Monday, October 1, 2018

ELECTION

► In the (Vancouver) Columbian — Elect Long to Congress (editorial) — Democrat Carolyn Long is an insightful, engaged and energetic candidate. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends that voters elect Long as congressional representative from Washington’s 3rd District. This is not said lightly. Incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, has served admirably during four terms in Congress. And while The Columbian has recommended Herrera Beutler to voters in the past, Long is the superior candidate this time.

► In today’s News Tribune — We endorse: Kim Schrier has edge over Dino Rossi (editorial) — The stakes are so high in the other Washington that our endorsement goes to Democrat Kim Schrier, who’s fiercely smart and measures up well to her opponent. Schrier, a pediatrician, would be the only female physician in Congress, a knowledgeable voice defending the Affordable Care Act from attacks by Trump and his allies at the Capitol. She says the potential loss of medical coverage for as many as 32,000 people in her district is what motivated her to run.

LOCAL

► In today’s Tri-City Herald — They were hurt at work. More Tri-Cities nurses are speaking out. — Jessica Murphy cares for sick and hurting people every day. But on Sept. 9, the longtime emergency department nurse at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland was the one in need of medical care. She was hurt in a violent attack at the hospital — one of two in September in which a patient ended up criminally charged for attacking staff… Murphy is adding her voice to a growing chorus of nurses — in the Tri-Cities and beyond — who want to raise awareness about workplace violence in health care settings and inspire changes to improve safety.

► In Sunday’s Spokesman-Review — 20 years after crippling labor dispute, Kaiser and Steelworkers working together — Today is the 20th anniversary of the walkout, which marks the beginning of a bruising labor dispute in Spokane County. The strike and a subsequent lockout lasted more than two years, dividing the community and creating economic hardships for many. After four months on the picket line, the Steelworkers offered to go back to work under the previous contract while negotiations continued. But Kaiser’s management wouldn’t allow the return to work. A bitter, 20-month lockout followed… About 950 people – hourly and salaried – now work at Trentwood, producing aluminum alloys and semifabricated plates, sheets and coils for aerospace and other high-end manufacturing applications.

TRADE

► In today’s NY Times — U.S., Canada reach deal to salvage NAFTA — The United States and Canada reached a last-minute deal to salvage the North American Free Trade Agreement on Sunday, overcoming deep divisions to keep the 25-year-old trilateral pact intact. The trilateral deal will no longer be called NAFTA, they said, but will be named the “United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.”

► From the AFL-CIO — NAFTA deal should create jobs, protect our environment and safeguard democracy (by Celeste Drake) — While there are too many details that still need to be worked out before working people make a final judgment on a deal, here is a brief analysis on the trade deal text released late last night (we’ll call it “NAFTA 2018” for clarity). Working families want the United States, Canada and Mexico to go back to the table and finish a deal that creates good, high-wage jobs, protects our environment and safeguards our democracy.

► In today’s Washington Post — A look at what’s in the sweeping trade deal — The deal has a new name and new rules for cars, trucks, labor rights and intellectual property protections.

THIS WASHINGTON

► In the Seattle Times — Sen. Joe Fain’s accuser: ‘I’m done being silent’ — After watching the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, Candace Faber texted a friend. “I want to name my assailant,” she wrote. “He’s in the state senate.” Sen. Joe Fain denies the allegation.

THAT WASHINGTON

► From Fortune — Under the fog of Kavanaugh, House passes $3.8 trillion more in tax cuts — With attention fixed on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new $3.1 trillion tax cut on Friday. The vote was 220 to 191, including three Democrats. The down-to-the-wire 2017 tax act passed in late December contained a mix of permanent and temporary changes that had to result in a net increased cost that fell within a structural limit of $1.5 trillion that allowed the Senate to approve the bill with a simple majority.

EDITOR’S NOTE — As Rep. Adam Smith (D-9th) explains: “The Republicans doubled down on their tax scam, giving corporations and the wealthy a second massive tax break in less than nine months, sticking hard-working American families with the bill… What’s worse is that Republicans have made it clear that they plan to pay for this scam with devastating cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.” Voting yes on these latest tax cuts were Washington Republican Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Dan Newhouse and Dave Reichert. All Democrats from the state voted no.

ALSO at The Stand — GOP plans big Social Security, Medicare cuts

► From TPM — Outrage grows as omissions from Kavanaugh probe become apparent — The limit on the list of people the FBI plans to talk to about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s past, as well as the difficulty many would-be witnesses are facing in their attempts to contribute their information, is raising Democratic hackles.

► From HuffPost — ACLU opposes Kavanaugh nomination in rare break from own policy — The American Civil Liberties Union, which typically does not endorse candidates for political or judicial office as a matter of policy, announced Saturday its opposition to Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

NATIONAL

► In today’s Washington Post — Don’t be fooled: Working Americans are worse off under Trump (by Robert Shapiro) — Despite robust economic numbers during the Trump presidency, the American public has seemed curiously unmoved by such good news as the lowest U.S. unemployment level in nearly half a century. Its enthusiasm might have been dampened by this underappreciated economic reality: The typical working American’s earnings, when properly measured, have declined during the Trump administration.

► In the Chicago Tribune — Hotel strike ends at five more downtown Chicago hotels as workers at Hilton, Inn of Chicago ratify contracts — Striking employees at four Hilton hotels are back at work after more than three weeks on the picket line. Workers at the Palmer House Hilton, The Drake, the Hilton Chicago and the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago Magnificent Mile ratified contracts Saturday with their employer, a significant step toward resolving a broad work stoppage that at its peak affected 26 downtown hotels.

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.