Back in 2019, top Republican lawmakers were vocal in their outrage over Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and the questionable plea deal that shielded him. They promised investigations, transparency, and justice for the victims. But something has changed. In 2025, with Donald Trump’s name surfacing repeatedly in Epstein-related files, many of those same Republicans have gone silent — or worse, they’re actively blocking efforts to uncover the truth. What happened to the promises? This article examines the sharp turn from accountability to obstruction, and why the public deserves answers now more than ever.

Housing affordability in Walla Walla has reached a breaking point. What was once a manageable entry into homeownership has become an increasingly distant dream for working families and first-time buyers. Rising home prices, stagnant wages, and mounting upfront costs have created a market that’s out of reach for many. The following case—an unremarkable, modest home listed at nearly $250,000—illustrates just how unattainable “affordable housing” has become in our community, and why urgent action is needed.

Washington is in a money crisis—and it’s not just bad, it’s unfair. While the rich get tax breaks, working families pay more than their share. Our outdated system leans on sales and property taxes, hitting low- and middle-income people the hardest. It’s time to demand a fair income tax and stop protecting the wealthy at the expense of our communities.

Justice isn’t just a political issue—it’s a holy one. When we march, pray, boycott, and speak up, we’re following the path Jesus walked. Faith isn’t passive. It’s bold. It speaks up for the laid-off worker, the immigrant family, the child losing access to education. That’s what ‘Good Trouble’ means. That’s what love in action looks like.

Donald Trump is suing The Wall Street Journal for doing journalism — and not just any journalism, but the kind that had the audacity to be read.

In a lawsuit that confuses “exclusive” with “classified” and “defamation” with “things I wish weren’t true,” the former president is demanding $10 billion over a story that may or may not involve a bawdy sketch sent to Jeffrey Epstein. Never mind the facts — the real outrage is that the article wasn’t whispered to one person and burned.

As legal logic collapses under the weight of performance art, Trump’s team appears to believe that hurt feelings and misread dictionary entries are grounds for litigation. The result? A lawsuit so absurd it doesn’t just challenge press freedom — it declares war on the English language.

For decades, troubling questions have trailed Donald Trump—questions not of mere association, but of complicity. As a modeling agency owner, pageant mogul, and close confidant of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Trump repeatedly placed himself in environments saturated with underage girls and power imbalances. He entered dressing rooms unannounced, ran competitions featuring teenage girls in front of wealthy men, and maintained deep ties to a trafficking network that preyed on the young and vulnerable.

No court has convicted Trump of crimes related to underage exploitation—but the public record is damning. Girls as young as 14 were recruited from his clubs. Teenage models lived in his apartments. And all the while, Trump operated with unchecked access and unexamined authority. The question is no longer whether he was near the system. It’s whether he helped build it.

Today, as Trump urges Americans to “move on” from the Epstein files, we must ask: Is it because those documents expose a world he simply knew—or a world he helped create?

The LGBTQI+ Youth Subnetwork of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will shut down tomorrow, July 17, following a federal decision announced last month to end this specialized service. Since launching in 2022, the subnetwork has provided tailored support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and two-spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) youth ages 13 to 24.

You’ve probably seen them: the self-declared “constitutional sheriffs” who believe they have the power to overrule Congress, ignore the courts, and singlehandedly decide which laws apply in their counties.

In their minds, they’re rugged defenders of liberty.

In reality, they’re cosplay cowboys with badges — and a wildly inaccurate understanding of the Constitution.

Amy Schwab welcomed Governor Bob Ferguson to the Power of Community event on June 18. The following are remarks that preceded the introduction.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” presents significant concerns from a Democratic perspective, particularly in terms of its impact on vulnerable communities, healthcare equity, and the sustainability of public safety net programs. This poses significant threats to the well-being of working families, the elderly, and marginalized communities.

Rep. Michael Baumgartner congratulated himself on his vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill. Included in the piece are several bullets representing--in a binary, absolutist vacuum--how failure to pass the bill would affect Eastern Washington families.

A week before increasing the federal deficit by trillions and throwing 12 million people off of Medicaid, Congressman Michael Baumgartner sent out a glossy, 8x10-inch, double-sided, full-color mailer. It prominently featured a photo of a beaming Congressman Baumgartner alongside Donald Trump, both smiling and giving a "thumbs up" in anticipation of passing the so-called Big Beautiful Bill.

Our program featured Esther Click, head of Walla Walla Emergency Services Communications (WESCOM).

On August 5, 2025, voters in Walla Walla County will consider a proposed 0.2% Sales and Use Tax to support critical improvements to the county’s 911 emergency communications system. The funding would support WESCOM, which serves more than 63,000 residents countywide.

Enjoy this video of the Power of Community Celebration hosted by the Walla Walla Democrats on Wednesday, June 18 at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. The event was attended by over 300 guests.

The speakers included

• Bob Ferguson, Governor, State of Washington

• Mike Pellioccetti, Treasurer, State of Washington

• Keynote: Charles “Chuck” Sams III, Former Director, National Park Service