Washington
Opinion: George Washington’s Farewell Address provides stark warning for Americans Today
On September 19, 1796, George Washington published his Farewell Address. In it, America’s “founding father” announced his retirement and explained his reasons for not seeking a third term as president. Nervous about the upcoming election that threatened to tear apart the country he loved, Washington also offered his fellow citizens, “some sentiments which are the result of much reflection.” With New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary less than a week away, and a divisive general election later this year, we would be wise to consider George Washington’s advice, as it is just as relevant today as it was 228 years ago.
Washington’s America, much like today, was a nation divided by regional differences and sectional interests. Our first president could have predicted a time when politicians openly call for a “national divorce” based on regional differences, and state legislatures would feel empowered to debate the idea of secession.
Rebutting those who look to divide America, Washington argues that a unified country brings us, “greater strength, greater resource, proportionably greater security from external danger, a less frequent interruption of their peace by foreign nations; and, what is of inestimable value!” He states, “your Union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty, and that the love of the one ought to endear to you the preservation of the other.”
Washington acknowledges that regional differences exist between the North and South, East and West, but he is urging us to consider that the whole is greater than the sum of our parts; a break up of our union will only damage the liberty and prosperity that we have worked so hard to secure.
Washington is not shy in identifying the cause of animosity between regions of the United States – political parties. Washington states, “One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts.” Foreshadowing a media saturated with disinformation, Washington says, “You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart burnings which spring from these misrepresentations. They tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection.” Again, our unity provides us strength, and only those who wish to weaken the United States look to exploit the perceived differences amongst our people.
For Washington, the end result of political parties stoking regional divisions is despotism – a dictatorship. He states, “The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty… It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.” In this election cycle, we have one candidate who actively created jealousies and false alarms when he tried to overturn the last presidential election with lies. He kindled animosity urging his followers to march on the Capitol as lawmakers were certifying that election, and he fomented an insurrection, watching idle as his followers attempted to overthrow our democracy. That same candidate, when asked if he would be a dictator if elected president, replied, “No, no, no, other than day one.” Most recently, this candidate endorsed the claim that a president, “could sell pardons, could sell military secrets, could order SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival.” We must take these threats to our democracy seriously.
In his Farewell Address, a letter that runs just over 6,000 words, George Washington uses the pronouns “you” or “your” 75 times (he used “yourselves” twice). Washington is speaking directly to us, the American people, making clear that despite the cult of personality that surrounded him, he was only one of many responsible for the nation’s welfare; it is “We the People” who are the stewards of our republic.
Washington knew that we would be challenged in preserving our Union; he knew that sectional divisions would promote a spirit of party and that these factions would produce a want-to-be despot surrounded by his own cult of personality. We the people are the only guards against such a dictatorship; we must heed Washington’s warning and do everything we can to preserve our union. We must protect our democracy from those who wish to put their own self-interests above the interests of our Union. Please vote in this upcoming election.
Jeff Frenkiewich teaches social studies at Milford Middle School and he is an adjunct professor of education at the University of New Hampshire. (The views expressed here represent those of the author, not Milford School District or UNH.)
Washington
Lawsuit blames Tesla design flaws for crash that killed Washington state woman injured her husband – WTOP News
Design flaws caused a Tesla Model 3 to suddenly accelerate out of control before it crashed into a utility pole…
Design flaws caused a Tesla Model 3 to suddenly accelerate out of control before it crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames, killing a woman and severely injuring her husband, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleges.
Another defect with the door handle design thwarted bystanders who were trying to rescue the driver, Jeff Dennis, and his wife, Wendy, from the car, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Wendy Dennis died in the Jan. 7, 2023, crash in Tacoma, Washington. Jeff Dennis suffered severe leg burns and other injuries, according to the lawsuit.
Messages left Monday with plaintiffs’ attorneys and Tesla were not immediately returned.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages in California since the Dennis’ 2018 Model 3 was designed and manufactured there. Tesla also had its headquarters in California at the time before later moving to Texas.
Among other financial claims, the lawsuit seeks wrongful death damages for both Jeff Dennis and his late wife’s estate. It asks for a jury trial.
Tesla doors have been at the center of several crash cases because the battery powering the unlocking mechanism shuts off in case of a crash, and the manual releases that override that system are known for being difficult to find.
Last month, the parents of two California college students killed in a Tesla crash sued the carmaker, saying the students were trapped in the vehicle as it burst into flames because of a design flaw that prevented them from opening the doors. In September, federal regulators opened an investigation into complaints by Tesla drivers of problems with stuck doors.
Jeff and Wendy Dennis were running errands when the Tesla suddenly accelerated for at least five seconds. Jeff Dennis swerved to miss other vehicles before the car hit the utility pole and burst into flames, the lawsuit says.
The automatic emergency braking system did not engage before hitting the pole, the lawsuit alleges, even though it is designed to apply the brakes when a frontal collision is considered unavoidable.
Bystanders couldn’t open the doors because the handles do not work from the outside because they also rely on battery power to operate.. The doors also couldn’t be opened from inside because the battery had shut off because of the fire, and a manual override button is hard to find and use, the lawsuit alleges.
The heat from the fire prevented bystanders from getting close enough to try to break out the windows.
Defective battery chemistry and battery pack design unnecessarily increased the risk of a catastrophic fire after the impact with the pole, the lawsuit alleges.
___
Thiessen reported from Anchorage, Alaska.
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© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Washington
Alaska Airlines comments on holiday-week disruption concerns due to Washington pipeline leak
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska Airlines said it does not expect any disruption in operation through this holiday week because of a leak in a pipeline in Washington, which is raising concern it could impact jet fuel supplies at Seattle and Portland airports.
“We are working to mitigate a potential impact from the Olympic Pipeline fuel leak,” Alaska Airlines wrote to Alaska’s News Source Sunday. “To ensure our scheduled service is maintained without significant disruption, we have implemented contingency plans.”
The contingency plans include tankering in fuel on inbound flights to Seattle, and tech stops on certain routes to conserve fuel. It’s also maintaining and expanding its trucking operation to bring in additional fuel, the airline said.
The airline said tech stops are “a stop at an airport along a flight’s route to add more fuel onboard. The passengers stay onboard.”
The Associated Press is reporting that officials say Portland International Airport does not expect any problems because it can bring in jet fuel on a barge.
The pipeline system has been down since Monday, but there have been intermittent shutoffs since Nov. 11, the Associated Press reported.
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The Washington Spirit will face Gotham FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern for the NWSL championship game.
WTOP’s José Umaña previews the Washington Spirit as they prepare to take on Gotham FC for the NWSL championship in San Jose, California, Saturday night.
All eyes will be on the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League championship game Saturday, as the Washington Spirit takes on Gotham FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern, and is airing on CBS or streaming online. It’s expected to be a close matchup.
The match marks Washington’s second consecutive appearance in the finals, after losing to Orlando last year in Kansas City, and the fourth overall in franchise history.
The No. 2-seeded Spirit last won the championship in 2021, when it bested the Chicago Red Stars in extra time.
Fans have eagerly awaited the Spirit-Gotham rematch, as the two teams hold a longtime rivalry.
For Gotham FC, the team is looking to make history by becoming the lowest seed ever to win the title after beating top-seeded Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride in the playoffs.
Washington’s Trinity Rodman may be playing her last game in the league because of salary cap constraints. On the other side, Gotham fans will be watching the team’s Esther González, who has scored 13 goals this season.
WTOP’s Washington Spirit Beat Reporter, José Umaña, joined WTOP anchor Ian Crawford for a preview of the game.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Stay with WTOP for the latest developments in Saturday’s championship game.
- Ian Crawford:
The Washington Spirit take a shot at their second NWSL championship in five years when they meet Gotham FC tonight in San Jose. WTOP’s José Umaña — our alcalde de Fútbol — joins us with a closer look at how the team is prepping for the big game.
- José Umaña:
Head Coach Adrián González said yesterday that the team have been trying to keep it loose, keep it normal. For any media member or a fan who’s been at a training session, the Spirit, especially in these last couple of weeks, has tried to remain loose. They said they learned from last year’s final where they were too focused on what Marta could do and what Orlando could do, as they were the No. 1 team in the league that year.
This year, the Spirit are way more relaxed and are much less tense. They talked about using a sports psychologist and trying to find ways to keep their friendly atmosphere going. They played a weird version of dodge ball a couple of days ago and right before the semifinal, and last night before the media availability yesterday, they were apparently listening to Daddy Yankee the entire time as they worked out. So very chill vibes to keep it loose and keep the focus at hand, which is the final.
- Ian Crawford:
Now again, this kind of plays against what I was talking about before, with the great turnaround that the team had over the summer. Is some of that momentum kind of building with them going into the final?
- José Umaña:
Yeah, right after the summer break there was a coaching change, as I mentioned. It’s no longer Jonatan Giráldez. It’s now Adrián González, who was the assistant, and he really tried to bring more of an uplifting, relaxed attitude while the team continued playing more of an aggressive attacking style.
They went on a 14-game unbeaten run between August all the way to mid October, and the team has really gelled — it’s found its groove. Last week, Croix Bethune, the midfielder who wasn’t able to play in last year’s final, said their semifinal match against Portland was the best game they played. But she believes they’re not peaking yet. So that’s some positive vibes that you don’t expect to hear from a player — that they believe they can go even higher as they play in a semifinal now heading into a final.
- Ian Crawford:
How much will the Spirit be missing the rowdy Audi Field advantage when they go to San Jose tonight?
- José Umaña:
It’s a huge advantage. The Spirit are 6 for 6 playing at Audi Field in front of that fan base.
Even though there was a large contingent of Spirit fans at the neutral site game in Kansas City for last year’s championship, they will be missing that (home field).
But for those who remember, and you kind of brought it up, in the beginning half the season, the Spirit were much better on the road than they were playing at home. There was a little bit of anxiety playing at home until the coaching change. They still were, even after the coaching change, a road-based team that could perform well. And if they start the game off on the right foot, going in on the attack and trusting their 3-forward line, there will be problems for Gotham.
- Ian Crawford:
Now we all know about Trinity Rodman, who is probably playing her last game in the Spirit kit. Who else should we watch for tonight? You mentioned Croix Bethune? Who else?
- José Umaña:
Yeah, I would definitely look out for NWSL Defender of the Year Tara McKeown. Not only has she transitioned in the last three years from attacker, playing striker, looking for the eye to the goal, but she’s now a defender, being the key cog in that defense and limiting attacks. She has also been a part of the attack. She essentially becomes what in our sport, we call an 8 — she becomes another midfielder, moving the ball aggressively and making key passes to restart the attack and bringing the ball so much so that she doesn’t even mind taking a shot.
If she gets the ball early on and often, she may create problems for that Gotham midfield that likes to hold on to the ball, if she’s able to be aggressive right away. And look, if this game goes to penalty kicks, which I hope not, I think Spirit fans would like to avoid another heart attack.
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