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Hey there from the KUOW Newsroom.

This is Seattle Now.

I'm Patricia Murphy with a roundup of today's top stories.

It's Wednesday, February 25th.

Washington Democrats are slamming.

President Donald Trump's claim that the state of the union is strong. The president touted his handling of immigration enforcement, the cost of health care, and the

economy last night. Senator Patty Murray did not attend the president's speech. Instead, she addressed

Washingtonians in a webstream. These tariffs did more than squeeze families' wallets. They pushed small businesses in our state

to the brink, and they choked our economy. The Supreme Court ruled last week. The president's

broad tariffs were illegal because Congress didn't approve them. The president later announced

he would impose 15 percent levies on all them. The president later announced he would impose 15%

levies on all imports. The Trump administration has defended their tariff policy, saying it would

lead to an increase in U.S. manufacturing and that it's pressured world leaders to bend to U.S.

interests. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has apologized to the Gates Foundation staff

for any fallout resulting from his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The Wall Street Journal reports

Gates addressed the foundation during a town hall yesterday and admitted he had two affairs with

Russian women that Epstein eventually learned about,

but he denied the affairs involved any of Epstein's victims. Gates went on to say it was,

...