The Daily Briefing – June 3, 2025

Looks like the only thing “sustainable” at the Seattle-based EPA Region 10 office is their backdoor coordination with radical activists.

EPA’s Activist Agenda Milks a Yakima Dairy Out of Existence

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) is calling out the EPA’s Seattle-based Region 10 office for allegedly colluding with left-wing environmental groups to torpedo a family-run dairy in Yakima County. In a fiery letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Newhouse demanded a federal investigation into what he calls “appalling” coordination that led to the closure of the Cow Palace dairy — a 50-year-old operation that employed 120 people and housed 7,500 cows.

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz points out, Newhouse’s accusations aren’t just speculation — he’s got the emails. Thanks to FOIA requests, there’s documented communication showing EPA career staff strategizing with environmental activists to take down large dairies, with one activist openly calling for sweeping action against CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) nationwide.

One particularly damning piece of evidence? A September 2024 DOJ meeting titled “U.S. v Cow Palace et al Coordination” — featuring DOJ officials, EPA staff, and activist attorneys all apparently working hand-in-hand.

Newhouse minced no words: if federal employees are using their positions to wage war on farmers at the behest of eco-extremists, they don’t deserve their taxpayer-funded jobs. But given how deeply embedded the activist mindset seems to be in the EPA’s Northwest offices, don’t expect accountability anytime soon — unless Congress turns up the heat. Read more at KTTH.

Nick Brown Channels Bob Ferguson, Declares “Crisis” Every 10 Minutes

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown is quickly following in Bob Ferguson’s well-worn footsteps—screaming “crisis,” suing Trump at every turn, and shamelessly using the state’s legal office as a political stepping stool. In just a few months on the job, Brown has launched 20 lawsuits against the Trump administration over everything from immigration enforcement to defunding federal programs he likes, all while avoiding saying “constitutional crisis”… but still kind of saying it.

Brown joined his Oregon and California counterparts at a Seattle town hall to lament Trump’s executive actions, particularly around immigration and birthright citizenship. Despite court rulings already blocking some of those orders, Brown assured the crowd more lawsuits are coming—because of course they are. His Oregon peer even joked about being his state’s own version of Bob Ferguson, proving this isn’t about legal duty—it’s about Democrat AGs auditioning for higher office.

Meanwhile, Brown’s office is busy defending sanctuary policies, suing sheriffs, and laughing with other Democratic AGs over the Trump administration’s “sloppiness” in a report that even listed a fake Washington county. Nothing says serious legal minds like giggling over typos while ignoring real issues like crime, drug trafficking, and actual threats to public safety.

Brown insists, “We will survive Donald Trump,” but it’s looking more like the legal-industrial complex of progressive AGs needs him to stay relevant. Read more at the Washington State Standard.

Ferguson Recall Effort: Symbolic, Sure — But So Is Bob’s "Affordability" Agenda

Washingtonians are fed up — and one gas station worker from McCleary is doing more to fight back than most of the tax-hiking politicians in Olympia. Shannon Soderlund launched a grassroots effort to recall Gov. Bob Ferguson after he greenlit a nearly $78 billion budget stuffed with around $9 billion in new taxes — including the largest property tax hikes in state history. Her reason? Like most normal people, she actually has to pay those taxes.

While the recall is almost certainly doomed (thanks to absurd legal hurdles that protect politicians from accountability), Soderlund’s effort is striking a nerve. Even GOP leaders like Rep. Jim Walsh and Sen. Nikki Torres admit it’s unlikely to succeed, but they applaud her for lighting a fire under frustrated taxpayers who are finally waking up to the Ferguson-Fueled cost crunch.

Ferguson, true to form, hasn’t responded — probably too busy “solving problems” and “reducing costs” (for who, exactly?). His official priorities page reads like a satire of his own policies: affordable housing, public safety, and lower costs — all while signing off on the most bloated, expensive state budget in memory. If irony were taxable, he’d balance the budget in a week. Read more at Center Square.

Another Title Taken: Woke Policy Lets Boys Beat Girls (Again) on WA Track

Veronica Garcia, a biological male from Spokane, just sprinted away with a second girls’ state track title, and Eastern Washington school officials are done playing along. Garcia clocked the 400-meter dash a full second ahead of the second-place actual girl, Lauren Matthew, prompting renewed outrage and calls for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) to revoke the title and restore fairness to girls’ sports.

The Kennewick and Mead school districts are filing formal complaints. School board presidents are blasting the state and the WIAA for ignoring science and fairness while bowing to political pressure. Even the U.S. Department of Education is now investigating the state’s policies as a likely violation of federal law and Trump-era Title IX protections for female athletes.

Despite the mounting backlash, the WIAA continues hiding behind vague “estimates” about how many transgender athletes exist — while refusing to even respond to concerned parents, districts, or media. And Washington’s top education bureaucrat Chris Reykdal? Nowhere to be found, per usual.

Meanwhile, left-wing Spokane City Councilmember Paul Dillon praised the outcome, insisting that it’s “fair to everyone.” Tell that to Lauren Matthew, the real two-time champ who trained for years only to be told she didn’t win — because Washington’s political elites decided boys belong in girls’ lanes.

It’s not about fear or hate — it’s about basic fairness. And right now, in Washington, fairness is finishing second. Read more at Center Square.

UW’s Campus of Cowardice: Hamas Fan Club Still Active Despite Bloodshed

Just hours after a terrorist attack targeted a pro-Israel event in Boulder, a suspended extremist group at the University of Washington re-shared its glowing praise of the October 7 Hamas massacre. The group, SUPER UW, is still operating on campus and promoting an “armed resistance” teach-in—because, apparently, glorifying terrorism is just another academic activity at UW.

Their event refers to the brutal slaughter of Israeli civilians as a “scientific necessity,” and celebrates the mastermind behind the attack, Yahya Sinwar. Survivors like Ariel Ein-Gal asked to join the discussion—only to be ignored, because this isn’t about dialogue. It’s about doubling down on hate.

Despite repeated incidents of antisemitic rallies, chants for martyrs, and even $1 million in campus vandalism over Boeing’s ties to Israel, UW officials have stood by, paralyzed by cowardice or complicit in silence.

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz explains, it’s not higher learning—it’s higher enabling. Read more at KTTH.

How is Washington really doing?

Washington Policy Center’s Report Card for Washington’s Future is out and it offers a data-driven look at how state policies are performing across key issues—education, environment, small business, and more. WPC’s experts reveal where policies fall short and where free-market solutions can help. Access interactive dashboards, white papers, and multimedia content to see where Washington is thriving—and where it’s time for a course correction. Explore the report here.

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