JAY INSLEE

The 4th Congressional District in Washington state is a land of snow-capped volcanic peaks and lush irrigated apple orchards.

Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse, who voted to impeach Donald Trump, advanced to the general election following days of vote counts in Washington state’s primary.

Two Republican members of Congress from Washington who drew interparty challenges due to their vote to impeach former President Donald Trump were leading other Republicans in the state’s top two primary.

An Arizona lawmaker who embraces election conspiracies and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump has won the Republican primary for the top elections post in the presidential battleground.

Primary elections are being held in six states on Tuesday.

An Arizona lawmaker endorsed by former President Donald Trump and another lawmaker who also believes the 2020 election should be overturned are among four Republicans vying to be the top election officer in Arizona.

When the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established a right to abortion, it sparked legal changes and court challenges in states nationwide.

Across the U.S., numerous Republican-governed states are pushing for sweeping bans on abortion.

Democratic leaders across the nation are vowing to help women who travel to seek abortions.

The benefits provided by four giant hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state can be replaced if the dams are breached to save endangered salmon runs, according to a new report released Thursday. Finding other ways to provide electricity, irrigation and enabling commerce would cost between $10.3 billion and $27.2 billion, said the report commissioned by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “We continue to approach the question of breaching with open minds and without a predetermined decision,” Inslee and Murray said in a press release.

Gun control measures are likely going nowhere in Congress, and they have also become increasingly scarce in most states.

Reproductive rights advocates are planning to open new abortion clinics or expand the capacity of existing ones in states without restrictive abortion laws.

A former judge and prosecutor is being appointed to oversee Washington state's new independent office to review cases in which police use deadly force — the first such agency in the United States.

There are signs the insurgent candidate backed by former President Donald Trump appears to be faltering in a crowded field of Republicans challenging the GOP incumbent for a U.S. House seat in conservative central Washington state.

The Supreme Court’s apparent intention to abolish a nationwide right to abortion, spelled out in a draft opinion leaked this week, will not be the final chapter in the nation’s most pitched culture battle.

In a story published April 27, 2022, about a controversial clemency issued by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Kyle Hedquist was 17 when he committed murder.

President Joe Biden plans to mark Earth Day in Seattle on Friday, but he's struggled to make progress on a sweeping environmental agenda.

Last November, 60 Minutes reported on the death of 19-year-old Sam Martinez, who suffered acute alcohol poisoning while pledging to a fraternity at Washington State University. On Wednesday, following a campaign by Martinez's parents to toughen Washington's hazing laws and to disclose fraternities' disciplinary records, "Sam's Law" was signed by Governor Jay Inslee.

The law attempts to address a crisis of missing Indigenous people — particularly women — in Washington state.

The law attempts to address a crisis of missing Indigenous people — particularly women — in Washington state.

It's a system similar to Amber Alerts and silver alerts, which are used respectively for missing children and vulnerable adults in many states.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed into law a bill that creates a first-in-the-nation statewide alert system for missing Indigenous people.

Ukrainian communities in cities like Sacramento and Seattle are mobilizing in anticipation of up to 100,000 refugees arriving in the United States amid Russia's invasion of their country.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new law to make abortions cheaper for people on private insurance plans.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added a contaminated island on the Columbia River to the Superfund list of toxic waste sites.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a measure that prohibits legal action against people seeking an abortion and those who aid them.

Free me from Inslee’s emergency powers, or I might as well die for my spirit will extinguish under the duress of mind-numbing conformity. | Op-ed

On the day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, Koloud “Kay” Tarapolsi reflected the views of many people when she told an Associated Press reporter: “If we avoid each other and listen to the scientists, maybe in a few weeks it will be better."

Farmworkers in Oregon would earn overtime pay for the first time in the state under a bill that the Legislature has approved.

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington have announced that schoolchildren will no longer be required to wear masks starting March 12.

The vote violates the state mandate, prompting the district's superintendent to cancel school until they can figure out how to implement the policy.

The trooper served 22 years before he quit over Gov. Inslee’s vaccine mandate.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is urging state lawmakers to approve a bill that would make it a crime for elected officials or candidates to knowingly lie about election outcomes if those claims result in violence.

The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week.

Governors and state lawmakers are prioritizing climate change as they write their state budgets, devoting money to lowering emissions and guarding against natural disasters such as flood and fire.

U.S. health officials have updated their mask guidance, encouraging more Americans to wear N95 or KN95 masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Jake Dickert has been introduced as the new head football coach at Washington State University and vows to “bring the Pac-12 championship back here to Pullman, Washington.”.

Washington state's Republican secretary of state is preparing to move across the country to take a key election security position within the Biden Administration.

As parts of western Washington began drying out after an atmospheric river dumped days of rain, waters in some areas continued rising, more people were urged to evacuate and crews worked to restore power and reopen roads.

People in the small city of Sumas, Washington, are assessing damage from flooding that hit an estimated three quarters of homes in the community near the Canadian border.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a severe weather state of emergency for 14 counties in the western part of the state. Oregon and British Columbia also saw extreme flooding and high winds.

Days of heavy rainfall and high winds Monday coming from a powerful atmospheric river in Washington caused extensive flooding and mudslides that forced evacuations, closed schools and closed Interstate 5 south of Bellingham.

U.S. governors are taking a seat at the table as international leaders gather in Scotland at a critical moment for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions and slow the planet's temperature rise.

Ordinary Americans and the nation's airlines are combining to donate miles and cash to help Afghan refugees resettle in the United States.

A Republican secretary of state who challenged former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud in 2020 will lead the Biden administration’s effort to protect future elections.

Washington State has fired football coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants for refusing a state mandate that all employees get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Opponents of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers in Maine have filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after being dealt another legal defeat.

The Biden’s administration’s mandate that employers with 100 or more workers require coronavirus vaccinations or institute weekly virus testing has moved one step closer to enforcement.

Pakistan’s planning minister says the government will begin a drive to vaccinate children aged 12 or above to protect them from coronavirus.

Officials in the northeast China city of Harbin say national level health officials have been sent to the city to deal with what may be a coronavirus outbreak.

Religious objections were once used only sparingly around the country to get exempted from various required vaccines.

Washington hospital officials say the state is facing its own COVID-19 crisis and has little capacity to help Idaho deal with a surge of cases driven by unvaccinated people.

Alaska Gov_ Mike Dunleavy said President Joe Biden’s effort to require millions of U_S_ workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is “ill conceived, divisive, and un-American.”.

Israel says it will soon reopen its gates to foreign tour groups -- even as it battles one of the world’s highest rates of coronavirus infections.

A growing number of communities are moving to require teachers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of aggressive campaigns to ward off the delta variant, which has infected hundreds of thousands of children in the United States.

Disastrous environmental events are converging like never before.

Washington State coach Nick Rolovich says he intends to follow a new state mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all those working at the state’s colleges and universities, including coaches.

The mandate, effective Oct. 18, applies to all K-12 teachers and staff in the state. The news comes as states around the country grapple with rising cases and the return of in-person schooling.

South Korea’s daily increase in coronavirus infections has exceeded 2,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic, continuing an alarming spread despite the enforcement of strict virus restrictions in large population centers.

Dozens of large fires are burning out West and the smoke has spread as far as the East Coast.

President Joe Biden is sounding the alarm about the need for more resources to fight a series of wildfires in Western states.

Washington state is embarking on a massive experiment in police reform and accountability following the racial justice protests that erupted after George Floyd’s murder last year, with nearly a dozen laws that took effect Sunday.

Money is on the way to help save the only grocery store in an isolated Washington state community that's been especially strained by the pandemic-related closure of the U.S.-Canada border. About 1,300 people live on Point Roberts, on the tip of a peninsula south of Vancouver, British Columbia, that juts into U.S. territory. Before the pandemic residents often traveled into Canada to shop, work or drive the 25 miles (40 km) through southern British Columbia to reach the U.S. mainland.

Many Americans are still making sense of new CDC guidance that vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks in most indoor settings.

The legislation was prompted by public outrage following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people at the hands of police.

Washington state's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, signed 12 bills into law Tuesday on everything from the tactics officers use in the field, to circumstances under which officers can be decertified.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed one of the nation’s most ambitious packages of police accountability legislation, prompted by last year’s outcry for racial justice following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people at the hands of police. The dozen bills Inslee signed include outright bans on police use of chokeholds, neck restraints and no-knock warrants such as the one that helped lead to Taylor's killing in Louisville, Kentucky.

Kamala Harris will lead the US National Space Council to help generate national space policies for the Biden administration, adding yet another item to the Vice President's brief. The Space Council was resurrected by the Trump administration in 2017 and led under Ms Harris' predecessor Mike Pence. The Biden administration's decision to keep the Council in operation was confirmed with Ms Harris' appointment on Saturday. However, a senior official told reporters that the Vice President intends "to put her own personal stamp" on the body and focus on a wide variety of space policies. While national security will continue to be a key issue for the Council, Ms Harris also intends to also focus on the development of sustainable commercial spaceflight, climate change and efforts for science, engineering and maths education, the official said. "In other words, the council's basic objectives: national security, basic science, technological development, contributions to US economic growth and the commercial sector will all be maintained," one official said. In a tweet confirming the new role, the Vice President said: "As I've said before: In America, when we shoot for the moon, we plant our flag on it. I am honoured to lead our National Space Council."

Australian residents and citizens who have been in India within 14 days of the date they plan to return home will be banned from entering Australia as of Monday and those who disobey will face fines and jail, government officials said. The temporary emergency determination, issued late on Friday, is the first time Australia has made it a criminal offence for its citizens to return home. The move is part of strict measures to stop travellers to Australia from the world's second most populous nation as it contends with a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths. The restrictions come into effect from May 3 and breaching the ban risks civil penalties and up to five years imprisonment, Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement. "The government does not make these decisions lightly," Mr Hunt said." However, it is critical the integrity of the Australian public health and quarantine systems is protected and the number of Covid-19 cases in quarantine facilities is reduced to a manageable level." The government will reconsider the restrictions on May 15. India's coronavirus death toll passed 200,000 this week, and cases are nearing 19 million as virulent new strains have combined with "super-spreader" events such as political rallies and religious festivals.

Attorneys for Scott Peterson claim they have new evidence that could get his conviction for the death of his pregnant wife and unborn child overturned in the form of new witnesses and suspects they believe are the true killers.

Federal agents served a search warrant at a boutique resort in Homer, Alaska, saying they were looking for a laptop stolen from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, one of the Homer Inn and Spa owners said. Agents on Wednesday confiscated laptop computers and a cellphone, owner Marilyn Hueper said. A cellphone belonging to her husband, Paul Hueper, was also forensically audited by agents but not confiscated, she said.

The US government is investigating possible "energy attacks" perpetrated on home soil after White House and National Security Council officials complained of debilitating symptoms similar to ones reported by diplomats in Cuba, Russia and China. The Department of Defence and other federal agencies have launched a probe and briefed politicians after being notified of an incident near the White House, CNN reported. The mysterious episodes first took place in Cuba, in 2016, when diplomats and other embassy staff complained of ear popping, vertigo, pounding headaches and nausea, sometimes accompanied by an unidentified "piercing directional noise." The cause of the symptoms has not yet been established, although State Department officials have previously referred to a “sonic attack” and “directional phenomena”. The illness was dubbed "Havana syndrome" and prompted the US to more than halve its numbers at the mission in 2017. Similar events took place in Russia and China in 2017 and 2018.

A Seattle-area hospital system has apologized after it offered COVID-19 vaccination appointments to big donors. The Seattle Times reports Overlake Medical Center & Clinics emailed about 110 donors last week who gave more than $10,000 to the hospital system, telling them that vaccine slots were available. The email gave the donors an access code to register for appointments "by invite" only. We need to give everybody a fair shot at the vaccine … We've got to maintain public credibility in the system. The hospital system says the vaccination slots were not offered exclusively to donors, but also to Overlake board members, some patients, volunteers, employees and retired health providers - some 4,000 people in all.

Andrew Cuomo Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images"Tax the rich" policies being weighed in some statehouses to cover Covid-era budget shortfalls may make more sense in the current economy. States may be better-suited by broadening sales taxes — to digital goods like streaming services, for example — instead of raising income taxes, Walczak added. Lawmakers in Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana and West Virginia have even called to cut income taxes this year. California lawmakers proposed hiking income taxes for millionaires, a move expected to raise more than $6 billion a year. In September, New Jersey enacted a measure to increase income taxes for residents with yearly income between $1 million and $5 million.

The Amazon headquarters sits virtually empty on March 10, 2020 in downtown Seattle, Washington. Amazon is opening a pop-up clinic in Seattle to administer Covid-19 vaccines. The one-day clinic will be set up on Sunday at Amazon's headquarters in downtown Seattle, the company announced Thursday at a news conference with Washington Governor Jay Inslee. Beyond the pop-up clinic, Carney said Amazon is working with Inslee and the state on its Covid-19 vaccine efforts. The clinic comes as Amazon has appealed to President Joe Biden and other officials for its front-line workers to get priority access to the Covid-19 vaccine.

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee said in a blog post this week it has enlisted Starbucks, Microsoft, Costco and other big companies to help with its vaccine rollout, with a goal of vaccinating 45,000 residents per day. "This is a massive effort, and as noble as any cause will be in 2021: Because this is the year we choose to get vaccinated, Washington," Inslee said in a press conference Monday. As of Wednesday, Washington had administered less than half of the doses it has received from the federal government so far. Starbucks is assigning workers from its operations services, labor and deployment, analytics and insights, and other departments to help design vaccination sites that are efficient and beneficial for patients, Starbucks said. "Basically, our role is figuring out how do we help these sites and the department of health as they set up vaccination sites.

A growing number of states that have struggled to speedily distribute the COVID-19 vaccine are enlisting the National Guard for help. In all, about 20 states are using their local National Guard troops for everything from leading the vaccination effort to distribution to giving people shots. That was also the reason more states appeared to be turning to the National Guard for help. Jessica Hill / APLast week, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson activated 45 National Guard troops. Back in the spring, when the coronavirus was spreading rapidly, the complex on the west side of Manhattan was repurposed by National Guard troops into a COVID-19 treatment facility.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic agreed to test travelers from the United Kingdom for COVID-19 before they board flights for New York. The quarantine is mandatory and although it's legally enforceable, Inslee said no one will be taken into custody over it. On Monday night, Cuomo called for a federal policy to try to keep the mutated strain from being brought to New York from other states, reports CBS New York. And this whole notion that any one state can protect itself was foolish from the beginning," Cuomo said. And for us to once again be incompetent as a federal government and take no action is just not a viable option for us in New York," Cuomo said.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Sunday announced the state would enforce new restrictions on businesses and social gatherings for the next month as it continued to combat a rising number of cases. Get Breaking News Delivered to Your InboxThe actions also follow grim milestones passed by Texas and California last week as the states each marked more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The restrictions announced by Inslee, a Democrat, temporarily rolls back all counties and places them under the same guidelines. As of Sunday, Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker has reached 11 million after topping 10 million cases November 9 — with the most recent million coming in just six days. It took 300 days for the U.S. to hit the 11 million mark since the first case was diagnosed in Washington state on January 20.

6/28: Mike Pence, Gov. Jay Inslee, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Sen. Tim Scott, Sherrilyn Ifill This week on "Face the Nation", a record number of new coronavirus cases explodes in the U.S., while governors in multiple states hit pause on reopening and the White House downplays the dangerous spread.

With governors around the nation lifting stay-at-home orders implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus, many are now seeking new combatants: contact tracers. Andrew Cuomo said that about three dozen contact tracers would be needed for every 100,000 people in affected areas. New York state has remained a hotbed of the coronavirus outbreak, with 305,000 cases and more than 23,300 deaths. The states stay-at-home requirement is set to expire on May 15, but could be extended. In Indiana, officials announced a program this week that includes having 500 trained contact tracers in place in the weeks ahead.

A man walks along an empty street as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in New Orleans, Louisiana U.S., April 4, 2020. (Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T)The coronavirus is truly vicious and effective at what the virus does, Cuomo told a daily briefing. However, a few churches were holding large gatherings on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week in Christian churches. NO ARCHIVESAdams, the surgeon general, said governors who have not issued month-long stay-at-home orders should at least consider one for the upcoming week. Kate Lynn Blatt, 38, a property manager from rural Pottsville, Pennsylvania, said she was astounded that her states governor, Tom Wolf, waited until April 1 to issue a statewide stay-at-home order.

A man walks along an empty street as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in New Orleans, Louisiana U.S., April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaNew York, the hardest-hit state, reported on Sunday that there were nearly 600 new deaths for a total of 4,159 deaths and 122,000 total cases. The coronavirus is truly vicious and effective at what the virus does, Cuomo told a daily briefing. And I want America to understand that.Places such as Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington, D.C. are starting to see rising deaths. Louisiana has become a hot spot for the virus, on Saturday reporting a jump in deaths to 409 and more than 12,000 cases.

A man walks along an empty street as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in New Orleans, Louisiana U.S., April 4, 2020. This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only its not going to be localized, he said. And I want America to understand that.Places such as Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington, D.C. are starting to see rising deaths. The White House coronavirus task force warned this is not the time to go to the grocery store or other public places. However, a few churches were holding large gatherings on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week in Christian churches.

Facial recognition software can identify individuals in photos and videos based on a database of known subjects. Washingtons law requires government agencies to obtain a warrant to run facial recognition scans, except in case of emergency. Previously, several cities, including San Francisco and Oakland, have banned government use of facial recognition, and California is among states that have barred facial recognition from being used in tandem with police body cameras. Microsoft Corp, based in Redmond, Washington, sells facial recognition software and backed the new law. Microsoft has said bans go too far and that real-world usage is needed to determine how best to regulate facial recognition.

(Reuters) - The governor of Washington signed legislation on Tuesday approving $200 million in emergency funds intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus in one of the hardest-hit U.S. states. The measure was approved earlier this week by state lawmakers in Washington, which has over 900 confirmed cases and 48 deaths from the coronavirus. A long-term care facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland was the site of one of the nations first outbreaks. New York, Washington state and California have the most confirmed cases of the highly contagious respiratory illness. The Trump administration on Tuesday pressed Congress to pass a $1 trillion stimulus package to buttress a U.S. economy hit by coronavirus fears.

The new coronavirus that's rapidly spreading throughout the U.S. reached all 50 states and D.C. on Tuesday after West Virginia confirmed its first case and the U.S. death toll passed 100. The virus has now infected more than 5,809 people across the country and killed at least 100, NBC News reported. There were just 62 confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. on March 1, according to the World Health Organization. More than half of all deaths in the U.S. occurred in Washington state, where the virus has killed 53 people. King County in Washington state has been hit particularly hard by the virus with 46 deaths reported in the county alone.

(Reuters) - The death toll in Washington state from coronavirus has surged by six to a total of 37, Governor Jay Inslee said on Friday as he issued new executive orders intended to reduce the spread of the respiratory illness. Washington, the hardest hit state in the outbreak of COVID-19, has confirmed 538 cases, Inslee said at an afternoon press conference at the statehouse in Olympia. The U.S. coronavirus death toll reached 46 on Friday. I dont take these decisions lightly, Im doing this for the health of all Washingtonians, the governor said. The bulk of the deaths from coronavirus in Washington state centered on a long-term care facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland.

(Reuters) - Washington states death toll from the coronavirus has surged by six to a total of 37, Governor Jay Inslee said on Friday. The state was extending its ban on gatherings of 250 people or more to across the state, and public and private schools will close as of Tuesday, Inslee told a news conference.

(Reuters) - Washington state Governor Jay Inslee on Thursday ordered schools to close in three Seattle-area counties to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus in a state battling the nations deadliest outbreak. The closure affects King, Pierce and Snohomish counties and all schools in the state may be ordered to close on Friday, Inslee told a news conference. Asked by a reporter about President Donald Trumps comments that he was considering travel restrictions to Washington, Inslee said he had not been consulted by the Trump administration about such a move and hoped it would not happen.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Wednesday banned gatherings of over 250 people in the Seattle area, said he may soon close all schools and did not rule out eventual lockdowns to slow the spread of the United States deadliest coronavirus outbreak. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and other regional leaders attend a news conference to announce measures to combat the spread of novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, in Seattle, Washington, U.S., March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Karen DuceyThe ban targeted sports, concerts, worship services and other events in greater Seattles King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties. The move followed New York Governor Andrew Cuomos decision on Tuesday to close schools, houses of worship and large gatherings in part of New York City suburb New Rochelle to counter an outbreak. Schools should be prepared to close for weeks or months, said Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County.

Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told a congressional hearing that the outbreak would only get worse in the United States. REUTERS/Brian SnyderThe number of U.S. coronavirus cases has risen steadily and has affected almost three-quarters of U.S. states. DISRUPTIONS TO DAILY LIFEDaily life in the United States has been increasingly disrupted, with concerts and conferences canceled and universities telling students to stay home and take classes online. Public gatherings have been suspended in a coronavirus hot zone in New Rochelle, a New York City suburb. The State Department has decided to suspend non-essential travel for its staff because of coronavirus, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee (C) addresses the press during a visit by Vice President Mike Pence to discuss concerns over the coronavirus. Public officials on Wednesday banned large gatherings in San Francisco and the Seattle area as cities seek to curb the spread of the new flu-like coronavirus that's infected more than 121,000 people across the world since December. Moments after Inslee's announcement, San Francisco health officials announced they were prohibiting public and private events of 1,000 or more to slow the spread of the new coronavirus there. "We know that this order is disruptive, but it is an important step to support public health," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement. The San Francisco ban is for two weeks, the mayor's office said in a statement, adding that the city's public health officer can extend it.

Inslee said that most schools in Washington would remain open for now, but administrators should make immediate contingency plans for potential closures. Soon after he spoke, however, administrators announced that all Seattle public schools would close on Thursday for a minimum of two weeks to disrupt infection. On Wednesday, the county health agency reported four more people had died from the disease. Fewer passengers are riding ferries as authorities try to slow the spread of coronavirus by encouraging people to work from home. But Seattle Public Schools administrators said in a statement Wednesday that they needed to move swiftly.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (Reuters) - Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Tuesday said he was considering mandatory measures to prevent an increase in coronavirus cases that could reach 64,000 in the state within eight weeks unless real action was taken. REUTERS/David Ryder/File PhotoInslee said epidemiologists warned there were likely as many as 500 to 2,000 coronavirus cases in Washington, and given the rate of spread of the highly contagious respiratory illness, the number could double every five to eight days. Washington state cases jumped by 105 to 267 cases on Tuesday with 24 deaths, nearly all of them in the greater-Seattle area. Most schools have stayed open in the Seattle area, drawing criticism as the area reported nearly all coronavirus deaths in the United States. After a delay, testing of Life Care Center staff has begun in earnest, spokesman Tim Killian said on Tuesday.

Passengers arrive on an international flight at the SeattleTacoma International Airport (also known as Sea-Tac Airport) on March 8, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Karen Ducey | Getty ImagesWashington state COVID-19 cases could reach 64,000 by May if health officials and the public aren't able to contain the outbreak now, Gov. If there are 1,000 people infected today, in seven or eight weeks, there could be 64,000 people infected in the state of Washington," he said. Inslee declared a state of emergency last month after the state reported its first death from the virus a man in his 50s from King County with underlying health conditions. The flu-like virus appears to be particularly severe for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, Inslee noted on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington State is considering whether mandatory measures may be needed to curb social gatherings and contain the spread of coronavirus in the hard-hit state, Governor Jay Inslee said on Sunday. We certainly are contemplating requirements for what we call social distancing, Inslee said on CBS Face the Nation.We are contemplating some next steps, particularly to protect our vulnerable populations, and our nursing homes and the like, and we are looking to determine whether mandatory measures are required, he added. He said the public had responded well with voluntary measures so far, but that more may need to be done. Thats working, but we may have to go to the next step.

Men wear face mask as they ride on the subway on March 8, 2020 in New York City. Oregon joined a growing number states to declare emergencies to contain the virus after the state's confirmed cases doubled to 14. Associated Press4:13 pm: New York City could soon have over 100 cases, mayor saysNew York City could have 100 or more coronavirus cases in coming weeks, up from 13 now, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Kate Brown declared a 60-day state of emergency as COVID-19 cases in the state doubled to 14. Reuters1:12 pm: Cases in France rise to 1,126French health officials said cases have risen to 1,126 across the country, including 19 deaths.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The coronavirus outbreak radiated across the United States on Thursday, surfacing in at least four new states and San Francisco as Congress quickly approved more than $8 billion to fight the outbreak. This is a critical moment in the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in King County, the county said in a statement. A medic prepares a stretcher to transfer a patient into an ambulance at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, the long-term care facility linked to several confirmed coronavirus cases in the state, in Kirkland, Washington, U.S. March 5, 2020. Texas and Maryland each confirmed three coronavirus cases, and Tennessee and Colorado each reported one, bringing the number of affected states to 17. Asked if the coronavirus outbreak has hurt the economy, Trump said at a townhall in Scranton, Pennsylvania: It certainly might have an impact.

CAMP MURRAY, Wash. (Reuters) - Vice President Mike Pence traveled to the state of Washington on Thursday to pledge federal support to one of the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus and defended President Donald Trumps response amid tension with the states governor over science. Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, last week tweeted sharp criticism at Pence and the Trump administration over its handling of the virus in the United States. I just received a call from @VP Mike Pence, thanking Washington state for our efforts to combat the coronavirus, Inslee posted on Twitter. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the government's coronavirus task force, addresses the news at 3M's company headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. March 5, 2020. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the government's coronavirus task force, addresses the news alongside 3M CEO Mike Roman and Minnesota governor Tim Walz (not pictured) at the company's headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. March 5, 2020.