Category Archives: Government

Sugar, Bad Bunny and the Americas

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson Last night’s thirteen-minute Super Bowl half-time show featuring Bad Bunny had more watchers than any other halftime show in history: an estimated 135 million watched live, while millions more have streamed it since. Rapper, singer, … Continue reading

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I’m the Prime Minister of Spain. This Is Why the West Needs Migrants.

By Pedro Sánchez in the New York Times Mr. Sánchez is the prime minister of Spain. He wrote from Madrid. Imagine you’re the leader of a nation, and you face a dilemma. Half a million or so people who are crucial … Continue reading

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The Globalization of Canadian Rage

By Stephen Marche in the New York Times Mr. Marche is the author, most recently, of “The Next Civil War.” He wrote from Toronto, where he lives. The defiance against America that has consumed Canadian life for over a year now … Continue reading

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A once-in-a-generation moment at MOHAI

Thanks to Mary M. This summer, MOHAI is proud to host the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation. This landmark exhibit from the National Archives will bring some of the rarest and most important original documents in … Continue reading

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American Democracy Will Not Die in Darkness

Paul Krugman (thanks to Diana C.) ICE in Minneapolis: Schools go remote as protests growBroad daylight, actually The Washington Post adopted the slogan “Democracy dies in darkness” in February 2017. Some found it pompous, but it reflected a widespread theory … Continue reading

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Trump Is About to Find Out What Every Bully in History Has Found Out

The New Republic and Michael Tomasky In 2025, Donald Trump scared people. And institutions. Go back in your mind to the way he came out of the gate, gunning the accelerator on every front. Pardoning the insurrectionists. Dismantling the executive branch. Firing inspectors general and heads and … Continue reading

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Federal Judge’s Order freeing 5 year old

Thanks to Dan S.

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If They Call Me a Domestic Terrorist

Thanks to Pam P.

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The Boys of Terezin

Thanks to Ann M. Don’t miss this deeply moving documentaryabout courageous teenage boys and thesecret magazine they dared to create in Terezín Between 1942 and 1944, about 100 teenage boys imprisoned in the Terezín concentration camp created a secret magazine … Continue reading

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Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson

Ed Note: Here’s the recent posting by HCR. You can subscribe to her free newsletter, Letters from an American, here. Public outrage over the violence of federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol has given … Continue reading

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Steets of Mineapolis by Bruce Springsteen

Thanks to Mary M. 2,870,341 views Jan 28, 2026 #1 on music Trending chartLyrics:Through the winter’s ice and coldDown Nicollet AvenueA city aflame fought fire and ice‘Neath an occupier’s bootsKing Trump’s private army from the DHSGuns belted to their coatsCame … Continue reading

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For Alex Jeffrey Pretti

Thanks to Diana C.

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Two regulatory rollbacks, along with a new A.I. experiment in Medicare, raise some worrisome questions.

By Paula Span in the NYT Ed note: We should be proud of our LTC Washington State Ombudsman, Patricia Hunter, for advocating for us and pushing back on the negative moves of CMS. Month after month, Patricia Hunter and other members … Continue reading

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The killing of VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson As the nation mourned the killing of VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti yesterday at the hands of federal officials in Minneapolis, President Donald J. Trump spent last night at the White House at a black-tie … Continue reading

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Crosslake Update: Mark your calendar for opening day!

It’s official: Link 2 Line service across Lake Washington begins in March. By Sound Transit (thanks to Ed M.) The 2 Line’s highly anticipated Crosslake Connection between Seattle and the Eastside will transform how we travel around the region for generations … Continue reading

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A Simple Proposal for the Legal Profession to Regain Its Dignity

By Shira A. Scheindlin and John Jones III — in the New York Times (Jan 19, 2026) Ms. Scheindlin is a former judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Jones is a former chief judge … Continue reading

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Resources about ICE for Parents and Guardians

This list of resources has been provided by several local schools: (thanks to Sylvia P.)

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A Superpower is Dying by Suicide

Commentary by Heather Cox Richardson Late last night, Nick Schifrin of PBS NewsHour posted on social media that the staff of the U.S. National Security Council had sent to European ambassadors in Washington a message that President Donald J. Trump … Continue reading

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How Governments have Caused Homelessness

By Skyline’s Michael Caplow — in Post Alley More than 770,000 people in the US experienced homelessness in January of 2024. The causes for this epidemic have a history dating to the 1960s. It’s not just “bad choices,” laziness, or … Continue reading

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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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