Washington in Focus

Vice President JD Vance is targeting Microsoft over alleged H-1B visa abuse and American worker layoffs, announcing a suspension of the company's PERM labor-certification processing amid a federal investigation. Microsoft is pushing back against the administration's claims.

JD VANCE TARGETS MICROSOFT OVER H-1B VISAS

Vance accused Microsoft of laying off thousands of American workers while relying on foreign employees through the H-...

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is still deciding whether to join a new federal education tax credit program that supporters estimate could bring more than $700 million annually to Washington students. Meanwhile, Washington's 9.9% income tax faces new questions, and the Tacoma Urban League confirms its CEO has been terminated following months of scrutiny.

FEDERAL EDUCATION TAX CREDIT

Former Obama Education Secretary Arne Duncan is urg...

A Washington high-school wrestler is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for emergency relief in a major girls sports and Title IX case, while Seattle business leaders are sounding the alarm over the city's growing tax burden and the Freedom Foundation is suing New York over a new union-related communications law.

Washington wrestler Kallie Keeler and her mother have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in their ongoing legal fight ...

Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is taking aim at the oil and gas industry as the U.S. Supreme Court hears a major climate-change case that could affect lawsuits against fossil-fuel companies across the country.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, a case involving ExxonMobil, Suncor Energy and local governments in Colorado seeking damages for alleged climate-change impacts.

At issue is...

Puget Sound Energy customers are pushing back against a proposed three-year rate plan that could significantly increase electric and natural gas bills across Washington.

PSE is asking the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to approve electric rate increases of 15.15% in 2027, 3.74% in 2028 and 8.70% in 2029. The Washington Attorney General's Office characterizes the proposal as an approximately 29% electric rate inc...

Washington voters will soon decide whether to repeal the state's newly enacted 9.9% income tax, and a new analysis examines what Initiative 645 would actually do to the rest of Washington's tax package.

The Washington Research Council has released a policy brief examining I-645 and the state's new income tax established under Senate Bill 6346.

If voters approve Initiative 645, the income-tax provisions would be repealed while sever...

A Washington Supreme Court ruling striking down voter-approved Initiative 2066 is raising new questions about whether the court's single-subject reasoning could have consequences for other Washington laws—including the state's newly enacted 9.9% income tax.

The Washington Supreme Court struck down Initiative 2066 in a 6-3 decision, ruling that the voter-approved natural gas measure violated Washington's constitutional single-...

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's new gun violence prevention plan is facing questions over coordination, the role of police and how much advance notice key public safety officials received before the strategy was announced.

Mayor Wilson unveiled Seattle's new gun violence strategy following a series of high-profile shootings and continuing concerns about public safety in downtown Seattle. The plan puts the Community Assisted Response a...

A potential Boeing strike could put Washington state's new unemployment benefits law for striking workers to one of its biggest tests yet.

Approximately 17,000 Boeing employees represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEEA, are voting on a new four-year contract agreement. Union members previously authorized a strike if they reject Boeing's contract offer.

Under a Washington law that took e...

New questions are being raised about Washington's taxpayer-funded childcare system as reporters continue investigating Seattle-area home daycare providers receiving government subsidies.

Post Millennial reporter Katie Daviscourt recently visited Somali-run home daycares in South Seattle and Tukwila while examining how taxpayer childcare subsidies are being distributed. SEIU 925 subsequently contacted Washington lawmakers and early-...

DocuSign co-founder Court Lorenzini is speaking out about Washington state's new 9.9% income tax and backing Initiative 645, the November ballot measure that would repeal the tax and prohibit state and local governments from imposing taxes on individual income.

Lorenzini tells The Center Square that he plans to remain in Washington, but says some friends have already left the state because of the new income tax. He also argues that...

A new national firearms survey estimates Americans own approximately 461 million guns—including roughly 40 million AR-15-style rifles—as major Second Amendment litigation moves through the U.S. Supreme Court.

The 2026 National Firearms Survey from Georgetown University professor William English estimates approximately 88 million American adults own firearms, with the average gun owner possessing roughly 5.2 guns. The su...

On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, America remembers the victims of 9/11, the first responders who rushed toward danger and the thousands who have died in the years since from illnesses and injuries associated with the attacks and their aftermath.

The 2026 commemoration included a new moment of silence honoring those who died from 9/11-related illnesses and injuries, adding to the traditional moments mar...

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is facing new pressure over public safety, former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes' departure and the city's decision to keep surveillance cameras turned off around Pioneer Square and the Stadium District.

Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle is demanding greater transparency from Mayor Katie Wilson over Shon Barnes' exit as Seattle police chief. Kettle argues Barnes was effective...

Seattle public safety is facing renewed scrutiny after three separate shootings in the Belltown neighborhood left three people dead and three others injured, with no arrests announced in connection with the killings at the time of this episode.

Seattle Police Officers Guild President Kent Lou is now calling for broader changes to Seattle's criminal justice system, arguing that adding police officers alone will not solve the city's ...

Three people are dead and three others injured after a violent holiday weekend in Seattle, raising new questions about public safety, street takeovers, gun violence and the Seattle Police Department's response to crime.

Three separate shootings occurred in Seattle's Belltown area over the weekend, including violence connected to another street takeover near the Seattle Center and Space Needle. At the time of this episode, Seattle p...

The Washington State Supreme Court has deadlocked in a major legal battle over Initiative 645, the November ballot measure seeking to repeal Washington state's new income tax. A 4-4 split by the Washington Supreme Court leaves the Public Investment Impact Disclosure, or PIID, written by Attorney General Nick Brown's office in place on the November 3 ballot. The disclosure warns voters that approving Initiative 645 would decrease fu...

A major Washington media lawsuit has reached a settlement in a fight over press freedom and access to state lawmakers, while an iconic Seattle restaurant is closing after more than 50 years as its owner blames rising rent, labor costs, taxes, construction and other pressures facing small businesses. Plus, a Washington lawmaker is questioning why the Department of Natural Resources is trying to fill a six-figure position while the s...

Washington’s income tax repeal fight is escalating as Initiative 645 heads toward the November ballot and the Washington State Supreme Court considers a major challenge involving the ballot language voters will see.

Former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler is urging Washington voters to support Initiative 645 and repeal the state's new 9.9% tax on household income above $1 million. Herrera Beutler argues the so-called &ldqu...