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What we know about Cole Tomas Allen, California teacher suspected in DC shooting

LOS ANGELES — A man taken into custody after gunfire rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday was identified by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, a city in Los Angeles County. Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times the FBI is examining Allen’s electronics and writings, and spoke to family and friends since the shooting seeking to determine a clear motive.

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Cantwell warns RFK Jr. his agency’s AI program is delaying, denying Medicare for seniors in Washington state

UPDATED: Wed., April 22, 2026

WASHINGTON – A federal pilot program that uses artificial intelligence to crack down on “wasteful” medical procedures is slowing and denying health care for senior citizens in Washington state who rely on Medicare, a Democratic senator told Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday.

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‘Big Beautiful Bill’ boosts tax refunds, but tariffs and Iran war mute its impact

Wed., April 22, 2026

WASHINGTON – When Republicans in Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July, they hoped Americans would feel the effects of the sweeping tax-and-spending legislation by the time Tax Day rolled around on April 15.

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Some NW Republicans oppose Trump administration move to erase convictions of Jan. 6 riot leaders, while others stay silent

Sun., April 19, 2026

WASHINGTON – On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump wasted no time in fulfilling a signature campaign promise when he pardoned more than 1,500 people who had been charged or convicted for their roles in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

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House Energy and Commerce Committee honors Cathy McMorris Rodgers with portrait at U.S. Capitol

UPDATED: Fri., April 17, 2026

WASHINGTON – The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday unveiled a portrait honoring the Eastern Washington Republican who ascended to become the first woman to lead the influential panel before she left Congress in 2024.

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White House favors Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general, to lead CDC

UPDATED: Tue., April 14, 2026

The White House is considering selecting Erica Schwartz, who served as deputy U.S. surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term, as the new leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the planned selection.

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Senate prepared for any Supreme Court opening, Grassley says

UPDATED: Tue., April 14, 2026

WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said his committee will be “fully prepared” to process a Supreme Court nomination if a justice retires at the end of this term, and he would recommend President Donald Trump appoint either Texas Senator Ted Cruz or Mike Lee of Utah to fill the vacancy. Asked Tuesday whether he thought Samuel Alito, 76, would retire, Grassley told reporters ...

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Democrats float 25th Amendment commission for Trump

UPDATED: Tue., April 14, 2026

Democrats in Congress are moving to invoke the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump, introducing a bill Tuesday that would create a commission to assess whether he is fit to remain in office.

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Despite national debt concerns, Baumgartner backs Trump’s call for more military spending and cuts to welfare programs

UPDATED: Fri., April 10, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When lawmakers return to the Capitol from a two-week recess on Monday, one of their first orders of business will be supplementing the budget of the U.S. military, which has depleted its stockpiles of missiles and other materiel during five weeks of war with Iran.

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DHS threatens to remove customs officers at sanctuary city airports

UPDATED: Tue., April 7, 2026

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested removing Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in sanctuary cities, prompting criticism from the California governor over the prospect of “halted” international travel at some of the country’s biggest hubs.

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Trump wants Congress to slash social services and give him $1.5 trillion for the military, but Patty Murray stands in his way

Sun., April 5, 2026

WASHINGTON – In a speech at a private lunch Wednesday billed as a celebration of Easter, President Donald Trump told the White House budget chief he wants the federal government to spend money on the military, not social services like child care and health care, which he said states should pay for by raising taxes.

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With Trump in attendance, Supreme Court justices voice skepticism of his attempt to end birthright citizenship

UPDATED: Wed., April 1, 2026

WASHINGTON – In an unprecedented scene at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, President Donald Trump sat in the audience while the nine justices considered his administration’s attempt to overturn the constitutional right to citizenship for children born in the United States.

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The White House is urging Idaho legislators to pass a law for local ICE partnerships. Law enforcement across the state have concerns

UPDATED: Thu., April 2, 2026

The White House is urging Idaho lawmakers to pass legislation that would deputize local law enforcement to do work for ICE, but sheriffs across the state say the proposal would be at odds with the state’s longstanding stance against giving up local control.

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Judge rules Trump’s NPR and PBS funding cuts violate First Amendment

UPDATED: Tue., March 31, 2026

A federal judge said the Trump administration can't enforce the president's order to ax federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, saying in a Tuesday decision that the White House can't "extinguish speech" the president dislikes under the First Amendment.

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Trump administration exempts Gulf oil and gas drilling from endangered species protections

UPDATED: Tue., March 31, 2026

Convening a rarely used committee for the first time in more than three decades, top Trump administration officials voted Tuesday to exempt oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from requirements that protect endangered species. It’s a striking move that advocacy groups say could further imperil gulf wildlife like the Rice’s whale, one of the rarest whale species on earth with an estimated fewer ...

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Baumgartner toasts to Trump as his re-election campaign starts with big fund-raising lead

UPDATED: Tue., March 31, 2026

The race for Congress is underway, and Spokane’s Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, has a head start.

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Several thousand pack north Spokane park for music, food and sign waving for ‘No Kings’ protest

UPDATED: Sat., March 28, 2026

The posted start time of 1 p.m. didn’t stop a few hundred from gathering early at B.A. Clark Park for Spokane’s third “No Kings” protest against the Trump administration and its policies.

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Two arrested outside ICE facility at downtown Spokane ‘No Kings’ rally

UPDATED: Sat., March 28, 2026

A “No Kings” rally Saturday at Riverfront Park went off without a hitch until a small skirmish between police and protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building near the park broke out and led to two arrests.

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Official who oversaw VA computer system that caused havoc in Spokane charged with accepting gifts from government contractors

Fri., March 27, 2026

WASHINGTON – A former top official at the Department of Veterans Affairs, who oversaw the purchase and deployment of a flawed computer system that led to patient harm after it was launched in Spokane, was charged on Wednesday with hiding thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts he received from government contractors.

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U.S. Senate advances Homeland Security nomination of Mullin, paving way for confirmation vote

UPDATED: Sun., March 22, 2026

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s nomination of Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to be the next head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Sunday advanced toward final confirmation after the Senate voted 54-37 to limit debate on the appointment.

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‘Déjà vu all over again’: Ending Senate filibuster to advance election reforms unlikely to succeed

UPDATED: Sat., March 21, 2026

WASHINGTON – In 2021, Democrats in the nation’s capital seized a rare opportunity.

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