The new ceasefire is no one’s victory, and certainly not the U.S. President Trump could only tout the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, crossing his fingers. No regime change, nuclear deal, or lasting peace, just a finger in a fragile dike. The Republican Party’s war on Iran was (or is) a disaster.

Years from now, a writer will use the symbolism of workers under an early morning shroud, removing Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center. I picture a future story about a long ordeal, the nation recovering from the damage wrought by MAGA Republicans. Gone by then, I hope, in a nation healed.

Behind veneer of normalcy in Dubai, war fatigue and a sense of uncertainty “The whole world economy is Iran’s human shield,” said an official in Dubai. Iran’s “newfound nuclear weapon.” We can thank Donald Trump’s incompetence and the Republican Congress for thus rearming that horrible regime.

Seattle today, minutes after this 3 alarm warehouse fire took off, a plume above much of the city (see tiny bumps of skyscrapers on right edge). 15 engines, 9 ladder trucks, 1 fireboat and 100 fire fighters. Photo taken from at least ten miles away captured north half of the long city.

Women Who Fled Iran Are to Be Deported to Central African Republic, Lawyers Say www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/w... Irony drips from our Republican officials. Americans have long stood for justice for Iranian women. Now two who sought shelter here face deportation to a place more dangerous than Iran.

www.theatlantic.com/philosophy/2... Racism is ridiculous, as are all its sick cousins, as well as cynicism, when measured against the infinitesimal possibilities of any life. Anyone you meet is a miracle. That’s what I derived from this article, well worth reading and spreading around.

When a perp runs for office and his defense attorney jumps up to endorse the other guy, that’s the end of the line. Holy crap, his lawyer turned state’s witness. “You honor, no matter what my client says, he’s guilty as hell.” Ken Paxton, what a piece of work. Only in Texas.

Paxton’s Senate Bid Raises the Stakes in His War on Latino Voting Groups www.nytimes.com/2026/06/06/u... Racism on steroids. Any Latino in Texas is assumed a non-citizen and helping them exercise their right to vote is a crime. In a state where a plurality of citizens are Hispanic. This is legal???

To me the most important revelations in the Sixty Minutes fiasco were the revelations from Scott Pelley and Cecelia Vega that they had been told to insert falsehoods and bias into their stories. I’ve had beefs with my media bosses but nothing approaching that. CBS News is a tragic mess.

CBS News Fires Scott Pelley of ‘60 Minutes’ www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/b... Kudos to Scott Pelley for standing up for fairness and accuracy in the news. CBS is a disgrace. In my 40+ Pulitzer winning years my bosses respected the strong story, and never bowed to any other authority but the truth.

George Santos reported to prosecutors over suspicious Kalshi trades, AP source says www.seattletimes.com/business/geo... Okay, George Santos is the exemplary Republican, irrepressibly dishonest. He bragged about attending Trump’s inauguration then bet in the prediction market against it happening.

Hospitals See Diseases Resurge as Vaccinations Decline www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/w... I am skeptical of those parents, MAHA etc, who claim to care for their children while denying them basic care. I see egos protecting non-scientific opinions and political stances, at the expense of their kids.

TACO again, Trump is ready to flush his slush fund, but that was for other people, gullible rioters. His freedom from tax audits, an unheard of perk for anyone, that’s one he’ll cling to like a binky, worth tens of millions to him. No American from a previous century could have made this s…t up.

He wants his name on everything, even this post, but it’s like a stain, isn’t it? We have been reduced to fighting a monstrous tagger operating from the White House, part of which he has torn down. He has done nothing but vandalize this country, and we are drifting while he enriches himself.

Americans are about to pay even more at the grocery store www.seattletimes.com/business/ame... It seems so long ago when naive voters voted Republican because of egg prices. It was bird fu largely. Now the price of everything is soaring. It is because of Republicans, their tariffs and war mainly.

Though Sen. Bill Cassidy's loss on Saturday in Louisiana was the big news, less national attention was given to a pummeling suffered by ultra-conservative Gov. Jeff Landry, who had heavily promoted five ballot issues. All five were defeated in a landslide, the no votes ranging from 58 % to 78 %.

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/u... This is hilarious, the way Republicans are dealing with the settlement scam. Can't speak straight, or out in the open. Like a delinquent kid who's just drowned a puppy

We need a Watergate label for this week's tax fraud and slush fund settlement. “The Big Rip-off” is maybe too snarky. I asked the AI robot for one and he snapped. “It’s a bureaucratic settlement", not a "dramatic event.” He added, "slush fund" is a "partisan descriptor." Sigh. Any suggestions?

Trump’s allies are already lining up to apply to his $1.8 billion fund This is ripe. Among the jerks lining up to fleece American taxpayers is George Santos and a registered sex offender who attacked Capitol police with bear spray. And so far, no meaningful push back from Republicans.

Republicans are fleecing the average American taxpayer. Thanks to them, your money is going to Trump’s family, right wingers who used violence to help them seize, not earn, power, and don’t ignore this, future insurrectionists. Todd Blanche is their personal attorney, and Trump isn’t acting alone.

Trump’s deal to drop suit against IRS creates $1.8B ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ This is absurd. Trump is raiding the treasury to pay off his pals who were duly prosecuted. Apparently we have no say in it. If so, we are no longer a nation of laws. Our courts have failed us here. Justice is random.

WA homeowners, farmers say their land is being stolen for data centers www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news... Thuggery. A PUD in eastern Washington is seizing land to serve data centers. Underpaying owners because it’s “borrowing” the land, uh, indefinitely. America’s great now, ain’t it.

Why Gasoline Prices Vary So Much by State, County and City www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/b... Don't throw stones, but Washingtonians are okay with a portion of this gas price gap, i.e. the enviro regs and transpo money. Regressive, but we are inching toward taxing the rich. The Iran war sucks for all.

The Pulitzer Prize special citation today to Julie K. Brown for her stunning revelations in 2017 and 2018 of Jeffrey Epstein’s escape from justice is long overdue and special. As a former Pulitzer recipient, and juror, I’m so grateful to the board for doing this. She lit a long fuse. Consequential.

Pulitzer Prizes today for investigations of DOGE wrongdoings, corruption in the Oval Office, Trump’s overreach and vengeance, surveillance by tech companies, abusive home insurers, Meta, towing companies, and more. My colleagues noted a dearth of non-legacy pubs. From a past recipient, huge congrats

Blanche Says Others Who Post ‘86 47’ Message Won’t Be Charged Like Comey www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/u... Todd Blanche is one of history's nuttiest prosecutors. He says only James Comey, among legions who've posted 86 47, can be prosecuted. Why? He'll explain later. Only in MAGA America, folks.

If you know a MAGA Republican, trick 'em into watching this video. youtube.com/shorts/OfZKk...

Trump Faces the Complicated Reality of a Costly, Unpopular War in Iran www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/u... For the same price (so far), we could have extended Obamacare subsidies. Instead, we've gotten the most aimless, ill-directed, and befuddling war in U.S. history, and that's saying something.

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/o... It is true, indeed, that Donald Trump uses violent language, and threats, against Democrats and a whole bunch of other Americans. Another great column from Jamelle.

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/u... Prosecutors should be disbarred for moves like this.

The costs of Trump’s contempt are starting to show From Europe to Asia, former allies and trading partners are abandoning the U.S. Most Americans don’t know the costs. If we do not neuter the Republicans in the midterms, this will destroy our economy and endanger all of us. Vote D, argue later.

$106 Billion Loan Reflects E.U.’s View That Peace in Ukraine Is Far Away www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/w... With support now from Hungary, Europe sends money to Ukraine. Americans want to help, but Trump and the MAGA Republicans have supported or at least given hope to the Russians. Disgraceful.

Trump Is Said to Be in Talks to Send Afghans Who Aided U.S. Forces to Congo www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/w... Trump blasted Biden for the way the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan. Now he aids the Taliban in his cruelty towards Afghans who helped American soldiers. He shames us daily on a world stage.

Kudos to this scientist and others defending our weather service. The Republicans want to shut down an essential part of it -- the National Center -- created after D-Day because of lessons learned. As the suit says, this GOP move threatens national security. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Trump Administration Live Updates: F.B.I. Director Files Defamation Suit Against The Atlantic www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04... What backfires on an unworthy plaintiff in a defamation suit is discovery, or even the threat of it. On occasion, we counter sued. Not sure this will get that far.

Which quote, among all the bafflers, best defines Donald Trump's attitude toward this country? I'll nominate this one: "...we're fighting wars. We can't take care of day care." And it was a campaign promise. The quote also captures the Republican platform. Other nominations? wapo.st/4cJ17Qe

Hungary’s Orban, Beacon to the Right, Concedes Election Defeat www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/w... Today's big deal. Viktor Orban defeated. History will remember that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin joined hands to support this guy. Allies against western democracy.

'Get them all': Why are WA farmers blindsided by an ICE crackdown? www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news... Trump hurts farmers. Some are starting to get it. Farms are important and the Dems do have a decent Ag policy. Yes, farmers lean right and include bigots (“hurt them, not me”). Time for a change

In 1990, a bipartisan Congress passed historic bills. Then it cracked apart. Since 1990, Republicans have benefited from gerrymandering and the dominance of wealth in campaign spending. Their basic plan is for billionaires and against our children. Increase the deficit, air pollution and profits.

Wow, Dr. Oz and his Trump Administration buddies added an extra zero to a number, screwing up a federal investigation of Medicaid in New York. In the news biz, you'd have gotten canned for this if it made it into print. This adds up to gross incompetence. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

A reader comment under a WAPO story solved the Melania puzzle. Her pop-up press conference was designed to shift attention from the war debacle back onto Epstein. How clever.

With Iran Setting Limits, Strait of Hormuz Remains Thorny Politically www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/w... Iran emerges in ceasefire with more clout than before, choosing who can use the Strait of Hormuz and proposing a massive fee. President Trump is left begging. 25th Amendment rising in popularity.

Trump may be history’s weakest president now, aside from James Garfield in his deathbed. Even the Iranians have him squeezed. No friends, just sycophants, and he’s desperate for foreign backers. He is so compromised he’d be dropped from the intel services. A great danger for this country.

Such winning. The Strait of Hormuz is now a mess for how long? Nuclear armed and rightwing led Israel is rampaging towards permanent war. Iran is theocratic still and emboldened. It’d be great if the Republicans just packed bags and admitted failure, since they don’t have any ability to learn.

Trump Finds His Offramp With Iran. But the Causes of War Remain Unresolved. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/u... Was this the quickest war the U.S. has ever lost? This careful NYT assessment suggests so, though so far it is only a ceasefire. Trump lost too, which is a silver lining, though pyrrhic.

www.theatlantic.com/politics/202... The real estate genius is paying double for a warehouse in Utah that otherwise sat on the market. Using our tax dollars. Trump is a deficit builder, not a genius, and the Republicans are driving up prices on everything. Gasoline is just the most obvious.

Epic winter drought creates a bleak situation for farmers — and your food Climate change is aggravating drought. Fertilizer prices are up substantially because of the Iran war. Farm laborers are facing deportation. The new Farm Bill is stalled in Congress. Farmers must rethink their voting habits.

Will American officers refuse illegal bombing orders?

The world watches as President Trump threatens to bomb civilians in Iran back to the Stone Age. Out of the blue, as we watched an international bike race today, the British announcer spoke of the Guernica bombing, an infamous 1937 war crime, committed by fascists. He was just sayin’.

Trump Administration Live Updates: Bondi Fired as Attorney General www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04... Trump may have rescued Bondi's law license by firing her. One big question is whether the House Oversight Committee will still depose her regarding the Epstein case.