Climate: In the present day can be largely sunny with a excessive of 63 levels. Get pleasure from it whereas it lasts, as a result of the rain’s simply backstage, doing vocal warm-ups for its large return within the subsequent few days.
Gates Basis Calls It Quits: Mark your calendars for December 31, 2045. That’s when the Gates Basis can be shutting its doorways for good. Since 2000, they’ve thrown over $100 billion at public well being and claimed to have lower worldwide childhood deaths in half, as a result of nothing says progress like fixing issues with the identical obscene wealth that helped create them. Invoice Gates, in full humblebrag mode, instructed the New York Instances, “We went from 10 million childhood deaths to 5 million,” and insists they’ll hold shrinking that quantity as a result of apparently, “the Golden Rule was not repealed.” Within the subsequent 20 years, he plans to spend down all the endowment of the muse, and far of his private wealth, he instructed the Instances. Nothing says do unto others like hoarding sufficient money to play God for a pair extra many years earlier than peacing out.
Ferguson Indicators Lease Cap: Nicely, lookie there, Governor Bob Ferguson can do one thing remotely progressive. Yesterday he signed a regulation capping hire hikes at 10% a yr for many tenants, making Washington the third state to place hire stabilization on the books after Oregon and California. So now, landlords can solely jack up rents by 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is decrease. New buildings (12 years outdated and youthful) and sure owner-occupied properties are exempt. Most people are celebrating as a result of, howdy, no extra outrageous hire hikes, however others, like the owner advocacy group Rental Housing Affiliation, are freaking out, claiming it’ll kill the housing market. Proper… Backside line: it’s a win for renters, however we’re simply scratching the floor of the housing disaster.
Choose Says No to Libya Deportations: The Trump administration is reportedly planning to deport migrants to Libya—sure, Libya, the place that occurs to have a Degree 4 journey advisory for crime, terrorism, and armed battle—utilizing US army planes to ship individuals off like Amazon Prime for human struggling. Happily, a federal choose rapidly reminded Terror 47 that delivery human beings off to a struggle zone with out discover or an opportunity to contest it blatantly violates his order, however hey, when has the regulation ever slowed down the empire? Choose Brian Murphy, who had already blocked the administration from deporting individuals to nations aside from their very own, made it clear: “The Court docket sees none,” with regards to any doubt that these deportations would break the regulation. In the meantime, Libya itself is saying, “We by no means agreed to this,” however since when has consent ever mattered to Trump?
Cops Who Killed Tyre Nichols Stroll Free: Three former Memphis cops—Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, and Justin Smith—simply walked free on all state fees, together with second-degree homicide, for the 2023 beating dying of Tyre Nichols. Now, let’s get this straight: they have been convicted of witness tampering in federal courtroom however one way or the other (largely) skated on civil rights violations—as a result of apparently, beating a person to dying simply isn’t fairly sufficient proof. Civil rights legal professionals referred to as it, “a devastating miscarriage of justice,” which is the well mannered approach of claiming, “What within the precise fuck?” In the meantime, the DOJ came upon Memphis cops have principally been operating their very own Combat Membership with a badge—so perhaps, simply perhaps, it’s time we cease performing shocked when the system does precisely what it was designed to do.
We Received A New Pope: It’s official. This morning, white smoke billowed from the Vatican chimney, that means we formally have a brand new pope. Behind locked doorways, a conclave of 133 cardinals determined which one in all them is holiest, like a cosmic sport of Catholic bingo. Any minute now, he’ll step onto that balcony, wave to the lots, and remind us that God is watching…however apparently solely via their eyes.
Stagflation Nation: The Fed simply rang the stagflation alarm because the U.S. financial system sags underneath Trump. Inflation’s creeping up, jobs are shaky, and the offender—shock!—is “risky commerce exercise,” a.okay.a. Trump’s tariff chaos. In a flailing try at distraction, Trump is hyping a tragic little commerce cope with the UK, whereas U.S. commerce officers lean on nations battered by those self same tariffs to make room for Starlink web service, offered by Nazi-loving absent-daddy Elon Musk.
DOGE Needs Your Information: In additional Musk information, what might go flawed with an enormous, centralized authorities database run by the Nazi-saluter? In line with the Washington Publish, Musk’s little doges are quietly hoarding private info on People. Civil rights advocates and a few federal employeees are are warning this is not simply hacker bait — it’s a useful little device for concentrating on political enemies or screwing with entry to public providers.
Columbia College Crackdown: On Tuesday night time, greater than 100 college students at Columbia College occupied Butler Library, renaming it the Basel Al-Araj Widespread College in honor of the slain Palestinian mental. Their demand: that Columbia divest from Israeli apartheid and genocide. The response: riot cops and repression. In line with NBC Information, NYPD and Columbia safety trapped protesters contained in the constructing and refused to allow them to depart until they handed over their IDs. Protesters reportedly laughed on the demand. Not less than 78 individuals have been detained. “We refuse to go down quietly,” stated the scholars in a post-raid assertion.
UW Suspends 21 College students: The Columbia crackdown comes simply because the College of Washington suspended 21 college students accused of occupying a brand new engineering constructing in protest of the college’s partnership with Boeing, an organization whose weapons have been utilized in Israel’s assault on Gaza. Police arrested not less than 31 individuals throughout that occupation, with the college claiming “important injury” to tools—although no full estimate has been launched. Some college students at the moment are banned from all UW campuses. Pupil group SUPER UW stated within the social media assertion that many college students sustained accidents from the SPD, “some to the extent of hospitalization.”
Adios Excessive-Capability Magazines: The Washington State Supreme Court docket simply upheld the state’s ban on high-capacity magazines, shrugging off a decrease courtroom’s gripe that it was unconstitutional. In a 7-2 resolution, the justices declared that magazines packing greater than 10 rounds aren’t “arms” protected by state or federal constitutions, that means the 2022 regulation stands—no shopping for or promoting these ammo hogs in Washington, although you’ll be able to nonetheless grasp on to those you’ve obtained. Justice Charles Johnson wrote that high-capacity mags aren’t essential for self-defense and Gov. Ferguson identified their outsized position in mass shootings and insisted that smart gun legal guidelines don’t trample your proper to pack warmth. Perhaps when you want 30 rounds to really feel secure, the issue isn’t the journal—it’s you.
Medicaid Cuts Threaten Care Amenities: Trump’s slicing Medicaid, and guess what? Lengthy-term care services in Washington, like Edmonds Care, would possibly shut, leaving thousands and thousands of aged and disabled people out within the chilly. A easy 5% lower would power huge layoffs and will shut down 65% of those locations—individuals would have nowhere to go. And with the variety of seniors needing care on the rise, this isn’t simply unhealthy, it’s a disaster. In the event you care about your fellow people, perhaps decide up the cellphone and inform your reps to cease treating human lives like they’re the rattling Squid Sport.
From Actual Housewives to Holocaust Memorial: So, Trump determined to swap out Biden’s picks for the Holocaust Memorial Council together with his typical lineup of sycophants, together with—await it—Actual Housewives of New Jersey star Siggy Flicker. Sure, you heard that proper. The identical Siggy whose stepson was arrested for storming the Capitol on January sixth is now in control of overseeing a museum devoted to one of many darkest durations in human historical past. In the event you watched her on TV, she in all probability believes “By no means Neglect” is a trending hashtag, not a solemn mission.
Behold, LimeGliders: Seattle is now the primary metropolis to roll out LimeGliders—scooters that appear to be bikes, as a result of why not make transportation much more complicated? Lime’s betting large on the Emerald Metropolis to check out their newest and best, utilizing our metropolis’s hills, rain, and common climate chaos as the last word proving floor. So now you’ve obtained 3,000 of those LimeGliders on the streets, alongside e-bikes and stand-up scooters, all whereas we’re attempting to remain on the high of the micromobility sport. Simply don’t neglect your helmet, as a result of if you inevitably eat it, not less than you’ll have some safety whereas questioning your life decisions!
Subsequent Step in Council Ethics Adjustments: Later as we speak, the Metropolis Council’s Governance, Accountability & Financial Improvement Committee can be deliberating on whether or not to ditch the entire “recuse your self when you’ve obtained pores and skin within the sport” rule. You recognize, that pesky ethics factor that claims when you would possibly make a couple of dollars off a vote, perhaps don’t vote on it? As a substitute, they need council members to simply disclose their conflicts and hold proper on voting. It principally quantities to, “Yeah, I would get wealthy off this, however not less than I instructed you first!” In the event you’re downtown as we speak at 2 PM, perhaps swing by Metropolis Corridor, seize the mic throughout public remark, and remind them that ethics aren’t simply vibes—they’re guidelines for a purpose. Ought to the proposal move out of committee, it might head to a full council vote as early as Might 20.
Sure, as I discussed to kick off Slog AM, the solar is shining as we speak, so it’d really feel a bit odd to counsel a morning sing-along to “Can You Stand the Rain.” However rattling it, it’s R&B singer Desmon Dennis’ birthday, so shout out to him and his soulful cowl of New Version’s final gradual jam.
