In true Democrat fashion, Washington’s majority party just popped the champagne on a $78 billion operating budget that delivers the largest tax increase in state history. Because if your state’s already unaffordable, why not throw another $9 billion in tax hikes on top and call it “progress”?

Gov. Bob Ferguson, fresh off a campaign promise not to raise taxes, broke that pledge with the kind of enthusiasm only a politician surrounded by spreadsheets and zero real-world consequences could muster. Despite Republican Sen. Nikki Torres offering a no-new-taxes budget, Ferguson chose to stick Washingtonians with higher taxes on businesses, gas, and—just for fun—your future.

The governor even tried to downplay one of the more painful tax hikes (Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2081) by saying they’ll “take a closer look later.” Translation: We passed it now and we’ll pretend to care about the fallout when the election rolls around.

Meanwhile, small businesses—aka the backbone of the economy—are bracing for impact. Mark Harmsworth of the Washington Policy Center hit the nail on the head: no, your local restaurant owner isn’t rolling in cash and cruising around in a Lambo. They’re scraping by. And this budget? It’s a knockout punch.

As for Ferguson’s grand veto strategy? He axed a whopping $26 million—out of $78 billion. That’s 0.03% of the budget. Don’t strain yourself there, Bob.

Even worse, Ferguson claimed to inherit a $16 billion shortfall—when the nonpartisan Senate staff said it was actually $7.5 billion. But hey, when you’re justifying historic tax hikes, what’s a few billion in creative math?

The Washington State Democrats are proudly declaring they “protected essential services.” What they forgot to mention is that they also protected bloated bureaucracy, union pay hikes, and a tax structure that’ll bleed every business dry on the way out of the state.

Bottom line: the Democrats’ budget doesn’t fix affordability—it just makes sure fewer people can afford to stay. Read more at Center Square.

In a plot twist absolutely no one saw coming (except everyone paying attention), Gov. Bob Ferguson signed off on nearly $10 billion in new taxes on May 20—because apparently the best way to jumpstart an economy is to bury it under a mountain of taxes. Jason Mercier of the Mountain States Policy Center broke down the mess with surgical snark, and we’re here for it.

Despite whispers that Ferguson might veto the tax hike avalanche lawmakers shoved onto his desk, he instead gave it a big wet signature. The largest chunk of this historic cash grab? Not schools. Not roads. Nope—government employee pay raises. As the Washington Research Council helpfully noted, nearly half of the budget increase is headed straight into the pockets of public employees via collective bargaining deals. Nice work if you can get it.

While places like Idaho and Montana (ahem, states with economic growth) are cutting taxes, Washington is trying the bold new strategy of “tax more and hope no one leaves.” Spoiler: they’re leaving. Businesses are eyeing the exits, with Idaho as the top destination—because who wouldn’t want lower taxes and less government micromanagement?

Here’s the damage, courtesy of Mercier:

• $5.7 billion in business tax hikes
• $2.6 billion in excise/sales taxes
• $655 million more from capital gains and death taxes
• $385 million via repealed tax breaks
• $281 million from—you guessed it—Tesla drivers

And just in case that wasn’t enough, the transportation budget piles on more taxes and fees, including another hit at the gas pump. Because why stop when you’re on a roll?

As the Association of Washington Business put it, the whole thing is “tone-deaf and short-sighted.” But hey, if the goal was to make states like Idaho and Montana look even more appealing, mission accomplished. Read Mercier’s full op-ed at Center Square.

Seattle’s activist media is once again working overtime—not to inform you, but to campaign. This time, they’re sobbing over the detainment of Maximo Londonio, a green card holder who was picked up at Sea-Tac Airport for “administrative proceedings.” They paint him as a loving husband, family man, and victim of a cruel immigration system. What they don’t paint? A clear picture of why he’s in this mess to begin with.

As KTTH’s Jason Rantz turns out, turns out Maximo has two criminal convictions, including a guilty plea to grand theft, but Seattle reporters can barely bring themselves to mention it—if they do at all. KING 5 hid the convictions until the final seconds of their piece, after selling viewers a heartstring-tugging sob story. You’d think someone might wonder what the second conviction is for, but hey, facts might ruin the narrative.

Meanwhile, pro-amnesty activists call these offenses “non-violent,” as if theft or drug crimes don’t count if they’re committed with a smile. Reporters parrot this line without asking whether the convictions were misdemeanors or felonies. Why bother with journalism when you’ve already picked a side?

And if you’re wondering how this fits into the bigger picture—Democrats just opened up taxpayer-funded housing benefits to illegal immigrants under the HEN program. Apparently, being in the country legally, obeying the law, and paying taxes now gets you less help than breaking the law and getting activist cover.

Maximo’s detainment highlights what happens when laws are treated as optional, immigration enforcement is sporadic, and the media cares more about political messaging than public safety. If his defenders truly cared, they would’ve told the whole story—including the parts that made their case less convenient.

But they didn’t. Because in progressive Seattle, narrative always trumps truth. Read more at KTTH.

In what feels like a parody but sadly isn’t, a self-proclaimed LGBTQIA+ activist in Newcastle, WA, stood up at a city council meeting and actually argued that the Pride flag should replace the POW flag—because, in the activist’s words, “POWs are dead, and gay people aren’t.” Yep, that was said. Into a microphone. In public. On the record.

The bizarre comment is just the latest escalation in a local controversy that’s spiraling out of control. Mayor Robert Clark has been under nonstop fire for not wanting to fly the Pride flag at city hall—now he’s being blasted again because apparently not prioritizing one identity flag over a tribute to prisoners of war is grounds for cancellation.

Even more jaw-dropping? This is the second time an activist in Newcastle has claimed the Pride flag deserves the pole more than the POW flag. National media’s picked up the story, and residents are left wondering how a city council meeting turned into an awkward episode of “Who Offended Whom?”

One thing’s clear: this isn’t the kind of “representation” anyone asked for. See the video here.

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