Washington state hospitals are still losing money, leading to ‘heartbreaking decisions’; New state deepfake image protection law goes into effect June 6

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• New state deepfake image protection law goes into effect June 6 (KIRO TV)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• FTC bans non-compete clauses: What that means for Washington workers (FOX 13)
• Haggen grocery store brand would change hands in latest Kroger and Albertsons merger proposal (The Bellingham Herald)
• Boeing posts a $355 million loss as the plane maker tries to dig out from under its latest crisis (AP)
• Boeing engineers allege retaliation over safety concerns (MyNorthwest)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Hundreds of WA students walk off campuses to protest U.S. aid to Israel (The Seattle Times)
• Washington high school students walk out of class in pro-Palestinian protest (KING TV)
• Western Washington students walk out against Israel-Hamas war (MyNorthwest)

CONGRESS

• Potential TikTok ban, $95B foreign aid bill approved by Senate (FOX 13)
• EDITORIAL: Finally, Congress stands up for Ukraine and other U.S. allies (The Seattle Times)

CORONAVIRUS

• Toxic: How the search for the origins of COVID-19 turned politically poisonous (AP)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• Proposed agreement spells out Whatcom County jail construction and operations (The Bellingham Herald)

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Seattle rallies as Supreme Court weighs criminalizing homelessness (Cascade PBS)

COURTS (STATE)

• Judge halves $784M for women exposed to Monsanto chemicals at Monroe school (The Everett Herald)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Ex-police officer wanted in 2 killings and kidnapping shoots, kills self in Oregon, police say (AP)
• Troubled former Yakima officer coached and taught in Richland schools before killings (Tri-City Herald)
• Retired Navy doctor identified as man shot by police in Tukwila hotel (The Seattle Times)

DAMS

• Debate over the lower Snake River dams this week in Pasco (KONA Radio)
• OPINION: Chambers Creek Dam is on the ropes. It’s time to finish the job — and take it down (Nicholas Carr, former Congressional staffer who lives and plays in Tacoma; and Jordan Rash, freelance writer, podcaster, outdoorsman and conservation advocate in Tacoma/The News Tribune)

DRUG CRISIS

• Emerging treatment models helping address opioid epidemic in Kitsap, statewide (Kitsap Sun)

EDUCATION

• Washington taxpayers to pay more for school meals as program expands (The Center Square)
• Russell Wilson-backed charter school agrees to enforcement plan with WA (The Seattle Times)
• Yakima County school districts face tighter budgets (Yakima Herald-Republic)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Washington receives over $150M to implement solar, lower energy costs (MyNorthwest)
• OPINION: A snapshot of the region’s energy portfolio (Sam Cardwell, policy analyst, Mountain States Policy Center/Capital Press)

ENVIRONMENT

• Washington’s plastic bag fee reduces waste — but not to the extent intended, report finds (KUOW Radio)
• Worms eating airport deicer fluid could be greener approach to airline waste (NW News Network)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Biden aims to strike careful balance as college protests spread (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• The Biden administration is tweaking rules on airline fees and refunds, saying it’ll help consumers (AP)
• OPINION: Shout it with me: FCC is bringing back net neutrality (Craig Aaron, co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action/The Seattle Times)

GUN RIGHTS

• Guns leading contributor to child deaths in Washington, nationally (KNDO/KNDU)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington state hospitals are still losing money, leading to ‘heartbreaking decisions’ (KUOW Radio)
• Washington hospitals collectively reported $1.7 billion in operating losses in 2023. What does that mean for Spokane? (The Spokesman-Review)
• Washington hospitals lost $1.7 billion in 2023, with Astria Toppenish among those impacted (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• WA hospitals dread worse financial losses after Change Healthcare hack (The Seattle Times)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Guaranteed college financial aid coming to WA students on food assistance (Washington State Standard)
• 2 UW football players charged with assault after allegedly attacking bicyclist (KING TV)

HOMELESSNESS

• Have an opinion on county’s controversial homeless village? Here’s a chance to air it (The News Tribune)
• Environmental advocacy group protests proposed Spanaway Lake homeless village (The News Tribune)

HOUSING

• Vancouver renters could see relocation assistance, limits on fees and variable due dates in new city codes (The Columbian)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• City of Seattle, police guild reach tentative agreement boosting officer salaries (KOMO TV)
• Help wanted: Unicorns for ‘pure magic’ career with Mukilteo police (The Everett Herald)
• Law enforcement pulls two bodies from the waters of San Juan County (KING TV)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Vancouver approves joining state’s opioid settlement; city to get nearly $1M in deal with Johnson & Johnson (The Columbian)

MENTAL HEALTH

• A third of youth who suffer concussions also face mental health challenges (KOMO TV)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• ‘It’s not safe’: Witnesses react to shooting blocks from Garfield High School (KING TV)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Everything TikTok users need to know about a possible ban (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)

TRANSPORTATION

• Washington electric vehicle rebates up to $9,000 available beginning in August (Washington State Standard)
• WA to launch EV rebate program. Here’s what you could save (The Seattle Times)
• Tesla driver was using Autopilot before fatal Monroe crash, police say (The Seattle Times)
• Everett woman disrupts ferry, threatens to drive motorhome into water (The Everett Herald)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• Tribal climate leaders come together to share pain, solutions and laughter (KNKX Radio)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Two early-season wildfires pop up on same day in Northwest Washington; wind tests crews (The Bellingham Herald)