Jim Brunner
@jimbrunner.bsky.social
Seattle Times politics reporter Got a tip? Signal: 206-214-8789 https://www.seattletimes.com/author/jim-brunner/
No kumbaya unity from Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's lefty Democrat primary challenger... who took 15% on Tuesday.
Brent Hennrich 🇺🇸 For Congress (D) 💯PRO CHOICE!@bhennrich.bsky.social · 15h agoNo, I do not in any way endorse #MGPisGOP. She does not deserve another term to stab us in the back while at the same time collecting lifetime benefits as she will get over year 5 of service. Do not vote for MGP unless she earns it.
Looks like WA04 is rejecting Republican Jerrod Sessler in the primary. For the record, here's a list of conspiracy theories he endorsed earlier this year. -2020 election "sham" -J6 "setup" -vaccine stuff -"Geo engineering" -rigged voting machines -Afghan. pullout a plot to import Dem voters
Trump's DOJ is 0 for 20 its lawsuits demanding sensitive voter info from states. Will the 21st time be the charm? A DOJ attorney conceded Tuesday its arguments in WA lawsuit are the same that have been losing everywhere. Ruling expected soon. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
WA lawyers seek to hand Trump administration 21st loss in voter roll lawsuits
Attorneys for the Justice Department and Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs clashed at a court hearing over a federal lawsuit demanding state voter data.
seattletimes.com
The man charged with starting the blaze that scorched Washington state's 2nd largest city was questioned twice last year by law enforcement investigating two other fires. He also served time for killing his father. apnews.com/article/spok...
Man charged with setting Spokane's largest wildfire was questioned about 2 other blazes last year
The fire that sparked Saturday is one of several burning around Spokane. They are among the most destructive blazes in state history, destroying at least 700 structures and forcing roughly 67,000 peop...
apnews.com
One maxim will remain undoubtedly clear in this industry -- if you threaten your staff about leaking to the media, that memo is gonna get out before the day is done.
Oliver Darcy@oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 2d agoScoop: New "60 Minutes" boss Nick Bilton sent a memo to staff about leaks, which naturally leaked to @status.news. Details here: www.status.news/p/60-minutes...
Author of Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy Says Party Left Out Key Chapter www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
Author of Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy Says Party Left Out Key Chapter
A dispute over the chapter between the author and the Democratic National Committee has added to the party’s turmoil as it tries to look forward, not backward.
nytimes.com
Charges Dropped in Reflecting Pool Case as Prosecutors Say Work Was ‘Botched’ www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...
Charges Dropped Against Ex-Olympian David Hearn Accused of Damaging Reflecting Pool
A former Olympian will not face trial after federal prosecutors acknowledged that the Trump administration’s claims of vandalism were false.
nytimes.com
Conservative 'millionaires tax' foes are funding mailers in LD43 against Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen. The mailers a bit clumsily try to appeal to Seattle progressive voters using a stock photo model ("Romantic gardener offering a rose") www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
WA ‘millionaires tax’ critics target Jamie Pedersen with mailers
Conservative donors including Brian Heywood are targeting Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen with new mailers over his role in the 'millionaires tax.'
seattletimes.com
Latest on Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes’ resignation, via @nickdeshais.bsky.social www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Seattle police chief resigns days following Seattle Center shooting
The decision comes after intense criticism of how long it took the Seattle Police Department to provide information about Sunday night's shooting at Seattle Center.
seattletimes.com
Reached by phone on Thursday, [Seattle Police Chief Shon] Barnes declined to say whether he was still chief and that the decision “is up to the mayor.” He said he was off for the day. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Police Chief Shon Barnes taking day off amid turmoil
Reached by phone on Thursday, Barnes declined to say whether he was still chief and said that the decision “is up to the mayor.”
seattletimes.com
A U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a state department presentation at a global conference www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
WA voter turnout so far: 12.18%. Primary ballot deadline is Aug 3. As usual, the early returns are from older voters. www.sos.wa.gov/elections/da...
Ballot Return Statistics | WA Secretary of State
sos.wa.gov
NEW Economist/YouGov Jul 25-27 % who approve | disapprove of Trump U.S. adult citizens 34% | 62% (-28: new low for Trump) Last week 36% | 60% (-24) Start of term 49% | 43% (+6) Dem 3% | 95% Ind 19% | 72% Rep 81% | 17% 18-29: 31% | 63% 65+: 41% | 56% d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
NEW: Bryan Kohberger is seeking to reopen the Idaho murders case, saying his guilty plea last year was based on “false promises and blatant disinformation.” He phoned me from prison, saying he was innocent but declining to discuss the evidence against him. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/u...
Bryan Kohberger, Convicted in Idaho College Killings, Seeks to Take Back Guilty Plea (Gift Article)
In an interview from prison, Bryan Kohberger said he had filed a petition to reopen the case. He blamed his guilty plea on ‘false promises’ and wrong information.
nytimes.com
I've updated the MRP model Strength In Numbers uses for polling at the state, district, and sub-county levels w a SOTA pipeline that predicts 50/50 states correctly in 2024 + every Senate seat in 2022. Now available to SIN Pro users and enterprise clients www.gelliottmorris.com/p/what-do-vo...
What do voters in each congressional district think about Trump? Immigration? The midterms?
I've published a bunch of graphs of district-level opinion over at the Strength In Numbers Pro polling dashboard
gelliottmorris.com
Mass shooting reported at Seattle Center- Police and ambulances were responding to a shooting Sunday with “multiple” victims at Seattle Center, according to the Seattle Police Department. Multiple gunshots could be heard around 6 p.m. at the site: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Mass shooting reported at Seattle Center
Police and ambulances were responding to a shooting with "multiple" victims at Seattle Center, according to the Seattle Police Department.
seattletimes.com
Elon Musk, owner of X, has called the editor of the Economist "a traitor to the West, plain and simple" after her recent interview with him. He now argues that "anyone who opposes remigration is a traitor" Musk has been socialising violence since Aug25: "fight or die, that's what it comes down to"
NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
Impact statement for I-645 to repeal the "millionaires tax" has been released: "This measure would decrease funding for public K-12 education, higher education (including universities and community colleges), and human services (primarily healthcare)." www.sos.wa.gov/sites/defaul...
sos.wa.gov
NEW — A WA House candidate claimed the Colville Tribes have an “incentive” to have more wildfires because they get reimbursed by FEMA. The tribes have called his claims “complete nonsense.” More: www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...
House candidate Jerrod Sessler draws outrage after claiming Colville Tribes get 'free money' from wildfires, have 'incentive' for more fires
As the Kaiser Canyon fire continued to rage on the Colville Reservation on Thursday, burning nearly 86,000 acres by midday, a short video of a candidate running to represent the area in Congress drew ...
spokesman.com
At one point she notes that AfD, the German political party that Musk supports, has "real neo-Nazis." Musk literally just shrugs.
DOJ now 0 for 17 in its voter roll lawsuits against states. Seems only a matter of time 'til the case in WA gets tossed as well. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
DOJ losing streak continues as Trump-appointed judge tosses Kentucky voter roll lawsuit
“Given this binding Sixth Circuit precedent, the Court here reaches the same result..." the judge wrote.
democracydocket.com
WA agency director out as Ferguson installs an interim leader (via WA Standard) washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/wa-ag...
WA agency director out as Ferguson installs an interim leader • Washington State Standard
The director of Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services is out and the leader of another agency is in charge temporarily.
washingtonstatestandard.com
Reality check: Can WHCA *actually* be going ahead with its gala dinner for Trump tomorrow night in DC? The same Trump who calls for networks to be shut down, uses his FCC to that effect, subpoenas reporters, says they are scum and fake news? No names/details at WHCA site whca.press/2026/06/02/w...
WHCA Announces Summer Dinner | White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA)
From WHCA President Weijia Jiang to association members: The White House Correspondents’ Dinner has served as a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a...
whca.press
WA's tort liability bomb keeps getting worse. The state's FY 2026 bill reached a record $614 million. That includes settlements & defense costs, including $43.6m to outside law firms. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
WA state lawsuit costs reach a record $614 million
Washington's lawsuit payouts and legal costs reached a new high of $614 million over the past fiscal year, driven by a surge in foster care abuse cases.
seattletimes.com
The Portland Trailblazers news is giving me real Clay Bennett/Howard Schultz Seattle Supersonics flashbacks. (Though I don't recall ever granting anonymity to Schultz or Bennett's teams to dish on the city.)
This is not about national security. This is about not liking factual news coverage. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/b...
