An internal memo and emails obtained by detailed that Medicaid officials unsuccessfully attempted to block the transfer of data, citing legal and ethical concerns.

Immigrant Medicaid data leaked

Two top advisors to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the data be handed over to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Officials were given a 54-minute window to comply, The AP stated.

Included in the dataset was personal information of residents from California, Illinois, Washington state, and Washington, D.C., all of which allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid, which is funded solely by state taxpayer dollars, according to the media outlet.

Experts said the dataset can assist in locating migrants, and additionally can prevent migrants’ ability to receive green cards, permanent residency, or citizenship, if any Medicaid benefits had previously been obtained, The AP stated.

Medicaid dataset aids immigrant arrests

A statement from Gavin Newsom’s office noted the concerns with the data release aiding federal authorities in immigration raids.

“This potential data transfer brought to our attention by the AP is extremely concerning, and if true, potentially unlawful, particularly given numerous headlines highlighting potential improper federal use of personal information and federal actions to target the personal information of Americans,” the statement said.

U.S. Democrat Representative Laura Friedman also wrote in a post on X that the use of this data should not aid arrests.

Donald Trump just gave deportation agents access to Medicaid data — even after Medicaid officials warned it was legally and ethically wrong. This is the personal health info of people in California.

We should never use a person’s need to go to the doctor against them. This will…

— Rep. Laura Friedman (@RepFriedmanCA)

Andrew Nixon, the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesman claimed that sharing the data was legal.

“With respect to the recent data sharing between CMS and DHS, HHS acted entirely within its legal authority–and in full compliance with all applicable laws–to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them,” Nixon said, according to The AP.

The dataset includes personal addresses, names, and social security numbers, the media outlet stated.

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The strikes came amid simmering tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and appeared certain to trigger a reprisal. Hours later, Israel’s military said it had begun intercepting Iranian drones launched in retaliation.

The U.S. is shifting military resources in the Middle East in response to Israel strikes and possible Iran retaliation, officials say.

What to know

Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear sites:��Israeli Prime Minister����said that Israel targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz and the country’s ballistic missile program.

General Hossein Salami was killed:����was confirmed dead, Iranian state television reported, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said other top military officials and scientists were also killed.

Both sites have been the focus of Trump’s nuclear deal negotiations:����that he warned Netanyahu against launching an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities while diplomatic efforts were underway. On Friday, he again urged Iran to reach a nuclear deal with US, warning attacks ‘will only get worse!’

The attack pushes the region into a new and uncertain phase:��The deaths of top Iranian officials also marks a significant blow to Tehran’s governing theocracy and an immediate��.

Oil prices are leaping and stocks are falling after Israel’s attack on Iran

Markets are worried that Israel’s attack could escalate further and damage the flow of crude around the world, along with the global economy.

The S&P 500 was down 0.7% in early trading Friday and on track for its worst day in more than two weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 423 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.8%.

The price of a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude jumped 7.3%. Iran is one of the world’s major producers of oil.

Turkey suspends flights to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Jordan

Turkish Airlines and other local airline operators suspended flights to those countries until Monday due to security concerns, the country’s transportation minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, announced on X.

Iraq complains to UN about Israel using its airspace to attack Iran

Early Friday morning, many in Iraq reported hearing warplanes and sounds of explosions that were believed to be the firing of missiles from Iraqi airspace.

The government of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq — which has a close relationship with the United States — also issued a statement condemning Israel’s strikes on Iran.

Egyptian and German foreign ministers warn against regional escalation

Speaking to reporters in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty condemned the “dangerous and unjustified” escalation in light of Israel’s attacks on Iran, warning it could plunge the region into chaos.

Meanwhile, his German counterpart Johann Wadephul expressed concern over Israel’s military strikes and Iran’s retaliatory launch of hundreds of drones toward Israel, calling the developments deeply worrying.

Abdelatty affirmed that nuclear non-proliferation is among top Egyptian policy priorities. Wadenphul, meanwhile, raised concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.

Netanyahu calls allied leaders in Germany, India and France

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said “The leaders expressed understanding for Israel’s defense needs against the threat of Iranian annihilation.”

He was expected to speak with Trump, Putin and Starmer later in the day. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gidon Saar was also reaching out to European leaders throughout the day.

Israeli intelligence had ‘absolutely exceptional’ knowledge of Iran’s nuclear program, expert says

The strikes showed Israel knew the private addresses of key military leaders and combined that with the ability to hit targets “with precision,” delivering “a tremendous amount of damage” to the nuclear program, said Fabian Hinz, a defense and nuclear expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

Hinz suggested there are two main ways Iran could respond — by using Hezbollah and air attacks — but indicated both options are limited.

Hezbollah, he said, “is no longer in a position” to fulfill its role as Iran’s forward deterrence after repeated attacks from Israel. There are also questions about the effectiveness of Iran’s missiles, which were largely intercepted during attacks on Israel last year, he said.

Iran calls for emergency Security Council meeting

Iran’s U.N. Mission said it has asked for an emergency meeting of the Security Council following the Israeli attacks.

The emergency session is likely to take place Friday afternoon, the mission said.

Turkey’s Erdogan calls Israeli strikes a blatant provocation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Israel’s strikes on Iran a “blatant provocation” that violates international law.

In a statement posted on X, Erdogan suggested that the attack was an attempt to divert attention away from Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza.

“The attacks by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his network of massacre that are igniting our entire region must be prevented,” Erdogan wrote.

Israel told Trump administration of attacks ahead of time

Israel told the Trump administration that large-scale attacks were coming and expected Iranian retaliation would be severe, U.S. officials said, leading the United States to order the evacuations of some nonessential embassy staffers and authorize the voluntary departure of military dependents in the region.

The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic discussions.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff still plans to go to Oman this weekend for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, but it’s not clear if the Iranians would participate, officials said.

Macron calls for all parties to be restrained

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on ” all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and de-escalate” in order “not to jeopardize the stability of the entire region” in a post on X.

Macron, who held an emergency security meeting on Friday morning following Israel’s strikes on Iran, said France is taking all necessary measures to protect its nationals, diplomatic sites and military bases in the region.

Macron said he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump as well as leaders of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany and Britain about the latest developments.

Hamas expresses solidarity with Iran

“We declare our solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of the brutal Zionist aggression, which primarily stems from Iran’s support for the Palestinian people and its significant backing of their honorable resistance fighters,” said Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing.

He also mourned the deaths of senior Iranian leaders and others killed in the strike, condemning the attack as “cowardly.”

Trump: ‘Second chance’ for Iran

In a further post on the Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump added: “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to ‘make a deal.’”

“They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!” he wrote Friday.

Trump calls Israeli strikes on Iran ‘excellent’ and says ‘more to come’

In an interview with ABC News, U.S. President Donald Trump called the Israeli strikes on Iran “excellent” and previewed more attacks.

“I think it’s been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it,” Trump told ABC on Friday morning. “They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s more to come, a lot more.”

This is a developing story, check back for updates

The directive nullifies the “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin” put in place by the Biden administration.

The agreement was meant to increase funding for fisheries projects and explore alternative energy sources to replace the Lower Snake River dams, allowing fish to return to their natural habitats, , a nonprofit environmental law organization. The Orca Network has said that a lack of salmon is a primary driver of orca extinction.

“The Trump administration is turning its back on an unprecedented opportunity to support a thriving Columbia Basin—and ignoring the extinction crisis facing our salmon,” Earthjustice Senior Attorney Amanda Goodin said, via the nonprofit’s . “Unfortunately, this short-sighted decision to renege on this important agreement is just the latest in a series of anti-government and anti-science actions coming from the Trump administration.”

Columbia River Basin agreement would potentially hurt power grid

However, Rep. Dan Newhouse, WA-04, said breaching the dams would mean cutting a large power source.

“Today’s action by President Trump reverses the efforts by the Biden administration and extreme environmental activists to remove the dams, which would have threatened the reliability of our power grid, raised energy prices, and decimated our ability to export grain to foreign markets,” he said in a statement on his .

Meanwhile, the Trump administration wrote that the president is “putting America first.”

“President Trump continues to prioritize our nation’s energy infrastructure and use of natural resources to lower the cost of living for all Americans over speculative climate change concerns,” the White House’s stated.

Earthjustice said it will continue to fight to prevent the extinction of salmon.

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“I think that it actually is partially my medical background that brought me into this,” Dr. Clinton Bliss said on “Seattle’s Morning News.” “I think that a lot of the rhetoric I hear about dealing with our homeless population really is dealing with addiction and mental health, and that’s something that I have extensive experience in managing.”

Bliss’ goals if elected as Seattle’s mayor

Bliss’ three primary goals as Seattle’s next mayor are to restore public safety, utilize public funds to benefit all Seattleites, and eliminate economic favoritism in Washington’s government, courts, and schools.

“I also believe in compassionate action. I believe that caring for others is really important,” Bliss said. “I believe we are really vilifying the other side. We seem to not want to understand, and everybody’s point of view is important if we’re going to come to durable solutions. Seems like what we do right now is we dehumanize the other side and we excommunicate those who don’t agree with us, and that’s really a step towards warfare. I think that’s what we’re seeing in Los Angeles now.”

“If it were to happen and the president of the U.S. were to deploy troops in the beautiful city of Seattle, how would you react?” ����Xվ host Manda Factor asked Bliss.

“I would appeal to the people of Seattle to find solutions, to work together,” Bliss answered. “I think that the rule of law still is important, and I think that we cannot pick and choose. I believe in protest, but I do not believe in taking over buildings through violence. I think that’s all wrong.”

Before his interest in pivoting to politics, Bliss has more than 30 years of experience in hospital administration, family and primary medicine, and emergency medicine.

“I’m running for office because Seattle needs help. Frankly, our country needs help,” Bliss said. “I’m a doctor. I’ve spent my life helping people, and I have a positive vision for Seattle, not just tearing it down. I believe I can bring people together and we can make this city a beautiful city, a welcoming city, and a model for taking care of everyone.”

The primary election is Aug. 5, followed by the general election on Nov. 4.

Listen to the full conversation here.

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Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X.

“While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve,” Habba said.

In a statement, McIver said the charges amounted to the Trump administration trying to scare her.

“The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation,” she said.

McIver, a Democrat, was����by Habba last month with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall — a 1,000-bed, privately owned facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center.

The indictment includes three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Habba said two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. A third has a maximum sentence of one year.

McIver’s lawyer, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said in a statement that they would challenge the allegations “head-on” in court.

“The legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is — political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities,” Fishman said.

The indictment is the latest development in a legal-political drama that has seen President Donald Trump’s administration take Democratic officials from New Jersey’s largest city to court, tapping into the president’s immigration crackdown and Democrats’ efforts to respond. The prosecution of McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption.

At the same visit that resulted in McIver’s charges, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge, which was later dropped.����over what he said was a malicious prosecution.

A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before the arrest of the mayor on the street side of the fence, where other people had been protesting. She and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor. The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point, her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word “Police” on it.

It isn’t clear from police bodycam video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene.

The complaint says she “slammed” her forearm into an agent then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him.

The indictment says she placed her arms around the mayor to block his arrest and repeats the charges that she slammed her forearm into an agent and grabbed the agent.

New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez had joined McIver at the detention center that day. They and other Democrats have criticized the arrest and disputed the charges as well.

By law, members of Congress are authorized to go into federal immigration facilities as part of their oversight powers, even without notice. Congress passed a����that spelled out the authority.

McIver, 38, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District.

She was then elected to a full term in November. A Newark native, she served as the president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the city’s public schools before that.

Worsham, currently the head of the Snohomish County Health Department, brings 32 years of experience in public health and leadership to the role.

“It is critical that we continue to build a system that earns the trust of communities and strives for every person to have equitable access to the care and resources they need to thrive,” Worsham said in a prepared statement. “Public health is not just about addressing illness and injury—it’s about preventing them.”

His last day with Snohomish County is July 3, after which he will start his new job with the state on July 7.

A native of Othello, Worsham began his career in public health at the Snohomish Health District in 1993, working as an HIV/STD/hepatitis program manager and health educator. He also served as the Deputy Secretary for Health at the Department of Health (DOH) and was the Interim Director of Public Health for Seattle and King County.

“We must ensure health and well-being is not a privilege but a shared foundation for all,” Worsham added.

Snohomish County Executive Director Dave Somers said Worsham will be missed as Director of Snohomish County’s Health Department, but he’s excited for him in his new role.

“Dennis has never wavered in his support of local public health and the talented team that works to keep our county healthy,” Somers said in a prepared statement. “From his early career in health education at the Snohomish Health District in the 1990s to his excellent leadership as Department Director since January 2023, Dennis’ dedication to making our communities healthier, safer, more resilient, and more inclusive has been invaluable.”

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was used most recently against a Rainier Beach hookah lounge, where two people were fatally shot in March. The owner shut the lounge down.

The city’s empowers the police chief to send a notice to the owner of a property, explaining why it’s considered a nuisance and requiring the owner to work with police to address the problems or face fines, including a potential $25,000 one-time penalty.

Under the 2009 law, a property can be declared a nuisance if it’s the scene of repeated gun violence, assaults, drug trafficking, prostitution, gang or firearm-related violations.

Seattle mayor wants to add liquor violations to ‘nuisance’ law

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell wants to add liquor violations, which would allow the city to crack down on “after-hours” and other establishments that violate liquor laws.

Harrell is also proposing to add offenses that happen adjacent to a property or involve someone connected to the property. He said the cities of Tacoma and Spokane also include off-property offenses in their nuisance laws.

Harrell said the move would improve public safety.

“This legislation will allow the city to act decisively and effectively if a property becomes a continued source of crime and disorder for the surrounding community,” Harrell said in a statement.

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes echoed the mayor’s statement.

“When our nightlife areas are safe, it fosters a stronger sense of community, attracts visitors, supports local businesses, and ultimately makes Seattle a more desirable place to live, work, and play for everyone,” Barnes said.

Harrell said the city has used the current chronic nuisance properties ordinance 17 times—against motels, nightclubs, private residences, an apartment building, and a commercial event space.

Legislation to amend the current ordinance has been sent to the Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee for consideration at its meeting on June 24.

Read more of Heather Bosch’s stories��here.

, Chair of the Congressional College Sports Caucus, proposed the to combat the settlement agreement in the House v. NCAA litigation.

“The House settlement locks in an unsustainable model that enriches the power conferences at the expense of everyone else—walk-ons, women’s teams, Olympic sports,” Baumgartner said.

The NCAA settlement

Grant House, a former Arizona State swimmer, sued the Power 5 NCAA conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and Pac-12) and landed a settlement that ended the prohibition on schools paying student-athletes for NIL (name, image, and likeness).

A major component of the new settlement included $2.7 billion in back pay for NCAA athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024. The money will come from the NCAA and all its conferences.

Each school can share nearly $20 million of its revenue with student-athletes for NIL. The payments would come from media rights agreements, ticket sales, and sponsorships.

Baumgartner’s Restore College Sports Act

Baumgartner cited key issues within college athletics that contributed to a financial imbalance between the NCAA and its athletes.

“Power 5 conferences generated approximately $3.3 billion in revenue in 2022 alone,” Baumgartner wrote. “Average head football coach salary in Power 5 schools exceeded $6 million annually, compared to zero direct revenue sharing with athletes.”

Baumgartner also emphasized the impact that conference realignment can have on the academic performance of NCAA athletes.

“Overextended conference realignments cause excessive travel, undermining academic performance and athlete health,” Baumgartner stated.

Baumgartners solution

Baumgartner highlighted four key measures to address systematic inequities in NCAA athletics. The first is to establish a National Standards Commission.

“Create an independent commission, including student-athlete representation, empowered to set uniform national standards for collegiate athletics,” Baumgartner stated.

Baumgartner’s second decree is to implement equitable revenue sharing for NIL earnings.

“Pools NIL revenues nationally and redistributes them equally to all student-athletes—ensuring equal shares for high-profile stars, women’s sports athletes, freshmen in non-revenue sports, and team backups alike,” Baumgartner wrote.

His last two goals are to end exploitative conference realignments, and to cap excessive coaching salaries.

“Requires athletic conferences to operate within single time zones, drastically reducing travel burdens and prioritizing student-athletes’ academic and physical well-being,” Baumgartner stated. “Sets reasonable limits on coaching salaries, reallocating savings to student-athlete educational resources, healthcare, and support services.”

The impact of the Restore College Sports Act

The act aims to provide student-athletes with fair treatment, improved educational outcomes, and financial support.

Baumgartner noted that the bill would prioritize the welfare of athletes, safeguard fairness, and promote integrity for all student-athletes.

Baumgartner’s call for a Trump Executive Order

The release called for support from President Donald Trump to address the problems that Baumgartner highlighted.

“President Trump can step in to save college sports today,” Baumgartner said. “My Restore College Sports Act is the roadmap, with fair revenue-sharing, rationalized conferences, and reasonable student compensation.”

Baumgartner criticized the settlement’s failure to address key issues within college athletics.

“This settlement doesn’t fix college sports,” Baumgartner stated. “It codifies a system that will hurt walk-ons; squeeze Olympic sports, and hollow out Title IX-compliant women’s teams—all to benefit a few power programs and television executives.”

“In 1905, college football was on the brink until President Theodore Roosevelt stepped in,” Baumgartner continued. “He understood that leadership matters. Trump is uniquely positioned to do the same. He knows how to disrupt broken systems and restore competitive balance.”

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Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days. Police declared an unlawful assembly, and by early evening many people had left.

But protesters who remained grabbed chairs from a nearby public park to form a makeshift barrier, throwing objects at police on the other side. Others standing above the closed southbound 101 Freeway threw chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles that were parked on the highway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover.

It was the third day of demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 federal troops spurred anger and fear among some residents. Sunday’s protests in Los Angeles, a city of 4 million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown.

Starting in the morning, National Guard troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. Protesters shouted “shame” and “go home.” After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.

Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon, while southbound lanes remained shut down.

Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles.

Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom requested Trump remove the guard members in a����Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” He was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials. It wasn’t clear if he’d spoken to Trump since Friday.

Their deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the������ڴڴǰ��ٲ�.

Mayor Karen Bass echoed Newsom’s comments.

“What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration,” she said in an afternoon press conference. “This is about another agenda, this isn’t about public safety.”

Their admonishments did not deter the administration.

“It’s a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement in response.

Deployment follows days of protest

The arrival of the National Guard followed two days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and��.

Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA’s fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid. Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot.

Demonstrators attempted to block Border Patrol vehicles by hurling rocks and chunks of cement. In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.

The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many more were arrested while protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement.

The protests did not reach the size of past demonstrations that brought the National Guard to Los Angeles, including the�������Ի�����and the 2020 protests against police violence, in which Newsom requested the assistance of federal troops.

The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor’s permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Trump says there will be ‘very strong law and order’

In a����Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

He said he had authorized the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard.

Trump told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, Sunday that there were “violent people” in Los Angeles “and they’re not gonna get away with it.”

Asked if he��, Trump replied: “We’re gonna have troops everywhere. We’re not going to let this happen to our country. We’re not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden.” He didn’t elaborate.

About 500 Marines stationed at Twentynine Palms, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Los Angeles were in a “prepared to deploy status” Sunday afternoon, according to the U.S. Northern Command.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lives in Los Angeles, said the immigration arrests and Guard deployment were designed as part of a “cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division.”

She said she supports those “standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms.”

Offenhartz reported from New York. Associated Press writer Michelle Price contributed to this report from Bridgewater, New Jersey.

“You got two guys that don’t give a rip about anything, because they’re some of the most powerful guys in the world,” John Curley, host of “The John Curley Show” on ����Xվ Newsradio, said. “They’re just letting loose. It is nuts.”

Musk vs. Trump social media battle

The battle over social media included Trump referring to Musk’s hatred for cutting the EV Mandate.

“Then it gets personal. Bad. I mean, then all of a sudden, the gloves come off, and Elon is getting really personal. ‘Trump would not have won without me,’ he also said, ‘Impeach Trump,'” Curley explained.

Musk then hinted at Trump’s potential ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Time to drop the really big bomb: is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.

Have a nice day, DJT!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

“Probably the biggest bomb that went out, and he even described it as a big bomb, which was the reason the Epstein file has not been released completely, is because Trump is in it,” Curley said. “If Trump really was in there, they would have made that thing public, right? They would have been all over with that.”

Listen to the full conversation here.

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Arguments were heard before a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. At issue was a nationwide preliminary injunction issued in February blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order, which sought to change birthright citizenship, enshrined in the 14th Amendment.

The debate was whether to make the preliminary injunction permanent or overturn a lower court’s ruling. The executive order would disqualify those born in this country to illegal immigrants from becoming birthright citizens.

WA AG says Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship is unconstitutional

In court, Washington’s Office of the Attorney General argued the executive order is clearly unconstitutional and the preliminary injunction should be made permanent.

“We’re talking about overturning the fundamental understanding of what it means to be an American in this country, and what it has meant since the 14th Amendment,” Brown said.

Department of Justice lawyers argued birthright citizenship doesn’t apply to undocumented immigrants’ children born here, or those in the country on work or student visas.

“We’re seeing some radical ideas take root at the highest level of government. And so it is more important than ever the attorneys general are standing united to fight against the unlawfulness of this president,” Brown said

There is no word on when a decision will be handed down. The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to rule on procedural questions, and that could affect the timing.

Follow James Lynch on����Read more of his stories��here. Submit news tips��here.

Cathy Moore is stepping down from her role representing North Seattle, the SCC announced via a news release Monday.

Moore stated she is facing health challenges, but did not want to leave District 5 in a bad spot.

“My decision to leave the city council is one I’ve been considering seriously over the past several months due to some recent health challenges,” Moore stated via the release. “Ultimately, I believe that District 5 community members deserve a representative who can give their full attention to the critical issues facing the City and its neighborhoods.”

Seattle City Council member Cathy Moore represents District 5

District 5, according to the City of Seattle’s , includes Bitter Lake, Haller Lake, Pinehurst, Lake City, Broadview, Licton Springs, North Beach, Crown Hill, Greenwood, Maple Leaf, Northgate, and Meadowbrook.

Stopping human trafficking along Aurora and redeveloping the Northgate area were key focuses for Moore, according to the SCC’s .

“North Seattle is a dynamic and diverse area with many strengths,” she stated via the council’s website. “It also faces the same issues that affect the larger Seattle community. Citywide and for District 5, I am focused on addressing issues of public safety, the homelessness epidemic, housing affordability, and climate change.

Moore was elected to the council in 2023. Her last day will be July 7, after which the council will begin its appointment process, according to the news release.

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Her campaign will announce the campaign on Monday at 10 a.m. outside the federal building in downtown Seattle.

Sawant, who served on the Seattle City Council from 2014 to 2024, gained national attention for her advocacy of progressive policies, including a $15 minimum wage, rent control, and taxing large corporations like Amazon to fund social services. She was the first socialist elected to Seattle’s council in nearly a century and has been a vocal critic of both major political parties.

“Workers Strike Back has just launched a national campaign, called Free Health Care Now, with the model of bypassing both political parties and fighting for free public health care paid for by taxing the rich through local ballot initiatives,” Sawant said during her rally. “In Seattle, we are preparing to file a ballot initiative in 2026, which would tax the city’s wealthiest corporations approximately $5 billion a year. $5 billion with a B. $5 billion a year to fund free health care for everyone in this city. Are you excited?”

According to a , Sawant’s campaign is listed as an independent.

Who is Kshama Sawant?

Both accomplishments and controversies marked Sawant’s tenure.

In 2021, she narrowly survived a recall election that cited allegations of misusing city resources and leading protesters into City Hall during a pandemic-related closure. Additionally, she faced ethics complaints and defamation lawsuits, including one from a landlord she labeled a “slumlord” and another from police officers she accused of “blatant murder.”

In 2023, Sawant spearheaded legislation making Seattle the first U.S. city to ban caste-based discrimination, a move that drew both praise and criticism from various communities. More recently, she alleged political retaliation after being denied an Indian visa multiple times, preventing her from visiting her sick mother.

Sawant also launched in 2023, an independent movement that fights against billionaires and their political servants. The movement is pushing for raises for workers and for workplaces to be unionized while combating racism, sexism, and any other types of oppression. Workers Strike Back also advocates for affordable housing, free healthcare, and reform of the two-party political system.

Recently, Sawant has rallied around anti-Israel protests and demands free healthcare for workers.

On Thursday, a federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to continue collecting tariffs under an emergency powers law, as his administration appeals an order striking down the bulk of them.

Earlier in the day, a federal judge had blocked Trump’s use of the law to impose tariffs. The ruling was handed down the day after a similar, broader finding from a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of International Trade.

WA U.S. Senator: Tariffs battle is ‘wreaking havoc on the U.S. economy’

As the court battles continue over the tariffs, “We know this, that it is wreaking havoc on the U.S. economy,” Washington U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said.

Cantwell pointed out Washington is one of the most trade-dependent states in the country, adding, “95% of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States, and if we want to be competitive with other countries, we need to be fighting to open markets.”

Port of Seattle Commissioner reports slowdown

She said the tariffs are having the opposite effect. Commissioner Fred Felleman said a slowdown at the docks supports that claim.

“Just last week, we saw a 30% decline in container volumes moving through our gateway, and this week have a 25% reduction, year over year,” he said.

Felleman warned the current tariff policies and court battles risk painting the U.S. as an unreliable trading partner.

“If we’re not seen as a reliable partner, it doesn’t mean that trade doesn’t continue, it just doesn’t go through our gateway or our country,” he shared.

Cantwell has introduced a bill that would return much of the control over tariffs to Congress.

Read more of Heather Bosch’s stories��here.

The (BIAW) and Attorney General Nick Brown are appealing a lower court ruling that struck down the initiative.

“After years of opposing political efforts to ban natural gas in Washington, BIAW fought back at the ballot box,” BIAW Executive Vice President Greg Lane said in a . “We crafted I-2066 carefully with a singular goal—preserving natural gas as an energy choice for current and future homeowners. And every step of the way, opponents have filed lawsuits seeking to stop us.”

“While I personally disagreed with I-2066, it was passed by Washington voters and is the law of the state,” Brown said. “My job as attorney general is to enforce and defend the laws of Washington, and I will continue to vigorously do so in this case.”

Opponents argue the measure extends beyond natural gas and could affect energy efficiency and air quality.

King County judge strikes down I-2066

A King County Superior Judge struck down I-2066 in March, according to nonprofit .

Initiative 2066 aims to repeal parts of a state law that accelerates shift away from natural gas. It was one of four initiatives on last November’s general election ballot, and it was the only one to pass — by about 3.4%.

In March King County Superior Court Judge Sandra Widlan ruled that I-2066 violates the Washington state constitution — agreeing with the group of public interest advocates and local governments, led by Climate Solutions, who sued the State of Washington. The group claimed the initiative makes broad-sweeping impacts, hidden in what was supposed to be a single subject.

“I-2066’s most obvious constitutional infirmity is that it combines one seemingly popular subject (i.e., requiring certain utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to customers) with a host of separate subjects, including altering how the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (“UTC”) sets utility rates, limiting the authority of county-level agencies to regulate air pollutants, and purportedly rolling back state and local energy efficiency standards in new building construction,” Climate Solutions wrote in . “By joining all of these distinct policy choices and requiring voters to enact all or none of them, I-2066 violates the Constitution’s prohibition on logrolling.”

Climate Solutions reported that during the ruling, Widlan made the example a voter may want to have access to natural gas but also want the government to regulate air pollution from natural gas.

Supporters of I-2066 continue fight

However, BIAW claimed those who want to ban natural gas are trying to force their view on the majority of Washingtonians.

“We will not back away from the fight to ensure the will of the people who voted to make I-2066 law stands,” BIAW wrote in a statement in March. “We will continue to use every avenue available, including appealing to the state Supreme Court, to protect energy choice for the people of Washington.”

It added the King County Superior Court’s “decision was based solely on the policy preference of the judge and had no legal basis whatsoever. Every Washington citizen should be appalled by such an irresponsible ruling.”

The BIAW,����(�±ᴡ),��, and�� are part of the coalition supporting the initiative.

“It’s to protect natural gas and propane service statewide by restricting any state, county or city entity from banning, restricting or disincentivizing the use of natural gas for existing or new customers in areas where natural gas is available,” Lane said in May of 2024.

Supporters believe I-2066 protects natural gas and all energy choices across the state.

“We are protecting choice from everybody so everybody can choose any energy resource they think is best for their home or business,” Lane said.

King County, city of Seattle join lawsuit

In December, ����Xվ Newsradio reported King County and the city of Seattle were among the plaintiffs to file the lawsuit challenging I-2066.

The lawsuit, filed December 11 in King County Superior Court, asked a judge to block the implementation of I-2066, which its attorneys said misled voters “about its actual provisions” and violated Washington’s single-subject law.

“This initiative, the way that it’s written, it covers multiple different subjects, not just issues related to natural gas — which is what the initiative supporters focused on and suggested all that was at issue,” Paul Lawrence, an attorney for the plaintiffs and partner with Pacifica Law Group, said in December. “This has much broader impact on a number of other laws … including energy efficiency, to avoid the disproportionate negative health impacts from air pollution, and these other issues that go far beyond the issue of natural gas.”

This story was originally published in March 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, Matt Markovich, and Sam Campbell, ����Xվ Newsradio

Follow Julia Dallas on����Submit news tips��here.

The House budget cut $286 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.

“I’m not going to be quiet as they take food from our kids’ mouths,” stated a defiant Washington U.S. Senator Patty Murray in a post on social media.

Murray called the SNAP program an investment in people.

“My family relied on food stamps briefly when I was a kid,” she said. “Our country had our backs, and all seven of us kids grew up to give back to our communities in different ways.”

We should NOT cut food assistance in America so that Trump can pad the pockets of billionaires and giant corporations.

If Republicans won’t listen to common sense and common decency—then we are going to get a megaphone and shout it from the rooftops:

HANDS OFF SNAP.

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray)

But is SNAP actually being cut? GOP says no

On CBS’s Face the Nation, insisted, “We have not cut SNAP. What we’re doing is working on fraud, waste, and abuse.”

The Government Accountability Office determined that in 2023, about $10.5 billion in SNAP benefits were improper.

But not all of that was likely fraud.��It could include underpayments as well as overpayments, or instances when regulations weren’t followed to the letter.

Johnson explained that’s why the House budget requires states to shoulder more of the costs of SNAP.

“The states are not properly administering this, because they don’t have enough skin in the game, so what we’ve done in the bill is add some—just modest state sharing component so that they’ll pay attention to that so that we can reduce fraud,” he said.

How is Washington impacted?

The left-leaning (CAP) estimates the states, collectively, would have to pay an additional $2.5 billion a year to fill the gap.

And CAP stated, under expanded paperwork and other requirements, 2.7 million American Households would lose more than $3,000 per year.

According to the , a progressive think tank, 888,300 Washington residents receive SNAP benefits. More than half of the recipients are families with children, and most have incomes that put them below the poverty line.

Is this about funding tax cuts for the wealthy?

Supporters of the budget, from the Republican controlled House, say the goal is to cut waste and fraud from SNAP in order to make the program stronger for those who need it.

Critics, like Murray, see a more nefarious goal: to help fund President Donald Trump’s desired tax cuts.

“We should not be cutting off food assistance so Trump can cut his fellow billionaires a massive check,” Murray said.

The lawsuit, filed by the , alleges Portland Public Schools (PPS) is fostering a workplace where Jewish teachers feel threatened, silenced, and isolated. Documents provided by the Freedom Foundation also suggest that the display of pro-Palestinian symbols, including the Palestinian flag, is contributing to a divisive atmosphere. ��

Freedom Foundation Litigation Counsel Shella Alcabes told The Center Square their client, a high school math teacher, opted out of paying union dues, but is still required to be represented by the union during negotiations with his employer. He says he does not want to be compelled to be associated with the union.

MyNorthwest reached out to the teacher’s union for comment and has not heard back.

Surge in antisemitism nationwide

The plaintiff’s lawsuit follows rising tensions on high school and college campuses across the U.S.

Earlier this month, masked activists led by the group , occupied and allegedly vandalized the University of Washington’s (UW) Interdisciplinary Engineering Building. Administrators say the group caused over $1 million in damages. The protesters demanded that UW cut ties with Boeing.

The Trump administration has since formed a multi-agency task force to investigate the incident. Officials, including Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, condemned the protest as a dangerous act of harassment and called on the university to ensure a safe environment for Jewish students. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown strongly condemned the occupation, calling it violent and unlawful.

The protest led to 32 arrests, and UW administrators restricted their campus access.

Jewish UW Professor Cliff Mass told The Center Square he was pleased UW administration expelled several students following the damage to the engineering building, but said they are not doing enough to crush an atmosphere that tolerates antisemitism.

Read more of Jonah Oaklief’s stories here.

The , partially signed into law by Ferguson on Tuesday, aims to expand the CPB, alter the board’s processes for reviewing applications, and make board members eligible for compensation.

Ferguson wrote in his , “The Legislature did not provide funding to implement this expansion of the board’s work. Therefore, I am vetoing Section 117(8). I intend to seek the necessary funding to support the work contemplated by E2SHB 1131 in the next budget.”

The CPB reviews applications and makes recommendations to the governor on granting executive commutations, pardons, and restoration of rights for individuals previously convicted of a legal offense, according to the

The bill also expands the size of the board from five to 10, enlarges the experience required of each board member, adds more compensation, and provides supplemental training, .

Representatives debate Ferguson’s partial veto of clemency bill

Representative Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, sponsored the bill and stated his confusion about Ferguson’s partial veto of his bill.

“The governor didn’t know it was coming until they reviewed the bill and found that they don’t have funding for a staff member in the Governor’s Office to manage the expansion of the clemency and pardons board,” Goodman said, according to The Center Square. “We’re going to be delayed by a few months. We will appropriate the money necessary in the next supplemental budget in January 2026.”

James McMahon, policy director with the Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, relayed his concern for the expansion of the CPB.

“We differ from our friends in the (Prosecuting Attorney’s Office) because this small, intimate group allows the members of the board to leave their preconceived notions,” McMahon said, reported The Center Square. “There have been times where the police chief on that board says, ‘I think we should grant this person clemency’ and the defense attorney on the board says, ‘Actually, I disagree.’ When you double the size of the board, we fear it creates constituencies, caucuses if you will.”

Goodman noted that his position is limited, and the governor has the final say in the matter.

“Remember that the governor is the backstop, so it’s the governor’s decision whether or not to grant clemency,” Goodman said, The Center Square stated.

Clemency bill membership conditions

Included in the bill, members must possess lived experience as an incarcerated individual or have worked with the formerly incarcerated. There must also be a member with experience and interest in tribal affairs, and two representatives of crime victims.

Members will receive up to $100 per day, be compensated for time spent on training, travel expenses, and hearing preparation. The CPB members must also attend training exercises related to race, equity, racism, and restorative justice.

Read more of Jason Sutich’s stories here. Send news tips here.

The media outlet reported the controversial amendment was approved 7-5 near midnight Wednesday after a 15-hour session.

The budget included an increase in ride-share fees from $.65 to $2 for services like Lyft and Uber. City councilors��said the fees will generate roughly $10 million, which will be delegated to the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

In addition, the budget added a $5 increase in golfing fees, which is expected to create $1 million for park maintenance.

“We’ve talked about grass and weeds. We’ve talked about fire hazards, which is a very obvious public safety need. We’ve talked about reducing restroom cleanings. Turf maintenance and facility repairs and taking out the trash. These are the things that really affect people who go to parks,” Councilor Sameer Kanal said, as reported by KATU.

City councilors’ opinions on the Portland budget

City Councilor Eric Zimmerman shared his opposing view of the preliminary budget ruling.

“I have never seen a City Council be so giddy to cut public safety, this is serious stuff. Right now is not the time to cut public safety,” Zimmerman said, according to .

Zimmerman’s statements seem to reflect the opinions of businesses in the Portland area, like the��Trail Blazers and Timbers owners, who wrote a letter to the city council asking for public safety to remain a priority in the city’s budget.

Councilor Sameer Kanal defended the idea of diverting additional police funds toward other city necessities.

Deciding not to increase the police budget isn’t the same thing as cutting the police budget, and characterizing it as such is disingenuous.

In a year of shared sacrifice, let’s also work to save the things that are the difference between surviving and thriving.

#PDXBudget #Uncrease

— Councilor Sameer Kanal ()

When the mayor first started working on a new budget in February, the shortfall was just more than $90 million. In the budget approval on Wednesday, the city says shortfalls in other funds have reached roughly $150 million, according to KATU.

A final vote on the preliminary budget will happen on June 18.

Read more of Jason Sutich’s stories here.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from carrying out plans announced in March that sought to work toward Trump’s goal to shut down the department. It marks a setback to one of the Republican president’s campaign promises.

The ruling came in two consolidated lawsuits that said Trump’s plan amounted to an illegal closure of the Education Department.

One suit was filed by the Somerville and Easthampton school districts in Massachusetts along with the American Federation of Teachers and other education groups. The other suit was filed by a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general, including Washington’s Nick Brown.

WA Attorney General Nick Brown: ‘We will continue to win’

“Today’s injunction supports the rule of law, and students and educators around the country,” Brown said in a Thursday. “Our office will fight illegal and unconstitutional executive orders. And we will continue to win.”

The suits argued that layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support��,�������Ի���.

In his order, Joun said the plaintiffs painted a “stark picture of the irreparable harm that will result from financial uncertainty and delay, impeded access to vital knowledge on which students and educators rely, and loss of essential services for America’s most vulnerable student populations.”

Layoffs of that scale, he added, “will likely cripple the Department. The idea that Defendants’ actions are merely a ‘reorganization’ is plainly not true.”

Hours later, the Trump administration appealed the ruling.

“Once again, a far-left Judge has dramatically overstepped his authority, based on a complaint from biased plaintiffs, and issued an injunction against the obviously lawful efforts to make the Department of Education more efficient and functional for the American people,” spokesperson Madi Biedermann said in a statement.

Judge orders Education Department to reinstate federal workers

Joun ordered the Education Department to reinstate federal workers who were terminated as part of the March 11 layoff announcement.

That announcement led to the firing of about 1,300 people. Some Education Department employees have left through buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees, which combined with the layoffs have reduced the staff to roughly half the 4,100 the department had when Trump took office.

“Today’s order means that the Trump administration’s disastrous mass firings of career civil servants are blocked while this wildly disruptive and unlawful agency action is litigated,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which represents plaintiffs in the Somerville case.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called the decision “a first step to reverse this war on knowledge and the undermining of broad-based opportunity.”

The administration has said the layoffs are aimed at efficiency, not a department shutdown. Trump has����of the agency but recognizes it must be carried out by Congress, the government said.

The administration said restructuring the agency “may impact certain services until the reorganization is finished” but it’s committed to fulfilling its statutory requirements.