Gloom: Good morning, Sloggers! Thanks for studying The Stranger, you’re morally and intellectually superior. Regardless of the prevalence, sadly, all of us get the identical climate, no matter the place we learn it. This morning, anticipate cloudy skies and temperatures within the mid 40s. Round midday, issues will heat as much as the excessive 40s and showers ought to roll in round 1 pm. However don’t fear, the rain ought to subside by about 4 pm. Temperatures will drop barely into the night.
Cyclone: Western Washington continues to be recovering from the bomb cyclone Tuesday, which killed two folks and left lots of of 1000’s with out energy throughout the area. The Seattle Occasions will submit dwell updates right here as we gear up for spherical two Friday. Nevertheless, Friday’s windstorm will not get the “bomb cyclone” classification. Nonetheless, it ought to pack a wallop.
Arms embargo when? Properly, it may very well be now, however the USA Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to reject three resolutions sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders that will block the sale of the deadliest offensive weapons to Israel, a transfer which might disempower Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Solely 18 senators voted to place any guardrails on Israel after 13 months of killing civilians with our tax {dollars}.
AIPAC’s Darlings: Washington State’s two senators, Sen. Patty Murray and Sen. Maria Cantwell, joined the genocidal majority in rejecting Sanders’s tepid embargo on Israel. We shouldn’t be shocked. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) gave Murray’s marketing campaign greater than $120,000 between 2019 and 2024, making the pro-Israel PAC her third-biggest contributor, in keeping with Open Secrets and techniques. AIPAC additionally ranks as Cantwell’s primary marketing campaign contributor, giving her practically $200,000 in that very same interval, information present. When a majority of Democratic voters help a ceasefire—and have for a lot of months—and Washington State noticed a large turnout for “uncommitted” within the main in protest of the Biden administration’s response to the warfare, it’s abundantly clear that Murray and Cantwell signify AIPAC, not the folks of Washington.
Pissed? Inform them how you’re feeling (through @JVPSeattle) pic.twitter.com/7I4JqvIjgM
— Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) November 21, 2024
Talking of ceasefire: The USA vetoed the UN Safety Council decision demanding a direct ceasefire in Gaza regardless of 14 out of 15 members, together with the USA’ closest allies Britain and France, voting in favor. US deputy ambassador Robert Wooden tried in charge it on the opposite 14 members’ stubbornness. He mentioned, “We made clear all through negotiations we couldn’t help an unconditional cease-fire that did not launch the hostages” and that it was unlucky the compromise language didn’t make it into the ultimate decision. Nevertheless, from my learn, the decision did demand Hamas launch the hostages. Take a look your self: “…calls for a direct, unconditional and everlasting cease-fire to be revered by all events, and additional reiterates its demand for the rapid and unconditional launch of all hostages.”
Don’t cease believin’: Keep in mind how the Seattle Metropolis Council voted in opposition to Council Member Cathy Moore’s capital beneficial properties tax on Tuesday? I attempted to maintain it optimistic on the weblog, arguing that after Alexis Mercedes Rinck will get sworn in just a few weeks, the council could have sufficient votes to move the tax anyway. However Moore has outdone even me with regards to optimism and political will. She thinks they’ll move it in the present day! Yesterday, Moore’s workplace put out an motion alert calling on capital beneficial properties tax supporters to foyer Council Members Rob Saka and Tanya Woo to change their votes within the closing full council vote in the present day at 2 pm. If you wish to tax the wealthy to help applications that profit the working folks, contact Saka at Rob.Saka@seattle.gov or 206-684-8801 and Woo at tanya.woo@seattle.gov or 206-684-8808. In my view, Saka’s the extra sympathetic of the 2. He mentioned earlier this week that Moore discovered the “proper tax on the incorrect time.” Perhaps if he understood that this tax would not usher in income till the 2027 funds—when the Metropolis expects a $100 million shortfall—he would higher recognize the timing.
McBride responds: US Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, set to be the primary trans member of Congress, mentioned she would “observe” the Speaker of the Home’s newly minted guidelines that ban her from the ladies’s lavatory, impressed by Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace’s latest transphobic campaign. Lots of people on-line are sad along with her response, accusing her of capitulating to bigots.
I’m not right here to battle about loos. I’m right here to battle for Delawareans and to deliver down prices going through households. pic.twitter.com/bCuv7pIZBY
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 20, 2024
Falling in line: Republicans on the Home Ethics Committee voted to not launch the findings of the investigation into Donald Trump’s lawyer common decide, Rep. Matt Gaetz. It is an early signal of the social gathering’s loyalty to the person who simply could also be our closing president!
Venmo privateness settings strike once more! Talking of Gaetz, newly-released Venmo information present Gaetz paid greater than $10,000 to 2 ladies between July 2017 and January 2019 whereas he served in Congress. The ladies later testified as witnesses in sexual misconduct probes by the Home and the Justice Division. The Home Ethics Committee additionally obtained a examine Gaetz made out to money for one of many ladies for $750. On the examine, he allegedly wrote it was for “tuition reimbursement.”
Matt Gaetz paid younger ladies for “Being superior and “Simply because” pic.twitter.com/zNmWWGKQ1F
— Liam Nissan™ (@theliamnissan) November 21, 2024
UPDATE: As of round 9:40 am, Gaetz mentioned he’s withdrawing from consideration for the lawyer common submit. “Whereas the momentum was robust, it’s clear that my affirmation was unfairly turning into a distraction to the essential work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz wrote in a tweet. “There is no such thing as a time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my title from consideration to function Lawyer Common.” Stated like a person who would really like his skeletons to stay inside his closet.
He positive is aware of how one can decide ’em: New particulars emerged about Trump’s secretary of protection decide Pete Hegseth’s sexual assault allegation. In response to police reviews, Hegseth blocked a girl from leaving a resort room, took her telephone, after which sexually assaulted her despite the fact that she “remembered saying ‘no’ rather a lot.” The identical police report says Hegseth denied the allegations, saying he repeatedly checked that the girl “was snug with what was happening between the 2 of them.”
Impressed: Stranger reporter Ashley Nerbovig sang this track at karaoke earlier this week and I’ve been fascinated about the genius of the choice ever since. Impeccable style, radiating cool lady power.
