WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Thursday, July 24

AP Photo
UnitedHealth says it is under a federal investigation and cooperating
Shares of UnitedHealth Group slipped Thursday after the health care giant said it was under a Department of Justice investigation. The company said it has started complying with both criminal and civil requests from federal investigators and it was cooperating with them. “(UnitedHealth) has a long record of responsible conduct and effective compliance,” the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Continue reading at King 5. (AP Photo)


Vials containing samples of forever chemicals, known as PFAS, sit in a tray, April 10, 2024, at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lab in Cincinnati. Washington state lawmakers have been working to phase out PFAS from products sold in the state since 2019. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Cleaning up toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in Washington isn’t easy
If you looked into your bloodstream, you’d probably find so-called “forever chemicals.” The name, shorthand for PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, may seem dramatic. But it’s not wrong. Held together by strong chemical bonds that don’t break down naturally, this family of chemicals build up over time in the bodies of people and wildlife and in the environment. Continue reading at Cascade PBS. (Joshua A. Bickel)


Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, center, speaks to reporters alongside Solicitor General Noah Purcell, left, and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Legal Director Matt Adams, right, outside a Seattle courthouse where federal appeals court judges heard arguments over President Donald Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship on June 4, 2025. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)
Appeals court maintains WA’s nationwide block of birthright citizenship order
A federal appeals court on Wednesday agreed with a Seattle judge’s decision to universally block President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. The appeals judges ruled 2-1 that Trump’s order, issued on Inauguration Day, violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Jake Goldstein-Street)


Print

Auburn Reporter
Immigration arrests surged last month in Washington

Axios
Trump’s AI Action Plan gives AI industry lots to smile about
Trump birthright citizenship order “unconstitutional,” appeals court rules
Scoop: Ferguson’s office was told of allegations against top aide years ago

Bainbridge Island Review
Over $10 million in state grants awarded to Kitsap natural spaces
KT board receives updates on proposed ferry routes, Seattle terminal

Bellingham Herald
Could Trump budget cuts hurt WA wildfire fighting efforts? We asked an expert
Hundreds expected to protest against Trump at July 26 ‘Families First’ rally in Olympia

Columbian
Wife says she’s ‘beyond devastated’ after Vancouver man’s loss in immigration court

Everett Herald
Lake Stevens appeals sewer district assumption ruling
Snohomish County Council pass Food and Farming Center regulations
Comment: Reforms to involuntary commitment law can save lives

Kitsap Sun
Port Orchard man sentenced to prison on almost 30 counts, faces up to 23 years
Outdoor burn ban restrictions increase in Kitsap: All outdoor burning suspended

News Tribune
U.S. government sold off aging ships. Northwest states left to pay the price
Comment: Sending Washington shipbuilding contracts out of state betrays Tacoma

New York Times
Kennedy Rescinds Endorsements for Some Flu Vaccines
Education Department Will Investigate Scholarships for DACA Students
Everything in Trump’s Big Tax and Spending Law, and How Much It Will Cost or Save

Olympian
Could Trump budget cuts hurt WA wildfire fighting efforts? We asked an expert

Puget Sound Business Journal
National housing market continues shift to buyers
Revive I-5 project stress tests Seattle’s transit system
How a shift in US-Canada trade relations could favor the PNW

Seattle Times
K-12 vaccination rates in WA dropped again
Trump birthright citizenship order blocked nationwide by federal appeals court
Editorial: Pause in youth felony diversion referrals to agency is right call
Opinion: Tariffs on Canadian goods start Aug. 1. The damage will be lasting

Sol De Yakima
Aumentan detenciones migratorias en Washington durante junio
Cerezas de este año en el noroeste son ’excelentes’ en calidad, precio 
Ayuntamiento de Yakima analizará impuesto especial; recortes por $3 millones en sesión el jueves

Spokesman Review
Baumgartner, Fulcher, Newhouse support releasing ‘Epstein files’ as House adjourns early amid controversy
‘We’re here to finish what you started’: Families confront Bryan Kohberger as he’s sentenced to life in prison for University of Idaho murders

Washington Post
With his suit against Murdoch, Trump signals: No one is safe
Trump denies Maryland’s request for FEMA aid after devastating floods
ICE moves to shackle some 180,000 immigrants with GPS ankle monitors
What’s happening with covid and flu shots? Here’s how RFK Jr. is affecting vaccine access.

WA State Standard
Appeals court maintains WA’s nationwide block of birthright citizenship order
Irrigation canal critical to Yakima Valley is at risk of failure after wildfire damage
Americans haven’t saved for retirement. States are creating automatic savings plans
Trump’s AI Action Plan removes ‘red tape’ for AI developers and data centers, punishes states that act alone


Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
One person critically injured in stabbing on Metro bus
New tiny home village opens in South Tacoma: ‘I’m just so grateful’
UnitedHealth says it is under a federal investigation and cooperating
Proposed initiative would require proof of citizenship to vote in Washington

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Life on State Route 167 is about to change
‘No To Blue Angels’ billboard goes up in Rainier Valley
Seven buildings destroyed by fire in Seattle’s Central District
I-5 lane closures: The worst times to travel and the worst routes
Thurston County Jail at ‘max capacity’ for women. What does that mean?
Court rules Trump order denying birthright citizenship is unconstitutional
Man who killed Idaho firefighters had been turned away by fire department, Army

KNKX Public Radio
Washington state education officials prepare to lay off staff
Pike Place Market extends pilot car ban amid uptick on foot traffic
Pacific Northwest Folklorico Festival canceled over immigration enforcement concerns

KUOW Public Radio
WA bans English ivy 
Murray says Trump’s Canadian tariffs could cause costly rift with WA
Northern State Hospital patients’ grave sites to get memorial, WA money
Rep. Jayapal talks rescissions, protecting U.S. citizens from ICE, and the Epstein files
‘Literally no way’: Idea of redrawing WA’s congressional map gets bipartisan brush off (Pedersen, Fitzgibbon)

KXLY (ABC)
Firefighters planning controlled burn at Lake Spokane wildfire
“We want to lead by example,” Spokane Indians give back with the Community Fields Project


Web

Cascadia Daily News
New Whatcom County Jail could have between 400–700 beds
Sen. Murray: Washington ‘on the front lines’ of U.S., Canada trade war
Former Whatcom County health department director takes state leadership role

Cascade PBS
Cleaning up toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in Washington isn’t easy
Pike Place Market car ban extended amid uptick in foot traffic

InvestigateWest
Oregon quietly halted a new Medicaid program for people leaving prison. Whether it goes forward may be up to the Trump administration.

MyNorthwest
King County sees decline in shooting victims and gunfire incidents

West Seattle Blog
TRAFFIC, WEATHER, ROAD WORK, TRANSIT: Thursday info