Donald Trump sworn in as 47th President of the United States; Look back at Martin Luther King Jr.’s extraordinary life

Donald Trump sworn in as 47th President of the United States

AP — Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, taking charge as Republicans claim unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.

Look back at Martin Luther King Jr.’s extraordinary life

The Seattle Times — Martin Luther King Jr. lived an extraordinary life. At 33, he was pressing the case of civil rights with President John Kennedy. At 34, he galvanized the nation with his ”I Have a Dream” speech. At 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At 39, he was assassinated, but he left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues today. $

THE CURRENT | A WASHINGTON HOUSE REPUBLICAN EMAIL UPDATE

• Republican perspective | Jan. 18, 2025

AGRICULTURE

• Western Innovator: Former farm labor organizer sees troubles for agriculture (Capital Press) $
• OPINION: Why Washington-grown food is facing a crisis (and how Olympia is making it worse) (Dillon Honcoop, Save Family Farming/The Center Square)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Forum: The one thing that AI can’t replicate: our wondrous flaws (The Everett Herald) $

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Biden leaves office with mixed record on the Pacific Northwest economy (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times) $

CAPITAL BUDGET

• Rep. Steele sees threat to future capital project funding in NCW (KPQ Radio)

CHILD CARE

• Child care subsidies in Washington could be impacted as state faces budget gap (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• One day, two men and the many ways people will honor MLK as Trump is sworn in (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times) $
• EDITORIAL: Martin Luther King Jr.’s hopes for U.S. echo still (The Seattle Times) $

CONGRESS

• Hey Congress, forget that constitutional convention (The Washington Observer) $
• Application submitted for sculpture memorializing the legacy of Billy Frank Jr. at the US Capitol (KIRO TV)
• Michael Baumgartner has big plans for his first term representing Eastern Washington in Congress (The Spokesman-Review) $

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• Green Hill School whistleblower warns the inmates could ‘take over the facility’ (The Chronicle)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Homicides in King County dipped in 2024 but more children among the dead (The Seattle Times) $
• New hate-crime hotline is under way in 3 WA counties. ‘One hate crime is one too many’ (The News Tribune) $

EDUCATION

• Bipartisan bill would make financial literacy a graduation requirement in WA (The Center Square)
• A flurry of special education bills hit Olympia (The Washington Observer) $
• Legislation proposes amending WA state constitution, lowering threshold to pass school bonds (FOX 13)
• Legislature considers amendment to WA constitution to ease bond passage for schools (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Bellingham’s unhoused student population is rising. Here’s how the district supports them (The Bellingham Herald) $

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Firefighters attend state’s first behavioral health training (The Everett Herald) $

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• New WA board needed to ‘build trust’ in nuclear as electric demand grows, says lawmaker (Tri-City Herald) $
• Second bill filed to limit WA governor’s authority to approve locally opposed wind farms (Tri-City Herald) $
• Fixing energy policy a focus for Ybarra in 2025 session (Columbia Basin Herald) $
• PSE electric, gas rate hikes approved (The Seattle Times) $

ENVIRONMENT

• Washington lawmakers look at making packaging producers pay for recycling (Washington State Standard)
• Cowlitz County businesses account for nearly half of state’s latest pollution fines (The Daily News) $

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Trump returning to power after unprecedented comeback, emboldened to reshape American institutions (AP)
• Trump wants to cut taxes. So do governors and lawmakers in some states (AP)
• How a second Trump presidency could impact Washington state (KING TV)
• As hundreds of Washingtonians prepare to attend inauguration, three from Spokane area reflect on the moment (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Biden issues preemptive pardons to Fauci, Milley and Jan. 6 committee members, staff (States Newsroom/Washington State Standard)

FISH

• Commercial finfish net pen aquaculture prohibited in public aquatic land (KNDO/KNDU)

GUN RIGHTS

• Senate adds CPL exemption to bill banning firearms at 5,300+ locations (The Center Square)
• BLOG: State Supreme Court wrestles with ban on large-capacity magazines (Jim Camden/The Spokesman-Review)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Record enrollment in affordable healthcare reported in Washington state (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)
• WA doulas now eligible for highest Medicaid reimbursement in U.S. (The Seattle Times) $
• Vulnerable people quietly kicked out of Clark County’s adult family homes and assisted living facilities (The Columbian) $
• OPINION: Who will deliver for WA’s mothers and children? (Vivienne Meljen, obstetrician-gynecologist, and Judy Kimelman, retired obstetrician-gynecologist/The Seattle Times) $

HOMELESSNESS

• Washington youth homelessness organizations face upheaval (Cascade PBS)
• COLUMN: Portland goes where Seattle won’t on homelessness (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

HOUSING

• New WA governor backs Tri-City lawmaker ‘Heroes’ bill to help cops, firefighters, others (Tri-City Herald) $
• King County and Seattle to use combined $134M to build 1,600 housing units (The Center Square)
• Seattle-area housing market remains far from peak years despite pickup (The Seattle Times) $
• OPINION: Rent control isn’t a real answer to the shortage of affordable rentals (Sen. John Braun/The Chronicle)

IMMIGRATION

• ‘Our communities are truly at risk’: Washington advocacy groups urge state leaders to defy federal deportation policies following surprise immigration raids in California (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Fear of deportation a daily reality for many undocumented families (The Wenatchee World) $
• As some Washington law enforcement leaders vow to help with mass deportations, immigration advocates prepare to resist (KUOW Radio)
• Tacoma ICE center ordered to pay detainee workers Washington’s minimum wage, $23 million in arrears (KUOW Radio)

INSURANCE

• $2 trillion home insurance nightmare is getting even worse (Bloomberg/The Seattle Times)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• Washington considers banning English, Atlantic ivy (Capital Press) $

LEGISLATURE

• Washington lawmakers kick off 2025 legislative session (KAPP/KVEW)
• In Session: New governor inaugurated, renewed effort to pass previously failed bills mark first week (KING TV)
• Not in my state, you don’t (The Washington Observer) $
• Walla Walla Valley lawmakers return to priorities as a new session starts in Olympia (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin) $
• Two bills could make it easier for people in Washington state custody to vote, politically organize (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Camas City Council on course to oppose light rail on new I-5 Bridge (The Columbian) $

MEDIA

• COLUMN: The question of succession dogs small-town WA newspapers (Brier Dudley/The Seattle Times) $

MENTAL HEALTH

• Mental struggles become the deadliest danger for construction workers (KFF Health News/The Seattle Times) $

OPERATING BUDGET

• Republican Washington state Rep. Travis Couture proposes budget reforms (The Chronicle)
• Multiple stressors now threatening support for crime victims in Washington (Kitsap Sun) $

OTHER STATES

• Banning cellphones in schools gains popularity in red and blue states (AP)
• With Trump’s inauguration looming, Oregon Democrats strategize response (The Oregonian) $
• Loophole in state rules paves way to ever-larger solar projects on Oregon farmland (The Oregonian) $
• Oregon bill would hold landowners liable for farmworker camp violations (Capital Press) $

POLITICS

LOCAL

• Three men nominated for possible appointment as Spokane County treasurer (The Spokesman-Review) $

STATE

• Democrats pour into Washington state as Republicans leave, analysis shows (KUOW Radio)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• TikTok restores service for US users based on Trump’s promised executive order (AP)

SPORTS

• Proposed Washington legislation would increase penalties for violence against school referees (KAPP/KVEW)
• Rep. Michael Baumgartner wants to keep college football from turning into ‘a second NFL’ (The Spokesman-Review) $

STATE GOVERNMENT

• WA Gov. Ferguson orders U.S. flags at full-staff for Trump inauguration (The Seattle Times) $
• Half billion in state agency settlement payouts backdrop for WA GOP oversight bill (The Center Square)
• DNR pauses timber harvesting in efforts to conserve older forests (KIRO TV)
• EDITORIAL: Ferguson off to a pragmatic start as governor (The Columbian) $

TRANSPORTATION

• Trump transportation secretary nominee tells Sen. Cantwell I-5 Bridge replacement funding will come, sort of (Columbian Murrow News/The Columbian) $
• New highway segment planned between Tri-Cities and Walla Walla (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Seattle U-District group gets $1.5 million for further study of proposed I-5 covering (KUOW Radio)
• Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024 (The Everett Herald) $
• Amtrak train slams into semi-truck in Auburn, WA (FOX 13)
• OPINION: Bridge, not boondoggle (Lynda Wilson, former state lawmaker/The Columbian) $

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• WA Republicans, Democrats agree: Don’t touch firefighting spending in budget crisis (KOMO TV)
• Inside WA firefighters’ battle for homes in an L.A. canyon (The Seattle Times) $
• EDITORIAL: Follow Hilary Franz’s leadership on wildfire (The Seattle Times) $

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