NEWS ROUNDUP
Bluer Washington ● Strike in Port Angeles? ● Sessions out, fix in?
Thursday, November 8, 2018
LOCAL ELECTIONS
TODAY at The Stand — Latest results: Schrier wins, legislative Dems make gains
► In today’s Columbian — Long concedes; Herrera Beutler re-elected in 3rd — Southwest Washington voters have elected Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Battle Ground) to serve a fifth term in Congress.
► In today’s Bellingham Herald — With Wednesday vote numbers, recounts may be required in Whatcom legislative races — Two-term state Sen. Doug Ericksen (R) held his slim lead over Bellingham City Councilwoman Pinky Vargas (D) by a margin of 50.09% to 49.91% — nearly a dead heat out of 69,118 votes cast.
► In today’s (Everett) Herald — At least one local state House seat flips to Democrats — Democrat Jared Mead, at 27, could be on his way to becoming the youngest member of the state Legislature, if his lead holds. Mead was ahead 52.1 percent to 47.9 percent over incumbent Mark Harmsworth (R-Mill Creek).
► In today’s (Longview) Daily News — Walsh-Frasier race still too close to call
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Washington Legislature getting bluer in 2019
► From McClatchy — Inslee for president? Could be, though he just lost a big climate fight back home — Gov. Jay Inslee, a potential 2020 presidential contender, came to Washington, D.C., Wednesday to tout a “historic night” for Democrats in statehouses around the country. But he took a big loss at home on a signature issue.
NATIONAL ELECTIONS
ALSO at The Stand — WSLC’s Jeff Johnson on election: ‘We’re just getting started’
► In today’s Washington Post — From Medicaid to minimum wage, even red state voters backed progressive measures — Voters in deeply red states elected some deeply conservative politicians in this week’s midterm elections. But they also approved a litany of progressive ballot initiatives, from restoring felon voting rights to raising the minimum wage and expanding Medicaid. The electoral dissonance underscored that the issues people vote on at the ballot box don’t always align with the candidates they vote for. The outcomes also highlight the approach advocates took in trying to get the ballot measures passed — namely, by not associating them with either party.
► From The Hill — ObamaCare repeal off the table for now after Dems take House — A new Democratic House majority will shield the Affordable Care Act from congressional Republicans who have been trying to eradicate former President Obama’s signature law since 2010. Democrats ran on enthusiasm for health care and ObamaCare to gain control of the House.
► From The Hill — AFL-CIO on Wisconsin governor race: ‘Scott Walker was a national disgrace’ — That was AFL-CIO Richard Trumka’s brief but harsh statement.
► ICYMI from The Onion — Georgia election worker assures black man ballot scanner supposed to sound like shredder
► In today’s News Tribune — Enough is enough. It’s time for all-mail voting to sweep the nation (by Matt Driscoll) — There were dirty, rotten tricks, particularly in Georgia, where Republican Brian Kemp engaged in what Boston Globe columnist Renee Graham rightfully called “the most blatantly racist voter suppression tactics since the vicious days of poll taxes and so-called literacy tests.” There were long lines across the country, with voters far and wide forced to wait hours upon hours just to have their voices heard. In some places, there weren’t enough voting machines. In others, precincts were late to open. In still others, there were ballot shortages, car crashes and power outages — all of which needlessly affected peoples’ Constitutionally enshrined right to vote. There’s an easy fix to all of it, one that Washington, the Evergreen State, home sweet home, helped pioneer along with Oregon and Colorado. I’m talking about voting by mail.
LOCAL
► In today’s Seattle Times — Everett Public Schools says it faces budget cuts in latest fallout from McCleary-funded teacher pay hikes — Everett Public Schools blames their budget shortfalls on the McCleary decision for reducing the amount school districts can collect in levies and for not fully funding special education.
► In today’s Kitsap Sun — Bremerton firefighters speak out against chief’s ousting — Bremerton firefighters came out in force to the City Council on Wednesday night to decry Mayor Greg Wheeler’s decision to fire their boss. David Schmitt, who Wheeler dismissed as the city’s fire chief two weeks ago, also addressed the council, asking for a return to his old job.
STATE GOVERNMENT
► In today’s Seattle Times — Senate panel to discuss investigating 2007 rape allegation against state Sen. Joe Fain — It’s unclear whether the Senate will ultimately commission an investigation, but a meeting is scheduled Thursday to discuss the idea. A Seattle woman accused Fain of raping her in Washington, D.C., in 2007. Fain has denied the allegation.
► From the AP — Nurse who lost part of ear in patient assault sues state — A nurse at Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital who lost part of her ear when she was assaulted by a patient is suing the state for $5 million. The tort claim filed Wednesday says the DSHS created a dangerous work environment by failing to properly staff the wards.
THAT WASHINGTON
► In today’s NY Times — How Sessions’s firing could affect the Russia investigation — The shake-up means that Matthew Whitaker assumes oversight of the inquiry from Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general. He could tell Mueller to stop investigating a particular matter or could refuse any requests by Mueller to expand his investigation. He could also curtail resources to the Office of the Special Counsel, requiring Mueller to downsize his staff or resources. Moreover, Whitaker could block Mueller from pursuing investigative steps, like subpoenaing Mr. Trump or issuing new indictments… When Mueller completes his work, he is to deliver a report about his findings to the attorney general. It would then be up to the attorney general — now Whitaker — to decide whether to turn that document over to Congress or keep it secret. Of course, next year, when Democrats take over the House, they could issue a subpoena for such a document, but if the Trump administration wants to fight that subpoena by asserting executive privilege, it is not clear what would happen.
► In today’s Washington Post — Manchin: Ousting Sessions was ‘a big mistake’ that puts the country on verge of a constitutional crisis — Sen. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.), the only Democrat who voted to confirm Jeff Sessions as attorney general, said Thursday that President Trump’s decision to force him out of office was “a big mistake” and the country is now on the verge of a constitutional crisis.
► From Politico — Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after suffering fall — She fractured three ribs on her left side.
► From TPM — Christine Blasey Ford is still receiving threats, harassment
NATIONAL
► Once again in The Onion — ‘No way to prevent this,’ says only nation where this regularly happens — In the hours following a violent rampage in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in which a lone attacker killed 12 individuals, including a police officer, and seriously injured at least 12 others, citizens living in the only country where this kind of mass killing routinely occurs reportedly concluded Thursday that there was no way to prevent the massacre from taking place.
► In today’s NY Times — In superstar cities, the rich get richer, and they get Amazon — In the end, even Amazon has behaved according to this rule: In the modern tech economy, cities that already have wealth, opportunity, highly educated workers and high salaries will just keep attracting more of them.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.