A Washington school district is cutting ties with local police departments and getting rid of school resource officers over the “threat” they pose to students.
The Edmonds School Board of Directors, which oversees a system of four schools near Seattle, voted unanimously on Tuesday to end contracts with police departments providing school resource officers for three of the schools: Meadowdale, Edmonds-Woodway, and Mountlake Terrace. Law enforcement presence at the fourth school, Lynnwood, will be voted on in August, according to Washington’s <a href="https://myedmondsnews.com/2020/06/edmonds-school-board-votes-to-remove-police-officers-from-three-schools-will-decide-on-fourth-later-this-year/">My Edmonds News</a>.
“Given the facts of our highly-dangerous national and state systems of policing, supervision and incarceration, by being housed in our high schools — no matter how helpful and beloved they are — police are a real risk to many of our students and they contribute to stress and bad health for hundreds of children,” school board president Deborah Kilgore said.
The vote came after weeks of debate among community residents and students over whether removing police and deputies from schools was necessary and, above all, safe.
“It was critical that the board heard and continue to hear from our students on this and other issues,” Kilgore said, according to the <a href="https://www.heraldnet.com/news/edmonds-school-board-cuts-school-resource-officer-contracts/">Daily Herald</a>. “It is unacceptable that students are hurting and feel unsafe in our schools. We are determined to review our current school safety plans and will make the systemic changes necessary to ensure the safety and wellness of all students.”
Edmonds Police Chief Jim Lawless opposed the decision and argued against it in the weeks leading up to the vote. He said that Kilgore had maligned law enforcement in the process without any evidence for doing so, “I am quite disappointed that she would paint your police department’s efforts with such a broad brush.”
“While I completely understand the desire and sense of urgency to immediately address community concerns surrounding social injustices, I believe that this decision was borne out of emotion, not data, and was hastily undertaken,” Lawless said, according to the Daily Herald. “I am disappointed that this process was not more deliberative and inclusive of all parties involved – the district, students, faculty, staff, and yes, the police department.”
School districts in other parts of the country have also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/us/schools-police-resource-officers.html">cut</a> contracts with local law enforcement and banned school resource officers. The Minneapolis school board <a href="https://www.startribune.com/mpls-school-board-ends-contract-with-police-for-school-resource-officers/570967942/#:~:text=Minneapolis%20Public%20Schools%20has%20severed,to%20provide%20school%20resource%20officers.">voted</a> on June 2 to remove school resource officers from campus. Board Chairwoman Kim Ellison said that the Minneapolis police and the school had different “values” in the wake of George Floyd’s death, which followed a Minneapolis police officer using his knee to pin Floyd’s neck to the ground.
On June 4, Portland Public Schools superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2020/06/portland-superintendent-says-hes-discontinuing-school-resource-officer-program.html">banned</a> school resource officers from nine schools in his district while announcing increased spending on school counseling and social programs. The school district did not pay for the officers.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Police

‘Police Are A Real Risk’: Washington School District Severs Ties With Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement

Washington

It’s all fun and protests until someone vandalized your home.
Olympia, Washington, Mayor Cheryl Selby has been a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter and those protesting and rioting across the nation, yet when her own home was vandalized during the demonstrations, she called it “domestic terrorism.”
The Olympian <a href="https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article243516852.html">reported</a> late last week that “two groups converged in downtown Olympia, and some became destructive, burning flags, smashing windows, and spray painting businesses” before moving into Selby’s neighborhood and vandalizing her home.
One group, the outlet explained, comprised about 50 people wearing black to recreate a previous protest in the area. A second group was made up of about 30 people wearing neon-yellow T-shirts calling themselves the “peacekeepers” who cleaned up after the people in black.
“The black-clad group marched to City Hall before making its way through downtown Olympia. The protesters took trashcans and ‘ROAD WORK AHEAD’ signs from parking lots and sidewalks, dragging them into the streets and flipping them on their sides. The ‘peacekeepers’ then put them back while the other group heckled them,” the Olympian reported.
The group wearing black eventually marched in Selby’s South Capitol neighborhood. They chanted “abolish the police” outside her home while someone spray-painted “BLM” on her door and porch. A man nearby reportedly got the protesters to leave. When the group final did leave, they returned downtown, “spray painting store fronts, streets signs, lamp posts and sidewalks,” the outlet reported.
Neither Selby nor her family were home when the incident occurred, but she received texts from her neighbors about the vandalism.
“I’m really trying to process this,” she told the Olympian. “It’s like domestic terrorism. It’s unfair.”
“It hurts when you’re giving so much to your community,” she added.
Selby’s home, according to the outlet, also was targeted by protesters two years ago during a May Day protest. At that time, protesters chanted about her and passed out leaflets. Selby, a progressive Democrat being targeted by other progressives, said she worried for her neighbors, some of whom have small children that fear continued protests in their neighborhood.
“People have so little grace for each other right now. We need to have more grace,” Selby told the Olympian.
Selby sent KIRO 7 footage from her front porch surveillance camera and <a href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/olympia-mayors-home-vandalized-during-friday-night-protests/FQ6IRAMZVZEHVD7INR34XCENMI/">told</a> them “It&#8217;s pretty traumatic when somebody comes to your home.”
The person who spray-painted Selby’s home had to find space on the wall, since Selby had a pride flag and a Black Lives Matter already posted outside her house.
Earlier this month, Selby released a statement supporting the protests and saying she would not institute a curfew, stating sympathy for the police-involved death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, which sparked the protests and riots across the nation.
“Every day since his murder, our country has shaken,” Selby said, <a href="https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article243307636.html">according to the Olympian</a>. “Convulsing between fear, rage, and nausea. We should feel sick. Those of us who hold the most microphones in our communities should feel nauseous.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Protests

Progressive Mayor Who Supported Black Lives Matter Gets Home Vandalized During Riots, Calls It ‘Domestic Terrorism’

Black Lives Matter

protests

Riots

Washington Democrat Governor Jay Inslee claimed on Wednesday that he has &#8220;not heard anything about&#8221; extremists declaring an autonomous zone in his state&#8217;s largest city, despite widely shared images and photos that circulated on social media and a decent amount of media coverage.
Inslee was asked during a press conference, “Governor, I’d like to ask you about what&#8217;s going on Seattle, there’s this thing called the capital autonomous zone, what&#8217;s your thought about the fact that the protesters have taken that over and are not allowing people to come and go freely?
“Well that&#8217;s news to me,” Inslee claimed. “So, I&#8217;ll have to reserve any comment about it. I have not, I have not heard anything about that from any credible source, not that you&#8217;re not credible, it&#8217;s just like before I espouse an opinion, I should know of which I speak.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Gov. Inslee on so-called &quot;autonomous zone&quot; on Capitol Hill: 
&quot;That&#39;s news to me&quot;. <a href="https://t.co/L3LT86Zxgq">pic.twitter.com/L3LT86Zxgq</a>
&mdash; Rebecca Perry (@Rebecca_Perry) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rebecca_Perry/status/1270857416955981825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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What is going on in Seattle is real, despite Inslee&#8217;s claim that he has not heard anything about it.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the matter late on Wednesday evening, writing on Twitter: &#8220;Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW &amp; ORDER!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW &amp; ORDER!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1270923257844301836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The state&#8217;s top newspaper, The Seattle Times, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/welcome-to-the-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-where-seattle-protesters-gather-without-police/">reported</a> earlier in the day:
<blockquote>Welcome to the CHAZ, the newly named Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, where most everything was free Tuesday.
&#8230;
A new protest society — centered on a handful of blocks in Seattle’s quirky, lefty Capitol Hill — has been born from the movement to push the Seattle Police Department out of its East Precinct building.
On Tuesday, demonstrators hung a banner on the police station: “THIS SPACE IS NOW PROPERTY OF THE SEATTLE PEOPLE.” Teenagers passed a bottle on the exit ramp for police vehicles. A young man carried a long rifle down the sidewalk, despite the mayor’s ban on weapons in Capitol Hill, which has not been clearly enforced.</blockquote>
Christopher F. Rufo, Filmmaker and Director of Discovery Institute&#8217;s Center on Wealth &amp; Poverty, <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/antifa-seattle-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone">wrote</a> in the City Journal that the &#8220;hard-Left&#8221; was behind the latest events in Seattle:
<blockquote>For the past week, Black Lives Matter and Antifa-affiliated activists have engaged in a pitched battle with Seattle police officers and National Guard soldiers in the neighborhood, with the heaviest conflict occurring at the intersection of 11th and Pike, where law enforcement had constructed a barricade to defend the Seattle Police East Precinct building. Hoping to break through the barricade, protesters attacked officers with bricks, bottles, rocks, and improvised explosive devices, sending some officers to the hospital. At the same time, activists circulated videos of the conflict and accused the police of brutality, demanding that the city cease using teargas and other anti-riot techniques.</blockquote>
The rioters later declared a &#8220;cop free zone&#8221; in the area after &#8220;police boarded up and seemingly abandoned their East Precinct building Monday night,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-protesters-declare-cop-free-zone-after-police-leave-precinct">reported</a>.
Seattle-based conservative radio host Jason Rantz responded to Inslee&#8217;s remarks on Wednesday by writing on Twitter: &#8220;Wow. @GovInslee said he had no clue about the #SeattleAutonomousZone. Antifa, anarchists and community activist took an entire 6-block radius of his biggest city, have roaming armed guards doing ID checks, and Inslee has no clue. WHAT ARE YOU DOING, INSLEE?!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Wow. <a href="https://twitter.com/GovInslee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovInslee</a> said he had no clue about the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeattleAutonomousZone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeattleAutonomousZone</a>. 
Antifa, anarchists and community activist took an entire 6-block radius of his biggest city, have roaming armed guards doing ID checks, and Inslee has no clue.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, INSLEE?!
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1270867649363193857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly identified Seattle as Washington State&#8217;s capital city. Seattle is Washington State&#8217;s largest city. Olympia is Washington State&#8217;s capital.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Washington State Continues Efforts To Limit Spread Of Coronavirus

Washington Democrat Governor Jay Inslee Has ‘Not Heard Anything About’ Extremists Declaring ‘Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone’ In Seattle

Defund The Police

Jay Inslee

Seattle

United States Park Police officials defended themselves Tuesday from charges that they fired tear gas at protesters outside of the White House, and denied that they dispersed a demonstration just so that President Donald Trump could walk from the White House across the street to the historic St. John&#8217;s Church.
Trump and the Park Police both ran afoul of mainstream media commentators for the incident Monday, with many on social media claiming that the Park Police used extraordinary and violent measures to disperse a peaceful protest simply so the president could take photos outside of the historic church which was nearly burned Sunday night, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dc-protesters-trump-church-visit">Fox News</a>.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) excoriated Trump in a statement released Monday evening.
“Across our country, Americans are protesting for an end to the pattern of racial injustice and brutality we saw most recently in the murder of George Floyd,&#8221; they said. “Yet, at a time when our country cries out for unification, this President is ripping it apart. Tear-gassing peaceful protestors without provocation just so that the President could pose for photos outside a church dishonors every value that faith teaches us.”
Speaking to WTOP in Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning, though, the Park Police defended themselves, correcting reports that they fired tear gas into the crowd of protesters and claiming that protests outside the White House had been far from peaceful, with demonstrators hurling bottles and rocks at members of law enforcement and scaling national monuments.
&#8220;A source says tear gas was never used &#8212; instead smoke canisters were deployed, which don&#8217;t have an uncomfortable irritant in them,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AugensteinWTOP/status/1267791336146636800">WTOP reporter Neil Augenstein claimed</a> on social media.&#8221; And, the source says Park Police didn&#8217;t know President Trump would be walking across the park several minutes later.&#8221;
<a href="https://twitter.com/AugensteinWTOP/status/1267792286445965314?s=20">Augenstein also says</a> his source disputed reports that demonstrators were acting peacefully: &#8220;Park Police say the reason the crowd was disbursed with smoke canisters is that at that moment, officers were being pelted with water bottles. Another factor was that protesters had climbed on top of the structure at the north end of Lafayette Square that had been burned the day before.&#8221;
WTOP was clear to note that the information was coming from the Parks Police and that it represented their side of the story. Augenstein did note that the Parks Police would be releasing a statement on Tuesday further detailing their response Monday afternoon.
The Secret Service, which also took part in crowd control outside of the White House was mum on its tactics, telling Augenstein only that, &#8220;for operational security reasons, the U.S. Secret Service does not discuss our protectees or our protective means and methods.&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/AugensteinWTOP/status/1267843033715924994?s=20">D.C. Police did admit</a> to using tear gas and pepper balls but only &#8220;later in the evening&#8221; when &#8220;protesters had gotten &#8216;very aggressive&#8217; in Judiciary Square.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

park police white house

U.S. Park Police Say They Did NOT Fire Tear Gas At White House Protesters, Claim Demonstrators Were Attacking Cops

Donald Trump

In a series of social media posts on Sunday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) suggested that outsiders were to blame for the violence that erupted in her city and took a moment to &#8220;acknowledge&#8221; that &#8220;white men&#8221; are &#8220;co-opting peaceful demonstrations&#8221; and are behind &#8220;much of the violence and destruction&#8221; raging in Seattle and across the country.
&#8220;I want to acknowledge that much of the violence and destruction, both here in Seattle and across the country, has been instigated and perpetuated by white men,&#8221; Durkan tweeted Sunday.
&#8220;These individuals experience the height of privilege and are co-opting peaceful demonstrations that were organized by and meant to center people of color, particularly Black Americans,&#8221; she wrote in a follow-up post.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
These individuals experience the height of privilege and are co-opting peaceful demonstrations that were organized by and meant to center people of color, particularly Black Americans.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1267244322694459392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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On Saturday, Durkan provided her account of the riots that erupted in the city that day. In the thread, she condemned those who came to Seattle &#8220;with the purpose of destruction,&#8221; and made a point of differentiating them from members of &#8220;our city.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, many came together to grieve, protest, and commit themselves to justice. Coming together is a right we all honor and cherish. For most of the day, the demonstrations were peaceful,&#8221; she wrote in the first of a series of tweets (posts below). &#8220;Individuals gathered and spoke outside City Hall early this afternoon. Thousands marched and then peacefully gathered at Westlake.&#8221;
&#8220;However, in the late afternoon, demonstrations downtown quickly escalated and turned violent,&#8221; the mayor continued. &#8220;Demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at cars and buildings, some threw lit fireworks into peaceful crowds, individuals threw boulders, bricks, and defaced buildings.&#8221;
&#8220;At times, firefighters couldn’t access burning cars because of the crowds,&#8221; Durkan underscored.
&#8220;Individuals who came to Seattle with the purpose of destruction: We will not let your chaos define our city,&#8221; she declared. &#8220;The escalated incidents that took place during today’s demonstrations cannot, and will not, be allowed to continue.&#8221;
She followed that post with an expression of sympathy for those deeply grieved by the police-involved deaths of African Americans.
&#8220;I understand the immense rage, grief, and sense of betrayal felt by not only our community, but by communities across our country,&#8221; wrote Durkan.
Continuing this more positive approach, Durkan expressed her hope that &#8220;we treat each other with the kindness and compassion that we all deserve during this unprecedented and trying moment in our history.&#8221;
&#8220;I think we will see the message of destruction is not as strong as the message of hope, love, and peace,&#8221; she wrote.
Like many cities being ravaged by riots, Seattle has imposed a curfew. Among Durkan&#8217;s many riot-focused posts over the weekend were reminders about her emergency order imposing a 5 p.m. curfew. &#8220;To protect the health and safety of our residents, I have issued an emergency order and established a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for tonight and tomorrow, and an order prohibiting weapons citywide,&#8221; the Democratic mayor wrote Saturday.
Over the last few days, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-thousands-arrested-during-wave-of-riots-across-us">thousands</a> of people involved in riots were arrested across the country.
Meanwhile, President Trump has been ramping up pressure on governors and mayors to take more aggressive action to quell the violence and has repeatedly condemned the riots, which he has described as &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/secret-service-rushes-trump-to-white-house-bunker-as-riots-hit-d-c">professionally organized</a>,&#8221; specifically pointing to radical Antifa groups as the primary organizers. On Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. &#8220;will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-breaks-silence-slams-bidens-staff-for-working-to-get-the-anarchists-out-of-jail">Trump Breaks Silence, Slams Biden’s Staff For ‘Working To Get The Anarchists Out Of Jail’</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today, many came together to grieve, protest, and commit themselves to justice. Coming together is a right we all honor and cherish. For most of the day, the demonstrations were peaceful.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1266928536528420864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Individuals gathered and spoke outside City Hall early this afternoon. Thousands marched and then peacefully gathered at Westlake. However, in the late afternoon, demonstrations downtown quickly escalated and turned violent.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1266928570510667777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Individuals who came to Seattle with the purpose of destruction: We will not let your chaos define our city. The escalated incidents that took place during today’s demonstrations cannot, and will not, be allowed to continue.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1266928671861772288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
To protect the health and safety of our residents, I have issued an emergency order and established a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for tonight and tomorrow, and an order prohibiting weapons citywide.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1266928756926509058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I hope that we treat each other with the kindness and compassion that we all deserve during this unprecedented and trying moment in our history.
I think we will see the message of destruction is not as strong as the message of hope, love, and peace.
&mdash; Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1266928863721828353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.  
&nbsp;

Jenny Durkan

Seattle Mayor: White Men Behind Much Of The Violence, Destruction

Antifa

George Floyd

Race

Last week, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) <a href="https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/jeff-reynolds/2020/05/25/washington-state-counting-gun-shot-victims-among-its-coronavirus-deaths-n426781">confirmed</a> that among the deaths they have counted from coronavirus they included deaths from other causes, such as gunshot injuries.
The Freedom Foundation <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/washington/washington-health-officials-gunshot-victims-counted-as-covid-19-deaths/">reported</a>: “In remarks made during a <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/DOH-COVID-19-telebriefing.mp3">telephonic press briefing</a>, DOH officials even acknowledged knowingly including multiple deaths caused by gunshot wounds in the state’s COVID-19 fatality count.” The Freedom Foundation <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/washington/washington-state-over-reporting-covid-19-deaths/">had reported</a> that of the 828 coronavirus deaths reported by May 8: 681 “list some variation of ‘COVID-19’ in one of the causes of death” on the death certificate; 41 do not list COVID-19 as a cause of death, but indicate it was a “significant condition contributing to death,” and 106 involved persons who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 but did not have the virus listed anywhere on their death certificate as either causing or contributing to death.
The Freedom Foundation stated, “When asked about the Foundation’s report at a press conference Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee <a href="https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&amp;eventID=2020051068&amp;startStreamAt=1261&amp;stopStreamAt=1393&amp;autoStartStream=true">dismissed</a> it as ‘dangerous,’ ‘disgusting’ and ‘malarkey.’ He further <a href="https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&amp;eventID=2020051068&amp;startStreamAt=2320&amp;stopStreamAt=2457&amp;autoStartStream=true">accused</a> the Freedom Foundation of ‘fanning these conspiracy claims from the planet Pluto’ and not caring about the lives lost to COVID-19.”
Katie Hutchinson, a DOH health statistics manager, acknowledged:
<blockquote>We don’t always know the cause of death for a death when it is first reported on our dashboard. That is true. Over the course of the outbreak, we have been monitoring and recording the causes of death as we know it. We currently do have some deaths that are being reported that are clearly from other causes. We have about five deaths — less than five deaths — that we know of that are related to obvious other causes. In this case, they are from gunshot wounds …
Our current dashboards reflect anybody that has died from COVID irrespective of cause of death. Those numbers will be adjusted … We also have a number of certificates where it’s really unclear at all what the person died from… For these deaths, we really don’t — aren’t able to make a determination on whether they died from COVID or not.</blockquote>
Colorado had initially counted deaths of all coronavirus positive persons regardless of cause, but on May 15 Colorado health officials changed how they counted the number of people, <a href="https://covid19.colorado.gov/data/case-data">writing</a>:
<blockquote>Beginning May 15, the department began reporting the number of deaths in two ways:
The number of deaths among people with COVID-19. This represents the total number of deaths reported among people who have COVID-19, but COVID-19 may not have been the cause of death listed on the death certificate. This information is required by the CDC and is crucial for public health surveillance, as it provides more information about disease transmission and can help identify risk factors among all deaths across populations.
The number of deaths among people who died from COVID-19: This represents the total number of people whose death was attributed to COVID-19 as indicated on a death certificate. This number is determined by the CDC and is updated daily for dates through the previous Saturday.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Woman writing numbers on chalkboard, close-up

Report: Washington State Counted Gunshot Deaths Among Coronavirus Totals

Coronavirus

Washington state officials admitted to losing a massive amount of taxpayer money meant for workers who lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine said Thursday that the state was scammed out of “hundreds of millions of dollars” by an international unemployment scheme, according to <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/economy/washington-adds-more-than-145000-weekly-jobless-claims-as-coronavirus-crisis-lingers/">The Seattle Times</a>. The commissioner added that the state was attempting to retrieve as much of the stolen money as possible.
“We do have definitive proof that the countermeasures we have put in place are working,” LeVine said. “We have successfully prevented hundreds of millions of additional dollars from going out to these criminals and prevented thousands of fraudulent claims from being filed.”
Washington reported a surge of unemployment claims for the week ending on May 16. The total filings for the week jumped nearly 27% in the state over the week before as unemployment claims nationally have continued to trend downward. Washington now has the highest number of reported unemployed workers as a percentage of its population, according to the <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/unemployment-insurance-claims/">Tax Foundation</a>.
Federal authorities said on Saturday that an international group of fraudsters was targeting the U.S. unemployment system trying to syphon taxpayer dollars meant for jobless Americans. The U.S. Secret Service told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/us/coronavirus-unemployment-fraud-secret-service-washington.html">The New York Times</a> that investigators were trying to track down the syndicate.
”We are actively running down every lead we are getting,” said Roy Dotson, a Secret Service special agent who specializes in financial crimes. While no definitive conclusions have been made, agents suspect the scheme is being run out of Nigeria.
Besides Washington, the states of Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Wyoming are also suspected targets of the scheme.
The pandemic has created an opportunity for fraudsters to take advantage of states that are buried underneath hundreds of thousands of unemployment filings because of pandemic-induced shutdowns. The wave of unemployment filings &#8212; up to nearly 39 million by the end of last week &#8212; have hit state labor departments and caused long delays and crashed outdated processing systems.
Officials are rushing to approve unemployment claims as the unemployment rate continues to rocket well into the double-digits and may hit a levels not seen since the Great Depression.
“There’s a dire need to get money out quickly,” LeVine told the Times. “This makes us an attractive target for fraudsters.”
Congress boosted unemployment checks by $600 a week in March, aiming to combat rampant job loss and float people through the pandemic until states began to reopen again, providing a chance for employment. Most states are now moving slowly toward reopening, but thousands of businesses are now permanently closed after roughly two months of mandated government shutdowns, and experts <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-poll/near-term-us-economic-outlook-darkens-slow-recovery-to-follow-reuters-poll-idUSKBN22R063">forecast</a> that the economic damage done since mid-March will take years to recover from.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Washington State Loses ‘Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars’ To Fraudulent Unemployment Claims

The Seattle City Council passed a resolution Monday requesting Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) to create a $100 million “relief fund” for illegal immigrants who weren’t able to receive money from the federal government as part of its coronavirus relief package.
The resolution called for the creation of a “Washington Worker Relief Fund” that would provide “economic assistance to undocumented Washingtonians during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Seattle Times <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-asks-state-to-create-100-million-coronavirus-relief-fund-for-undocumented-immigrants/">reported</a> that the resolution passed the city council unanimously – 9-0 – and Mayor Jenny Durkan prepared to sign it.
“Looking out for the most vulnerable in our community is even more critical in times of crisis,” Durkan said, as reported by the Times. “It is all the more important to ensure we are not pushing people further into the shadows.”
As Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/seattle-city-council-100-million-relief-fund-for-illegal-immigrants">reported</a>, the resolution isn’t binding, so it merely asks the state to create the fund. It is up to Inslee’s administration whether to create it.
The requested funding is more than the $75 million that California has proposed to spend on illegal immigrants in the state, which has five times the population of Washington. California is allowing illegal immigrants to apply for a $500 payment for individuals or $1,000 for families, under a program PJ Media <a href="https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2020/05/19/california-begins-illegal-alien-handouts-amid-growing-backlash-n406894">reported</a> took funding from state funds and private donations.
“There are at least two million illegal aliens in California. The fund may help up to 150,000 illegals with emergency relief,” the outlet reported.
The Fresno Bee <a href="https://www.fresnobee.com/news/coronavirus/article242817371.html">reported</a> that the website to apply for the funding was so overwhelmed when it launched on Monday that it crashed.
“Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the House passed a Democrat-driven bill last week that would include illegal immigrants in the next round of stimulus checks to most Americans. It would do this by allowing those who are ineligible for Social Security numbers, and who file taxes instead by using an <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayer-identification-numbers-tin">Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)</a>, to receive the checks,” Fox reported. “Each eligible person would receive $1,200 stimulus checks, up to $6,000 per household, according to the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-coronavirus-relief-bill-to-reach-3t">newly released legislation</a>.”
Democrats have been calling for this kind of funding for illegal immigrants for weeks. As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pelosi-suggests-illegal-immigrants-should-get-guaranteed-minimum-income-in-next-coronavirus-package">reported</a>, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has said the House could consider a guaranteed minimum income for individuals that would extend to illegal immigrants. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) also called on the federal government to include non-citizens who have an ITIN in the coronavirus relief package. He said during a Univision segment that “Millions of undocumented [immigrants] who work hard, and they’re outside on the streets now exposing themselves to getting sick, should also receive this kind of protection.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also signed an executive order that ensured illegal immigrants, as well as lawful immigrants and refugees, had access to receive coronavirus benefits from the city.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Seattle City Council Seeking $100 Million ‘Relief Fund’ From State For Illegal Immigrants Who Didn’t Qualify For Coronavirus Stimulus

Illegal Immigration

stimulus

Restaurants in Washington state will begin collecting the names and contact information for all diners under strict new rules set by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in a four-phase plan to reopen the state.
Among the <a class="content-link external" href="https://coronavirus.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/Phase2-RestaurantIndustryRe-OpenProposal.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">13 criteria</a> that restaurants must meet in order to reopen is a requirement that they “create a daily log of customers and maintain that daily log for 30 days, including telephone/email contact information, and time in.”
&#8220;This will facilitate any contact tracing that might need to occur,&#8221; the rules say.
&#8220;In contact tracing,&#8221; the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/principles-contact-tracing.html">guidelines</a>, &#8220;public health staff work with a patient to help them recall everyone with whom they have had close contact during the timeframe while they may have been infectious.&#8221;
Among the other rules set out in Washington for restaurants to reopen:
<ul>
<li>All parties and tables must be 5 guests or less.</li>
<li>Guest occupancy must be 50% of maximum building occupancy or lower.</li>
<li>Tables must be placed far enough apart when measured from occupied chair to occupied chair, to ensure dine-in guests seated at a table are a minimum of 6 feet away from guests at adjacent 
tables.</li>
<li>Single use menus are required for in-person dining.</li>
<li>It is strongly suggested customers wear a cloth face covering anytime they are not seated at the table (while being seated or leaving, or while going to the restroom).</li>
</ul>
In addition, all reopened restaurants must screen employees for signs of COVID-19 at the start of every shift and provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, goggles, face shields and face masks.
&#8220;No restaurant or tavern may operate indoor or sit-down services until they can meet and maintain all requirements, including providing materials, schedules and equipment required to comply,&#8221; the guidelines state.
Eight counties in Washington have been cleared to reopen restaurants under Phase Two.
Meanwhile, the state announced this week that it has already trained nearly 1,400 people to serve as contact tracers, the <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/washington-has-1371-trained-officials-ready-to-begin-contact-tracing-on-the-coronavirus-inslee-says/">Seattle Times</a> reported.
&#8220;When a person tests positive, they will receive a phone call from a contact tracer, Inslee said. The tracer will ask where the person has gone and who they’ve been in contact with. They’ll then call those people — ideally within 48 hours — telling them they’ve been in contact with someone who tested positive, and asking them to self-quarantine until they can be tested themselves and test negative,&#8221; The Times wrote.
“It is supremely important to our ability to reopen our economy and our businesses while simultaneously protecting our health,” Inslee said of contact tracing, calling it “absolutely integral to our success.”
“If you have someone who becomes sick, and they were sitting right next to a person at a restaurant,” Inslee said, “to be able to identify that person could be very helpful.”
Inslee also sought to ease concerns over contact tracing. “The information collected is only used by public health,” he said. “It will not be shared.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Mobile APP contact tracing adopted by national Governments to stop Covid-19 pandemic

Washington State Restaurants To Keep Log Of All Diners’ Names, Contact Info

A new invasive species of giant hornets from Asia has been discovered in the Washington state area, and scientists are now rushing to locate the destructive insects to exterminate them before they spread throughout the United States and become impossible to eradicate.
The hornet, called the Asian Giant Hornet, has been on the radar of officials since late December when they were first <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/tech/science/environment/2019/12/23/asian-giant-hornet-vespa-mandarinia-invasive-threat-honeybees-found-washington/2733930001/">discovered</a> in Blaine, near the Canadian border.
&#8220;With queens that can grow to two inches long, Asian giant hornets can use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/asian-giant-hornet-washington.html">reported</a>. &#8220;For larger targets, the hornet’s potent venom and stinger — long enough to puncture a beekeeping suit — make for an excruciating combination that victims have likened to hot metal driving into their skin.&#8221;
The Asian Giant Hornet kills dozens of people every year in Japan and in <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/asia/hornet-attack-china/index.html">China</a>, and, according to Washington State entomologist Chris Looney, they are most <a href="https://youtu.be/36TFu_W1Vio?t=799">notorious</a> for their attacks on honey bees.
&#8220;Scientists have since embarked on a full-scale hunt for the hornets, worried that the invaders could decimate bee populations in the United States and establish such a deep presence that all hope for eradication could be lost,&#8221; the Times added. &#8220;Jun-ichi Takahashi, a researcher at Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan, said the species had earned the &#8216;murder hornet&#8217; nickname there because its aggressive group attacks can expose victims to doses of toxic venom equivalent to that of a venomous snake; a series of stings can be fatal.&#8221;
One of the most disturbing parts of the Times&#8217; report on the Asian Giant Hornet was the revelation that at least two nests had been discovered across the border in Canada, and the nests were not related, &#8220;meaning there had probably been at least two different introductions in the region.&#8221;
While it’s not exactly clear how this invasive species made it from Asia to the United States, Looney did have some thoughts as to how they got here.
Looney <a href="https://youtu.be/36TFu_W1Vio?t=1365">said</a> that it’s possible that someone deliberately brought them here because &#8220;in a lot of Asian countries, these big meaty wasps are food, and so it&#8217;s entirely possible that somebody brought these to try and cultivate a food source in North America.&#8221;
Looney also added that it was also possible that the Asian Giant Hornet was brought here on container ships carrying food and other goods.
Scientists in the area are trying to map out all the areas where the Asian Giant Hornets are located by using specially built traps to encase them and then tag them so that the flying insects will lead them back to their nests.
The venom that the Asian Giant Hornet carries is reportedly more potent than the venom that normal honey bees have, and the sting is much more <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR6RZ4ITqyw">painful</a>.
&#8220;The giant hornets are attracted to human sweat, alcohol and sweet flavors and smells,&#8221; CNN reported. &#8220;They are especially sensitive to when animals or people run.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Giant hornet

Asian Giant Hornets Invading Washington State, Pose Numerous Threats To U.S.

Giant Hornets

A spa owner in Washington State was one of the lucky ones who received a forgivable loan from the Small Business Administration through the Paycheck Protection Program. Yet when she told her employees what she thought was good news, many of them became angry.
CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/22/she-got-a-paycheck-protection-loan-her-employees-hate-her-for-it.html?__source=sharebar|twitter&amp;par=sharebar">reported</a> that Jamie Black-Lewis received two loans from the PPP, one for $177,000 and the other for $43,800, to help her two spas in Woodinville and Bothell. Black-Lewis previously had to stop paying all 35 employees and herself due to coronavirus shutdowns forcing “non-essential” businesses like spas and hair salons to close.
Black-Lewis held a virtual employee meeting to explain that everyone would start receiving paychecks again thanks to the loans, thinking her staff would be ecstatic to get their income back. Unfortunately, due to the flat $600-a-week increase in weekly unemployment benefits included in the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, it meant some of her employees would earn more being unemployed than if they were to get their jobs back.
“It was a firestorm of hatred about the situation,” Black-Lewis told CNBC of her virtual meeting with employees.
Naturally, her employees had done the math and figured this out, but because Black-Lewis was now offering them their jobs back, they would likely lose those government benefits.
“It’s a windfall they see coming,” Black-Lewis said about the increased unemployment benefits. “In their mind, I took it away.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” she added, according to CNBC. “On what planet am I competing with unemployment?”
CNBC explained how some employees would end up making more than their regular paycheck with the coronavirus relief funds. Traditional unemployment benefits usually cover about 40% of someone’s previous wages, but each state provides different benefits, as CNBC pointed out:
<blockquote>In Mississippi, a less-generous state when it comes to unemployment benefits, full-time workers making less than $21 an hour ($43,680 a year) would make more money on unemployment than from their job, according to an <a href="https://econofact.org/the-unemployed-and-essential-low-wage-workers-after-the-cares-act">EconoFact analysis</a> authored by economists Patricia Anderson and Phillip Levine.
In California, a “medium benefits” state, the breakeven is around $26 per hour, or about $54,000 a year.
And in Washington, a generous state, it’s $30 an hour, or about $62,000.
Pay among Black-Lewis’ employees — massage therapists, hair stylists and aestheticians — ranges from minimum wage ($13.50 an hour in Washington) up to about $60 per hour. Many work between 24 and 32 hours a week.</blockquote>
Black-Lewis said even workers who would earn more by returning to work were upset with her for taking such an opportunity away from lower-paid workers.
“They were pissed I’d take this opportunity away from them to make more for my own selfish greed to pay rent,” she told the outlet.
Some employees, however, have come around to tell her they understand that the business needs to survive until it can be reopened.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.

Massage

Small Business Owner Gets Coronavirus Relief Loan To Keep Employees On Payroll. Now Her Employees Are Angry.

Paycheck Protection Program

After witnessing roughly 2,500 people <a href="https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/hundreds-gather-in-olympia-to-protest-gov-inslees-stay-home-orders">protesting</a> on Sunday in Olympia against his &#8220;Stay Home, Stay Healthy&#8221; order, on Tuesday night, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced his plan for reopening the economy of the state, acknowledging that the current data on the coronavirus in Washington, the first state which was bludgeoned by the disease, is starting to look more optimistic.
In his public address, Inslee did not set a date for scaling down his stay-at-home order, which is set to expire on May 4. Inslee said that if the situation keeps improving and the number of coronavirus cases keep dropping, he would encourage elective surgeries as well as outdoor recreation. Inslee’s plan includes a huge amount of testing and contact tracing; he expects 1,500 people conducting contact tracing by the second week of May. Inslee posited that between 20-30,000 tests would need to be performed daily to reopen the economy, but currently the state hasn’t even reached 4,000 daily tests.
The Seattle Times <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/insleesplan-for-washingtons-economic-recovery-from-coronavirus-outbreak-includes-massive-testing-resources-for-mental-health/">reported</a> that Inslee’s office “has agreed upon a plan with the construction industry and labor unions,” that would permit limited return to construction” as long as safety measures are taken.
On Monday, the three Franklin County Commissioners, all Republicans, voted to ignore Inslee’s stay-home order and open the county, as the <a href="https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/coronavirus/article242178586.html">Tri-City Herald</a> reported. Commissioner Brad Peck stated, “As far as I’m concerned the county is open, and I’d encourage people within the law and within the parameters of their own safety — we’re adults, we can make decisions — to behave accordingly. That’s what I’m doing.”
David Postman, Inslee’s chief of staff, responded by calling the decision “a wrong-headed approach” for which they could be sued, adding that the commissioners were “putting businesses in jeopardy” and putting “citizens’ health in jeopardy.” He added, “Local governments can be stricter than the state if they choose; they can’t be looser. The law doesn’t allow it. The order is clearly rooted in statute and constitutional authority, and a county governing body does not have the right, the legal authority in any way, to take a vote and deem something unconstitutional. That’s a role for the courts.”
On April 2, Inslee announced a month-long extension of his <a href="https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/20-25.1%20-%20COVID-19%20-%20Stay%20Home%2C%20Stay%20Healthy%20Extension%20%28tmp%29.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">&#8220;Stay Home, Stay Healthy&#8221;</a> emergency order, stating, &#8220;Epidemiological modeling from the University of Washington predicts we will have at least 1,400 deaths this year. We are yet to see the full toll of this virus in our state and the modeling we’ve seen could be much worse if we don’t continue what we’re doing to slow the spread.&#8221;
He continued, &#8220;We have taken dozens of steps under my emergency powers to help people in this time – including moratoriums on evictions, mortgage forbearance, utility ratepayer assistance, unemployment extensions, flexibility on tax payments and cash assistance to families. We will do more.&#8221;
The same day, as Inslee’s website noted, “Inslee announced a delay in the implementation of new state building codes from July 1 to Nov. 1 to provide adequate time for training and outreach that was interrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1587609421501000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHFb4LyKKWO8c-LTefV7vFlefPY4w">subscriber</a>.

Protestors Rally Against Stay-At-Home Order At Washington State Capitol

After Huge Protest, Washington Governor Says He May Soon Open State’s Economy

Washington was the first state to be hit hard by SARS-CoV-2, suffering a couple dozen deaths and hundreds of infections before most states even had a single case.
But the latest data shows the state is &#8220;flattening the curve&#8221; — the rate of infection is slowing, hospitalizations are dropping and the number of deaths per day has already peaked and begun to drop, officials say.
The virus has been battled so successfully that a huge Army field hospital built by hundreds of troops inside a Seattle convention center last week will be dismantled — having never treated a single patient. The mobile hospital will be sent to another state that is still seeing a daily increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said.
“Our community mitigation measures, combined with the amazing work of our hospitals and health care providers throughout the region, as well as our procurement of various hospital supplies, lends us to believe that at this point, our hospitals should have enough capacity to support a surge in patients,” the Democrat said in a statement. &#8220;We requested this resource before our physical distancing strategies were fully implemented and we had considerable concerns that our hospitals would be overloaded with COVID-19 cases.&#8221;
But Inslee also delivered a warning. “Don’t let this decision give you the impression that we are out of the woods. We have to keep our guard up and continue to stay home unless conducting essential activities to keep everyone healthy. We have to keep our guard up,&#8221; Inslee said. &#8220;We haven&#8217;t beat this virus yet, and until we do, it has the potential to spread rapidly if we don&#8217;t continue the measures we&#8217;ve put in place.&#8221;
State officials had planned to send only patients suffering with COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, to the mobile Army hospital in an effort to free up beds in civilian hospitals. &#8220;But civilian hospitals in the Seattle area have canceled so many elective procedures that bed space is no longer an urgent problem,&#8221; <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/09/830805085/washington-state-returns-unused-army-hospital-as-covid-19-curve-flattens">National Public Radio</a> reported.
The Army hospital was built quickly by nearly 300 soldiers from Fort Carson, Colo., and a base near Tacoma, Wash., inside CenturyLink Field Event Center, home to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. The facility held 250 beds, a laboratory, X-ray machines, surgery facilities and an intensive care unit.
“These soldiers uprooted their lives to help Washingtonians when we needed them most,” Inslee said. “Since then, it’s become apparent that other states need them more than we do. It’s only right that we release this capability, so those states have the tools necessary to help end this nation-wide fight that we are all battling together.”
The decision came just a few days after Washington state officials returned more than 400 ventilators to the federal government, which they also didn&#8217;t need. President Trump has repeatedly said that state governors are overstimating their need for ventliators, but the mainstream media has ridiculed him for the stance.
“Understanding that our hospitals in our region have capacity, including ICU beds and ventilators, we are making the right decision to allow other cities to have these resources and capacity. While Seattle fought hard for these resources, it&#8217;s clear other communities are in desperate need of this high-quality medical facility and personnel,&#8221; said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-trump-pushing-behind-closed-doors-to-reopen-much-of-u-s-next-month">Trump Pushing ‘Behind Closed Doors’ To Reopen Much Of U.S. Next Month</a>

Mobile Hospital Constructed At CenturyLink Convention Center In Seattle

Emergency Field Hospital Dismantled After Treating Zero Coronavirus Patients

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The Seattle area was the first in the nation to confirm a coronavirus case and was initially the hardest hit region in the country, but according to new projections provided to public officials in recent days, the pandemic appears to be slowing down in the city.  While officials&#8217; stringent social-distancing measures have likely significantly contributed to the apparent slowdown, as The New York Times notes, the measures have also &#8220;devastated businesses&#8221; in the area.
As reported by <a href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/coronavirus-number-cases-surge-army-medics-set-up-shop/XIDPHMLVOJAAREQ5YCL75367PU/">KIRO7</a>, the Washington state Department of Health said as of midnight Saturday that the total number of deaths of people who have tested positive for COVID19 in the state currently stands at 195, while the state has recorded 4,896 confirmed cases.  Some 54,000 people have been tested for the virus in the state thus far.
A vast majority of the deaths in the state have occurred in King County, where Seattle is located, and where 144 people have died and 2,161 cases have been confirmed. Dozens of those cases originated <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/us/coronavirus-nursing-home-kirkland-life-care.html">in a single nursing home</a>. Of the first 50 deaths connected to COVID-19 in the U.S., 37 occurred in the Seattle area.
In a report on the positive, though &#8220;precarious,&#8221; situation in Seattle on Sunday, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/us/seattle-washington-state-coronavirus-transmission-rate.html">The New York Times</a> notes that deaths in the area &#8220;are not rising as fast as they are in other states&#8221; and &#8220;hospitals have so far not been overwhelmed&#8221; in what once was the nation&#8217;s coronavirus hotbed.
&#8220;[P]reliminary statistical models provided to public officials in Washington State suggest that the spread of the virus has slowed in the Seattle area in recent days,&#8221; the Times reports, citing projections prepared by a team from the Institute for Disease Modeling. &#8220;While each infected person was spreading the virus to an average of 2.7 other people earlier in March, that number appears to have dropped, with one projection suggesting that it was now down to 1.4.&#8221;
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&#8220;The progress is precarious, and the data, which was still being analyzed and has yet to be published, is uncertain,&#8221; the Times notes. &#8220;Officials said that expansive social distancing policies will remain a key part of daily life for weeks to come. But the findings offer a measure of hope that the emergency measures that have disrupted life in much of the nation can be effective in slowing the spread of the disease.&#8221;
While the apparent slowdown in the spread of the virus suggests that the city&#8217;s drastic actions have helped save lives, the Times also presents the other side of the coin: the forced shutdowns have &#8220;devastated businesses, in particular restaurants and hotels. The Space Needle is closed. Pike Place Market’s breezeways are largely barren. As in other parts of the country, unemployment claims have soared.&#8221;
According to KIRO7, Washington state experienced &#8220;an 843% week-over-week increase in claims for unemployment benefits last week.&#8221;
City and state officials in Washington are publicly acknowledging the apparent progress on curbing the spread of the virus, but are also making clear that residents should expect continued social distancing measures of some form for multiple months.
In a recent interview, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan celebrated indications that they have &#8220;slowed the transmission&#8221; of the virus, as did Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who cited &#8220;evidence that doing the aggressive measures can have a benefit.&#8221; Like Durkan, Inslee emphasized that the progress is not enough yet to lift their stringent distancing measures for fear of a &#8220;rebound.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uks-top-expert-epidemic-just-about-slowing-antibody-test-may-be-ready-in-days-rather-than-weeks">UK’s Top Expert: Epidemic ‘Just About Slowing,’ Antibody Test May Be Ready In ‘Days Rather Than Weeks’</a>
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UPDATE: Spread Appears To Be Slowing Down, 195 Total Deaths In First U.S. Coronavirus ‘Hotbed’ Seattle

The Washington Department of Health on Saturday confirmed the first U.S. coronavirus-related death, according to a press release.
The person lived in King County, which includes Seattle, according to the Washington Department of Health, <a href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/department-health-confirms-first-coronavirus-death-washington-state/XIDPHMLVOJAAREQ5YCL75367PU/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KIRO 7</a> reported.
Washington state health officials will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. PST Saturday to give details.
“Health officials will be providing the latest updates regarding novel coronavirus cases in King County, including new people identified with the infection, one of whom died,” according to a news release issued by the state Department of Health and Public Health Seattle-King County on Saturday morning.
&#8220;It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19,&#8221; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said in a statement. &#8220;Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;We are strengthening our preparedness and response efforts. I am committed to keeping Washingtonians healthy, safe and informed.&#8221;
&#8220;Three new confirmed or presumptive cases of the coronavirus illness COVID-19 contracted from an unknown source were reported Friday, bringing the total number of what could be &#8216;community spread&#8217; cases in the United States to four,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/number-coronavirus-cases-unknown-source-growing-u-s-n1145781">NBC News</a> reported.
<blockquote>The patients from these four cases have no known travel history or exposure to someone who had traveled or been infected. Not all four have been confirmed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testing, but they tested positive locally.
New cases were reported in Washington state, Oregon and California on Friday. Earlier this week, a patient at a Sacramento hospital with no known source of infection was confirmed by CDC testing to have the illness.</blockquote>
&#8220;The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China,&#8221; the <a href="https://apnews.com/f175d89567a26d59cab27725c9e8a0d7">Associated Press</a> reported.
<blockquote>Most infections result in mild symptoms, including coughing and fever, though some can become more serious and lead to pneumonia. Older people, especially those with chronic illnesses such as heart or lung disease, are especially vulnerable. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.
Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities after confirming three patients were infected by unknown means.
The patients — an older Northern California woman with chronic health conditions, a high school student in Everett, Washington, and an employee at a Portland, Oregon-area school — hadn’t recently traveled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveler or an infected person, authorities said.
Earlier U.S. cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to U.S. military bases in California and Texas for quarantining.</blockquote>

Coronavirus, Tem

BREAKING: First Confirmed Coronavirus Death In U.S. Occurs

Health

Washington state Democrats are pushing a bill that would make sure kindergartners will learn about sex starting in 2022. House Bill 2184 <a href="http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-20/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2184.pdf?q=20200121052633">states</a>, “In accordance with the requirements in this section and any recommendations of the sexual health education work group established in the 2019-2021 omnibus operating appropriations act that are enacted by the legislature, every public school shall provide comprehensive sexual health education to each student by the 2022-23 school year.”
As radio host Jason Rantz of KTTH <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1676789/rantz-mandatory-sex-ed-kindergarten-washington/">points out</a>:
<blockquote>One section of the curriculum for teachers to use as a guide suggests talking to students about the penis as not having “any bones in it, but when people talk about an erection as a ‘boner,’ they’re mistaken.” Girls are taught about a “very sensitive little area at the top called the clitoris.”</blockquote>
Despite the fact that a survey conducted by the Comprehensive Sexual Health Education work group (CSHE) , which was created in 2019 under the Office of Superintendent, found that 54% of respondents felt sex education for children in grades K-5 should not be required, a <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules/Home/Document/208965#toolbar=0&amp;navpanes=0">document</a> from CSHE reportedly stated that such education was necessary because the “social emotional needs of our youngest students must be addressed for prevention of future challenges.” CHSE added that this was “an issue of equity and would help to ensure all students across the state receive quality, evidence-informed instruction, regardless of who they are or where they live,&#8221; according to Rantz.
As Rantz points out, “It’s not surprising that the group rejected the public’s input. The entire 16-member, all-female work group were described as in agreement with their findings, though they had conversations about what some of the K-3 curriculum should look like.”
State Representative Michelle Caldier (R-Bremerton), speaking at a House Education Committee hearing, admonished CHSE, stating, “I think that sometimes, you know in politics and when we’re making decisions. that it’s very easy to surround ourselves with people who just agree with us and I think that if the work group just had conversations and no disagreement, that really concerns me because I know there’s a lot of disagreement for that. And I would encourage you guys to go back and really listen to the people who disagree and come back with something better.”
Laurie Dills, from the Office of Superintendent lamely responded that “we were exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints around the state.”
The curriculum includes statements such as these: “This lesson does, however, acknowledge that ‘there are some body parts that mostly just girls have and some parts that mostly just boys have. Being a boy or a girl doesn’t have to mean you have those parts, but for most people this is how their bodies are.’”
Rantz noted, “For Grade 1, teachers should have their students read ‘My Princess Boy’ before teaching the six and seven-year-olds about reproduction.”
“My Princess Boy” <a href="https://www.amazon.com/My-Princess-Boy-Cheryl-Kilodavis/dp/1442429887/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NIME6PF5URKD&amp;keywords=my+princess+boy&amp;qid=1579614476&amp;sprefix=My+Princess+boy%2Caps%2C195&amp;sr=8-1">describes itself</a> this way on its Amazon website: “Dyson loves pink, sparkly things. Sometimes he wears dresses. Sometimes he wears jeans. He likes to wear his princess tiara, even when climbing trees. He’s a Princess Boy.”
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Learning and playroom

Washington State Dems Push Bill Forcing Kindergartners To Learn About Sex

Children

Tragedy struck the Simmons family of Washington State last Friday when their car drove off of a winding road last Friday and down a 200-foot embankment into a wooded area, striking several trees.
Forty-Seven-Year-Old Corey Simmons was killed in the crash, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/08/us/4-year-old-girls-escape-deadly-washington-accident/index.html">reported</a>, but his twin 4-year-old girls miraculously survived. The girls were able to unbuckle their car seats and escape the wreckage of the crash. They then climbed the 200-foot embankment back to the road, USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/09/twin-4-year-washington-girls-escape-car-crash-killed-father/2628337001/">reported</a>.
Trooper Heather Axtman, a spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol. told the outlet that the twin girls were immediately seen by an unidentified good Samaritan when they reached the side of the road. The Samaritan kept the twins in her car to keep them warm while she called 911 and then waited with the girls until paramedics arrived to take them to the hospital.
The girls received only minor injuries during the crash and were soon reunited with other members of their family.
“I have kids of my own and typically, kids are scared of the dark and the woods,&#8221; Axtman told USA Today. &#8220;They overcame these fears because they knew their dad needed help, and that is so heroic.”
&#8220;This story will stick with me because of the bravery and heroic actions of these little girls,&#8221; she added.
The outlet reported that authorities still do not know what caused the crash. Axtman said it happened in a rural area that was not well lit. Axtman told CNN that the father was not wearing a seatbelt when the car crashed.
KING-TV spoke to the mother of the twins, Esther Crider, who was surprised by what they had done. Crider’s daughter from a previous relationship, Rebecah, said the family wanted to thank the Good Samaritan who helped the twins after the fateful crash.
“We are so incredibly thankful, and we are desperately looking for who she is,&#8221; Rebecah Crider told KING-TV. &#8220;We would love to personally meet her and thank her.”
Axtman, however, said the Good Samaritan did not want to be identified.
The crash happened just a week after the family cut down their own Christmas tree for the first time, Esther told the outlet. She provided KING-TV with a photo of Simmons with the girls from that outing.
A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/corey-simmons-funeral-amp-family-fund?utm_source=customer&amp;utm_medium=copy_link&amp;utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet">GoFundMe account</a> has been set up to help the family after Corey’s unexpected and tragic death. So far the family has raised just over $13,000 toward their $18,000 goal.
“An unexpected tragedy has hit our family, leaving a sadness in our hearts,” the GoFundMe page says. “Family, friend and father to 3; 47 year old [sic] Corey Simmons was taken away from us to soon due to a car accident on Friday December 6, 2019.”
The page also says that Simmons was “an amazing father that loved his 3 children and step children,” who was “loud, fun and goofy.”
The page asks for help for the girls and Esther, who was described as “Corey’s Girlfriend/mother of the girls,” because of the loss of Simmons just before Christmas.

County Sheriff

Twin 4-Year-Olds Escape Car Accident That Killed Their Father By Unbuckling Booster Seats And Climbing 200 Feet

In Tacoma, Washington, a showdown is coming because the city is considering taxing gun sales.
The councilman proposing the measure to be brought up on Tuesday at the city council, Ryan Mello, stated, “I can’t ban assault rifles in the city of Tacoma. I can’t ban certain types of ammo in the city of Tacoma. I can’t require safe storage. There’s a lot I can’t do. The one thing I am not pre-empted from doing is reasonable taxation on firearms and ammunition,” as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/proposed-tax-on-gun-sales-faces-opposition-in-tacoma-wash-11572255002?mod=djemwhatsnews">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported.
The legislation would require a $25 per gun sale to fund violence prevention programs.
The Journal noted, “Opponents of the proposal, which would also collect taxes on ammunition, have said it would force gun shops out of the industrial port city of 215,000. In Seattle, lawmakers projected $300,000 to $500,000 a year in gun taxes, but last year received only $77,642 because gun stores moved away.”
Dan Davies, the owner of Mary’s Pistols in Tacoma, told the Journal, “It’ll put us out of business; there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. They’re punishing innocent people for the deeds of criminals.”
Lawrence Keane, senior vice president of government relations and public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, expressed the worries of gun rights advocates, asserting, “Are we concerned that politicians will try to seek their antigun agenda through taxation? Yes, that’s what this is about.”
Despite the fact that gun stores and gun parts makers have warned they will have to leave Tacoma if the tax is implemented, Mello enthused that the new tax would raise between $30,000 and $40,000 annually each year.
The Journal noted that Cook County in Illinois passed a gun tax in 2013, and Seattle followed in 2015. The Cook County government <a href="https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/firearm-and-firearm-ammunition-tax">wrote in 2013</a>:
<blockquote>Effective April 1, 2013, as provided in Sections 74-665 thru 74-675, Firearm Tax Ordinance, a tax is imposed on the retail purchase of a firearm in the amount of $25.00 for each firearm purchased … It shall be the duty of every retail dealer to remit and report the tax due on sales of firearms purchased in Cook County on forms prescribed by the Department. After April 1, 2013, the first tax return and payment, if applicable, is due by May 20, 2013. Subsequent returns and payments are due on the 20th day of each month. Returns must be submitted even if no tax is due.</blockquote>
The city of Seattle <a href="http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s3=&amp;s4=124833&amp;s5=&amp;s1=&amp;s2=&amp;S6=&amp;Sect4=AND&amp;l=0&amp;Sect2=THESON&amp;Sect3=PLURON&amp;Sect5=CBORY&amp;Sect6=HITOFF&amp;d=ORDF&amp;p=1&amp;u=%2F~public%2Fcbor1.htm&amp;r=1&amp;f=G">wrote in 2015</a>,
<blockquote>The City finds and declares that gun violence directly affects the City and its residents. Therefore, the City intends to exercise its taxing authority, as granted by the Washington State Constitution and as authorized by the Washington State Legislature, to raise general revenue for the City and to use that revenue to provide broad-based public benefits for residents of Seattle related to gun violence by funding programs that promote public safety, prevent gun violence and address in part the cost of gun violence in the City.</blockquote>
The city added, &#8220;The tax rate shall be $25 per firearm sold at retail, $.02 per round of ammunition that contains a single projectile that measures .22 caliber or less sold at retail, and $.05 per round of ammunition for all other ammunition sold at retail.&#8221;

Blue Ridge Arsenal Gun Store

Showdown In Washington State: City Considers Taxing Gun Sales

Guns

Taxes

Shane McDaniel provides free firewood to people in need of free heat during winter. McDaniel, of Lake Stevens, Washington, has been profiled for his generosity by the “<a href="https://www.today.com/news/washington-man-gives-away-free-firewood-families-need-t149002">Today Show</a>” and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/12/21/father-his-sons-cut-wood-fill-trucks-then-they-brought-it-homes-that-needed-heat/">The Washington Post</a>.
But in <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1567063/dori-firewood-lake-stevens/">an interview</a> on “The Dori Monson Show” on KIRO Radio, McDaniel said he is being hassled by the city for having too much firewood on his property.
Here’s the kicker – it was the city that provided him all that firewood. The city had removed some evergreen trees in order to erect a new building. The city, according to McDaniel, knew of his charity work and asked if he would accept the trees. He did.
“They dropped off dump truck load after dump truck load [of full-sized logs] in my driveway until I couldn’t chop any more,” McDaniel told Monson.
He also received firewood from other locals who heard about his charity work. Between that and the logs from the city, a huge pile of firewood formed on McDaniel’s property.
In a Facebook post, McDaniel climbed to the top of the pile and placed an American flag as the camera flies away to give an eagle-eye view of the massive pile of firewood.
<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshane.mcdaniel.14%2Fvideos%2F2510905899007611%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" width="560" height="317" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Several months after the city provided the logs, it threatened to fine McDaniel for the massive pile of firewood, which it referred to in its notices as “rubbish” and “debris.”
The city, according to McDaniel, cited him for “violating the fire code, having too-high of woodpiles, and keeping the piles too close to his neighbor’s property,” KIRO radio reported.
McDaniel told the radio station that the pile would be collected as winter rolls in and that he wouldn’t store such a large amount of firewood in the future.
“I realize that we can’t have a giant firewood pile in the middle of town,” he told Monson. “The volunteer movement simply produced more, the goodwill that came in was simply more than anticipated, and the pile grew very large.”
The radio station reported that the fines are growing as McDaniel waits to help those in need. He said he has received fines of $500 per violation per day, which have added up to about $70,000 per month. By the time McDaniel estimates the firewood would be delivered, the fines would add up to more than $250,000.
“I don’t think that dropping off those logs and showing up 12 weeks later and fining me $70,000 a month is very American,” he told Monson.
In response to McDaniel’s interview, the mayor of Lake Stevens issued a response denying some of McDaniel’s allegations and explaining the city’s position:
<blockquote>I want to update you about a current fire wood situation. A local resident has accumulated a significant pile of firewood to donate to those in need. I applaud and respect him for this charitable cause. However, the wood pile has grown to such a size that it is a potential fire hazard, generating complaints from other residents. The accumulation of firewood blocks access to the property and poses a significant danger to this property and adjacent properties. The city and Fire District jointly began an action to address the safety concerns.
We first contacted the owner in July about the issue and we have asked several times that he distribute the firewood, but our requests were ignored.
He has since taken the city to task on social media and made some inaccurate statements. To clarify, none of this wood belongs to the city. All the Douglas Fir wood, cut down from recent city projects, is stored with the city for cutting into lumber for the Pavilion. The city has indicated “fines” are pending and his rights to contest the violation, but no fines have been imposed to date. We are hoping that he will work to correct the issues voluntarily.
I’m sure we could line up volunteers to move the wood to needed residences. If you need wood for heating this winter, please consider helping us put this issue to rest and ask him for some!</blockquote>
McDaniel also suggested the city may have an ulterior motive for the “pending” fines. He suggested the city wants his property to turn it into a city park.
“I know they want the property, and it’s awfully suspicious,” he told Monson. He also said he had to pay $6,000 in legal fees last year to avoid paying a $60,000 fine for having sand on a “beach” on his property. He says he has also used his business, &#8220;Norm’s Market – Keg and Bottleshop,” to post political statements about the city.
“Will they just wipe the fine away when the wood is gone, or will they continue to hack at me?” he told Monson.
“I’m not going to go down there and beg … What I’m not going to do is let a couple bullying city administrators with an ax to grind push me around,” he added.

firewood

Washington Man Threatened With $70,000 A Month Fines After Chopping Firewood For Charity

It might surprise many Americans to learn that, per <a href="https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/annual-reports-and-sourcebooks/2018/FY18-Annual-Report-and-Sourcebook.pdf">Department of Justice statistics</a>, a whopping 43% of all federal offenses are committed by non-citizens. Tragically, as then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/dhs-doj-report-thousands-of-avoidable-crimes-committed-by-foreign-nationals-in-texas-alone/">put it last year</a>, every single crime committed by an illegal alien is, by definition, a readily preventable crime:
<blockquote>
Every crime committed by an illegal alien is, by definition, a crime that should have been prevented. It is outrageous that tens of thousands of Americans are dying every year because of the drugs and violence brought over our borders illegally and that taxpayers have been forced, year after year, to pay millions of dollars to incarcerate tens of thousands of illegal aliens.
</blockquote>
As The Daily Wire has recently <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/47569/teenage-girl-kidnapping-suspect-seattle-suburb-josh-hammer">reported</a>, the state of Washington has been experiencing an upsurge in crime committed by illegal aliens. Earlier this month, The Seattle Times <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/burien-man-charged-with-luring-and-assault-accused-of-trying-to-drag-a-14-year-old-girl-into-his-pickup">noted</a> how a 51-year-old Seattle-area man charged with luring and second-degree assault after he allegedly tried to force a 14-year-old girl into his pickup truck turned out to be a twice-deported illegal alien. Seattle-based radio host Dori Monson <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1390219/dori-illegal-immigrant-burien-girl/">opined</a> on the lawless sanctuary city laws that mollycoddle criminal aliens throughout Washington state:
<blockquote>
We have the most lax laws. We are attracting drug vagrants, and we are attracting illegal immigrants. We are seeing the ramifications of it on the streets with all of the women who are being sexually assaulted, from the woman at the Ballard car dealership to Kelly Herron at Golden Gardens, to this teenage girl in Burien.
Washington is the best place to be if you&#8217;re an illegal immigrant. We&#8217;ve got sanctuary everything and a governor who tells you you&#8217;re a pillar of the community when you come into this country illegally and commit crimes. What a great place to come and abduct 14-year-old girls.
</blockquote>
Now, as The Daily Caller <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/23/washington-sanctuary-inslee-2020/">reported</a> last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken it upon itself to hone its crosshairs upon and utterly excoriate Washington state&#8217;s lax sanctuary city regime:
<blockquote>
Immigration and Customs Enforcement ripped Washington for becoming the latest state to enact policies that protect illegal immigrants from local law enforcement and federal authorities.
&#8220;ICE maintains that cooperation by local law enforcement is an indispensable component of promoting public safety. It&#8217;s unfortunate that current local and state laws and policies tie the hands of local law enforcement agencies that want and need to work with ICE to promote public safety by holding criminals accountable and providing justice and closure for their victims,&#8221; the agency said Thursday in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation. &#8230;
&#8220;Sanctuary policies not only provide a refuge for illegal aliens, but they also shield criminal aliens who prey on people in their own and other communities,&#8221; ICE stated. &#8220;When ICE officers and agents have to go out into the community to proactively locate these aliens, it puts personnel and potentially innocent bystanders at risk.&#8221;
</blockquote>
According to The Daily Caller, &#8220;The newly-enacted legislation largely prohibits local law enforcement from asking about an individual&#8217;s immigration status or place of birth, with an exception if it pertains to a criminal investigation.&#8221;

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Washington

‘Police Are A Real Risk’: Washington School District Severs Ties With Law Enforcement

Progressive Mayor Who Supported Black Lives Matter Gets Home Vandalized During Riots, Calls It ‘Domestic Terrorism’

Washington Democrat Governor Jay Inslee Has ‘Not Heard Anything About’ Extremists Declaring ‘Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone’ In Seattle

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Seattle Mayor: White Men Behind Much Of The Violence, Destruction

Report: Washington State Counted Gunshot Deaths Among Coronavirus Totals

Washington State Loses ‘Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars’ To Fraudulent Unemployment Claims

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Washington State Restaurants To Keep Log Of All Diners’ Names, Contact Info

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Small Business Owner Gets Coronavirus Relief Loan To Keep Employees On Payroll. Now Her Employees Are Angry.

After Huge Protest, Washington Governor Says He May Soon Open State’s Economy

Emergency Field Hospital Dismantled After Treating Zero Coronavirus Patients

UPDATE: Spread Appears To Be Slowing Down, 195 Total Deaths In First U.S. Coronavirus ‘Hotbed’ Seattle

BREAKING: First Confirmed Coronavirus Death In U.S. Occurs

Washington State Dems Push Bill Forcing Kindergartners To Learn About Sex

Twin 4-Year-Olds Escape Car Accident That Killed Their Father By Unbuckling Booster Seats And Climbing 200 Feet

Showdown In Washington State: City Considers Taxing Gun Sales

Washington Man Threatened With $70,000 A Month Fines After Chopping Firewood For Charity

ICE Tears Into Washington State For Enacting Sanctuary City Policies

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Washington

‘Police Are A Real Risk’: Washington School District Severs Ties With Law Enforcement

Progressive Mayor Who Supported Black Lives Matter Gets Home Vandalized During Riots, Calls It ‘Domestic Terrorism’

Washington Democrat Governor Jay Inslee Has ‘Not Heard Anything About’ Extremists Declaring ‘Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone’ In Seattle

U.S. Park Police Say They Did NOT Fire Tear Gas At White House Protesters, Claim Demonstrators Were Attacking Cops

Seattle Mayor: White Men Behind Much Of The Violence, Destruction

Report: Washington State Counted Gunshot Deaths Among Coronavirus Totals

Washington State Loses ‘Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars’ To Fraudulent Unemployment Claims

Seattle City Council Seeking $100 Million ‘Relief Fund’ From State For Illegal Immigrants Who Didn’t Qualify For Coronavirus Stimulus

Washington State Restaurants To Keep Log Of All Diners’ Names, Contact Info

Asian Giant Hornets Invading Washington State, Pose Numerous Threats To U.S.

Small Business Owner Gets Coronavirus Relief Loan To Keep Employees On Payroll. Now Her Employees Are Angry.

After Huge Protest, Washington Governor Says He May Soon Open State’s Economy

Emergency Field Hospital Dismantled After Treating Zero Coronavirus Patients

UPDATE: Spread Appears To Be Slowing Down, 195 Total Deaths In First U.S. Coronavirus ‘Hotbed’ Seattle

BREAKING: First Confirmed Coronavirus Death In U.S. Occurs

Washington State Dems Push Bill Forcing Kindergartners To Learn About Sex

Twin 4-Year-Olds Escape Car Accident That Killed Their Father By Unbuckling Booster Seats And Climbing 200 Feet

Showdown In Washington State: City Considers Taxing Gun Sales

Washington Man Threatened With $70,000 A Month Fines After Chopping Firewood For Charity

ICE Tears Into Washington State For Enacting Sanctuary City Policies

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