Take a minute to [un]wind with our Sunday morning newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you may have missed from [un]Divided this week.
100th episode
Tomorrow is the 100th episode of [un]Divided! Can you believe it? We’ve got a perfect guest for the occasion, so stay tuned.
Victory for Seattle’s International District
After pushback from Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) community, King County Executive Dow Constantine has scrapped plans for a homelessness complex in the neighborhood.
“Community members have shared their feedback about concerns in the Chinatown-International District and surrounding neighborhoods,” he wrote in a statement. “It’s clear that building trust and resolving underlying concerns will take more time before we can move forward with any added service capacity.”
The plan would have expanded an existing shelter run by the Salvation Army. Instead, that lease will remain in place as is.
King County’s about-face comes after weeks of pushback from the CID about what expanded shelter in the area could mean for an already worsening crime crisis. Asian American residents accused Constantine and other elected officials of using them for political “photo ops” then ignoring them when they come forward with concerns.
The anger of CID residents was documented extensively by Jonathan Choe, an independent journalist working for Discovery Institute – tasked specifically with covering homelessness. Choe joined [un]Divided on several occasions to discuss the community’s concerns.
Choe’s efforts to bring attention to the issue led to two high-profile clashes with Executive Constantine and his staff. On one occasion, Constantine rushed out of a press conference and down a private elevator to avoid answering Choe’s questions – telling him he is “not a journalist.” On a second occasion, Choe was blocked from entering a press tour of the existing shelter site.
If Constantine hoped he could stifle the story by icing Choe out, his calculation was wrong. Instead, scrutiny around the project intensified.
Seattle City Councilwoman Tammy Morales, whose district includes the CID, said she was “pensive” about the decision to halt the expansion, noting that the city is in desperate need of added shelter space. She did, however, make a woke-word-laden acknowledgment that residents were not properly informed or consulted about the project.
“The CID neighborhood has a high concentration of low-income immigrant elders who have experienced many government harms, both historical and ongoing,” the statement read. “The rollout of information around the proposed shelter expansion perpetuated the trauma that the CID community has experienced.”
This is where things get extra special.
Councilwoman Morales went on the blame JONATHAN CHOE. Yes, you read that correctly.
“This lack of transparency allowed for bad-faith political actors without ties the CID, such as a conservative think tank, to co-opt the narrative and cloud organic neighborhood resistance.”
WTF does that even mean?
Choe is one of the only local journalists to give a voice to residents of the CID. It seems to me that the councilwoman would be wise to remember whose crossed-out face her constituents plastered on their signs during protests.
More on this story on tomorrow’s podcast.
Debate disaster
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D) has officially bowed out of two debates against her challenger, Republican Tiffany Smiley. I happened to be sitting next to Smiley at an event in Bellevue when the news came down and, while disappointed, she seemed less than surprised.
Washington State Debate Coalition Executive Director Alicia Crank put out a blistering statement after Murray’s camp made its decision official.
“We are extremely disappointed to learn this afternoon that Sen. Murray has declined to participate in the Washington State Debate Coalition’s debates. This after declining our October 7th debate as well as weeks of silence from the Murray campaign to our October 25th debate. This final decision is unprecedented for the Coalition and is a huge loss for the voters of Washington state who deserve to hear from officials seeking national or state-wide office. Participating in debates every six years with a coalition of media outlets and partners from around the state is not an unreasonable ask and we’re disappointed that Sen. Murray feels otherwise.”
Unfortunately, the coalition has opted to cancel the October 25 debate altogether, rather than allowing Smiley to appear next to an empty lectern – which is what I have called for.
In explaining the decision, Crank told me several of Seattle’s major media outlets would not commit airtime to an empty chair debate, nor would Seattle University agree to host one.
The beauty of the debate coalition, which is a partnership of civic groups and major media outlets, is that it ensures debates are watched by the greatest number of voters and puts candidates in front of the state’s best and most knowledgeable journalists. If media outlets don’t commit to airing the debates, the whole system breaks down.
Enter KIRO 7 TV.
Behind the scenes, KIRO-TV was working to organize its own town hall-style event with the two U.S. Senate candidates, which the coalition says goes against its memorandum of understanding. In doing so, KIRO-TV gave Murray an out to avoid a high-profile, head-to-head debate against Smiley. Murray's official decison to decline the October 25 debate came just after Smiley agreed to the KIRO-TV event.
While the Murray campaign told the coalition it was working to confirm the October 25 debate, I’m told her camp was instead shopping around for a group that would hold something less formal (and therefore, less risky).
The KIRO 7 town hall in Seattle will be aired exclusively by KIRO 7, which is ridiculous. The station should be ashamed for giving Murray an out to skip the debate coalition event, and doubly ashamed for using the town hall to generate ratings for itself rather than ensuring it is seen by as many voters as possible.The Murray campaign claims it asked KIRO 7 to let other station broadcast the debate, to no avail.
Both Smiley and Murray have also agreed to a candidate forum on October 23 in Spokane presented by the League of Women Voters.
More on this story on tomorrow’s podcast.
Mike Pompeo 2024?
I had the privilege this weekend of sitting down with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his appearance at the Washington Policy Center’s annual dinner in Bellevue. Pompeo delivered a keynote address, but not before answering questions from the crowd. I was asked to help facilitate the conversation.
In recent weeks, Pompeo has been laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential campaign, but when asked on Friday he declined to make anything official. If he were to run, Pompeo could be taking on his former boss, whom he stayed loyal to during his time in the administration.
Among the topics Pompeo was asked about by the crowd included the border crisis, the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the uprising in Iran, and how much assistance the U.S. should be offering to Ukraine (in his opinion, as many weapons as we can muster).
Had I been interviewing Pompeo (rather than facilitating a Q&A), I would have also been curious to hear his take on the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago, the January 6 hearings, and the prospect of running against Trump next year.
Overall, I found Pompeo affable and knowledgeable. I’ll certainly be working to get him on the podcast.
Oh, and did you know that in addition to being the former CIA director and 70th Secretary of State, he was once an assistant manager at Baskin-Robbins? Talk about the American dream realized!
Hey Miranda!
It was so nice to have my sister in from Miami this week for an in-studio edition of Florida Report. She came to an event with me on Friday and I'm pretty sure people like her more than me! I mean look at that hat, how could you not love her?
Have a great Sunday and thank you for supporting this mission to give common sense a comeback!
