SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori Monson’s government shutdown plea

Jan 19, 2019, 8:08 AM

Orca calf, orcas...

Southern resident orcas. (AP file photo)

(AP file photo)

With the news that the Lummi Nation is calling for an emergency declaration so NOAA — which is not available during the government shutdown — can coordinate an emergency response to two sick orcas in the sound, Dori Monson has a special plea for two of the country’s most prominent politicians:

“I have a message for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the two people responsible for the government shutdown.

I understand that you don’t like President Donald J. Trump. I get that even though you supported a barrier a few years ago, you now are adamantly against it for America because you want to take a stand against the president.

But Nancy, Chuck — do you mind if I call you that? — you’re about to kill two whales. This is a level of hate that I have never seen, even from your party. I understand policy differences, but when you are willing to hold the fate of two whales in the balance because you won’t give the president funds to build a wall — those whales are in your hands.

Chuck, Nancy — you disgust me.”

Sincerely,

Dori

This combination of photos released by the U.S. Army taken on May 16, 2025, shows from top left, Sg...

Associated Press

‘He’s not coming back’: Months after deadly Iranian attack, families of soldiers struggle to cope

For Michelle Tietjens, the pain of loss often hits hardest at the start of each day, when the realization dawns all over again that she’ll be facing it without her husband. “Waking up in the morning it always takes me a little bit to get going,” she said. “Because you relive it – that he’s […]

42 minutes ago

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, U.S. soldiers, including those injured after an Ira...

Associated Press

Soldiers seriously wounded in Iranian drone strike tell AP the military’s medical system failed them

The shrapnel hit Army Lt. Col. Arturo Lincón’s body like shattered glass. One chunk of metal lodged into the left side of his jaw. Another piece sliced through his salivary gland before bouncing off his jaw and piercing the back of his neck, severing an artery and embedding in a vertebra. Lincón was among dozens […]

50 minutes ago

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, smoke rises from an Iranian drone strike at Port Sh...

Associated Press

Exclusive: Soldiers and Gold Star families press Army leadership after deadly Iranian drone strike

WASHINGTON (AP) — On a sunny, cloudless morning on March 1, the day after President Donald Trump started the war against Iran, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan was coordinating critical Army supplies out of Port Shuaiba in Kuwait. In an instant, a drone crashed through the ceiling and exploded, killing Marzan, who had served […]

1 hour ago

In this image provided by Matt Odom, Laura Leigh Taylor, a farmer in Georgia who says she regrets v...

Associated Press

Trump’s immigration crackdown divides rural voters as midterms approach, AP-KFF poll finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than a year into President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, a poll finds that voters in rural parts of the country are divided on whether those immigration policies have benefited or harmed their communities. In The Associated Press-KFF survey of more than 2,000 rural voters in August, about a third said […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

FBI arrests a woman accused of spying on Taiwan leader’s family for China

BANGKOK (AP) — The FBI arrested a woman at Los Angeles International Airport as she was leaving the country and accused her of spying on the Taiwan president’s family for China. Wanying Zhang, also know as Heather, surveilled the Taiwanese president’s son and his family for the Chinese government while in the United States, according […]

5 hours ago

Associated Press

Asian shares are higher as easing worries over inflation reduce odds for another Fed rate hike

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares advanced Monday at the start of a busy week for U.S. economic updates. Investors have been encouraged by easing worries over inflation, which reduces the likelihood of another rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 2.5% in morning trading to 70,037.61. It was the benchmark’s first […]

7 hours ago

Dori Monson’s government shutdown plea