After Charlie Kirk’s Assassination, What Comes Next? A Turning Point for This Generation.
After the shocking loss of Charlie Kirk, Ben Carpenter explores what this moment means—and why it could define an entire generation.
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22:27
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22:27
Teachers Have a Choice: The AAE Alternative—and Big Savings
Thought the teachers union was your only option? Think again. In this Must Read Alaska Show, host Ben Carpenter is joined by Kenai teacher Kim Bates, Anchorage teacher Aimee Sims, and Garry Sigle, Central Region Director for the Association of American Educators (AAE), to unpack what AAE is, who it serves, and how it stacks up against NEA-Alaska.
If you’ve never heard of AAE, you’re not alone. While NEA-Alaska dues can run over $1,400 a year, AAE membership costs just $19.50 a month—about $234 a year. That’s a savings of more than $1,100 annually—money that stays in your pocket while still giving you day-one legal protection and $2 million in professional liability coverage, double what NEA provides. And because AAE is non-union and non-partisan, your dues go entirely to supporting you as a professional—not to political campaigns. You stay covered under your district’s negotiated contract, but without paying union prices.
You’ll also hear how substitutes, paras, bus drivers, and other W-2 school employees can join AAE (with a low-cost option for retirees), and why—after the 2018 Janus v. AFSCME decision—membership is a choice, not a condition of employment. If you want options that align with your values and your wallet, this energetic conversation is your roadmap.
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31:37
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31:37
Who Controls Alaska’s Grand Jury? Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor Weighs In
Is Alaska’s grand jury still the people’s tool for oversight, or has it become another lever of government control? In this episode of the Must Read Alaska Show, host Ben Carpenter presses Attorney General Treg Taylor on the Supreme Court’s controversial move to make him the “gatekeeper” for public access to grand juries.
Taylor defends new procedures, acknowledges constitutional concerns, and reveals why he intends to be a “poor gatekeeper” in order to restore public trust. Together, Carpenter and Taylor debate the balance between secrecy and transparency, the risk of runaway grand juries versus weaponized complaints, and whether only a constitutional amendment can guarantee Alaskans’ right to use the grand jury to root out corruption.
This hard-hitting conversation digs into whether the state’s justice system protects the people — or itself.
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Shelley Hughes on Alaska’s Future: Fiscal Reform, Energy Development, and the 2026 Governor’s Race
Alaska State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Shelley Hughes joins Ben Carpenter to share her remarkable journey from rural Alaska in the ’70s to the state legislature. She outlines her vision for fiscal reform, energy development, and protecting the PFD, while drawing on decades of experience across Alaska’s regions. Known for working across party lines without compromising her conservative principles, Hughes offers a grassroots, no-nonsense approach to leadership and governance.
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1:04:25
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1:04:25
Indicting Truth: Grand Juries, Prosecutorial Power, and Alaska’s Crisis of Justice
In this eye-opening episode of the Must Read Alaska Show, host Ben Carpenter sits down with forensic journalist and author David Ignell for a deep dive into the constitutional role of grand juries in Alaska—and how that role is being undermined by the Department of Law and the judiciary.
At the heart of their conversation is the case of former Ketchikan Police Chief Jeffrey Walls, who was targeted with felony charges by three different prosecutors across three grand juries in two different jurisdictions. Each attempt was thrown out by the court, culminating in a judge dismissing the third indictment with prejudice and expressing a loss of confidence in the Department of Law's integrity.
Ignell draws on historical and legal precedent—from the English roots of grand juries to U.S. Supreme Court rulings—to argue that today’s grand juries are being deliberately disempowered. He shares insights from his 131-page book and first-hand accounts of how grand jurors, witnesses, and even foremen have been silenced or threatened when attempting to investigate government misconduct.
This episode explores troubling patterns of institutional resistance to transparency, including a sealed grand jury report currently locked away in a judge’s desk and the state’s redefinition of "investigative grand juries" as a means to control outcomes. Carpenter and Ignell make the case for urgent reform—and potentially federal intervention—to restore the public’s trust in Alaska’s justice system.
The Must Read Alaska Show is an award-winning podcast celebrated for its exceptional commentary on Alaska politics from a conservative perspective. With a unique approach that views each episode as a human interest piece, the show features a diverse array of guests, including politicians from both sides of the aisle, CEOs of publicly traded companies, New York Times bestselling authors, mayors of small towns in Alaska, and even presidents of countries. Hosted by Ben Carpenter
This award-winning show offers listeners fresh and candid discussions about what’s happening behind the scenes in Alaska politics, blending in-depth analysis, engaging storytelling, and expert interviews to provide an unparalleled listening experience.
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