Seattleholding.com

Harger: Seattle small businesses say things are worse than during COVID-19. Nobody in Olympia or City Hall seems to care.

A survey of Seattle small businesses just came out with numbers bad enough that I want to walk you through them.A group called <a href="https://intentionalist.com/blog/the-small-businesses-we-love-are-struggling-to-survive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intentionalist</a> talked to 136 independent small businesses across Seattle and the surrounding area. Cafes. Restaurants. Boutiques. Salons. Neighborhood places. The kind that makes a city feel like somewhere worth living.Two-thirds of them said they’re under more financial stress right now than they were during COVID-19. During the shutdowns. During the year when nobody could go anywhere.The worst public health crisis in a century, which literally forced their doors shut, was less damaging to these businesses than whatever is happening right now in Seattle.<h2>Seattle small business numbers are worse than they look</h2>Nearly three-quarters of Seattle’s small businesses say foot traffic is down. Almost two-thirds are seeing sales drop. Only about 1 in 8 said customer demand is enough to cover what it costs to stay open.Half said theft, vandalism, and break-ins are cutting into their bottom line. And most of them can’t get a decent loan right now, even if they wanted one.To keep the doors open, most are doing what people do when they’re out of options: dipping into personal savings, taking on new debt, cutting staff hours, skipping maintenance. Most are doing several of these things at once. And the customers walking in for coffee have no idea.I think about the small business owners I see every day. They were already fighting a battle that the big chains never have to fight. No corporate safety net. No national marketing budget. No team of lawyers reviewing their lease. Just them, their staff, their savings, and their neighborhood.<h3>Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s tax agenda is heading straight for businesses already on the edge</h3>Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is two months into her first term. To her credit, she asked city departments last week to look at 5% to 10% budget cuts. That’s worth acknowledging.But her broader agenda includes proposals that land directly on the businesses least equipped to absorb them.The JumpStart payroll tax already hits Seattle businesses with a levy on employee compensation. Wilson wants to expand it. The $30 minimum wage she’s pushing would be among the highest in the country, layered on top of businesses that are already cutting staff hours just to survive.A local capital gains tax would add another 2% on top of the state’s capital gains tax, projected to raise around $30 million for the city. And a vacancy tax would penalize landlords with empty commercial space, which sounds satisfying until you realize it gets passed straight down to tenants in the form of higher rents.Each of these, taken alone, might be arguable. Stacked together, aimed at businesses where one in eight say they’re already making enough to cover costs, they represent a reckoning that a lot of neighborhood businesses will not survive.<h3>Olympia is piling on with new taxes on Seattle small businesses, too</h3>First, some context on the B&O tax, because it matters here. Washington’s Business and Occupation tax is unlike most business taxes you’ve heard of. Most states tax profits. Washington taxes gross revenue. Every dollar that comes in the door, before you pay your rent, your staff, your suppliers, or your own salary.A cafe that brings in $500,000 a year but clears $20,000 after expenses pays B&O tax on the full $500,000. There’s no deduction for the cost of doing business. It hits hardest on low-margin businesses, which is exactly what most neighborhood small businesses are.The state legislature raised the B&O tax rate on service businesses last year. There’s a bill this session that would add a 5 percent payroll tax on businesses with workers earning above $125,000. Another would let counties add their own B&O tax on top of what businesses already pay the city and the state.Three layers of tax on gross receipts. The big companies have options, lawyers, and lobbyists. The small business owner on your block doesn’t.The woman who opened the cafe you love, the guy running the bookstore your kids grew up in, they don’t have a Bellevue to relocate to. They have the neighborhood they bet everything on.<h3>Seattle’s small business crisis is not being treated like the emergency it is</h3>Dan Griffin at Fox 13 <a href="https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/seattle-small-businesses-struggling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">covered this survey</a> when it came out. But beyond that, it’s been largely met with silence from the people who could actually do something about it.The big companies have lobbyists. The small ones have a survey that nobody in Olympia or Seattle City Hall seems to be reading.Nobody is treating this like the emergency it is. And by the time they do, a lot of these businesses will already be gone.Charlie Harger is the host of <a id="menurkpt" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://mynorthwest.com/category/seattles-morning-news/" href="https://mynorthwest.com/category/seattles-morning-news/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Link “Seattle’s Morning News”">“Seattle’s Morning News”</a> on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries <a id="menurkpv" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://mynorthwest.com/author/charger/" href="https://mynorthwest.com/author/charger/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Link here">here</a>. 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More work zone speed cameras are coming — and so are the fines

The state rules are changing, and more cameras are coming.When the legislature authorized the use of mobile work zone speed cameras, it gave drivers a break. The first violation would be free, and that’s how it’s gone since April of last year, when the cameras went live.“Right now, it’s a zero fine on the first one, but the second one, you get $248 starting July 1,” Washington State Patrol (WSP) Public Information Officer Chris Loftis said. “The first one&#821

Tens of thousands of people are stranded in the Middle East as Iran war complicates routes home

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has defended him.An estimated 30,000 German tourists remained on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports in the Middle East, and the first plane from Dubai to Frankfurt, Germany, was expected to land Tuesday afternoon.The German government is also seeking to charter planes at taxpayer expense to get vulnerable people — including ill travelers, children and pregnant people — back home.France is also trying to organize the return of thousands of French people,

Noem will testify in the Senate in her first appearance since 2 Minneapolis protesters’ deaths

In what was initially billed as an effort to root out fraud in Minnesota, Homeland Security eventually sent hundreds of officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to the state. They were met by protesters who organized marches, patrolled neighborhoods for ICE activity with whistles and ferried food to immigrants too afraid to leave their homes.Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer on Jan. 7, setting off intense protests by Minnesota politicians

Target reports another quarter of declining sales but says it sees some green shoots

<block>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Target reported another quarter of declining sales and profits as it as the retailer struggles to regain its footing with its customers contending with higher prices almost everywhere. But the Minneapolis company on Tuesday offered a solid annual profit outlook that was better than Wall Street had been projecting, It also said it believes net sales with grow every quarter this year. Target also said comparable-store sales rose to start the current quarter. Shares jumped more than 4% before the opening bell. The company earned $2.30 per share, or $1.05 billion, for the three-month period ended Jan. 31. That compares with $2.41 per share, or $1.10 billion, during the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings per share for the most recent quarter was $2.44.Sales fell 1.5% to $30.45 billion during the latest period. For the full year, sales fell nearly 2% to $104.78 billion.Analysts were expecting $2.16 per share on sales of $30.46 billion, according to a survey by FactSet.</block>

Photos show Lebanese people fleeing and buildings wrecked after Israeli strikes

<block>Many people in Lebanon are fleeing their homes after Hezbollah launched missiles into Israel from Lebanon in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Israel retaliated with strikes on Lebanon. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.</block>

Minnesota sues to block Trump administration’s withholding of Medicaid funds

<block>Minnesota on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration in an attempt to stop it from withholding $243 million in Medicaid spending, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the funding is held back. The lawsuit asked a U.S. court in Minneapolis to issue a temporary restraining order to block the withholding for Medicaid, which is the health care safety net for low-income Americans. The move came after Vice President JD Vance said last week the administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds.Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office has a strong track record of fighting Medicaid fraud and has won more than 300 convictions and $80 million in judgments and restitutions during his time in office. “Trump’s attempts to look like he’s fighting fraud only punish the people and families who most need the high-quality, affordable healthcare that all Minnesotans deserve,” Ellison said in a statement. “As long as I am attorney general, I will do everything in my power to defend our tax dollars, both from fraudsters and from the Trump administration’s cruelty.” The lawsuit names the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz, in his official capacity as CMS administrator, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his official capacity as HHS secretary.The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes CMS, didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment late Monday. The threatened cuts amount to roughly 7% of Minnesota’s quarterly Medicaid funding, Ellison’s office said in a news release. Minnesota could be required to significantly cut health care services for low-income families or other government services if the cuts take effect, it said.Medicaid, which is known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota, provides health insurance to 1.2 million Minnesotans who would otherwise be unable to afford it. A family of four may qualify for Medical Assistance with an income at or under $42,759, the attorney general’s office said.The lawsuit said the administration violated due process procedures because it was taking hundreds of millions of dollars without proving Minnesota’s noncompliance with Medicaid regulations through discovery and an evidentiary hearing.It alleged the administration failed to provide Minnesota with details about its decision, in violation of federal law. It cited legal precedents, including one that said Congress may impose conditions on states’ acceptance of federal funds, but “’the conditions must be set out unambiguously.'” Minnesota’s complaint further charged the administration violated the Constitution because the withholding imposed retroactive conditions on Minnesota’s Medicaid funding.It said withholding the funds was arbitrary, capricious and part of a pattern of political punishment of Minnesota. The administration said it would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota for Medicaid spending in the fourth quarter of 2025. Minnesota’s lawsuit challenges the withholding of $243 million of this money.</block>

GOP congressman enters Texas primary fighting to keep his job after allegations of an affair

Tony Gonzales of Texas sought to fend off a primary challenge Tuesday that comes as he faces calls to resign following allegations of an affair with an aide, who later died after setting herself on fire.Gonzales, who has said he won’t step down, entered the nation’s first big primary of 2026 under pressure from fellow House Republicans after published reports last month that alleged to show explicit text messages between him and the former staffer.The three-term congressman was locke

North Carolina primary could mean Roy Cooper vs Michael Whatley in pivotal fall Senate race

And I think the more Democrats that show up, and the more independents that show up for this midterm election, and the more seats we can take from the Republicans, the more he might get the message,” said Lisa Frucht, 67, said as she cast a ballot for Cooper at an early voting site north of Raleigh.Republican voter Gary Grimes, who chose Whatley, said Democratic control of Congress could lead to more impeachment efforts against Trump that ultimately won’t succeed. “It’ll be a repeat of wha

A mess in Texas? What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries

But on the eve of the primary, he had yet to make a pick.All of the Republican candidates have worked to convince voters they are aligned with Trump, who remains overwhelmingly popular among the primary electorate. Former Trump campaign chief Chris LaCivita is on the Cornyn payroll as well.Trump stars in the Democratic primary as well, where Crockett, far more than Talarico, has grown a national brand based on her fierce opposition to Trump.Depending on Tuesday’s results, Texas may play a

Man convicted of 1991 fatal shooting of police officer is set to be executed in Florida

<block>STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.Final appeals were pending Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court.A total of <a href="https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">47 people</a> were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.</block>

Texas GOP Sen. Cornyn tries to hold his seat while Democrats Crockett, Talarico face off for Senate

Crockett and Talarico each argue that they are the stronger general election candidate in a state that backed Trump by almost 14 percentage points in 2024 and where a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race in over 30 years.Voters also are choosing House candidates using new congressional district boundaries that GOP lawmakers — urged on by Trump — redrew to help elect more Republicans.Cornyn fights to hold seat, Crockett and Talarico race for DemocratsCornyn hopes to avoid becoming the first Repub

Curley: The Iran war isn’t about oil, nukes, or Epstein — it’s about China

Iran is China’s convenience store, which we’ll refer to from now on as the 7-Eleven.What do you get there? Well, of course, you get oil. You get all your oil, if you’re China, from that particular 7-Eleven, plus you’re also able to buy and sell other things.What’s also there? Supersonic anti-ship missiles are also available at this 7-Eleven. China put them there, by the way, and China likes to have them there because they want all of Iran’s friends, other fellow terrorists, to be able to use those missiles.Now let’s talk about the oil for a second. So China gets about 80% of its oil at this particular 7-Eleven, and it loves it because it’s cheap, and also, what it does is it uses ghost ships. Ghost ships mean it turns off its transponder, and it comes sailing through any one of the straits that it can, and it doesn’t have to deal with a whole bunch of other problems, like taxing and things like that.So it’s moving a whole bunch of oil that it gets from its 7-Eleven, and it secretly takes it back to China. It basically controls about 90 million people. That’s the total population that works there at that 7-Eleven.<h2>China and Iran’s growing partnership</h2>In 2016, China went to its 7-Eleven — Iran — and they met together, and they said, “Listen, we’d like to work together. OK? We want to have our economies working together.”So in 2021, China said to this 7-Eleven, also known as Iran, “Let us start building a bunch of infrastructure for you. Let us take care of your energy and transportation. We also want to work on your technical stuff. We’ll allow you to be able to spy on all your employees at the 7-Eleven. Have you noticed that any of your 7-Eleven employees start sending stuff here or there and start saying bad things about you? Don’t worry about it because we’re China, and we know how to control all technology, like surveillance. So, for instance, if you need to kill 7,000 of your 7-Eleven employees, you can do that, and we can allow you to follow them. You want to round up 50,000 of them and question them for emails, text messages, and things they looked up online? We can help you with that as well.”So at that point, China and the 7-Eleven/Iran are all in bed together. Why? Why all of this sort of stuff? Well, it all has to do with waterway transportation.In 2023, Iran, using its proxies (other terrorists), was able to attack U.S. ships in the Red Sea. This was really good for China, not so good for the United States, because the Red Sea has container ships, and about 90% of them go through there.It was an increased cost to the U.S. economy of about a trillion dollars, because now all of those ships had to go somewhere else and around. That’s through the African Cape of Good Hope, which increases the cost of transportation, which increases the cost, which is inflationary, which isn’t good, lasting about two weeks, total cost about a million dollars in fuel, additional million dollars in cost and fuel.<h3>While the U.S. focuses on Iran, China courts the Gulf</h3>So China is doing this to disrupt the U.S. economy. It knows that if it can have U.S. focusing on its 7-Eleven (Iran) and have everybody sitting there with all of our ships and all of our military ready to go, it’s consuming a lot of U.S. economy and U.S. military, like, for instance, those attacks they talked about in the Red Sea, they cost a U.S. Defense about a quarter of its high end interceptor inventory — just went down.We shot all those missiles out. They took a lot of money. We didn’t have as many missiles. We had to get the missiles back again.So the U.S. military is forced to try to guard, control, and stop anything from happening in that particular 7-Eleven while other stuff is happening around the world.China loves this. China is able to meet with Gulf state monarchies, and it goes in and says, “Now listen, I know you don’t trust us. I know we’ve got some problems, but you can trust us, Saudi Arabia. In fact, I’ll tell you what, if you sell us more of your oil and stuff, we’ll come in and help you with infrastructure. We’ll help you with a whole bunch of stuff that you don’t already have. And you know what? The United States is not always your friend. We can be there for you. I know you don’t trust us, but it’s OK. Listen, we’ll cut you a deal. We’ll give you smart technology. We’ll do the same thing we did over at our 7-Eleven (Iran). And let’s face it, there’s a lot of instability in the world. You might want to come and work with us. It could be a better move for you.”<h3>A battle for world currency and control</h3>So you see, China also knows that Taiwan is the linchpin of this entire thing. The Taiwan Strait controls West Pacific trade routes. All Asian communities depend upon this. So if there are problems there, near Taiwan, if China gets in there and causes problems, well then we’ve got some big problems with all our allies in the East Asian community.So at this point, we have a big problem, because it’s really about the United States and China. When you hear people going off on “No Blood for Oil” or “Death to America,” you’ve got to realize it’s a much bigger structural problem than just simply, “Oh, Trump’s a warlord,” or Trump and Vance, or some other garbage.This gets down to China and the United States in a battle for world currency and control of the world. They want to be number one, and they also know that Taiwan is the main focus, because they know we can’t focus on Iran going in there, having all our ships constantly going back and forth, and being bombed while stuff’s happening over near Taiwan. If China can keep us focused on something else, like that 7-Eleven (Iran), it’s able to move in and do some other stuff near Taiwan.So the Middle East, in constant chaos, drains the U.S. of military and alliance comfort. If a Taiwan crisis comes and the U.S. needs the Middle East friends for sanctions, like financial exclusionary stuff, technical denials, and things like that, to try to squeeze China.Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/category/podcast_results/?sid=1089&n=The%20Tom%20and%20Curley%20Show">podcast here</a>.<a class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/http://twitter.com/curleyseattle" data-show-count="false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow @http://twitter.com/curleyseattle</a><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New report could lead to charges against former Lakewood police chief in 2013 shooting

The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PCPAO) is taking a fresh look at a fatal officer-involved shooting from 2013.Leonard Thomas, 30, was shot and killed following a four-hour standoff with the Pierce County Metro SWAT Team.A new report by the Washington Office of Independent Investigations suggested evidence brought up during a 2017 federal wrongful death trial could justify charging former Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro with manslaughter, according to The Seattle Times.Zaro

Suspect arrested in fatal Bellevue hit-and-run

Investigators said they believed the suspect was driving a late‑1990s white Toyota Camry.Police notified the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday that the suspect might be in the Port Townsend area, but patrol units were initially unable to locate the vehicle.RELATED STORIES'Very disturbing': Legally blind man shot twice in Chinatown-International District35-year-old stabbed outside Ballard food bank, suspect in custody23-year-old robbed, shot in leg in Pioneer Square over $20 necklaceB

War in Iran jolts final day of campaigning in Texas primary

Connie Stamps of Waco said the action, notably killing Iranian leadership, “is going to be good for the whole world.” “I’m very thankful we have a president who does what he says he’s going to do,” she said, dismissing the question that Trump was starting an overseas conflict he campaigned against. “He cares about the whole world. He’s the peace president.” In all three of his presidential campaigns, Trump campaigned against prolonged foreign military entanglements, altho

Minnesota launches investigation that could bring charges against federal immigration officers

<block>A Minnesota prosecutor announced an investigation Monday that may lead to charges against federal officers, including Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, for misconduct during an immigration enforcement crackdown.Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a news conference that her office is already looking into 17 cases, including one where Bovino threw a smoke canister at protesters on Jan. 21. Another on Jan. 7 involved federal officers making an arrest outside a high school and deploying chemical irritants while students and staff were in the area. “Make no mistake, we are not afraid of the legal fight, and we are committed to doing this correctly,” Moriarty said. “Operation Metro Surge caused immeasurable harm to our community.”The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Border Patrol, and Bovino did not immediately return a request for comment.Bovino, who emerged as a key figure in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, is known for bringing aggressive tactics to crackdowns in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Los Angeles. In Chicago, federal officers frequently deployed chemical irritants as crowd control measures in residential neighborhoods, and a judge ordered Bovino to wear a body camera and appear in court daily to answer questions about the crackdown. That order was overturned before his first mandated appearance. Officers at times took a forceful approach to corralling protesters in Minneapolis-St. Paul and detained numerous people blowing whistles and recording arrests.Bovino was eventually removed from his leading role in the Minnesota effort after federal officers fatally shot 37-year-old mother Renee Good and 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti on different days in January, leading to nationwide demonstrations and criticisms of DHS use-of-force policies.Moriarty’s office has set up an online portal where photos, videos and eyewitness accounts from any point during Operation Metro Surge can be uploaded.The Trump administration has defended federal officers, but Moriarty is making clear that her office is “collecting evidence about all sorts of possible crimes,” said Rachel Moran, a professor of criminal law and policing at University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis.In cases where officers unjustifiably used chemical weapons, threw people to the ground or smashed car windows, Moran said as examples, prosecutors may be investigating assault or property damage.“These would be situations where the state has to determine: Is there evidence that agents acted unlawfully and outside the scope of their authorized duties?” Moran said. “I think agents did illegal things here. I watched it.”Though federal officers conducted immigration enforcement throughout the Twin Cities, Moriarty’s investigation will only focus on incidents in Hennepin county, which includes Minneapolis and many of its suburbs.Her office is also investigating the deaths of Good and Pretti, and she is “confident” they will be able to pursue charges. She said Monday that her office is prepared to sue the federal government to get the evidence she has requested for the investigations if she does not hear from them by Tuesday.“The question is, should we charge in federal court? Do we expect the federal government to obstruct us? I would say they’re already doing that,” Moriarty said.The Department of Justice opened a civil rights inquiry into Pretti’s death, but said it saw no reason for a civil rights investigation of Good’s death. The Federal Bureau of Investigations barred state investigators from accessing evidence in her case.The DOJ and FBI did not immediately return requests for comment.While Moriarty addressed the challenges her office would face in bringing charges against federal agents, she said they are committed to transparency and accountability.Mark Osler, who served as director of the criminal division for a year under Moriarty in 2023 and 2024, said regardless of whether there are charges, he thinks the public can look forward to more clarity. “One of the most important roles that prosecution has … is truth-telling, is to bring to the surface what actually happened at a given time,” said Osler, who is currently a law professor at University of St. Thomas. “We’ll all know more than just what we saw in those initial videos by the time she’s done. I’m confident of that.”___Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa.</block>

As Mideast conflict widens, US says attacks on Iran will last weeks and intensify

Israel has said it is targeting the “leadership and nuclear infrastructure.”Iran has said it has not enriched uranium since June, though it has maintained its right to do so while saying its nuclear program is peaceful.The death toll grew on all sidesThe Iranian Red Crescent Society said the U.S.-Israeli operation has killed at least 555 people. In Israel, where several locations were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed. Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah killed dozens of

Iran strikes divide local Iranian-Americans, Washington lawmakers split on military action

“People will finally be free to make their own decisions like who they want as their next leader.”There is one issue Kamyab and Iranian American protestors calling for an end to the use of military force share in common, and that is their combined support for a change in Iran’s leadership.“This regime has been killing our people, in the tens of thousands,” Kamyab said. “If you remember, just two months ago, on January 8 and January 9, in two days they killed o

Man who rammed car into Chabad headquarters in NYC charged with damaging religious property

<block>NEW YORK (AP) — A man who drove his car into the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in New York City has been charged by federal prosecutors with intentionally damaging religious property. Dan Sohail, 36, was set to be arraigned Monday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court for the Jan. 28 incident, which damaged the entrance of the revered Jewish site, but did not cause any injuries. An attorney for Sohail did not immediately return a request for comment Monday. He was previously arrested by New York City police at the scene and charged with multiple hate crimes by state prosecutors. He later told officials that he had recently learned he had Jewish heritage and had been invited to the headquarters that night to learn more about the religion’s traditions, according to the federal complaint unsealed Monday. Several people close to him — including family members and Chabad rabbis — have said Sohail did not seem to harbor any hatred toward Jews, and confirmed that he had expressed interest in converting to the religion. Weeks before the incident, he had attended a social gathering at the Chabad headquarters, where he was seen on video dancing with Orthodox men, according to police. Sohail’s father <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/29/man-who-rammed-car-into-brooklyn-chabad-headquarters-hoped-to-convert-to-judaism-father/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily News</a> that his son suffered from “mental problems,” but had “a very good friendship, relationship with the Jews.”Sohail initially claimed that his “clunky boots” had slipped, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, according to police. Federal prosecutors said he was seen removing several blockades and cleared snow away from a sidewalk before driving into the building at least five times. The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison if the damage is found to have exceeded $5,000. Jailed since his arrest, Sohail was temporary released Monday to the custody of the U.S. Marshals for his federal court appearance, online records show. His next hearing in the state case is March 31.A spokesperson for Chabad did not respond to inquiries about the federal charges. The crash occurred on the 75th anniversary of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson becoming the leader of the Lubavitch movement and prompted immediate concern in the city. Schneerson died in 1994 but remains a revered figure globally.There has been a near constant police presence around the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters for years.The site was at the epicenter of the Crown Heights riots in 1991, when Black residents of the neighborhood attacked Jews after a child was killed by a car traveling in Schneerson’s motorcade. In 2014, a disturbed man entered the synagogue and stabbed a rabbinical student, wounding him, before being shot dead by police.</block>