NEWS ROUNDUP
OSHA did nothing, so people died ● Approve Ref. 90 ● The swamp Trump built
Monday, October 12, 2020
COVID-19
► LIVE from the Seattle Times — Coronavirus daily news update, Oct. 12 — The latest count of COVID-19 cases in Washington totals 93,035 infections (7-day average of new infections per day: 515) and 2,190 deaths (7-day average of deaths per day: 6)
ELECTION
► From the (Everett) Herald — Voters get final word on a controversial sex education law — At the center of the fight is Senate Bill 5395, which Gov. Jay Inslee signed in March. It is on hold pending the outcome of Referendum 90 in the Nov. 3 election. Under SB 5395, every district must have a curriculum for comprehensive sexual health education in place for grades six through 12 in the 2021-22 school year, and all grades, including kindergarten, beginning in the 2022-23 school year. As envisioned, instruction would evolve as students grow older. In grades K-3, a focal point would be emotional learning, which would cover how to make friends and manage feelings.
► From the Seattle Times — Vote to support trust fund for long-term care (editorial) — To make the most of Washington’s new public long-term care insurance program, voters should approve ESJR 8212. The constitutional amendment will allow the state to invest long-term care trust fund money in the stock market. In previous years, voters have approved similar investments of funds for public pensions, workers’ compensation and the ABLE Savings Plan for people with disabilities. Investing the long-term care fund similarly is a commonsense idea approved by both legislative chambers with little opposition.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The WSLC is urging union voters to approve ESJR 8212.
► From the (Everett) Herald — Tested by pandemic, Inslee deserves third term (editorial) — The governor’s leadership and trust in science has saved lives and ultimately the state economy.
► From the News Tribune — Inslee is the easy choice for governor (editorial)
The Stand (TODAY) — Union volunteers needed for FUN Banks — In addition to the WSLC FUN Banks, the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council is also hosting FUN Banks to support labor-endorsed congressional candidate Carolyn Long, plus important state legislative candidates in SW Washington, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
THAT WASHINGTON
► From the Washington Post — White House pivots again on stimulus negotiations after bipartisan backlash — The White House again pivoted its approach to stimulus negotiations on Sunday, with the president’s aides pushing for immediate action on a narrow measure after the administration’s $1.8 trillion proposal was rebuffed by members of both parties.
NATIONAL
► From The Guardian — ‘Influencers are being taken advantage of’: the social media stars turning to unions — Amy Hart earned her 1.2 million Instagram and 99,000 Twitter followers by appearing on 2019’s Love Island, where she had her heart broken while wearing a denim minidress. Like many of the show’s former stars, she is now an influencer: she tells fans where to buy clothes, makeup, even teeth like hers. But on 12 May this year, Hart influenced her followers in an entirely different direction. “Join a union!” the 28-year-old wrote on Twitter, above a 14-second video. “We’re in a really uncertain time when it comes to work and your rights and legislation,” she said. “If I can give you one piece of advice: join a union.”
TODAY’S MUST-READ
► MUST-READ from the NY Times — The swamp that Trump built — Campaigning for president as a D.C. outsider, Trump electrified rallies with his vows to “drain the swamp.” But Trump did not merely fail to end Washington’s insider culture of lobbying and favor-seeking. He reinvented it, turning his own hotels and resorts into the Beltway’s new back rooms, where public and private business mix and special interests reign. As president, he built a system of direct presidential influence-peddling unrivaled in modern American politics. An investigation by The Times found over 200 companies, special-interest groups and foreign governments that patronized Trump’s properties while reaping benefits from him and his administration… Just 60 customers with interests at stake before the Trump administration brought his family business nearly $12 million during the first two years of his presidency, The Times found. Almost all saw their interests advanced, in some fashion, by Trump or his government.
The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.