The COVID-era boosts to SNAP, UI, CTC, and child care went away. Medicaid unwound. Food costs spiraled. Interest rates doubled. Measures of material hardship worsened. And Democrats pointed to headline figures showing a boom. theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

“That floor of support that working class voters of color gave to Democrats all these years is falling out from under the party.” - ⁦Andrew Hong (he/him)⁩ on Chinatown ID & other areas shifting toward Trump. seattletimes.com/seattle-news/p…

I talked to Scott Greenstone about chess, Bob Ferguson, and politics. “In chess, you like to control the center of the board as soon as possible,” said Kamau Chege, the director of the Washington Community Alliance.” kuow.org/stories/washin…

Do podcasts play a decisive role in politics? This fascinating new paper maps the ecosystem using a large database of podcast transcripts from 2020. My first take away: politics is dwarfed by entertainment (not unlike social media): arxiv.org/pdf/2411.07892

Every neighborhood in America deserves a mixed-use Taco Bell

great piece worth reading right now

Multi-member districts with ranked choice voting would be a path to proportional representation and a multi-party system in the House.

47/49 WA leg districts opposed repealing capital gains tax on the rich (I-2109). “Tax The Rich” won 11 Trump districts + 16 GOP-held districts in State Leg. Blaming the Top 1% for inflation & unaffordability is a winning strategy for Democrats against GOP migrant fear-mongering

An exchange between me and Jon Favreau about the influence, or lack thereof, of Uber's David Plouffe and Tony West on Harris campaign. Appreciate Crooked Media for having me on.

seeing Brat on my Spotify wrapped had me thinking about how I acted like a brat. something was off but I wasn’t in a spot to find out. i think about it all the time. in the end, things didn’t wrap well but I want you to know I’ve made a full 360. anyway, you don’t have to reply…

WA's 14th leg district (in bright red) has the biggest shift from 2020-24 to Trump by 15% It's the least white, most Latino, and least college-educated LD in WA. Not a coincidence. Dems made up for working class POC losses by small but broad gains in white 'burbs (ex: LD10)

I talked to the Seattle Times about the reaction from Seattle politicians to a 2nd Trump term (vs 2016) and what they should be prepared for. seattletimes.com/seattle-news/p…

great piece from dylan matthews 🔸 on the truth about effective altruism in US philanthropy: we actually need a lot more of it

How do you know that making the ultra-wealthy pay what they owe in taxes is popular across Washington? Even Asotin county, a place that regularly elects Republicans by 65%+, rejected I-2109 by over 15 points! (h/t to the Washington Community Alliance for these great maps!)

every four months they come out with some new brand identity for being skinny

A noteworthy first—

Happy birthday to the love of my life, Hannah Sabio-Howell! I continue to be in awe of who you are— fierce and gracious and kind— and all the incredible things you’ve been able to accomplish. I feel so lucky to get to watch you grow and I can’t wait to see what you do next. I love you! ♥️

2025 Feb Social Housing Initiative Results by Seattle City Council District (as of election night, not final results): District 1: 61% Yes District 2: 73% Yes District 3: 74% Yes District 4: 67% Yes District 5: 66% Yes District 6: 68% Yes District 7: 67% Yes