Let’s get clear about one thing: Donald Trump is a serial sexual abuser. He will soon forfeit $83 million to E Jean Carrol as a penalty for his illicit actions. Next week, Brave New Films will present an in-depth examination of Carrol’s case against Trump, in which a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse.

In response, Trump is now asserting to women, “I am your protector .” The scene in Pennsylvania was stomach-churning.
Chris Hayes of MSNBC

Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld said he felt pretty lonely in 2020 as a Republican openly opposed to then-president Donald Trump, running a quixotic primary campaign against him and then announcing he voted for Democrat Joe Biden. Four years later, Weld’s got more company.
Jim Puzzanghera from the Boston Globe

Donald Trump doesn’t want you to focus on the economy, because the news is very good. Instead he is talking about anything else, including bald-faced lies, to keep the focus on him and his faux outrage.
Dan Rather in Steady at Substack

Twenty-five years ago today, the television drama “The West Wing,” depicting a fictitious American president and his White House staff, premiered on NBC. 
Dan Rather in Steady at Substack

Harris or Trump? Trump or Harris? I just can't decide.
Tom Tomorrow, This Modern World

Donald J. Trump’s catastrophic debate performance has sparked widespread concern about his mental decline. As a public service, TBR is offering the following cognitive exam to assess Trump’s acuity.
The Borowitz Report

Democrat Bob Ferguson criticized Republican Dave Reichert's stance on abortion, while Reichert promised to veto any new tax proposals during the first debate between the Washington state gubernatorial candidates Tuesday.
Axios Seattle

A month ago, no one really could have expected that this year’s Democratic National Convention would be drowning in unity, joy, and chants of “We’re Not Going Back!,” never mind hip-hop artists and “brat” memes. The Democratic Presidential nominee leaves Chicago with her party united, but Donald Trump is not yet defeated.
The New Yorker

In the last presidential election, 192,000 more women than men cast ballots in Washington. It amounted to a turnout gap, favoring women, of about 5%.

So politics is kind of like the book business. Women are the dominant customers.
Danny Westneat in The Seattle Times

For the third time in eight years, Donald Trump wasl nominated as the Republican Party’s candidate for president of the United States. A once great political party now serves the interests of one man, a man as demonstrably unsuited for the office of president as any to run in the long history of the Republic, a man whose values, temperament, ideas and language are directly opposed to so much of what has made this country great.
The New York Times Editorial Board

What would four more years of Donald Trump in the White House look like? Aftermath, a video produced by the Lincoln Project, paints a terrifying picture based on plans clearly outlined in the Heritage Foundations’ Project 2025.
The Lincoln Project

Project 2025 is a comprehensive plan created by the Heritage Foundation to prepare for a potential conservative administration in the United States in 2025. It outlines a detailed strategy to transform the federal government and implement a conservative agenda through policy changes and personnel appointments.
MSNBC and others

Of the 28 gubernatorial candidates on the primary ballot, Democrat Bob Ferguson is best positioned to lead Washington through the next four years. His experience as state attorney general, his detailed policy positions, and his willingness to tackle tough issues give him the edge in a crowded field.
The Seattle Times

A coddled billionaire who didn’t earn his fortune and who has never been told what to do, covered up his dirt to mislead voters and finally got caught. Aside from wondering if he actually knows how serious this is, ask yourself what is going on in his head.
The Witness Chronicles

Two years ago today, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v Wade and gave states the ability to outlaw abortions. To date, most Republican-led legislatures have done that with a vengeance.
Brave New Films

It was easy to miss. Last Sunday in the Northwest section of the Spokesman Jim Camden’s “Spin Control” unflashily presented “Judge: Voters deserve fiscal statement for 3 initiatives on the ballot.
Indivisible: The High Ground

Think about it for a moment. Democrats in deep red districts tend to stick together. Without money or voters, we rural Democrats accept stranger bedfellows than if we enjoyed a comfortable majority. Accepting is one thing. Sticking together, though, is a higher standard, at least in the sense of building structures.
Ag & Rural Caucus

TVW Washington provided gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Washington State Republican Convention in Spokane on April 19 and 20, 2024. Where democracy goes to die.

At their April 19-20, 2024 convention, Washington State Republicans voted to deny that our form of government is or should be called a “democracy,” as noted in Danny Westneat’s article, which we posted on April 24.

Then, on April 29, Rachel Maddow shared the video.
Rachel Maddow Show

Washington State Republicans held their convention in Spokane on April 19-20 and took two hard steps to the extreme right: they endorsed Semi Bird for governor and adopted a resolution opposing democracy. Really.
Danny Westneat in The Seattle Times