent starting quarterbacks. These two teams are going to start in the top five. I cannot wait for this game. I think it’s going to be a phenomenal game. The loser of this game is behind the eight-ball. Klatt: I couldn’t resist. Lane Kiffin going back to Oxford. This could be incredible. There’s not enough security on the planet for Lane going back into Oxford. The way that he left that team in the playoff was wild. I think this game is going to have real implications in the SEC because these are two teams that I would categorize as fighting for those at-large spots. I don’t expect either of these teams to win the SEC. I think that would be reserved for my two favorites in that conference — Georgia and Texas. That doesn’t mean these two teams won’t be very good. Obviously, there are all the questions around the transfers jelling and how Kiffin is going to do with that. He had a lot of success doing this exact thing at Ole Miss. Both Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy are back at Ole Miss. This team gained a lot of confidence under Pete Golding and that run to the national semifinal. These two teams are going to try to be in the top-four spots in the SEC. They’re going to be battling for those at-large spots in the 12-team playoff. Klatt: These teams are trying to level into that top four in the Big Ten and grab one of those at-large spots. This one is a sneaky game that’s going to be really good. USC has to play Oregon, and then Washington. Both of those games are at home. Then the Trojans travel across the country and go to Beaver Stadium to face Matt Campbell and his Nittany Lions. I think Lincoln Riley is very confident about his team. I am bullish on USC. I think they’re better at the line of scrimmage. Year 1 for Matt Campbell, I think Penn State has a real shot at 10 wins. This becomes a monumental game, at home, to try to protect Beaver Stadium for Campbell in his first year. Penn State should be 5-0 going into this game. If the Nittany Lions beat USC, their floor becomes 10 wins. Klatt: The Red River rivalry is always one of the best games in the sport. It’s one of my favorite games in college football. And this one’s going to be huge for SEC implications and College Football Playoff implications. The pressure that will be on Brent Venables and these Sooners when they go to Dallas to face Texas is massive. What if Texas has two losses, and now everyone’s on Steve Sarkisian’s case? There’s a scenario where one, or both of these teams, has one or two losses. This game is always great. And I think this year, it could have even more implications. Klatt: SEC dominance is on the line. These two teams split their two matchups last season. The winner is going to be in the driver’s seat. I’m not down on Alabama, but I do think this is a program that’s not going to have as good of a football program as they had a year ago. They’re losing their most important player in Ty Simpson. I know their defense wasn’t great, and they’re losing a few players off that defense. Can they replenish and be better? They lost Germie Bernard. Can Ryan Coleman-Williams come back to the form he showed as a true freshman? He’s going to need to. Klatt: Supremacy in the Big Ten is on the line as Ohio State goes to Indiana. Indiana can run the Big Ten. The Hoosiers beat Ohio State a year ago. They are the reigning national champions. They have not lost at home under Curt Cignetti. They are 14-0. If Indiana beats Ohio State, all of a sudden, the Hoosiers are the premier program in the Big Ten, which is wild. Obviously, I think you could say that coming into the year because, again, they are the reigning Big Ten and national champs. But you do have a sense of history, whereas Ohio State really runs the conference. You have to get through Ohio State. But if Indiana wins this game, all of a sudden, that’s flipped, and the Hoosiers put themselves on the mountaintop. I just think about this game in that lens, and it just means everything in this conference. This is a chance for Ohio State to reassert themselves as the top team in the conference. Ohio State could hand Curt Cignetti his first loss at home and remind everybody, ‘Hey, we’re the Buckeyes. We are the pre-eminent program in the Big Ten.’ The winner of this game is almost assuredly going to go to the Big Ten title game and has the chance to be the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Klatt: Notre Dame fans watched Miami get that last playoff spot and jump them in the rankings. There is some saltiness in South Bend. There is no doubt about that. Marcus Freeman’s program believes they can go and win a national title. But the same can be said for Miami and Mario Cristobal. Notre Dame is going to have its quarterback back and should have one of, if not the best defenses in the country. This team is not going to have many statement opportunities, and this is one of them. That is why this game is going to be so important as it relates to the shape of the season. Can the Hurricanes do everything they need to do regardless of the outcome of this game? Yes, because obviously they’ve got the ACC championship game backstopping them, and there’s not much in the ACC. If Miami plays clean and Darian Mensah is who we think he can be, they’ve got all these five-star players that are replacing these talented players that were draft picks off the line of scrimmage. If these guys play out, Miami is going to be right back in the top five. Klatt: This is such a good game. It’s a great rivalry. These are two of my top-10 teams in my post-spring rankings. I think there’s a real chance that the winner of this game is going to the SEC championship game. I think there’s a real potential that it’s a win-and-in game for the playoff. Can Texas bounce back? Remember this is a team that was in the national semifinals two straight years under Steve Sarkisian. This team missed the playoffs a year ago. A lot of people thought they were the No. 1 team in the country to start, and then they got hot late. They started playing much better, particularly at quarterback late, and beat Texas A&M, 27-17. That one was at home. Now they’ve got to go on the road and face A&M. Klatt: It is absolutely my honor to call this game. Kyle Whittingham’s first in his stint as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. And he’s going to find out what Ryan Day knows all too well, which is, you are judged based on this game. A lot could be on the line for the Buckeyes. If you miss the playoffs as the Ohio State Buckeyes, life is not going to be good. Meanwhile, Michigan, this is not an easy schedule. Can the Wolverines be in a position where, if they beat Ohio State, they go to the College Football Playoff? Ohio State dominated at the line of scrimmage for the first time in a long time last year. They snapped that four-game losing streak to Michigan. They beat them in Ann Arbor, 27-9.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
