Free Republic

The Boeing Co. is reportedly taking steps to eliminate 10 percent of its workforce in Washington state. The Seattle Times reports the aerospace giant has already taken steps to eliminate 4,000 jobs by June and is aiming for about a 10 percent overall cut — which would mean about 8,000 positions in Washington. …

A Spanaway convenience store clerk who shot and killed a shoplifter Friday night has been arrested and booked into jail for investigation of second-degree murder, officials said. . . . The shooting took place at the same convenience store where the clerk's wife was shot in the stomach by a robber in February as she worked behind the counter, police records show. The wife is expected to recover from her wounds but is still unable to work. . . . Kim says the confrontation unfolded when one of the suspects, who had been shoplifting and harassing customers, went to the...

UPDATE SATURDAY 8:19 PM- YAKIMA, WA- Yakima Police say they have arrested 26-year-old Manuel Verduzco in connection to the deaths of 27-year-old Karina Morales-Rodriguez and 30-year-old Marta Martinez. Both women were Moneytree employees at the location near Walnut and First Street where the shooting occurred this morning. Yakima police say the two women were confronted by a suspect while they were opening the business Saturday morning. Verduzco was identified as a possible suspect through an investigation. More information came to light later in the day that led to Verduzco's arrest Saturday afternoon. He is booked into the Yakima County Jail...

A newborn baby was rescued from a trash compactor in Washington state Friday night and is expected to survive. The baby boy was rushed to the hospital after Jeff Meyers and his girlfriend, Paula, discovered him inside the compactor that crushes garbage for residents at the Mirabella Apartments in Everett.

The expansion of the Panama Canal, a $5.3 billion project almost two years behind schedule and plagued by cost overruns and contractor disputes, is expected to open by the end of June, according to the agency that operates the waterway. The Panama Canal Authority has resolved problems associated with contractors and seepage from the new locks discovered during testing, said Jose Ramon Arango, senior international trade specialist at the agency that operates the 50-mile (77- kilometer) waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The authority is planning a test of the new locks with a tanker in May...

his is a live televised report; no story. In Alaska, Sanders is up by 79% to Hillary's 21% with over 38% of the vote in, and CNN has called it for Sanders. In Washington, Sanders is up by 74% to 26% for Hillary with over 14% of the vote in.

Think Hillary Clinton has a lock on Hawaii’s presidential preference poll this coming Saturday? Maybe not. Two enthusiastic Honolulu receptions on Sunday for the wife of Clinton’s chief opponent, Bernie Sanders, suggests that supporters of the Vermont senator believe the Democratic primary process is far from over, despite the substantial delegate lead for the former secretary of state. Jane Sanders flew into town to meet privately with about two dozen veterans at Tommy Kakesako Hall on Nimitz Highway, an event well covered by local media.

Sen. Bernie Sanders won the Alaska, Washington and Hawaii Democratic presidential caucuses on Saturday by decisive margins -- victories he hopes will spark a Western states comeback and help him cut into frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s substantial lead. "We knew things were going to improve as we headed west," Sanders said at a rally in Madison, Wis. "We are making significant inroads in ... Clinton's lead ... We have a path toward victory." Sanders won Alaska 81-to-18 percent; 68-32 in Hawaii and 73-26 in Wshignton over Clinton, with all precincts reporting. Washington was the biggest prize, 101 delegates, followed by Hawaii...

Sen. Bernie Sanders had the best night of his presidential campaign on Saturday, dominating Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the Washington, Hawaii and Alaska state caucuses by wide margins. He cut into Clinton's pledged-delegate lead by at least one-sixth and potentially more. It was the sort of night that he needs more of. But which he's almost certainly not going to get. The reason it was such a big night for Sanders was that he dominated in Washington state, beating Clinton by more than 40 points. Washington has a big delegate total, so splitting up the delegates gave Sanders a...

Senator Bernie Sanders routed Hillary Clinton in all three Democratic presidential contests on Saturday, infusing his underdog campaign with critical momentum and bolstering his argument that the race for the nomination is not a foregone conclusion. Mr. Sanders found a welcome tableau in the largely white and liberal electorates of the Pacific Northwest, where just days after resoundingly beating Mrs. Clinton in Idaho he repeated the feat in the Washington caucuses, winning 73 percent of the vote. He did even better in Alaska, winning 82 percent of the vote, and in Hawaii, he had 71 percent with a few precincts...

Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus mocked Hillary Clinton's "embarrassing performance" in primaries and caucuses this week, chortling at her poor one-of-six wins. "Hillary Clinton's repeated stumbles at this stage of the race are another reminder of her deeply flawed candidacy. Winning only one out of six primaries and caucuses this week is an embarrassing performance for the Democrat front runner," he said in a statement Sunday. Clinton this week won the Arizona primary and lost to challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders in Idaho, Utah, Alaska, Hawaii and Washington. "At a time when the public's concern about terrorism is growing, Hillary Clinton's...

Today was Western Saturday for the Democrats while the GOP hopefuls had the day free to continue working the refs in Wisconsin. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders did battle again in Washington state, Alaska and Hawaii. All three of them are caucus states, a format which has given Hillary some trouble in the past and would prove poisonous to her once again this weekend. (One interesting note is that the only place where Clinton did any paid television advertising was in the Aloha State.) The results began coming in relatively early and Bernie’s streak in caucus states only expanded. Sanders...

AK (100% reporting) Bernie = 80.7% Shrillary = 19.3% WA (93% reporting) Bernie = 72.3% Shrillary = 27.5% HI (0% reporting) So in Alaska and Washington State, just a total smackdown of Shrillary Clinton in those contests. Hawaii will not report for a few more hours but is generally expected to go the same way. So it appears that Bernie will win the trifecta of Democrat contests this weekend. So what does it all mean? It means that Bernie's faint hopes stay alive as the next major contest looms in Wisconsin - also where Bernie is expected to do well....

FBI records show that a total of 3,948 felons were caught trying to buy a firearm in Washington state last year. Almost all of those cases involved sales by licensed firearms dealers. Workman said the initiative is an inconvenience to more than a million Washington gun owners and it’s not been effective in punishing felons who break the law. “Have there been 50 arrests and 50 prosecutions?” Workman asked. State court records show there have been no prosecutions related to I-594.

Corruption: Though she tries to ignore it, Hillary Clinton can’t escape her email problem. Almost every day brings more trouble for her. It’s time she did what a decent person would do — temporarily shelve her presidential campaign. While Clinton leads Sen. Bernie Sanders in the delegate count, the former secretary of state is far behind everyone on the ethical score. She is consistently battered by news that reminds voters just how corrupt she is and now is facing a report that the FBI director is convinced she broke the law.

Bill Clinton is either losing it, or he’s ramping up his attacks on President Obama. Neither is good news for Hillary Clinton. During a speech in Spokane, Washington on Monday, Clinton seemed to tear down Obama to boost his wife. “Literally from the time I met her till we talked yesterday, she is the best change maker I have ever known. “She always finds a way to make something good happen, to make people feel empowered, to buy people into the process, to make democracy work the way the framer intended for it to work,” Clinton said. “Now, if you...

A pair of House committees is forming a bipartisan working group of eight lawmakers to prepare for possible legislation addressing how the widespread use of encryption affects law enforcement investigations. "The bipartisan encryption working group will examine the issues surrounding this ongoing national debate," House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and House Energy and Commerce Committee Fred Upton. R-Mich., said Monday. As chairman of the two committees that have jurisdiction over encryption issues, Goodlatte and Upton are ex officio chairs of the working group. They released that statement jointly along with Michigan Rep. John Conyers and New Jersey Rep. Steve...

Former President Bill Clinton ridiculed Barack Obama on Monday calling for people to get to a “point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us.” During a campaign rally in Spokane, Washington, the former president said that Hillary is “the only person who basically has good ideas, will tell you how she’s going to pay for them, can be commander-in-chief, and is a proven change maker with Republicans and Democrats and independents alike.” Clinton praised his wife claiming that “from the time I met her 45 years ago until we talked yesterday, she is...

At an event today in Spokane, Washington, Bill Clinton called for putting "the awful legacy of the last 8 years behind us and the 7 years before that where we were practicing trickle down economics." "I literally from the time I met her 45 years ago until we talked yesterday, she is the best change maker I have ever known. She always finds a way to make something good happen, to make people feel empowered, to buy people into the process, to make democracy work the way the framers intended for it to work. Now if you don’t believe we...

At an event today in Spokane, Washington, Bill Clinton called for putting "the awful legacy of the last 8 years behind us and the 7 years before that where we were practicing trickle down economics."