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Opinion: Politics past will haunt Washington in 2025. It won't be pretty

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Opinion: Politics past will haunt Washington in 2025. It won't be pretty


To look back over the politics of the past year is to see a preview of the coming one. It’s not pretty.

Donald Trump, as president again, will of course dominate the news in 2025, but he did so as well in 2024 (and as far back as I can remember, it seems). A year ago, he’d so reestablished his death grip on the Republican Party post-Jan. 6 that he essentially wrapped up its presidential nomination in January, after back-to-back knockouts in Iowa and New Hampshire. A baker’s dozen Republicans had the temerity to get in the race, but they didn’t really run against him.

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Jackie Calmes

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Jackie Calmes brings a critical eye to the national political scene. She has decades of experience covering the White House and Congress.

“Fear [of Trump] is so palpable” among Republicans, lamented one, former House Speaker Paul Ryan. That’s truer than ever now, after Trump’s improbable comeback from defeat and disgrace.

He moseyed through a campaign first against President Biden and then Vice President Kamala Harris, doubling as a criminal defendant and taking time out for one trial and legal battles over three other indictments. He became the first U.S. president convicted of felonies, but parlayed a platform of victimhood and retribution to election.

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Trump will also dominate Congress in the new year, given that both the Senate and House will have Republican majorities. Yet their margins are so slim, and divisions so deep, that neither they nor Trump will really have control. Legislation will be hard won or, in many cases, not won at all. That’s good news, considering Republicans’ talk of more deep tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, and of spending cuts in programs all Americans rely on.

We got an early feel for the chaos ahead during Congress’ humiliating lame-duck finale over government funding this month. House Republicans, in nearly provoking a Chrismukkah federal shutdown, reprised the dysfunction and factionalism that plagued them all year and made for the least productive Congress since the Depression (not least because of their failed obsession with impeaching Biden). Having first made U.S. history by ousting a speaker in the just-concluded Congress — former Bakersfield Rep. Kevin McCarthy — some House Republicans (and allies in Trumpland) are already predicting that Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana won’t survive the new one.

But Congress’ clownish closing wasn’t all Johnson’s fault. It mostly owed to the ham-handed 11th-hour meddling of Trump and unelected “First Buddy” Elon Musk.

First Musk blew up a bipartisan funding bill — “a crime,” he called it on X, spreading falsehoods about its content and going so far as to threaten Republican lawmakers’ reelections. (Adding to his prior threat against Republican senators who oppose Trump’s Cabinet nominees.)

Then Trump, not one to let the guy riding shotgun grab the reins, demanded that Republicans vote against any budget bill that didn’t also repeal the nation’s debt limit. In the end, they actually defied him, passing a bill that was silent about the debt limit.

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But the debt ceiling wrangling will resume soon; the Treasury Department said Friday that it would near the borrowing limit in January, which would require it to take “extraordinary measures” until Congress and the president act.

I’ve long argued for getting rid of the debt limit, a World War I-era anachronism, but not for the same reasons as Trump. Mine: The debt limit does nothing to limit spending — Congress and presidents have already approved the funds. It merely lets lawmakers, Republicans mostly, preen as fiscal conservatives by voting no, inviting chaos in the process, despite their past votes for the spending and tax cuts that accounted for the debt (knowing most Democrats will vote aye and prevent default). Trump’s reason? He wanted to avoid a debt limit fight next year when his priorities — tax cuts and open-ended spending for mass deportations — would add to the red ink.

Whatever the rationale, repealing the 107-year-old debt limit law isn’t something Congress should deal with in a last-minute lame-duck rush. And the fact is, Republicans don’t want to forfeit their demagogic prop. They proved it by saying no to Trump.

Next season’s showdown will be just one skirmish in an emerging multifront “MAGA civil war,” as Axios put it. In particular, look for immigration policy fights pitting immigrant-friendly Silicon Valley tech bros against “America First” anti-immigrant hard-liners.

Again, we got a pre-inaugural preview: Entrepreneur-provocateur Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump’s choice along with Musk to advise him on slashing both federal spending and regulations, incited a Christmas Day MAGA brouhaha — and anti-India invective — on social media when he called for admitting more skilled foreign workers to the United States. American culture, he posted, has for too long “venerated mediocrity over excellence.” When Musk sought to mediate, the South Africa-born mega-billionaire likewise became a target of xenophobic vitriol.

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Speaking of Musk, stay tuned for the inevitable clash of egos — his and Trump’s — in 2025.

Then there are the sidelined Democrats.

Biden will be gone from the scene, but he’s already seemed to be for much of 2024. After delivering a rousing State of the Union address in March, Biden showed up for his June debate with Trump so addled that the party backlash forced him from the ticket. Post-election, the apparently embittered president has been “quiet quitting” — a sad end to what’s been, in its first years, a consequential presidency.

Yes, Democrats will be the minority in Congress. But as 2024 showed, Republicans will need their support to pass essential government-funding bills, giving Democrats leverage over the final products. Meanwhile, Democrats will spend 2025 doing what many of them hankered to do in 2024: Look for new leadership, new direction and new ideas.

By the time of the 2026 midterm elections for Congress, Democrats can count on one thing: They’ll look better to many voters compared to the Republicans after the mayhem of all-Republican governance that’s ahead.

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@jackiekcalmes



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Washington Lottery Powerball, Cash Pop results for May 11, 2026

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The Washington Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at May 11, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from May 11 drawing

24-30-37-56-64, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 11 drawing

09

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 11 drawing

7-6-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 4 numbers from May 11 drawing

07-12-18-19

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Check Match 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Hit 5 numbers from May 11 drawing

07-09-11-32-42

Check Hit 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Keno numbers from May 11 drawing

05-07-15-27-30-32-35-36-40-43-45-47-49-58-59-62-64-65-72-76

Check Keno payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto numbers from May 11 drawing

01-18-28-34-37-48

Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 11 drawing

09-13-34-42-59, Powerball: 01

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.

To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:

Washington Lottery Headquarters

PO Box 43050

Olympia, WA 98504-3050

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For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).

Olympia Headquarters

Everett Regional Office

Federal Way Office

Spokane Department of Imagination

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Vancouver Office

Tri-Cities Regional Office

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
  • Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed

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19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed


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This story contains descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender person.

The Seattle Police Department are searching for a suspect after a 19-year-old University of Washington student was stabbed to death in an off-campus student apartment complex on May 10.

Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz told NBC News that the victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female” who was enrolled at the university. The victim has not yet been publicly identified by name. She was found in the housing complex laundry room shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night.

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The housing complex, Nordheim Court, is privately managed but affiliated with the university, located near an upscale shopping center in Seattle’s U-Village neighborhood. According to NBC News, residents received an official alert from UW to stay inside their homes and lock all windows and doors — an alert that was lifted around 1 a.m. with the acknowledgment that “a death investigation remains ongoing.”

According to SPD detective Eric Muñoz, police and the fire department attempted lifesaving measures but ultimately “pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”

“Officers are actively searching for the suspect, believed to be a black male with a beard, 5’6-8” tall, wearing a vest with button up shirt, and blue jeans,” Muñoz wrote in a blotter report.

Muñoz noted that the victim would be identified by the medical examiner’s office in “the coming days.” The SPD did not immediately respond to Them’s request for comment.

This is the seventh known trans person to be violently killed in 2026. In mid-April, 39-year-old transmasculine farmer Luca RedBeard was fatally shot in rural New Mexico. Last week, police in Marion County, Florida opened a homicide investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old who went by multiple names and referred to “transitioning” on social media. In Kentucky, an investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old trans college student Murry Foust remains ongoing.

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Police are asking anyone with information about the University of Washington case to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, emphasizing that anonymous tips are accepted.

This is a developing story.

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How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington

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How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington


On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.

For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.


Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.

Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.

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The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.

Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.

The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.

Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.



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