All eyes are on Texas as Republicans work to draw new congressional districts ahead of

26. But the battle for control of Congress runs through Southwest Washington, home to one of the

most competitive districts in the country. And that's where incumbent Marie Glucent-Camp

Perez has a new challenger. He's the Republican leader in the state Senate. Meet John Braun,

a moderate who could deliver the third district in the state Senate. Meet John Braun, a moderate who

could deliver the third district to the GOP this week on sound politics, wherever you get your

podcasts.

Good afternoon from the KUOW Newsroom. This is Seattle now. I'm Paige Browning.

Coming up, advocates in Washington are trying to avoid panic about immigration arrests,

partly through a hotline that checks out rumors and tips.

That's in a few minutes.

But first, here's our roundup of today's top stories.

It's Wednesday, February 19th.

Starting with federal budget cuts. This week, a case against the Trump administration cuts to health research will get a hearing in federal court.

The cuts could have a huge effect on local cancer research. Scott Greenstone has the story.

In this oncology lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center,

scientists grow human tumors called organoids.

Bright red boxes labeled RNA mini-kit sit next to incubators for growing cells.

For Congresswoman Susan Delbenne, it's a familiar place.

So my first job out of college was working in a lab.

That lab and this one get lots of federal funding. And that's why Del Bene, a Democrat, is here.

This month, the Trump administration moved to drastically reduce reimbursements to institutions like Udub and Fred Hutch for, quote, indirect costs, rent, building upkeep, utilities.

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