West
NYT columnist admits ‘something has gone badly wrong’ in West Coast states because of Democratic leadership
New York Times columnist and former Oregon Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nicholas Kristof admitted on Saturday that the West Coast cities is “a mess” because of Democratic Party leaders.
In a column for the New York Times, Kristof argued that “West Coast liberalism” is more focused on the intentions behind its policies rather than its outcomes. As a result, deep blue states like Oregon have major homeless and drug problems, “below-average” high school graduation rates, and high murder rates.
“But liberals like me do need to face the painful fact that something has gone badly wrong where we’re in charge, from San Diego to Seattle,” the columnist declared at the outset of his piece, adding that the West Coast offers “a version of progressivism that doesn’t result in progress.”
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New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof slammed West Coast Democratic Party leaders for turning their states and cities into a “mess.” (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Kristof, who was compelled by the Oregon Supreme Court to end his bid for governor in 2021 for failing to meet eligibility requirements, did clarify he does not believe this is a problem with liberalism across the board, and cited examples of how he believes Democratic states do better than Republican ones in general.
“Democratic states enjoy a life expectancy two years longer than Republican states. Per capita G.D.P. in Democratic states is 29 percent higher than in G.O.P. states, and child poverty is lower. Education is generally better in blue states, with more kids graduating from high school and college.”
“The gulf in well-being between blue states and red states is growing wider, not narrower,” he wrote, prompting him to conclude, “So the problem isn’t with liberalism. It’s with West Coast liberalism.”
He went on to point out major issues in California and Oregon, noting that blue states on the East Coast don’t have them.
“The two states with the highest rates of unsheltered homelessness are California and Oregon. The three states with the lowest rates of unsheltered homelessness are all blue ones in the Northeast: Vermont, New York and Maine. Liberal Massachusetts has some of the finest public schools in the country, while liberal Washington and Oregon have below-average high school graduation rates.”
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Kristof added that mental health services for the youth have declined in West Coast blue states, while they have flourished at the other end of the country. Additionally, drug use is up in the west and down in “the northeast.” The murder rate is seeing the same corresponding dynamic as well, he noted.
He then offered his theories on why Democratic Party leadership appears “less effective on the West Coast,” stating, “my take is that the West Coast’s central problem is not so much that it’s unserious as that it’s infected with an ideological purity that is focused more on intentions than on oversight and outcomes.”
“Politics always is part theater, but out West too often we settle for being performative rather than substantive.”
EX-NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST NICHOLAS KRISTOF ANNOUNCES HE’S RUNNING FOR OREGON GOVERNOR
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was recently ripped by critics for describing California as a “national model” for combatting homelessness. (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)
Kristof provided examples, like the fact that Oregon took money from an already “tight education budget” to put tampons in boys’ restrooms in elementary schools, “including boys’ restrooms in kindergartens.”
He also mentioned Portland setting up the “Portland Freedom Fund,” a volunteer group that pays bail for people of color. He explained how it paid bail for a man after he was arrested for allegedly threatening the life of his girlfriend. Once he got out of jail, he murdered the woman.
Kristof continued, noting that despite being inspired by anti-racist Critical Race theorists like Ibram X. Kendi, West Coast leaders have “impeded home construction in ways that made cities unaffordable, especially for people of color.”
“We let increasing numbers of people struggle with homelessness, particularly Black and brown people. Black people in Portland are also murdered at higher rates than in cities more notorious for violence, and Seattle and Portland have some of the greatest racial disparities in arrests in the country,” he wrote.
Driving the point home, he added, “I think intentions and framing can matter, but it’s absolutely true that good intentions are not enough. What matters is improving opportunities and quality of life, and the best path to do that is a relentless empiricism.”
At the end of the column, Kristof concluded, “We need to get our act together. Less purity and more pragmatism would go a long way. But perhaps the first step must be the humility to acknowledge our failures.”
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The San Francisco Giants selected Rutgers outfielder Peyton Bonds in the third round (90th overall) of the MLB draft on Saturday.
You might note the name Bonds and the Giants and wonder. You’re mostly right.
Bonds is the son of Bobby Bonds Jr. (11-year minor league veteran, spending four seasons in the Giants’ system), the grandson of Bobby Bonds (14-year big league veteran who played seven years for the Giants and amassed 57.2 career WAR) and the nephew of Barry Bonds (seven-time MVP, all-time home run king, 22-year veteran, with 15 of those campaigns playing for the Giants).
This wasn’t a nepotism or a feel-good pick: Peyton Bonds is a real talent. He ranked 115th in ESPN’s final draft rankings, which included a number of high school players ahead of him who will be going to college instead of turning pro. Based on his talent, selecting Bonds in the third round was appropriate.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound outfielder played for Campbell in 2024 then at Rutgers in 2025 and 2026, hitting .305 with 16 home runs over three college seasons. He hit .352 with six home runs and 13 stolen bases this past season.
Bonds has plus raw power like many of his family members. He hit a ball 111.2 mph off a wood bat in batting practice at the MLB draft combine and with a maximum exit velocity of 120.7 mph with aluminum in a game this spring.
Bonds also has above-average bat-to-ball ability (.352 batting average this past season), but a poor chase rate (39%, well worse than average). He is a solid average runner, with enough speed to steal a few bases and possibly stick in center field long term.
DENVER (KDVR) — More sunny and hot conditions are in Denver’s weather forecast for the rest of the weekend and into next week.
Denver weather tonight: Mainly clear
Saturday night will stay mainly clear and warm. Low temperatures will fall to the mid 60s, which is about 5 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year.
Denver weather tomorrow: Sunny, hot
Sunday will be sunny, breezy and hot with wind gusts out of the south southwest picking up to 20-30 mph. High temperatures will climb to the mid 90s, which is more than 5 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, but well below the daily record of 102 set in 2024.
Looking ahead: Hot week ahead
Sunshine and a warming trend continues on Monday. High temperatures will reach just below the daily record of 100 degrees set in 2003.
More sunny and dry conditions are on the way through the workweek. Every day will start with a low in the 60s, then plenty of sunshine helping to boost high temperatures to the mid to upper 90s.
There is a slight chance for showers, mostly in the High Country, that return by the end of the week and the start of the weekend.
Tech billionaire Vinod Khosla and his family have reached an agreement to buy the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion, according to people familiar with the details, as reported by Variety‘s sibling sports news outlet Sportico.
The deal marks one of the largest valuations ever for a sports team in a control transaction, nearing the $10 billion price tag in Mark Walter’s purchase of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. The India-born Khosla, who is a prominent VC, is worth about $13.7 billion, according to Forbes. He is buying the defending Super Bowl champions from the estate of late owner Paul Allen.
Khosla’s group beat out a handful of other bidders, including a group led by billionaire Aditya Mittal, a member of one of India’s richest families, said the people, who were granted anonymity because the details are private. Sportico was first to report on Khosla’s interest back in May.
Khosla’s wife Neeru Khosla will serve as the team’s control owner, according to a memo that the NFL sent Saturday to its clubs. Neeru Khosla is the co-founder and chair of the CK12 Foundation, an education non-profit. Their son Neal Khosla, the CEO of Curai, will also have a leadership role in the team, according to the memo, a copy of which was viewed by Sportico.
It’s not immediately clear how the deal is being financed. Khosla didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The Allen estate said Saturday in a statement that the team had been sold to the Khosla family and included a quotation from Khosla himself. The statement did not provide any details about the deal structure or financing, but said the Khoslas would be the team’s new control owner.
The Seahawks are worth $6.59 billion, according to last year’s Sportico numbers, but the team was always expected to sell for quite a bit more than that. It’s relatively rare for NFL teams to sell—this is just the third to formally hit the market in the past decade—and the league’s structure virtually guarantees that each team turns a nine-figure profit annually.
The co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Khosla was one of a handful of local investors that bought into the San Francisco 49ers last year at a valuation higher than $8.5 billion. Sportico reported at the time that Khosla bought the biggest stake, though the specifics were not available.
It’s become common for new NFL owners to be existing LPs in other franchises, a process that gives them familiarity with the league—and vice versa. Billionaire David Tepper, who bought the Carolina Panthers in 2018, was a minority owner in the Pittsburgh Steelers. So was Josh Harris, who bought the Washington Commanders in 2023. Harris’ Commanders group included longtime business partner David Blitzer, who was also a Steelers LP. Khosla will need to sell his 49ers equity if the Seahawks deal closes.
Khosla came to the U.S. in his early 20s. He earned an MBA from Stanford, and co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982, serving as the tech company’s first CEO. His VC career started at Kleiner Perkins, and he launched Khosla Ventures in 2004. His firm’s notable exits include Affirm, Opendoor and DoorDash, which all went public.
New NFL owners are heavily restricted in how their financing can come together. There is a $1.5 billion debt limit, and the control owner must hold a minimum of 30% of the equity. Institutional funds can own 10%, and the total group cannot exceed 24 minority owners.
The Seahawks are being sold by Allen’s estate, which assumed ownership after his 2018 death. Allen’s will called for his sports assets, which included the Seahawks and the NBA‘s Portland Trail Blazers, to be sold to benefit charitable causes. His sister Jody Allen, the executor of his will and trust, has run the teams in his absence. The Trail Blazers were recently sold for $4.1 billion to a group led by Tom Dundon.
To date, the most expensive NFL team ever purchased in a control sale is the Commanders ($6.05 billion), while the Los Angeles Lakers are the most expensive sports team acquired in a control sale ($10 billion). A minority stake in the parent company of the Miami Dolphins recently sold to a Chinese billionaire at a $12.5 billion valuation.
Mittal previously contributed about $1 billion to the 2025 takeover of the Boston Celtics, his first major move into U.S. sports. His Seahawks bid group included former Celtics control owner Wyc Grousbeck, Sportico previously reported.
Latham & Watkins was legal advisor to the Allen estate in the transaction.
(Pictured: Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp on Feb. 8 at the 2026 Super Bowl held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.)
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Seattle, WA2 hours agoTech Investor Vinod Khosla to Acquire the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 Billion
