Seattle, WA
Vice President Kamala Harris headlines two Seattle fundraising events for Biden Victory Fund
It hasn’t been a month since President Biden headlined two fundraising receptions in the Seattle area and already Vice President Kamala Harris has done the same.
Money is the mother’s milk of politics, the saying goes, and presidential campaigns in this day and age demand a lot of it. Accordingly, the entire purpose of Harris’ quick trip up from California to the Pacific Northwest was fundraising. She stepped off Air Force Two, zipped over to West Seattle for one reception, then promptly left for a second in downtown Seattle, then swiftly returned to Boeing Field for a flight back to California.
Unlike their predecessors, the Biden-Harris administration allows the press to send a representative to these closed-door campaign fundraising events. For this trip, The Seattle Times’ Claire Withycombe was tasked with sending regular updates (known in media parlance as pool reports) to the White House press corps.
In her first dispatch, she described the scene where she awaited Harris’ arrival: “The home where the fundraiser is being held is on a quiet street in West Seattle. The VP’s visit has generated some excitement among the neighbors, but as of 3 PM, there were no crowds on the nearby block. Guests are standing and chatting in the backyard of the home, which has an impressive, panoramic view of Puget Sound. A few boats are gliding through the water. Guests stand near cocktail height tables covered in pale green tablecloths. I am in the garage, where catering staff are preparing and sending out an array of savory appetizers, including crab cakes, shortrib and honeyed feta toast.”
At 4:02 PM, with motorcycles rumbling, Harris’ motorcade pulled up at the home of Melissa and Peter Evans, to cheers from the neighbors. Harris waved to them on her way into the fundraiser. About a half hour later, she began her observable remarks.
Harris told the small gathering of donors that the stakes of the election are high and momentum is on the Biden campaign’s side.
“In this re-elect, listen, guys, we’re gonna win,” Harris said. “We may have bloody knuckles when it’s over, but we’re gonna win and our country is worth fighting for.”
Harris added that this pivotal 2024 presidential election is not about what team you’re rooting for but “what kind of country we want to live in.”
“We believe in the promise of America,” she said. “And we know that in order for us to achieve that promise and make it real we have to fight for it.”
Harris emphasized that the outcome of the election will impact people around the world. She warned that if Trump is elected and Congress passed a national abortion ban, Trump would sign it, whereas Biden would veto a national ban. She touted the Biden administration’s work to cap insulin costs for seniors and called the contrast between the prior regime and the Biden administration “extreme.”
Harris’ remarks lasted for a little less than thirteen minutes.
Not long after that, around 5 PM, the motorcade was rolling again. People lined the blocks near the fundraiser, holding cell phones and waving.
With roads closed to accommodate the motorcade, the trip downtown took less than twenty minutes, about the same length of time that the trip to West Seattle took. Fortunately for Seattle Mariners fans attending the second to last game of the homestand, first pitch had already been thrown an hour beforehand and the Mariners were on their way to a 9–0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Harris’ entourage pulled up to the Westin around 5:16 PM.
Harris’ observable remarks began around 5:40 PM. She spoke from a podium with American and Washington State flags behind her. Her audience for this second Victory Fund reception numbered about one hundred and twenty people.
The Vice President repeated several of the same comments from earlier in the day at the Evanses’ home about the high stakes of the election, other countries looking to the United States as a role model, the necessity of defending reproductive rights, and capping the costs of insulin for seniors.
But at this reception she also discussed the Biden administration’s work on the economy, citing “historic” low employment and new manufacturing jobs.
She characterized the choice as super clear, declaring that many things in the world and in the country are “complex and nuanced” but November of ‘24 is “binary.”
“There’s two choices. And let’s be clear, if you pull up the split screen, what we’re looking at,” Harris said. “On one side, you’ve got a former president who openly praises dictators and said he’d be a dictator on day one, who has essentially said he will weaponize the Department of Justice against his enemies, political enemies, who has openly talked about how proud he is of what he did in undoing the protections of Roe v. Wade.”
“On the other side, you have Joe Biden and our administration, which has done transformative work, which the history books, if not the punditry right now, will show has been historic in terms of what we have done to strengthen and grow the American economy and invest in the future of our nation.”
The Vice President also addressed the issue of medical debt, saying that it affects so many people and it’s usually incurred because of a medical emergency.
“What we are saying that medical debt cannot be used in your credit score,” she said.
Harris’ remarks were interrupted on two separate occasions by protesters opposed to Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The first, in a red shirt, stood up and yelled what sounded to Withycombe like “Children are being buried in Rafah,” then was escorted out of the room.
“I appreciate your right to express what is rightly a concern… we are working to end this war as soon as possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Harris.
After the protester left, she said: “And that’s why we’re fighting for our democracy. That’s exactly why we’re fighting for our democracy.”
Soon after, a second protestor stood up and said: “Vice President, when will you stop sending weapons to Israel?”
“Thank you, I’m talking now,” Harris said as the protestor kept trying to interrupt.
“You can stop this genocide Vice President, you can stop this genocide,” the protestor asserted. They were also removed from the reception.
The Vice President’s remarks lasted around nineteen minutes and concluded at 6 PM.
Harris returned to Boeing Field shortly thereafter, concluding her trip to Seattle.
Seattle, WA
Fast Start for Kraken Win, Homestand | Seattle Kraken
That stretch begins with five more home games: A skilled and successful Carolina squad Monday, followed by St. Louis (for the second time in a week) Wednesday, Ottawa next Saturday, then Nashville (just behind Seattle in the West wild-card race) on March 10 and then finishing with Western Conference leader Colorado March 12.
Stars Shine and Star-Crossed Hat Trick
Vince Dunn opened the scoring in his 600th NHL game. Jordan Eberle topped the best Kraken-season goals mark with his 21st and 22nd goals of the year, with 23 games left to flirt with his first 30-plus goals on the year since his sophomore season in 2011-12. Joey Daccord registered 27 saves on the victorious night, including nine high-danger chances in the first 40 minutes alone.
To the fans’ disappointment, the slick-stickhandling Daccord missed a historic goalie goal by inches. But the sellout crowd was rewarded when Eberle cashed in on the Vancouver empty net. Eberle now has four two-goal games this season.
In a bizarre twist, when Eberle scored that empty-netter, Kraken fans rightfully cheered and tossed headwear for what was presumed to be a hat-trick score. But after Eberle scored, the scoring change on the Kraken’s power play goal was announced when off-ice officials realized Eberle’s shot had just ever-so-slightly deflected off Matty Beniers’ skate. So no hat trick for the second time this season. Linemate Jared McCann and hat-tossing fans thought the Kraken’s all-time leading scorer had notched a hat trick earlier this season, only to have it reversed when an offside infraction by, wait for it, Beniers, erased the goal.
Eberle joked post-game that maybe fans deserved some hats. The Kraken captain also said when Daccord missed by inches on his goalie goal, he was on the bench saying, “he got it, he got it.” Post-game, Eberle said, “It’s just a matter of time before he gets one” because he greatly admires the goaltender’s puck-handling skills.
The Kraken came out fast Saturday night with two goals, a couple of near-misses, lots of scoring attempts and pucks on net during the first 20 minutes. One near-miss was a hard wrist shot from Jordan Eberle that clanged off the far post. But no matter, Eberle scored a pivotal goal in the second period, getting in front of a Vancouver shot and chasing his own ricochet to create a breakaway with his still-elite speed. The 35-year-old Seattle captain went to his lethal backhand to beat Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen. Eberle’s tally re-upped the two-goal lead.
Good night for Kraken special teams as well. The penalty killer snuffed an early third period Canucks power play to keep the two-score cushion. Later third period, Matty Beniers scored on the power play, deflecting an Eberle shot, to push the score to 4-1. Chandler Stephenson earned his second point of the night with the primary assist. Same for Dunn, who notched the second assist. The Kraken needed just 10 seconds to score the man-advantage marker.
Captaining His Best Kraken Season…
It is Eberle’s 21st goal of the season. The next one he scores will set a new high as a Kraken for the teammate everyone calls “Ebs.” That makes it three of five seasons that Eberle has scored 20 or more goals. Eberle almost scored again later second period when matching cross-checking penalties on SEA forward Kaapo Kakko and VAN defenseman Filip Hronek. The ensuing 4-on-4 play was dominated by the Kraken quartet of Eberle, Matty Beniers, Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans. Beniers stood with some moves and an improv that had future Hall of Fame play-by-play man John Forslund saying, “Beniers did everything but score.” It was heartening to see Seattle flexing its offensive chops with a 3-1 lead.
The Kraken scored twice in an opening 20 minutes played to order, returning to the hard forechecking game they exhibited on a heater 10-game streak before the Olympic break. The starting goalie did his part, stopping all nine of Vancouver’s shots in the first 20 minutes to bring confidence to the first-intermission home locker room.
Jumping Out of the Starting Blocks
The Kraken faithful were mega-decibel loud during the announcement of the starting lineups, welcoming back Olympian bronze medalists Kaapo Kakko and Eeli Tolvanen, as well as Seattle teammates. This week’s two road losses forgotten, replaced by rousing cheers for starters and fourth-liners Freddy Gaudreau, centering Jacob Melanson and Ben Meyers (on the wing for the first since a road matchup in LA right before the winter holiday break).
Defenseman Cale Fleury and Ryker Evans rounded out the skaters in front of Joey Daccord. It’s not a stretch to think head coach Lane Lambert was sending a message with his fourth line and third pair getting the first shift after losing two games in the Midwest by a composite score of 9-2.
Saturday morning, both defenseman Vince Dunn and Lambert both talked about what would be the ideal first 10 to 20 minutes in this Pacific Division showdown with rival Vancouver.
“We need to play simple and hard and direct,” said Dunn, who was playing in his 600th NHL game, 333 with Seattle. “I think we’re very connected when we can get our forecheck going. I think the way we play as a five-man unit is that we slow teams down and don’t get scrambled in our own end. We’re more patient in our own end and letting guys accept their positions and roles and areas that they need to defend in.
“Right away, we need to start shooting pucks … the past two games, the shot count hasn’t been where we wanted it to be in the first 10 minutes. So let’s get some looks and see what happens. Let’s see if we can get the other team scrambling.”
Seattle, WA
Two local soccer scribes to discuss Seattle’s road to 2026
From miners, lumberjacks and seamen to the world arriving on our shores this summer, Folio Seattle will host a program Monday night, with two local soccer scribes detailing the region’s collective footy history in “Seattle’s Road to the 2026 World Cup.”
Matt Pentz, a former soccer reporter for The Seattle Times and The Athletic, is teaming with historian Frank MacDonald, executive director for Washington State Legends of Soccer and occasional Sounder at Heart contributor. The program goes from 6-8 PM at the Folio location in Pike Place Market. Donations of any amount are accepted.
Pentz and MacDonald will dive into the state’s century-plus adoration of the game and highlight what’s changed in the last generation, since Seattle failed to land matches for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Torrent put Olympic captain Hilary Knight on long-term IR – Seattle Sports
Olympians Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Erin Ambrose have all been placed on long-term injured reserve by their PWHL clubs after sustaining injuries during the Milan Cortina Games.
Kraken sign forwards Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton to extensions
Knight, a five-time Olympian and captain of the United States team that won gold, will be out of the lineup for the Seattle Torrent indefinitely after sustaining a lower-body injury in Italy, the team announced Friday.
Knight had three goals and three assists for the U.S. at Milan Cortina including a goal in the 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the final. She has three goals and seven assists during the current PWHL season.
USA comes back to beat Canada in OT for women’s hockey gold
“While we’re eager to be at full strength and recognize the anticipation of Hilary’s return, we’re focused on putting her and our team in the best position for a playoff push,” Torrent general manager Meghan Turner said in a statement.
Minnesota Frost captain Coyne Schofield was placed on long-term injured reserve on Friday retroactive to Feb. 19 with an upper-body injury. Coyne Schofield scored three goals for the United States during the Olympics.
“I am incredibly proud of all our Frost Olympians who demonstrated true excellence on the world stage,” general manager Melissa Caruso said in a statement. “We are fully committed to supporting Kendall throughout her recovery, and our medical team will be working diligently to help her prepare for her return to the ice.”
The moves by the Torrent and Frost came a day after the Montreal Victoire announced that Ambrose has been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 19 for a lower‑body injury suffered while representing Canada in the gold medal game. Ambrose had a pair of assists at the Olympics.
The Victoire’s Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada’s captain in Italy, was listed as day-to-day with an Olympics-related injury.
Victoire general manager Daniele Sauvageau said of the team’s Olympians “we are confident that they will be back in the lineup in the near future.”
PWHL influence apparent at Olympics with OT medal games
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