Seattle’s LGBTQ community members say they hope that this Friday’s World Cup “Pride Match” between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is criminalized, can be an opportunity to change minds.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Times prints aggressively weak argument against Trump
You’d think The Seattle Times’ business and economics columnist would grasp, well, business and economics. But like many in Seattle media, Donald Trump broke Jon Talton. And Talton isn’t afraid to humiliate himself in print just to remind us how much he despises the former president.
In the dramatically titled, “A Trump victory would at least shatter the Seattle economy,” Talton claims the former president threatens the “superstar city” status of Seattle. What he doesn’t bother to explain is how Seattle even qualifies as a “superstar” these days, especially considering he conveniently skips the actual economic data. And if he had included it, he’d be arguing against his own narrative.
Wondering how Talton builds his case? Spoiler alert: he doesn’t. Lacking in facts and completely devoid of any serious analysis, his entire argument boils down to this — Seattle’s economy would supposedly tank under Trump because, well, Talton hates Trump. The column was so laughably weak and absurd, it caught the attention of Fox Business and earned some well-deserved ridicule, courtesy of yours truly.
Seattle City Council ruined the local economy, not Trump: Jason Rantz https://t.co/3Xf2PBtSN2 #FoxBusiness
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 14, 2024
Trying to make sense of Jon Talton’s bizarre claims about Trump and Seattle
The Seattle Times columnist spends shockingly little ink on discussing Seattle in an article about why Trump would hurt Seattle.
Talton begins his column complaining that Trump “forced” Boeing, which isn’t based in Seattle, into a fixed-price contract that converted two 747s into Air Force One planes. He noted that Boeing “lauded the deal” publicly on then-Twitter. How does this help Talton’s argument? It doesn’t. He merely said they were bullied.
Then, Talton claimed Trump threatened Amazon, which is headquartered in Seattle. But he didn’t explain the threat, merely linking to a previous column where he wrote about a Trump tweet about a report that “the U.S. Post Office will lose $1.50 on average for each package it delivers for Amazon.” He said that Amazon shouldn’t benefit from discounted rates. This isn’t a threat, of course. It’s a policy position.
Finally, Talton complained that Trump labeled Seattle an “anarchist jurisdiction” because of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, which was, in fact, anarchist.
This is the entirety of his argument that Trump is specifically bad for Seattle, before complaining about the former president’s proposed tariffs. That the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration maintained most of the tariffs, like a Harris presidency would likely continue them, didn’t earn but a brief and supportive message.
Seattle, a supposedly “superstar city” according to Seattle Times columnist
Talton defends Seattle’s honor by calling it a “superstar city” despite its “shortcomings in 2020.” He just forgets to make a case, and pivots to shining a spotlight on the Port of Seattle and the City of Redmond.
His Seattle Times argument is relegated to noting the metropolitan area is home to Amazon and Microsoft, along with unnamed “numerous other corporate headquarters,” and has “one of the most vibrant and diverse economies in the United States,” though he doesn’t provide any data.
Next, he offers a remarkably lazy, bad faith and disingenuous attempt to credit Biden for a strong Seattle economy, while also acknowledging, “Presidents have only limited control over the economy.”
“Still, after a serious inflation scare, the economy under Biden is remarkably successful, despite Trump’s claims. Inflation has cooled to a normal level,” he wrote.
Seattle and Washington economies thrived under Trump, not so much under Biden. Don’t expect Seattle Times to be honest
Though Trump is bad for Talton’s mental health, he was a boon to Seattle. The city actually thrived under his presidency but barely stayed afloat under Biden/Harris.
Until COVID-19, the Seattle metro unemployment rate saw record lows, hitting 2.7%. Post-COVID-19, under Biden/Harris, the city continues to struggle with a 4.7 unemployment rate. In fact, after post-COVID-19 recovery (based on reopening the economy, not any specific policy), the unemployment rate has been seeing a steady incline.
Statewide, we’re at 4.8% unemployment, which is higher than the national average. Still, Talton said economists consider this “full employment” (defined as an unemployment number under 5%, which we’re almost at).
Under Trump, we hit a low of 3.6% unemployment rate after seeing decreases in nearly every month Trump was in office. Under Biden/Harris, we briefly hit a low of 3.4% before a steady increase through the latest data.
Diverse economy?
One particular reason why Seattle’s economy has struggled is because we’re not a “diverse” economy as Talton suggested. We’re an Amazon- and tech-centric economy.
Though Talton forgot, it was an uber-progressive and socialist Seattle City Council that introduced a head tax against Amazon before ultimately passing a payroll tax. It pushed thousands of Amazon jobs from Seattle to Bellevue. Concurrently, post-COVID-19 tech boom, demand softened and Amazon, along with other local tech firms, saw layoffs and cut spending. This happened under Biden/Harris, not Trump.
Meanwhile, as Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies and laws took effect, small businesses suffered. It’s already expensive doing business in Seattle. Adding expenses to fix storefronts destroyed by stolen cars driven through them and having to relocate because of violent crimes doesn’t help the economy prosper.
More from Jason Rantz: Baristas hold coffee shop hostage, business man warned not to share economic reality
Tariffs and inflation and cost of living, oh my!
Talton argued that Trump’s tariffs would hurt the economy locally, though they didn’t when Trump was in the White House. This time, however, he said they will because … Trump is bad.
He actually argues that tariffs, not COVID-19, was the reason the state’s merchandise trade exports declined. And, of course, he doesn’t mention COVID-19 at all.
Though Talton argued “inflation has cooled,” he doesn’t mention that it skyrocketed to record highs under Biden/Harris, while staying low under Trump. The cost of living, including food, gas, and housing, were all cheaper under the former president, which explains why he doesn’t cite the data.
Trump is bad because … Trump. Or something?
It’s fair to debate the impact of tariffs, no matter who’s in the White House. And Talton is obviously entitled to disagree with Trump ideologically. But his article is weaker than The Seattle Times’ subscriber count.
Talton’s column relies more on fiction than fact, which explains why he couldn’t support his argument with any meaningful data. Instead, he had to wander outside of Seattle to Redmond, Everett and the rest of Washington in a desperate attempt to make his case. And he even failed at that.
I get it: Talton doesn’t like Trump (or at least feels the need to pretend not to if he wants to keep his job at The Seattle Times). But why let that hatred — whether genuine or for show — drive him to embarrass himself so thoroughly in such a poorly thought-out column? Who benefits from this?
Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter , Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
SEATTLE — Seattle police are investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old boy injured early Thursday morning in the High Point neighborhood.
At about 12:48 a.m., dispatchers received multiple reports of rapid gunfire near Sylvan Way Southwest and Southwest Morgan Street.
Officers arrived and found a 17-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the hip area. Medics transported the teen to Harborview Medical Center in serious but stable condition.
Before officers located the victim, they found a car that had crashed and become disabled near Sylvan Way Southwest and Delridge Way Southwest. Police said multiple suspects were seen running from the vehicle through a nearby Home Depot parking lot.
Officers cordoned off the area and searched for the suspects with assistance from the K-9 Unit, but were unable to locate them. Police recovered the vehicle and impounded it for processing.
During the incident, gunfire struck at least three vehicles and two buildings. No other injuries were reported.
Officers processed multiple nearby scenes and recovered evidence before clearing the area. Detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit will lead the investigation.
Seattle, WA
Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle
SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council is expected to vote next week on a plan that would give the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) the authority to close off street access for public safety reasons.
The proposal comes after months of outcry from residents in north Seattle who say sex traffickers and sex buyers are looping through the streets surrounding Aurora Avenue North.
The street-closure proposal passed the council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on by the full council next week.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the crime has gotten much worse, much more violent, and much more predator,” said District 5 councilmember Debora Juarez. “I think that we do have the authority to shut down a street for bullets flying and endangering the lives of those who live there.”
Frustrated neighbors have installed their own homemade barricades after a spate of gun violence between sex traffickers in May.
RELATED | SDOT removes street barricades near Aurora Ave; neighbors doubtful of temporary measures
Councilmember Bob Kettle says street closures will help tamp down sex buying in certain areas, but he emphasizes it must be accompanied by an increase in outreach and enforcement.
“We have to have a sustained effort,” Kettle told KOMO News. “My concern is for every action, there’s a reaction. We need to take this flex and then really attack it … because if we do just a bit and our attention wanders, we could have this conversation three months from now and we’re talking about the same thing.”
A 15-year-old boy was shot near 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 10:45 p.m. last night. The teen initially claimed he had been shot while walking down the street, but investigators now say he was shot by a passenger in his car.
RELATED | Seattle police say ‘drive-by’ on Aurora Ave. was actually passenger shooting teen driver
Kettle credited the city’s Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping investigators quickly piece together the events of the shooting.
“Just as important to finding out what happened, the cameras help police determine what did not happen,” Kettle said.
According to Seattle police data, reports of shootings and shots fired in the north precinct area are at their lowest levels since 2021.
Through the end of May, there were 48 total reports of shootings or shots fired, with one fatal shooting and seven nonfatal injury shootings.
That’s down from 63 total reports of shootings and shots fired – one fatal and seven injuries – in 2025; and 64 shootings or shots fired reports – one fatal and 17 injuries – in 2024.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, councilmembers pointed out residents are calling for a new police precinct to be built on Aurora Avenue.
Ten years ago, a new North Precinct building was slated to be built at 130th Avenue and Aurora Avenue North to replace the existing precinct building, which was decades old and did not have enough space for the department’s needs.
Led by former councilmember Kshama Sawant, the “Block the Bunker” movement successfully got the North Precinct replacement project killed in city council.
Kettle said the city’s current financial issues make it essentially impossible to bring back a project similar to the one the previous council defeated.
“We have to connect the dots back,” Kettle said. “If we want to know why we are where we are today, we have to look at decisions made over the last two councils.”
Seattle, WA
Iran and Egypt to play in Seattle ‘Pride Match’ despite earlier complaints | The Jerusalem Post
Seattle revels in its reputation as a welcoming place and Pride flags are visible all over the city, all year round. Its June Pride weekend is one of the biggest in the United States.
So, ahead of December’s World Cup draw, it was only natural that local organizers designated the June 26 match to be held in the city as a “Pride Match.”
Then the draw happened — and the two teams scheduled to play the game were Egypt and Iran.
Egypt’s Football Association urged global soccer governing body FIFA to prevent any Pride-related activities, arguing such events clashed with the Muslim-majority country’s cultural and religious values. The governing body in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry the death penalty, filed an objection with FIFA.
Some in Seattle have doubts over the teams in the ‘Pride Match’
But in Seattle, there is no question that the Pride Match will go ahead as planned.
“The World Cup is going to come and go in three weeks,” Hedda McLendon, from Seattle’s local World Cup organizing committee, told Reuters. “The Pride celebration … has happened on this weekend for 50-plus years.
“It is going to happen this weekend, it is going to happen long after the World Cup.”
Some in the city’s LGBTQ community had mixed feelings given the participants, said Jon Cairns, 49, manager of local LGBTQ+ club Kremwerk.
Cairns, however, said his own view was that it provided a platform to promote acceptance that only the world’s biggest sporting event could offer.
“My reaction is let’s have them,” he told Reuters. “International sports is one of the biggest brokers historically of social change and individual rights and freedoms worldwide, including in the U.S.”
He cited black U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ raised-fist protest in 1968 as moments where “only international sports could reach that big of an audience.”
“They’re not going to turn off the World Cup on state television in Iran or Egypt to block out a Pride flag in the audience,” Cairns said.
The Pride Match is “a host city initiative” and separate of FIFA, a spokesperson for soccer’s governing body told Reuters.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community sees an opportunity
Egypt and Iran’s involvement in the Pride Match is not the first time the World Cup has grappled with stark differences in attitudes between hosts and visitors.
In 2022 World Cup host Qatar, the emir said visitors should “respect our culture” when asked about gay people attending the tournament.
FIFA threatened yellow cards for captains wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing its rules against political slogans. Teams including England and the Netherlands that had been planning to wear the armbands to protest Qatar’s laws against same-sex relationships abandoned the plan.
For Ryan Webster, a 40-year-old lifestyle manager who was at Kremwerk the weekend before Pride, Seattle’s “Pride Match” was an opportunity to show solidarity with people in countries where their sexuality was outlawed.
“I’m choosing to believe that this is our moment to allow the members of the LGBTQ community that come from those countries to have the opportunity to celebrate themselves in totality that they might not have otherwise,” he said outside the club, which will host a watch party for Friday’s game.
Inside, ‘Venus Fengz’ lip-synced to Cher’s “Believe” before introducing fellow drag performers to the stage, clapped and cheered by a raucous crowd.
Fengz, who only wanted to provide their stage name, said Pride coinciding with the World Cup would bring increased visibility, anticipating perhaps some new audience members.
“I think it’s always great for us to be able to share space and share places with people who don’t have the same experiences as us,” they told Reuters.
“Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person and show grace where you can and know that everyone is a human learning (from) different experiences, but also it can get hard — because you’re on the shorter end of the stick, always trying to have to explain yourself around people who don’t grow up with the same worldview.”
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