DAILY NEWS
Teacher contract talks, Obama vs. Dems, science vs. GOP…
Thursday, August 25, 2016
TEACHER TALKS
► In today’s Columbian — Teachers, Evergreen agree on only one point — If agreement is not reached, teachers will decide next Tuesday whether to strike, which would delay the start of the school year for 26,000 students in Southwest Washington’s largest school district.
► From the News Tribune– Bethel teachers still negotiating contract as start of school year approaches — Issues still outstanding include pay and teacher participation in decision-making around testing.
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — New Spokane teachers’ contract includes early school release for students on a dozen Fridays — A new contract for Spokane teachers includes three years of pay raises and series of scheduling changes that include 12 early release Fridays throughout the year and an agreement that starting next year the first day of school will be on the last Thursday day of August.
LOCAL
► In today’s Olympian — Judge rules Olympia income tax proposal invalid for November ballot — A judge has ruled that a proposed income tax initiative for Olympia residents is invalid and cannot appear on the November ballot. He said the initiative extends beyond the city’s powers and conflicts with the state law that bans income taxes.
► In today’s Tri-City Herald — DOE asks judge to dismiss state’s Hanford chemical vapor lawsuit — The Department of Energy is asking that a federal judge dismiss the state of Washington’s lawsuit seeking increased protection from chemical vapors for Hanford workers. The state is overstepping its authority and has no legal standing to bring the case, the feds argue.
ELECTION 2016
► In the Seattle Times — The ‘Trump effect’ is real, and it’s not good for local Republicans (by Jonathan Martin) — Someone should tell Washington State Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Hutchison that her state Trumper-in-chief shtick is eroding the state party’s odds for its biggest potential prize this weird election year — control of the state Legislature.
► In today’s NY Times — Trump’s description of Black America is offending those living in it — The unrelievedly dire picture Donald Trump has painted of black America has left many black voters angry, dumbfounded or both. Interviews with roughly a dozen blacks in Atlanta turned up no one who found any appeal in Trump’s remarks. More common was the suggestion that Trump was trying to appeal to whites who might support him.
► From Yahoo News — Trump calls Clinton a ‘bigot’ at surreal rally
► From The Hill — GOP chairman calls on Trump to release taxes
► From The Hill — Spokeswoman: Trump not changing immigration stance, just his words
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
► From the Economic Policy Institute — Why is President Obama making one last push for the TPP? — Importantly, this year’s election has highlighted the importance of non-white working class voters for Democratic success at the presidential level. Given the modesty of net benefits and the large, regressive redistribution of income created by growing trade flows, it is puzzling why TPP is such a priority for the Obama administration—especially when it, like trade agreements before, is quite likely to do disproportionate harm to the people who make up his and his party’s political base. Even more puzzling is why there are no measures accompanying the TPP that would provide compensation for workers on the losing end (who are, again, disproportionately black and, Hispanic) at anything like the scale of the losses they will incur as a result of this terribly designed trade and investment deal.
NATIONAL
ALSO at The Stand — Academic Student Employees hail major NLRB ruling
► A related story in today’s Spokesman-Review — McMorris Rodgers noncommittal on climate change, wildfires — The Republican congresswoman also sidestepped a question about limiting carbon emissions.
TODAY’S MUST-READ
► From AFL-CIO Now — Today’s photo ID laws are yesterday’s beans in a jar (by Augusta Y. Thomas) — When Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, I had hoped we had seen the last of those tactics — of American citizens being denied their most basic right to vote because of what they looked like, what they sounded like, or where they came from. It pains me to see that history is repeating itself yet again. Thanks to a 2013 Supreme Court decision overturning a key portion of the Voting Rights Act, 20 states will have restrictions in place this November making it harder for residents to vote.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.