Category Archives: Government

Greenland, ICE, and negative polling

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson After the extraordinary pushback on President Donald J. Trump’s bizarre demand for Greenland, he has responded with what economist Paul Krugman called “a howl of frustration on the part of a mad dictator who has … Continue reading

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It’s the Cynicism

by Joyce Vance (thanks to Mary M.) It seems to be everywhere you look, across the political spectrum. Far too many people don’t believe in anything anymore. They’ve lost faith in everything: our institutions, our values, and even each other. … Continue reading

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Remembering Maggie

Henry Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson, February 17, 1969 Courtesy UW Special Collections (UW19599) By Joel Connelly in Post Alley (thanks to Ed M.) The problem telling Maggie stories nowadays is that you must stop and tell folks who Warren … Continue reading

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Supporting Mark Kelly

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson Today, Democratic senator Mark Kelly of Arizona sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Defense Department, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and the Navy Department for violating his First Amendment rights, the Speech and Debate Clause of … Continue reading

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How to support WACCRA’s Important Actions in the State Legislature

Ed note: If you are not already a Washing State Continuing Care Resident’s Association (WACCRA) member, please consider joining this statewide organization of CCRC’s which advocate for the rights of residents. Currently, we have very few legal protections of our … Continue reading

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The Curse of the Middle Guy: Ferguson’s first 8 months as governor

Expectations were high for Bob Ferguson. For many across the political spectrum, the reality has been baffling and disappointing. What happened? Laurel Demkovich in Crosscut If you want to learn more about Gov. Bob Ferguson’s term so far and hear … Continue reading

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FACISM – commentary by Heather Cox Richardson

Beginning in 1943, the War Department published a series of pamphlets for U.S. Army personnel in the European theater of World War II. Titled Army Talks, the series was designed “to help [the personnel] become better-informed men and women and … Continue reading

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Journey to American Democracy: The Battle of the Bulge

Ed note: As a subscriber to Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter, this arrived in my inbox today. It’s inspiring to remember our history and battle against Facism–a battle that must be renewed today. The second post today (thanks to MaryLou P.) … Continue reading

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15 Things That Can Pretty Much Instantly Be De-Trumpified In 3 Years

by Matt Stoper in BuzzFeed (Thanks to Bob P) Donald Trump has gotten his hand-shake-bruised hands on pretty much everything in DC… For those counting down: He’s got three years left, but de-Trumpification will take time once he’s gone. Fortunately, some cosmetic issues … Continue reading

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Plane trips and the Epstein files – a million questions remain

Commentary from Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter On Wednesday, December 24, the Department of Justice posted on social media that it might take “a few more weeks” to release the Epstein files after announcing that the U.S. attorney for the Southern … Continue reading

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The redacted 60 minute interview is on social media

If you’d like to watch this, click here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSmfgc_Didy/ It may be muted. If so, just click on the small speaker icon in R hand lower corner of the video. or thanks to Diana C. you may be able to … Continue reading

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Our Petty, Hollow, Squalid Ogre in Chief

Ed note: Although I dislike giving the President more notoriety, the piece by a conservative columnist highlights the depths of Trump’s pathologic personality disorder. The questions is this. How can others not question Trump’s sanity? By Bret Stephens Opinion Columnist Though … Continue reading

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The Hero We Need Now

Andy Borowitz (thanks to Mary Jane F. and Pam P.) One of the great joys of publishing TBR is the time I spend each day in the comments section reading what you have to say. Last week, this comment from … Continue reading

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America for sale – $1M gets you in

By Danny Westneat – Seattle Times columnist When the Trump administration plastered his name on signs in Seattle taking credit for an infrastructure project he had fought bitterly against, I called it a “sign of the shameless times” and “a new level of Orwellian.” … Continue reading

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Restoring Confidence in Public Health

in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine – thanks to Ed M.

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One of CDC’s final blows. And what it means for you–Avoid the CDC Website!

Katelyn Jetelina in Your Local Epidemiologist I still remember the exact moment this photo below was taken. I was on my way to interview for CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)—the two-year training program for “disease detectives.” For people in my … Continue reading

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The Most Impactful Political Handbag Since Mrs. Thatcher’s

Sanae Takaichi, the new prime minister of Japan, makes a statement about work — with style. By Vanessa Friedman in the NYT Thanks to Ann M. who notes: OMG! The Queen and Mrs. Thatcher return…I read somewhere that the Queen used … Continue reading

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The Real Deal: Katie Wilson, Seattle’s socialist answer to the affordability crisis

Will Seattle Big Business play nice with our new mayor? This story was originally published by The Real Deal on Nov. 19, 2025 by the Downtown Seattle Association (thanks to Dan S.) Like Mamdani in New York City, political novice ran against … Continue reading

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How a Seattle Alt-Weekly Newspaper Became a Progressive Kingmaker

Endorsements from The Stranger have become a must-have for some politicians, who know to bring snacks to their meetings with the paper’s writers. By Karen Weise has reported from Seattle for more than a decade. (thanks to Mary Jane F.) They … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Government, In the Neighborhood, Media | 1 Comment

The beginning of the end?

The Epstein Shutdown commentary by Heather Cox Richardson It turns out Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and House Democrats were right to call it the “Epstein Shutdown” for the last several weeks on social media and in interviews. As Marc Elias … Continue reading

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The win in NYC – Young Women and Youth of Color

Thanks to Mike Ca.

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Next?

Thanks to Mary Jane F. “72% of the world’s population lives under autocracies” a quote from the PBS ‘News Hour’ on 11/7/25

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None of this is complicated

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson “None of this is complicated,” political data specialist Tom Bonier wrote yesterday about Tuesday’s dramatic Democratic victories around the country. “The [Republicans] ran on affordability in 2024. They gave sanctimonious lectures on cable news on … Continue reading

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Election results: Voters say ‘No Kings’

by David Horsey in the Seattle Times Here is a telling statistic: In Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats spent $18 million on campaign ads that mentioned President Donald Trump while Republicans spent just $1.3 million on ads that invoked the name of … Continue reading

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The Great Gaslight

from Closer to the Edge (thanks to Pam P) You couldn’t script irony this sharp if you tried. On October 31, 2025, as the federal government collapsed under the weight of its own indifference, Donald Trump threw a Great Gatsby-themed … Continue reading

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