Washington

Washington attorney general and sheriff who helped nab Green River Killer fight for governor's seat

Published

4 months ago

August 5, 2024

Washington attorney general and sheriff who helped nab Green River Killer fight for governor's seat

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state’s longtime attorney general and a former sheriff known for his work hunting down the Green River Killer are vying to become the next governor of a Democratic stronghold that hasn’t had an open race for the state’s top job in more than a decade.

Democrat Bob Ferguson, who has served as attorney general since 2013, will face former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert in Tuesday’s primary election in a race that has featured weeks of intense sparring between the two frontrunners in a field of more than two dozen candidates.

Ferguson has framed Reichert, a Republican, as a two-faced candidate whose more moderate rhetoric during this campaign does not align with statements he has made in private or his actions in Congress. Meanwhile, Reichert has painted Ferguson as a candidate who wouldn’t change anything about the state, while providing a continuation of “one-party rule.”

In a state with a long reputation as solid Democratic territory that hasn’t had a Republican governor in nearly 40 years, any conservative candidate faces an uphill battle. But polling shows Reichert not far behind Ferguson and the race is considered competitive.

Under Washington’s primary system, the top two vote getters in each of Tuesday’s races advance to the November election, regardless of party. Experts predict a Ferguson and Reichert matchup in November.

Military veteran Semi Bird also is a key figure in the race after being endorsed by the Washington State Republican Party. But he has become a polarizing figure amid accusations of mischaracterizing his military service, as well as a guilty plea to bank larceny in 1993 for putting his father’s name and social security number on a credit application. Bird said he has not been convicted of a crime since then and regrets what he did.

Democrat Mark Mullet, a state senator from Issaquah, also has garnered attention as a moderate candidate who would bring the perspective of a small business owner.

The success of a Republican candidate in the governor’s race will depend on their ability to build crossover appeal to independent voters and moderate Democratic voters, said Sandeep Kaushik, a Democratic political consultant with Sound View Strategies.

“The only way a Republican can win a statewide race in Washington state is if they convince voters in the middle of the state, who lean blue, that they’re a different kind of Republican and willing to meet those voters halfway, willing to break with MAGA, break with the Republican Party,” he said. “Reichert has done none of that, so far as I can see.”

The campaign between Ferguson and Reichert has consistently focused on abortion. Ferguson’s team often references Reichert’s history of voting for a nationwide ban on abortion starting at 20 weeks of pregnancy as evidence of him being “wildly out of touch with the majority of Washingtonians.”

Abortion has long been legal in Washington until viability, a determination left up to the judgement of a health care provider, and after that in cases where the pregnant individual’s health or life is threatened.

Reichert has pushed back on Ferguson’s characterization and said his only plan for the state’s abortion law if elected governor is to enforce and support it. He accused Ferguson of trying to scare women into not voting for him.

Reichert said as governor he would prioritize public safety, referencing his 33 years and two terms as sheriff at the King County Sheriff’s Office and the dozens of sheriffs who have endorsed him.

He was the first King County detective assigned to the case of the Green River Killer, named for the waterway where the first bodies were found in 1982. Gary Ridgway, who killed 49 women, was arrested and convicted in 2003 during Reichert’s second term as sheriff.

Reichert said he also would focus on curbing homelessness, as the Seattle area has one of the nation’s highest rates of homelessness. He suggested moving people from the streets to state-owned land, including McNeil Island, where a facility for sexual predators is located.

“You tell me which one is more ridiculous: Living under a freeway in tents or maybe making a nice, warm, comfortable place on McNeil Island or Evergreen College,” he told The Associated Press.

Ferguson was endorsed by state Democratic leadership members including U.S. Senate Pro Tempore Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee, the longest serving governor in office in the country, who is not seeking a fourth term. Ferguson points to his record as attorney general, including reaching multimillion-dollar settlements with major opioid entities and standing up to former President Donald Trump.

But Republican state Rep. J.T. Wilcox said people in Washington state may be looking for a major leadership change after three terms of Inslee.

“Presidents usually leave office not at a high point, but at a point when people are sort of ready for them to be gone,” Wilcox said. “I think that that may have happened a little bit with Gov. Inslee. Twelve years, people feel like, ‘OK we’ve had all this, I’m getting tired of all the same rhetoric, maybe it is time for a change.’”

Washington is a vote-by-mail state and many voters have already cast their ballots before election day.

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Washington

How to watch the Orlando Pride-Washington Spirit NWSL final

Published

8 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

How to watch the Orlando Pride-Washington Spirit NWSL final

The 2024 NWSL Final is as big as it gets.

Battling for the playoff title are the top two teams during the regular season, both of which survived the early stages of knockout-round postseason play.

The Orlando Pride, winners of the NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record, are the No. 1 seed that will take on the No. 2 Washington Spirit.

Orlando is led by the Brazilian icon Marta, while Washington is pioneered by rising U.S. women’s national team forward Trinity Rodman.

Here’s how and where to watch the 2024 final:

When is the 2024 NWSL Final?

The 2024 final between Orlando and Washington is slated for Saturday, Nov. 23.

What time is the 2024 NWSL Final?

Kickoff time is slated for 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT.

Where is the 2024 NWSL Final?

CPKC Stadium, home of NWSL side Kansas City Current in Missouri, is the neutral venue for the game.

How, where to watch the 2024 NWSL Final on TV

The Orlando-Washington NWSL final will be broadcast by CBS.

How, where to watch the 2024 NWSL Final online

The Orlando-Washington NWSL final will be available to stream on Paramount+.

How many NWSL championships do the Orlando Pride have?

The Orlando Pride has not yet won an NWSL championship through the playoffs.

How many NWSL championships do the Washington Spirit have?

The Washington Spirit have won one NWSL title, which transpired in 2021. It finished as runner-ups in 2016.

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Washington

Washington Nationals Hope Elite Prospect Long-Term Solution at Third Base

Published

17 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Washington Nationals Hope Elite Prospect Long-Term Solution at Third Base

The Washington Nationals have numerous issues that have led to four last-place finishes in the five seasons since their first World Series title.

But one that may be at the top of the list is third base.

Washington finished No. 29 in the league, only ahead of the historically awful Chicago White Sox, with a .589 OPS from its third base platoon. In the last five years, the Nationals have finished no better than No. 19, twice finishing No. 29, once finishing No. 28, and once No. 23.

In short, the Nationals have not had anything remotely close to quality production from the hot corner since 2019 when Anthony Rendon guided Washington to No. 2 in the league at third with an OPS of 1.010 over 646 plate appearances.

Washington could go out and spend a ton of money to acquire one of the best in the game, long being linked as a potential fit for Alex Bregman.

But what feels more likely is the organization waiting until top prospect Brady House is ready to be called up and hope he seizes the job, as pointed out by Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

If so, it would be four years in the making. The Nationals made House their first-round pick in 2021 and he’s worked his way steadily through the minor-league system. House was at Triple-A this season and watched highly-touted prospects like James Wood and Dylan Crews called up.

“Most evaluators still believe he’ll hit for power and play solid defense, but the Nationals aren’t going to hand him the job before he proves he’s ready for it,” Zuckerman wrote. “And there’s no guarantee when that will happen.”

House slashed .241/.297/.699 with 19 home runs and 66 RBI with Rochester last season. It’s possible the Nats want to see him produce more power before he’s called up. He’ll surely receive an invitation to Major League spring training, which would give him a chance to prove he’s ready. But the Nats can’t bank on it.

That doesn’t mean throwing a massive contract at Bregman, only for him to have to eventually move him to another position to make room for House. But other solutions must be ready to be deployed.

Zuckerman hypothesized that the Nats could, in the short-term could stick with Jose Tena after a decent finish to the season following his trade from Cleveland, though he continues to learn a third base position that is new to him.

More exciting prospects include Yohandy Morales and Seaver King, but both feel still a ways away from being ready and are not as highly rated as House.

Keep an eye on the Nats in the third-base market to make some kind of addition whether it be a big splash or a minor insurance policy.

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Washington

Denzel Washington says rumors about Oscar winning actor have existed for decades

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Denzel Washington says rumors about Oscar winning actor have existed for decades

Kevin Spacey has had his share of ugly headlines across the past couple of years, but Denzel Washington recently said rumors swirled about him a long time before those reports popped up.

In fact, Washington said, there was talk decades before the “House of Cards” actor, 65, was accused of sexual assault and harassment.

Washington made the revelation in a five-part, first-person essay written in a Nov. 19 issue of Esquire.

Washington remembered attending the 2000 Academy Awards due to his nomination for Best Actor for his performance in “The Hurricane.” While there, he recalled watching Spacey win the award instead.

“I’m sure I went home and drank that night. I had to,” Washington, who also opened up in the piece about his decision to quit drinking and live a sober lifestyle over the past decade. “I don’t want to sound like, ‘Oh, he won my Oscar, or anything like that. It wasn’t like that.’

“And you know, there was talk in the town about what was going on over there on that side of the street, and that’s between him and God,” Washington added. “I ain’t got nothing to do with that. I pray for him. That’s between him and his maker.”

Spacey won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in 1999’s “American Beauty” after he won Best Supporting Actor in 1996 for the movie, “The Usual Suspects.” 17 years later, controversy struck and heavily impacted the actor’s career when Anthony Rapp became the first person to come out and publicly accuse him of sexual assault, with more accusers who came forward.

In 2022, a jury in New York found that Spacey wasn’t liable for battery in relation to Rapp’s accusations, and the following year, a U.K. court found him not guilty of nine counts of alleged sexual assault.

Allegations against Spacey have continued to mount, much like in documentaries such as Investigation Discovery’s “Spacey Unmasked,” which was released in May.

Spacey has denied all claims and has received an onslaught of criticism after coming out as gay in response to Rapps initial accusations in 2017.

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