In classic Washington fashion, a judge just tossed out a lawsuit demanding that state agencies follow their own climate law—because apparently the public doesn’t have standing to ask what’s going on with their tax-funded green schemes.

Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center had the nerve to expect the Departments of Ecology and Commerce to comply with a 2008 law requiring timely greenhouse gas reporting. But Thurston County Judge Chris Lanese ruled Myers isn’t in the “zone of interest” to hold the state accountable—only the Governor and a few handpicked legislative committees get that privilege. Translation: No transparency for you.

The state argued they’re just being really, really careful with the data—because raw numbers might be messy. So instead of releasing anything on time, they’d rather wait until 2026 under a newly passed law that conveniently resets the clock.

Meanwhile, Myers and the Citizen Action Defense Fund rightly pointed out that it’s a bit rich for the state to declare climate change an “existential crisis” while refusing to show the receipts on how they’re tackling it. If the planet’s burning, maybe don’t tell the public to sit quietly in the back seat while you fumble with the map.

The takeaway? Democrats want total control over climate policy, zero accountability, and as little transparency as possible—because if the numbers don’t support the narrative, better to just bury them. Read more at Center Square.

Washington Democrats claim they’re trying to make health care affordable—but their solution seems to be taxing providers into oblivion, capping payments to hospitals, and pretending that’ll somehow lower costs. At a recent meeting of the state’s Health Care Cost Transparency Board, medical professionals practically waved red flags warning that the Legislature’s latest moves are setting the entire system on fire.

Democrats just passed a budget (HB 2081) that jacks up the B&O tax on physician groups by a whopping 40% since 2019—while Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements stay flat. Hospitals? Already underwater. Doctors? Getting crushed. And yet, the same geniuses pushing for affordability passed new regulations that increase costs and make it harder to recover medical debt.

Healthcare leaders like Jeb Shepard and Chelene Whiteaker are begging lawmakers to actually listen to providers before bulldozing the system with more price controls and tax hikes. Spoiler: you can’t regulate your way to affordability while ignoring the mess you’re making.

The so-called Transparency Board? Less about shedding light, more about shuffling spreadsheets. Here’s a radical idea: stop adding costs, and maybe things won’t be so expensive. Read more at the Washington Policy Center.

Washington’s Attorney General is spending your tax dollars trying to redefine “domestic extremism”—and surprise! If you believe in individual liberty, limited government, or question the state’s latest crusade, congratulations: you might be part of the problem.

The AG’s Domestic Extremism and Mass Violence Task Force just dropped a 30-page draft report packed with vague definitions and ideological red flags. Since there’s no actual legal definition of “domestic extremism” in state law, the task force helpfully borrows from groups like the Anti-Defamation League and a university terrorism consortium that say things like being “fiercely nationalistic,” “suspicious of centralized authority,” or “reverent of individual liberty” are markers of extremism. So… basically half of Washington’s rural voters?

They also toss in FBI categories like “involuntary celibate violent extremism” and cite off-duty cops at a political rally as examples of domestic threats—while completely ignoring actual left-wing riots like WTO in 1999, the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in 2020, and the $1 million in damage caused at UW last month. You know, the inconvenient extremism.

The task force includes a lineup of activist groups with zero law enforcement experience but plenty of progressive credentials, from opposing Trump to demanding “community healing” and “reintegration.” GOP Rep. Jim Walsh nailed it, calling the task force “a pathetic joke” run by “low-level, left-wing political hacks.”

Final recommendations aren’t due until December 2026. We will continue to follow the story. Read more at Center Square.

Seattle’s inability to get a grip on open drug use, homeless encampments, and rampant street crime just cost the city a tech giant. Microsoft is officially pulling its Build conference out of Seattle starting in 2026—and scrapping all future plans too. The reason? Attendees didn’t feel safe walking a few blocks downtown. And who can blame them?

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz reports, an internal Visit Seattle email lays it out bluntly: “general uncleanliness,” visible drug use, and a recurring tent in a downtown tunnel were too much for Microsoft to stomach. This wasn’t about post-COVID trends or hybrid work models—it was about the city looking and feeling like a scene from The Walking Dead.

The Build conference would’ve brought 4,500 attendees, filled over 9,000 hotel room nights, and pumped millions into the local economy. That’s all gone. And it’s not just 2026—Microsoft is cutting ties indefinitely. This isn’t a reschedule. It’s a breakup.

Of course, Visit Seattle tried to spin it as a “shifting event landscape,” while completely ignoring the needles, tents, and crime tourists have to wade through to attend a panel discussion. City officials have ignored business owners for years, pushing “harm reduction” policies that hand out pipes and foil while cops are sidelined and fentanyl flows freely.

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s administration can’t blame COVID forever. They’ve tolerated chaos, protected encampments, and normalized street disorder. Now global corporations are voting with their feet—and their billions.

Microsoft is just the beginning. When even Seattle-based companies say “no thanks,” you know the brand is officially toxic. Who’s next to bail? Read more at KTTH.

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