West
Seattle-area 'Coffee with a Cop' event canceled after shop owner's Christian views attract LGBTQ backlash
A Seattle suburb canceled its upcoming “Coffee with a Cop” event after it faced protests because of the coffee shop owner’s Christian beliefs.
Seattle radio host Jason Rantz reported that the city of Shoreline, Washington, canceled the community event, which aims to strengthen the relationship between police officers and residents, after the city’s Facebook page was flooded with negative comments from liberals upset that Pilgrim Coffeehouse would host the event.
Pilgrim Coffeehouse is owned by Keith Carpenter, head pastor of Epic Life Church. The church states it believes marriage is between “one man and one woman” on its website.
Commenters vowed to hold a protest and one even called for the coffee shop to leave the city, saying that Carpenter’s views on marriage did not align with the progressive city’s ideals.
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Shoreline, Washington canceled a “Coffee with a Cop” event after LGBTQ activists in the community threatened to protest the event. ( (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images))
“Picked the Christian homophobic coffee house!” an account called “Sounder Sam” posted under the city’s venue announcement. The same person alerted the community that a “pro LGBTQIA2S+ protest” was planned outside the coffee house the morning of the event.
Other comments accused the city of picking a “bigoted” and “anti-LGBTQIA+” venue and demanded it be hosted elsewhere.
In response to the backlash, Shoreline abruptly canceled the event, Rantz reported.
“It was neither the department’s nor the City’s intent to make any community member feel unwelcome based on the selection of the event venue and the values that the venue may or may not hold. When planning future events, we will be more intentional with our venue selection,” Shoreline City Hall wrote in a March 12 statement posted to Facebook.
A coffee house in a Seattle suburb faced LGBTQ backlash over the owner’s Christian beliefs. (Getty Images)
The cancelation announcement was met with mostly positive comments.
“Thank you, Shoreline!!!! My family feels a little bit safer in our neighborhood now thanks to this decision,” one comment under the City Hall Facebook post read. Another said, “Thank you for listening and doing the right thing.”
Carpenter also responded to the cancelation post by outlining all the ways his church helps the needy in the community and pledging that everyone would be treated with respect and dignity at his coffee shop.
He also spoke out against the cancellation in an interview with Rantz.
“It is a form of discrimination, for sure,” Carpenter told the radio host, adding that he didn’t want to play “the victim card.”
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A Seattle-area “Coffee with a Cop” event at a coffee shop was canceled after liberals vowed to protest the event due to the coffee shop owner’s religious views on marriage. (iStock)
Carpenter said he could deal with online backlash but that there were also “blatant lies” being spread about his church and coffee shop.
“We serve anybody who walks in the door. I don’t even know (if they’re LGBT). We don’t ask questions. So it’s like a non-starter for us, because nobody’s asking questions at the door. Anybody who walks in that space will get the same exact beautiful, generous, generously hospitable treatment. And probably the best cup they’ll have all month or all year,” he told Rantz.
He said it didn’t “make a lot of sense” that the city would exclude his business from participating in the event while at the same time touting its inclusive values.
“It basically says, ‘We don’t want Pilgrim Coffeehouse in our city,’ and putting it out there publicly,” Carpenter told Rantz.
“It’s completely opposite than [the]message they’re trying to say about inclusivity. It’s the opposite of that, and it’s hard. It’s hard as a business,” he added.
Pilgrim Coffeehouse owner Keith Carpenter said the city’s message about inclusivity was at odds with how his business was excluded from participation in the community event. (iStock)
A spokesperson for the City of Shoreline told Fox News Digital, “The City is committed to being a welcoming place for all people, no matter who they are or what they believe.”
“The work of local government is mostly focused on the basics—it is potholes, sidewalks, and public safety. Coffee with a Cop is supposed to be a place where law enforcement can talk with residents about law enforcement in Shoreline. When the March 26 event got caught up in issues other than public safety, it could no longer serve its purpose and was canceled. Moving forward, we will only host these events at public facilities,” the spokesperson added.
Carpenter did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Las Vegas (Nev.) Arbor View quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher announced his commitment to Oregon State and broke down why he chose the Beavers.
After taking official visits to Oregon State, UNLV, UCF and Michigan, the talented signal caller announced for the Beavers moments ago.
“I’m very excited about my decision,” Thatcher said. “Coach Shep (Jamarcus Shephard) has assembled a really great staff and I’m really excited to work with coach (Mitch) Dahlen.
“Coach Dahlen has worked with so many draft picks and it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to be developed by someone like him.”
The potential to compete for early playing time was another big factor for Thatcher.
“They’re going to give me a chance to compete for a spot right away,” Thatcher said. “That’s something I was interested in and so I’m excited about the opportunity.
“My whole family gets along with the entire Oregon State staff and we really believe in Coach Shep. I really think he’s going to be able to get things back on track and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
We originally had a commit prediction in for Michigan with Thatcher and there was strong buzz he was close to committing following his unofficial visit back in early April.
Thatcher decided to take his official visits instead and the Beavers hosted him on May 29. Oregon State started to build momentum with Thatcher following the trip and the Beavs were able to hold off strong competition.
Thatcher is one of the region’s top dual-threat quarterbacks and two-sport athletes. He’s a talented basketball player as well but his fixture is on the grid-iron.
As a junior, Thatcher completed 168-240 passes (70%) for 2,625 yard and 29 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also rushed for 605 yards and seven more scores and will be a four-year starter for the Aggies, one of the top teams in the state.
New Mexico
New Mexico AG launches criminal investigation into DEA over allegations agents let fentanyl flood state
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New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Friday announced a criminal investigation into allegations that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach New Mexico communities while agents pursued larger criminal investigations.
The inquiry comes days after The Associated Press reported that DEA agents repeatedly monitored—but did not seize—large fentanyl shipments between 2023 and 2025 while attempting to build broader criminal cases.
Torrez said the investigation will examine potential legal remedies, including criminal prosecution, civil litigation and structural reforms intended to prevent similar conduct by DEA agents in the future.
“The families who have lost children, siblings, and parents to fentanyl deserve the truth about what the federal government knew and what it failed to do,” Torrez said in a statement.
‘ILLICIT’ VERSION OF FENTANYL LINKED TO DEADLY NEW MEXICO INCIDENT THAT SICKENED FIRST RESPONDERS
Photo released by the DEA shows fentanyl pills seized in New Mexico on April 28, 2025, as the agency faces scrutiny over allegations it allowed other shipments to reach the streets. (DEA via AP)
“If the DEA stood by while poison flooded our communities, that is not a bureaucratic failure,” he continued. “It is a betrayal of the people it was sworn to protect.”
Torrez said his office “will pursue every legal avenue available to hold the responsible parties accountable and make certain this never happens again.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called for the investigation earlier this week, saying she was “appalled” by allegations that federal agents knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach communities across the state.
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New Mexico’s attorney general has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that DEA agents allowed large fentanyl shipments to reach local communities while pursuing larger criminal cases. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
“Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway,” Grisham said. “The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.”
Grisham also pointed to allegations that DEA agents monitored the delivery of 74,000 fentanyl pills to a mobile home park in Albuquerque without intervening.
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DEA Special Agent David Howell, who filed a whistleblower complaint, poses for a portrait outside the U.S. district courthouse in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
“Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets,” she said.
Current and former DEA agents, including whistleblower David Howell, told the AP the agency’s tactics gambled with public safety and may have violated Department of Justice guidelines.
While the DEA initially denied Howell’s allegations in a statement to the AP, the agency later requested that the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General conduct an independent review.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HALTS DEA’S RANDOM SEARCHES OF AIRPORT TRAVELERS AFTER REPORT FINDS ‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’
Fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in New Mexico on April 28, 2025. New Mexico officials have since launched a criminal investigation into allegations involving the agency’s handling of separate fentanyl shipments. (DEA via AP)
“Should that review identify areas of improvement, the DEA will of course implement changes to better their practices,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “We welcome a partnership with Governor Lujan Grisham, as well as New Mexico state and local leaders, to fight the scourge of fentanyl and keep her constituents safe.”
The allegations stem from enforcement operations conducted during the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history, even as the DEA promoted its “One Pill Can Kill” public awareness campaign warning that even a small amount of fentanyl can be fatal.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the DEA for comment regarding the investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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