Good Morning! Might anybody sleep over the sound of that wind final night time? Heavy gusts knocked out energy for at the very least 135,000 prospects within the space, took down utility poles, and threw a tree onto a automobile on Aurora, all whereas a Delta flight would possibly have gotten struck by lightning over Lake Union (everybody’s okay). It’s supposed to stay round til 10 am, with gusts as much as 60 miles per hour. If it’s a must to go outdoors earlier than they die down, perhaps tie a sandbag or two to your ankles.
Alright, let’s get the Trump stuff out of the best way.
Toes Are for Suckers: Somebody apparently hacked into the displays on the DC headquarters of the Division of Housing and City Growth yesterday. And for a scorching second, they confirmed an AI video of Trump making out with Elon Musk’s large toe. Overlaying the video is the textual content: “Lengthy Stay the Actual King.” (Why do we predict it’s AI? Elon has two left ft. The remainder is fairly plausible.) My favourite factor about this story is that somebody on the New York Occasions needed to write and edit the phrase: “President Trump sucking the toes of Elon Musk.”
Empty Threats: In keeping with the federal government’s personal knowledge, almost 40 p.c of the contracts that Elon Musk’s DOGE cancelled gained’t save the federal government any cash. The company revealed a listing of 1,125 contracts that it terminated in latest weeks, and knowledge on DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts” exhibits that 417 of these cancellations aren’t anticipated to avoid wasting the federal government a dime. “It’s like confiscating used ammunition after it’s been shot when there’s nothing left in it. It doesn’t accomplish any coverage goal,” one knowledgeable advised the Related Press.
Talking of Musk: We’re off X (see above for a few the explanations). You could find us on BlueSky right here. See you there!
Be Our Visitor: The White Home socials received bizarre about opening their excursions to the general public. It seems like a sequence of adverts for the Hilton Visitor Expertise™. How do I do know this? As a result of the White Home Instagram account nonconsensually seems on my feed day by day.
ICE Can Harass Fewer Church buildings, At Least: It appears like months in the past, however bear in mind on the very starting of his time period (36 days in the past), when Trump threw out Division of Homeland Safety insurance policies that restricted the place ICE may make arrests—particularly in church buildings? A number of non secular teams sued, together with the Quakers, a Georgia-based Baptist community, and a Sikh temple in Florida. And yesterday, a US District choose blocked the order whereas the lawsuit performs out. Sadly, it solely applies to the plaintiffs.
One other Doable Block: At present, US District Decide Jamal Whitehead in Seattle will hear a authorized problem to Trump’s order freezing refugee arrivals and funding. Particular person plaintiffs and three nonprofits that work with refugees are asking the courtroom to place the order on maintain whereas the case proceeds.
The Firm We Hold: On the UN Common Meeting yesterday, the US joined Russia to vote towards a decision condemning Russia’s struggle towards Ukraine, ditching our conventional European allies, and as an alternative aligning us with the likes of North Korea and Belarus. The vote marked the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That is simply the newest on this shift towards Russia: Since taking workplace, Trump has blamed Ukraine for beginning the struggle, referred to as Zelensky a “dictator,” began constructing a direct relationship with Putin, and implied that the US sanctions towards Russia over the struggle could possibly be lifted. Europe is beginning to clarify that they’re over our shit, and I don’t blame them.
An Untrained Workforce Is an Obedient Workforce: A minimum of two federal departments have stopped obligatory antidiscrimination and whistleblower coaching for his or her workers, in response to Newsweek. Authorized protections for whistleblowing are assured below the No FEAR Act, and coaching has been obligatory for federal workers since 2006. Nevertheless it seems the Trump Administration doesn’t know the distinction between DEI and Whistleblowing—they’re all simply “authorities waste” to them. Joe Spielberger, senior coverage counsel on the Venture on Authorities Oversight, advised Newsweek: “This may definitely create extra confusion, and even when individuals do know their rights, they may possible be extra reluctant to return ahead and train these rights in the event that they really feel businesses do not take these points significantly.”
Child Bowie: Right here’s your palette cleanser. Ever heard of a sloth bear? They’re very foolish trying. Right here on the Woodland Park Zoo, we’ve a mamma Sloth Bear who’s celebrating the arrival of Bowie, a feminine cub born on January 8—David Bowie’s birthday. The zoo is comfortable to report that Bowie is “nursing commonly, could be very vocal and has a full, rounded tummy.” We are able to meet Bowie on the zoo in April.
On the lookout for a E book Rec? We’ve received one. Stranger contributor Katie Lee Ellison talked to Freda Epum, the creator of The Gloomy Lady Selection Present, and this e book has every part: Explorations of non-public relationships with TV; immigrant cultures and assimilation within the U.S.; habit; the movie business; fantasy and delusion as blockers for a way of self. And it’s all framed by way of a fictional episode of HGTV’s Home Hunters. The e book is Epum’s debut, and also you shouldn’t miss it.
The District 2 Race Is Underway: Adonis Ducksworth, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s transportation coverage and operations supervisor, is operating for Tammy Morales’s previous metropolis council seat. In keeping with Stranger contributor Nathalie Graham, he will be the coolest particular person to ever run for the D2 seat: He’s a skateboarder, a highschool golf champion, and he makes techno beats in his studio after his children fall asleep. However is he prepared for politics? Examine it right here.
A Little Layoff Context: Yesterday morning, Starbucks laid off 1,100 of its company workers. Gross sales have slipped for 4 straight quarters, so the corporate is tightening the place it could actually—slicing out the extra difficult, much less common drinks on its menu (we didn’t really want olive oil drinks from Starbucks), and lowering employees. In the meantime, in October, the corporate elevated the money dividends for shareholders and compensated their new CEO to the tune of $96 million in simply 4 months. In case you have been questioning the place the company’s priorities are.
Our Personal Cartoon Villain: SPD arrested the suspected chief of a four-person crew that they imagine stole greater than $1 million by tearing open ATMs with the Jaws of Life. Prosecutors say the crew additionally brought on greater than $500,000 in property injury, most just lately destroying your complete face of a BECU department in Fremont with a stolen forklift to entry the 2 ATMs inside. When the suspect was noticed in a parked automobile, and he realized police have been closing in, he climbed by way of the automobile’s sunroof, dropped a big bag of what cops suppose was cocaine, and tried to run away. He was stopped and bitten by a police canine. This reads like a Batman: The Animated Sequence episode.
Some Good Information: We now have a wholesome child woman in J-Pod. Scientists confirmed that J26 is feminine, which is superb information for a pod that’s been struggling to breed (no strain, J-Dawg), and he or she’s thriving in her first month of life. Tahlequah, the orca mom who retains breaking our hearts along with her personal damaged coronary heart, additionally appears to be recovering from her grief and caring for her two older sons. Do you suppose they know a complete metropolis is rooting for them?
Fuck You, Make Me: Twenty-one civil service workers—together with engineers, knowledge scientists, and product managers—resigned from DOGE this morning, saying in a letter that they refused to make use of their technical experience to “dismantle essential public companies.” They warned that the remaining DOGE employees, who have been recruited by Musk, have been political ideologues who did not have any of the experience to downsize the federal government in a accountable method.
A Track on your Tuesday: Two of my favourite weirdos, Fragrance Genius and Aldous Harding, are lastly working collectively. It’s a match made in heaven—or perhaps the gender-neutral lavatory of a queer bar. Both method, we adore it.
