Thursday, January 10, 2019

TRUMP’S SHUTDOWN

► In today’s Washington Post — Trump walks out of shutdown negotiations after Democrats reject wall money — Talks between President Trump and congressional Democrats aimed at ending the partial government shutdown collapsed in acrimony and disarray Wednesday, with the president walking out of the White House meeting and calling it “a total waste of time” after Democrats rejected his demand for border-wall funding.

ALSO TODAY at The Stand — STOP THE SHUTDOWN: Here’s what you can do to help

► In today’s NY Times — Trump heading to Texas town to press his case for a border wall — As the government shutdown neared the end of its third week, Trump was scheduled to board Air Force One with no additional negotiations scheduled with congressional leaders.

► From The Hill — GOP senators challenge Trump on shutdown strategy — Several Senate Republicans on Wednesday challenged Trump on his strategy for ending a 19-day shutdown during a closed-door meeting where they expressed specific concerns over the harm it is causing to federal workers and the economy.

► In today’s Washington Post — ‘He’s a gut politician’: Trump’s go-to negotiating tactics aren’t working in shutdown standoff — Trump has long said that keeping opponents off balance is the best way to win a negotiation. But nearly three weeks into a partial government shutdown, his usual playbook doesn’t seem to be working.

► From Politico — Shutdown’s economic damage: $1 billion a week — As federal workers face the prospect of missed paychecks during the partial government shutdown, their financial reality is rippling into the broader economy. Private-sector contractors and other workers tied to the government are already seeing damage from lost business. And a hit to the nation’s financial standing is on the horizon with a warning from Fitch Ratings on Wednesday about downgrading the government’s credit rating if the shutdown persists.

► From HuffPost — FDA postponing some food inspections as shutdown drags on — The FDA oversees about 80 percent of America’s food supply and many overseas imports, and helps counter food-borne diseases that send about 128,000 people to the hospital each year, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

► From the AP — Federal shutdown delays some state road, bridge contracts

► In today’s Seattle Times — Skiers, brewers and rain gauges: Here are some Seattle-area effects of the government shutdown — The partial federal government shutdown, now 19 days and counting, has sent bureaucrats federal employees in Washington state scrambling to keep programs afloat for as long as they can, but those officials warn that the acute impacts of the national impasse will manifest in the coming weeks, threatening some people’s lives and livelihoods, and annoying others.

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Shutdown delays final decision on Growlers — The partial federal government shutdown is delaying the secretary of the Navy’s final decision regarding EA-18G Growler aircraft at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

► From HuffPost — Democrats introduce bill to shield unpaid federal workers from lenders, landlords — They couldn’t go after government workers or contractors who can’t pay rent or loans because of the shutdown.

LOCAL

► In today’s Seattle Times — Seattle will ask state Supreme Court to review ruling that nixed rights for hotel workers — Seattle will ask the state Supreme Court to revive a voter-approved city law that gave new rights to hotel workers before being struck down last month. In 2016, 77 percent of Seattle voters passed I-124, requiring hotels to provide workers with emergency panic buttons, keep lists of guests accused of assaulting or harassing workers and bar those guests in certain circumstances. “I’m so angry and sad that the hotels keep attacking I-124,” said Sonia Guevara, a Unite Here Local 8 housekeeper. “We know they can do these things for the workers … They just don’t want to.”

ALSO TODAY at The Stand — City of Seattle, UNITE HERE 8 to appeal court ruling against I-124

► In today’s Seattle Times — Airbus matches Boeing in 2018 jet production, but Boeing pulls in more dollars — Despite a very difficult year for Airbus, its purchase of a majority stake in Bombardier’s CSeries jets meant the European manufacturer ended 2018 with commercial airplane production close to — and even arguably greater than — Boeing’s record output.

► From Crosscut — For city workers, Viadoom paves the way for flexible scheduling — The mayor has directed all departments to allow more flexible work days, something many workers say has been a long time coming.

► In the News Tribune — Tacoma’s MultiCare Allenmore Hospital expanding its emergency department

THIS WASHINGTON

► In today’s Walla Walla U.B. — Funding for WWCC and other colleges must be top priority (by Susan Palmer) — WWCC’s national accolades are well deserved, but the time has come to pay the bills. The prospect of doubling one’s salary over the course of one’s career may have been buried with my father. Yet without meaningful income growth potential, there is little incentive for excellence in teaching. Although I have nothing to gain personally now that I have retired, I nonetheless urge you to join me in calling on our state legislators to make community college funding a top priority in the next legislative session.

ALSO TODAY at The Stand — WSLC announces legislative agenda for 2019 — It includes INVESTING IN POST-HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION — As the backbone of our workforce development system, our state’s community and technical colleges connect K-12 students with career opportunities. After decades of defunding, we must invest in our CTCs to prepare students to thrive and achieve economic security as our state’s need for skilled and knowledgeable residents increases.

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — We can pay a little now for care we’ll need later (editorial) — With their first paycheck of the year, most workers in Washington state have — or they will soon — notice a modest deduction listed on their pay stubs, for themselves and their employers. It is going toward a state-managed fund that starting next year will allow participants to take psid family leave for the birth of a child or their or a family member’s illness and receive a weekly benefit while they are away from work. A similar program — the Long Term Care Act — should now be established for ourselves for the in-home, nursing home or other care most of us will need in our senior years.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Passage of the Long-Term Care Trust Act is also part of the WSLC’s 2019 legislative agenda.

► In today’s Yakima H-R — Eyman initiative could wipe out funding source for Yakima’s North First Street projects — A proposal that would cap annual car tab fees at $30 would slam the brakes on a $15.5 million project to improve North First Street in Yakima and hamper funding for future transportation projects, city officials say.

► From KNKX — State commission to hold hearing over unfair labor practice complaint against KUOW — The state Public Employment Relations Commission is holding a hearing this week about an unfair labor practice complaint filed by union members at the public radio station KUOW.

► In today’s (Everett) Herald — Male-only no more: The next House Speaker will be a woman — Frank Chopp’s reign as speaker of the state House of Representatives will end soon. And when he goes, the male-only sign on the door to this seat of power will come down and a woman will be chosen to occupy it. Bet on it… Possible contenders now include Reps. June Robinson of Everett, Laurie Jinkins of Tacoma, Gael Tarleton of Ballard, Tana Senn of Mercer Island, Monica Stonier of Vancouver, Tina Orwall of Des Moines, and Christine Kilduff of University Place. There are probably others.

► From the AP — Sen. Ranker steps down from leadership amid investigation — Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Bellingham), who is the subject of an investigation into allegations of improper conduct, has stepped down from his leadership positions on two Senate committees.

► In today’s Seattle Times — State senator proposes bill to block any downtown Seattle tolling plan — State Sen. Tim Sheldon (D R-Potlatch) unveiled a bill Tuesday that would block any city from implementing tolls without permission from the Legislature. He acknowledges the bill is unlikely to pass in a Legislature controlled by Democrats.

► From Crosscut — Exotic dancers face workplace hazards. Could the Legislature help? — It’s a business model that some Washington legislators think could be unfair and they might want to change it, for both the economic well-being and the safety of the dancers.

► From Crosscut — Poll: WA voters unsure of President Inslee, but like him as governor

NATIONAL

► From AP — Teacher strike delayed in second-largest U.S. school district — The union representing teachers in Los Angeles — the nation’s second-largest school district — postponed the start of a strike until Monday because of the possibility of a court-ordered delay of a walkout. United Teachers Los Angeles previously said its 35,000 members would walk off the job Thursday for the first time in 30 years if a deal wasn’t reached on higher pay and smaller class sizes. However, a judge was considering Wednesday whether the union gave legally proper notice of a strike and could have ordered teachers to wait.

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