NEWS ROUNDUP
All hands on deck for nurses’ rally ● Shea’s cray cray ● Who’s the Hanford boss?
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
THIS WASHINGTON
MORE coverage from the Tri-City Herald, AP and HuffPost,
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Spokane school officials lobby for more special education money, but not higher local levies — With the clock ticking toward Sunday’s scheduled end of the legislative session and a possible deal on the state operating budget, Spokane Public Schools officials were making pleas Monday to local lawmakers for help with their projected shortfall.
► In today’s Spokesman-Review — Democrats call on GOP to oust Rep. Matt Shea after report says he backed surveillance on left-wing protestors — Washington Democrats called for state Rep. Matt Shea to be expelled from the GOP caucus on Monday after a news report revealed he took part in a private group chat that discussed attacking and spying on left-wing activists. “Rep. Shea embodies a strain of extreme ideology that, throughout the decades and into the present, has caused deep harm to people and families,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement Monday. “I strongly condemn both his rhetoric and his behavior.” House Republican Leader Rep. J.T. Wilcox (R-Yelm) said he was unswayed by the calls from Democrats.
EDITOR’S NOTE — They didn’t.
BOEING
► In today’s Seattle Times — Boeing’s quarterly report will give first look at financial impact of MAX crisis — Even as Boeing inches closer to a fix for its grounded 737 MAX, industry analysts say the aircraft may not fly until October, a delay that could cost the company nearly three fifths of the cash it expected to generate in 2019. On Wednesday morning, investors and analysts will get their first look at the financial impacts of the grounding when Boeing releases its first-quarter results.
LOCAL
► From Crosscut — Want less traffic and pollution in the U-District? UW workers say free transit will help — For the past year, the nonprofit Transit Riders Union has led an effort to get the university to fully subsidize transit passes for every employee under the banner UW Pass or Fail. On Monday, about 35 representatives from the coalition gathered outside the Husky Stadium light rail station for a press conference, coinciding with Earth Day.
THAT WASHINGTON
► And right on cue, today from the AP (it is appearing in newspapers across the nation, including today’s Seattle Times and the Spokesman-Review) — Medicare, Social Security face shaky fiscal futures
In today’s Washington Post — The Supreme Court must see through the obvious sabotage behind Trump’s census question (editorial) — The court will hear arguments today about who counts, quite literally, in the eyes of the federal government. At stake is not just the fate of the census, but also whether the Trump administration will get away with one of its more glaring con jobs… The Trump administration wants to tilt the census in favor of areas of the country that tend to vote for Republicans, at the expense of areas that tend to vote for Democrats. The justices cannot allow such obvious sabotage.
► In today’s Washington Post — Mueller report fallout threatens to redefine constraints on presidency — The aftermath of the special counsel’s report, as well as Congress’s inability to help serve as a check on Trump, could create a precedent in which it remains unclear where to draw lines on presidential behavior.
► From HuffPost — Today’s the deadline for the IRS to hand over Trump’s tax returns — Congressional Democrats set the deadline earlier this month after the Trump administration said it needed more time to respond to their original request for six years of Trump’s personal and business returns.
► From NBC — After Mueller report, Twitter bots pushed ‘Russiagate hoax’ narrative — A network of more than 5,000 pro-Trump Twitter bots railed against the “Russiagate hoax” shortly after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report last week. The network illustrates the ongoing challenge Twitter faces in persistent efforts to manipulate its platform.
NATIONAL
► In today’s NY Times — Stop & Shop strike ends with union claiming victory on pay and health care — After more than three months of negotiations and 11 days on strike, over 30,000 Stop & Shop workers have reached a tentative agreement with the supermarket chain that they said met their demands for better pay and health care coverage.
ALSO at The Stand — Stop & Shop workers in New England score a powerful victory
EDITOR’S NOTE — Are you a retail or grocery worker in Washington state who isn’t getting the pay and benefits you deserve? Contact the UFCW! Get more information about how you can join together with co-workers and negotiate a fair return for your hard work. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!
► In the North Jersey Record — Tackling pay inequity, new Rutgers faculty contract could become a national template — The tentative contract agreement reached last week by Rutgers University and its faculty union could trigger ripples of change in future bargaining agreements at colleges across the country. Under the new four-year contract, women and faculty from underrepresented communities will be able to obtain pay equity with their male and white counterparts.
► From NBC News — Two Google employees say the company retaliated after they organized a walkout — Two Google employees who have been active in criticizing the company’s management over the treatment of women and other workplace issues are accusing the tech giant of retaliating against them.
► And finally, this public service announcement from KUOW — Court says using chalk on tires for parking enforcement violates constitution — The next time parking enforcement officers use chalk to mark your tires, they might be acting unconstitutionally. A federal appeals court ruled Monday that “chalking” is a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.