The King County Auditor just exposed what happens when the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) goes on a spending spree without bothering to install basic safeguards. In just four years, the department ballooned from handing out $22 million to a jaw-dropping $1.5 billion—a 6,700% increase—yet somehow forgot that taxpayer money requires oversight.

The audit found missing expense reports, budget deviations without approval, and even forged documents that may qualify as outright fraud. In one case, a grantee pocketed $80,000 more than it spent before DCHS finally hit pause. But instead of accountability, county leaders shrugged, blamed “rapid growth,” and promised to hire a few more compliance staff and bring in consultants.

Translation: Democrats massively expanded government handouts, ignored the risk of fraud, and now want credit for patching the mess after the damage is done. Turns out, when you treat taxpayer dollars like Monopoly money, fraud isn’t a bug—it’s the feature. Read more at Center Square.

In a blistering op-ed, former GOP U.S. Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley lays out exactly how Bob Ferguson’s reckless sanctuary agenda has turned Washington into a safe haven for predators. Just last week, ICE arrested multiple illegal immigrants in our state convicted of heinous child exploitation crimes—including molestation and rape. These weren’t fugitives in hiding—they were walking free in our neighborhoods because Washington’s 2019 Keep Washington Working Act ties the hands of local law enforcement.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has had enough, calling out Washington as a “sanctuary jurisdiction” that shields criminals instead of families. Ferguson, predictably, responded with smug platitudes about “values” and “law-abiding immigrants,” pretending that protecting child predators is some kind of virtue.

As Smiley points out, sheriffs across the state warn sanctuary laws make Washington a magnet for repeat offenders, while ICE is left to clean up the mess through operations like Patriot. Thanks to Ferguson, our communities are less safe, our families are more vulnerable, and law enforcement is being disarmed in the name of politics.

Smiley’s message is clear: it’s not partisan—it’s common sense. Sanctuary policies don’t protect families. They protect predators. Read more at Seattle Red.

A Thurston County judge just slapped down WSDOT’s absurd attempt to punish a whistleblower who dared to tell the truth about Bob Ferguson’s beloved Climate Commitment Act. Former WSDOT economist Scott Smith said he was fired for refusing to fudge numbers showing carbon auctions would spike gas prices by 40–50 cents a gallon. After Smith voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit, WSDOT—repped by none other than AG Nick Brown’s old law firm—demanded sanctions against him and the Citizen Action Defense Fund. Translation: waste taxpayer dollars to intimidate anyone who questions the state’s green cash grab.

The judge called WSDOT’s claims a stretch and rejected the sanctions, sparing whistleblowers from a chilling precedent. But WSDOT still tried to spin the loss as a “victory,” bragging about how “breathtaking” the supposed evidence spoliation was—never mind the fact they lost. In the end, Democrats spent taxpayer money to protect their climate tax scheme and came away empty-handed, except for a bigger bill from their friends at Pacifica Law Group. Read more at Center Square.

The Trump Administration just gave Washington and Oregon 60 days to strip radical gender ideology from their taxpayer-funded sex-ed programs or kiss millions in federal dollars goodbye. The warning comes on the heels of California losing its PREP grant for refusing to comply, with HHS making it clear the program is for teaching personal responsibility—not left-wing indoctrination.

Washington stands to lose over $2.6 million and Oregon $1.6 million if they refuse to follow the law. Instead of focusing on teaching kids about health and responsibility, Democrats have hijacked PREP to push a social agenda, and now the feds are calling their bluff.

Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison didn’t mince words: accountability is here, and taxpayer funds won’t bankroll “delusional ideology.” For Democrat-led states hooked on turning classrooms into political battlegrounds, it’s either get in line or start footing the bill themselves. Read more at Seattle Red.

In a new piece, talk show host Jason Rantz paints a brutal picture of Belltown’s fentanyl free-for-all. Residents say drug dealers now scream that they’re “entitled” to occupy sidewalks, threatening neighbors and blocking apartment doors like they own the place. The city’s so-called SODA zone—meant to keep dealers out—is a farce, with only five actual orders issued while dozens openly peddle poison before lunch.

Police “move them along” only for the same dealers to return hours later, laughing at a system where arrests mean nothing and judges won’t lock them up. Meanwhile, the city sends “ambassadors” to power wash vomit and foil from the sidewalks—Seattle’s idea of public safety.

Rantz slams Harrell and Councilmember Bob Kettle for letting Belltown spiral from a thriving entertainment district into a fentanyl wasteland. With storefronts closing, apartments unsafe, and families driven from the streets, dealers aren’t just selling drugs—they’re running the neighborhood.

Seattle under Democrat rule isn’t a city. It’s a surrender. Read more at Seattle Red.

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