SEATTLE — Philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates have together donated $1 million to a November ballot measure in Washington state that would charge a fee on carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, wrote in a blog post last week that he would contribute to the Yes on 1631 campaign but he didn't reveal how much. New campaign finance records show that he and his wife have each donated $500,000 in support of the initiative. The measure has raised a total of $11 million. I-1631 would charge large polluters an escalating fee on fossil-fuel emissions starting at $15 per metric ton. It would be the first direct carbon fee of its kind in the U.S. Opponents including top oil companies have raised nearly $22 million to defeat it. They say it would hike gas and electricity costs and exempts too many big polluters. … [Read more...] about Bill, Melinda Gates give $1M to Washington’s carbon measure
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Washington has stood by Riyadh through multiple crises
Tamer Fakahany, Associated Press Updated 7:21 am CDT, Tuesday, October 16, 2018 FILE - In this Feb. 14, 1945 file photo, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, right, and King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud discuss Saudi-U.S. relations aboard USS Quincy in the Great Bitter Lake north of the city of Suez, Egypt. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has enjoyed the ultimate protected status from the U.S. throughout its short history, from Roosevelt meeting Saudi Arabia’s first king on Valentine’s Day in 1945 to the kingdom becoming America’s main Mideast ally following the downfall of Iran’s shah in 1979. less FILE - In this Feb. 14, 1945 file photo, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, right, and King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud discuss Saudi-U.S. relations aboard USS Quincy in the Great Bitter Lake north of the city of ... more Photo: AP U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, meets with Saudi Arabia's King … [Read more...] about Washington has stood by Riyadh through multiple crises
Pressure builds over proposals to change how protests are done in Washington, D.C.
Marissa J. Lang, The Washington Post Published 5:34 pm PDT, Monday, October 15, 2018 WASHINGTON - On the final day that the National Park Service was accepting input on more than a dozen policy changes to alter how and where protests are conducted in the District, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., issued a warning to the federal agency: Reject the proposals - or else. If the proposals are approved, she said, Congress and the federal courts will work to dismantle them. Among the 14 proposals introduced in August is one that encourages the agency to look into requiring protest organizers to reimburse it for the support and security it provides during large demonstrations - the number of which has gone up significantly in recent years, officials said. Other proposals seek to limit how many demonstrators may gather on Park Service's land without a permit and in what areas protesters can congregate, including a suggestion that 20 feet of the 25-foot sidewalk beyond the … [Read more...] about Pressure builds over proposals to change how protests are done in Washington, D.C.
Washington Archdiocese releases ID of 28 accused priests
By The Washington Post | PUBLISHED: October 15, 2018 at 3:50 pm | UPDATED: October 15, 2018 at 3:50 pm By Michelle Boorstein and Julie Zauzmer | Washington Post WASHINGTON – The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington released a list Monday of 31 priests its says have been credibly accused of abuse since 1948, noting in a letter to clergy that the move is “a necessary step toward full transparency and accountability and the process of healing.” The letter says the list includes the names of all priests credibly accused in the past 70 years. It includes 28 priests of the archdiocese and three priests not based in the archdiocese but who worked in its schools or parishes. The three were members of religious orders, or independent communities. It says there are no archdiocesan priests in active ministry who have faced a credible allegation of abuse of a minor, and that “there has not been an incident of abuse of a minor by a priest of the archdiocese in almost two … [Read more...] about Washington Archdiocese releases ID of 28 accused priests
Sen. Dianne Feinstein seeks sixth term: How her Washington virtues became California vulnerabilities
By Marc Sandalow Calmatters Correspondent | CALmatters Correspondent PUBLISHED: October 15, 2018 at 7:00 am | UPDATED: October 15, 2018 at 7:01 am Never mind respect for elders. The thousands of West Virginians who packed an arena on the last Saturday night in September were having a fine time laughing at California’s 85-year-old senator, Dianne Feinstein. Egged on by President Trump — who mispronounced her name and used a doddering voice to impersonate her — the crowd howled as Trump mimicked Feinstein’s insistence that she did not leak the letter from a Palo Alto professor accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanagh of sexual assault in high school. “Uh, uh, uh, what?’’ Uh, no. Uh…no. I didn’t leak, the 72-year-old Trump stammered, further delighting the throng with a befuddled turn of his head to mock Feinstein’s conversation with her staff during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. “Uh, one minute. Did we … [Read more...] about Sen. Dianne Feinstein seeks sixth term: How her Washington virtues became California vulnerabilities