The Washington Attorney General’s Office has some explaining to do.

Sensitive internal communications between AGO attorneys and Democratic lawmakers about crafting the new “Millionaires Tax” to get around long-standing constitutional problems were released in full, unredacted form to The Center Square. But when other requesters — including opponents of the tax like Let’s Go Washington — asked for the same records, they received heavily redacted versions or incomplete files.

The AGO later claimed the full release was an “inadvertent” mistake that didn’t waive privilege, then tried (unsuccessfully) to get The Center Square to delete the records. Different requesters got wildly different treatment, raising serious questions about selective transparency and whether the office is playing favorites to protect its political allies.

This is the same AGO that helped Democrats insert a “necessity clause” to block a referendum on the tax. Now they’re scrambling to control the narrative after their own internal deliberations saw the light of day.

Attorney General Nick Brown and the office’s top leadership were actively involved in crafting responses once the story broke. Yet they continue to withhold or redact the same information from others.

This isn’t how a transparent government is supposed to work. It looks a lot more like damage control from an office more interested in shielding Democratic tax policy than following public records laws evenly.

Washingtonians deserve straight answers and consistent application of the law — not a two-tiered system where the Attorney General’s Office decides who gets the full story based on whose side they’re on. Read more at Center Square.

Washington’s Supreme Court races are shaping up to be a proxy war over the new 9.9% income tax.

More than legitimate questions have been raised as to whether Justices Colleen Melody and Theo Angelis — both appointed this year by Governor Bob Ferguson with no prior judicial experience — can fairly hear challenges to the tax Ferguson signed and Sen. Jamie Pedersen sponsored. Both have professional, political, and donation ties to Ferguson, Pedersen, and the Attorney General’s Office.

When asked by The Center Square, neither would commit to recusing themselves from a future income tax case. Melody said she wouldn’t “prejudge” it, while Angelis suggested he’d wait to see the specifics. This comes after neither recused in an earlier ruling blocking a referendum on the tax.

Challengers like appellate attorney Greg Miller, retired Judge Dave Larson, and others are highlighting the appearance of bias and the broader problem with governors handing lifetime-adjacent seats to political allies. The appointment process allows Ferguson to shape the court that may ultimately decide the constitutionality of his signature tax policy.

This is what one-party Democratic control looks like: appoint friendly justices, dodge recusal questions, and hope voters don’t notice the conflict. Washingtonians deserve a Supreme Court that prioritizes the law and public trust — not one that looks like an extension of the governor’s office.

The August primary just got a lot more important. Read more at Center Square.

Washington drivers are about to get hit with another increase at the pump.

Starting July 1, the state gas tax climbs to 56.5 cents per gallon thanks to the automatic 2% inflationary adjustment Democrats baked into the 2025 transportation package. This comes on top of the Climate Commitment Act’s roughly 52-56 cent per gallon hit and the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, helping push average prices to around $5.30 — roughly $1.37 above the national average.

State Sen. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake) is calling on Governor Bob Ferguson to use his emergency authority to pause these burdensome policies. She notes the timing is particularly painful as national prices fall while Washington families get left behind.

Instead of offering relief, Ferguson and Democrats continue to deflect, blaming external factors rather than their own choices. They’re even moving forward with linking Washington’s carbon market to California and Québec — a move that won’t lower prices anytime soon.

This is the predictable result of decades of one-party Democratic rule: layer on tax after tax and regulation after regulation in the name of climate goals, then act shocked when working families and rural communities pay the price at the pump.

Olympia’s tax-and-spend machine never sleeps. Read more at Seattle Red.

Washington Democrats gathered in Spokane for their state convention and made their priorities crystal clear: anti-Israel activism and anti-business posturing.

Delegates passed a resolution “opposing and condemning” U.S.-Israel military cooperation by a wide margin. One attendee tried injecting some historical reality and common sense, noting the long pattern of Arab aggression against Israel and reminding the crowd that alienating Jewish voters (77% of whom are Democrats) is politically self-defeating. His efforts were apparently not enough to stop the momentum.

They also passed a resolution opposing new data centers, following Seattle and Spokane’s lead in imposing moratoriums. Speakers warned of strained power grids, higher energy bills, and a looming “surveillance state,” conveniently ignoring that data centers are not the main driver of rising electricity costs — state climate mandates and regulations are.

This is peak progressive governance in Washington: symbolic gestures against Israel, hostility to economic growth and innovation, and virtue signaling that does nothing to help working families facing higher costs. While real problems like affordability and energy reliability worsen under one-party Democratic rule, the party spends its time on foreign policy lectures and blocking projects that bring jobs and tax revenue.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer. One side obsesses over ideology and international posturing. The other side wants practical solutions that actually improve life in Washington. Voters are noticing. Read more at Seattle Red.

While Seattle Democrats are busy banning large data centers and Spokane imposes moratoriums, one small Central Washington town is quietly proving what actually works.

According to local leaders and Microsoft itself, Quincy has seen a remarkable turnaround thanks to data centers. Property taxes for residents have dropped dramatically (one lawmaker saw his bill fall from $5,000 to $1,500), new infrastructure has been built, poverty rates have plummeted, and good-paying year-round jobs have replaced seasonal agricultural work. Data centers use just 5% of the town’s water thanks to recycling systems, while paying a massive share of local taxes.

GOP Rep. Alex Ybarra and Microsoft President Brad Smith have highlighted how this is “data centers done right” — economic growth that benefits the community without punishing residents.

Meanwhile, in blue strongholds like Seattle and Spokane, progressive policymakers treat data centers like a plague. They cite power grid concerns, environmental fears, and vague “impacts” while ignoring the obvious: their own anti-business regulations, high taxes, and green mandates are driving investment — and jobs — elsewhere.

This is the contrast in Washington state under decades of Democratic dominance: one town embraces opportunity and reaps the rewards, while liberal cities regulate, ban, and complain their way into economic stagnation.

The data centers aren’t the problem. The ideology that rejects them is. Read more at Center Square.