Climate: Think about a day of sunshine, butterflies, birds, and bees harmonizing in rapturous melody as blue fills the sky on the cusp of spring. Overlook about it. Similar to yesterday, right now will likely be cloudy and soggy, with a excessive of fifty levels.
Ukraine Ceasefire (Possibly): The US lifted its suspension of army help and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after the nation stated it was open to a right away 30-day ceasefire with Russia. The suspension of weapons help adopted the latest shitshow Oval Workplace assembly between Trump, Vance, and Zelensky. Trump’s lapdog, Rubio, said that Washington would now current the ceasefire possibility—which incorporates no safety ensures for Ukraine—to the Kremlin. “He desires to be a president of peace,” stated Rubio, talking out of either side of his mouth a couple of man who had Mahmoud Khalil disappeared by way of ICE this week and who continues to fund the continuing genocide in Gaza.
Escalating Commerce Battle: Canada’s simply stated, “Oh, you need 25 % on metal and aluminum, US? Maintain my beer.” “The 51st state” has introduced it’s going to impose 25 % tariffs on practically $30 billion price of US imports, together with metal, aluminum, computer systems, and sports activities tools. Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the transfer is a direct retaliation for the Trump administration’s commerce insurance policies, concentrating on items like equipment and shopper merchandise. And never desirous to let Canada have all of the enjoyable, the EU has introduced it’s going to impose commerce “countermeasures” on as much as $28 billion price of US items.
Training Dept Cuts: The Division of Training continues to crush its to-do checklist this week. Final evening, it fired one other 1,300 employees by way of e mail, halving the company’s workforce and gutting the division’s Workplace for Civil Rights. Training Secretary Linda McMahon is spinning this as an effort to “ship companies extra effectively”—or, translated from billionaire-speak, “extra effectively dismantle essential help for grants, scholarships, and companies for kids with particular wants, all whereas pandering to the so-called ‘parental rights motion.’” In keeping with the objectives of Challenge 2025, the division’s subsequent strikes are anticipated to incorporate ending Title I, eliminating free faculty meals, and making e-book banning a federal precedence. Lawsuits are pending.
Poisonous work setting: A Home subcommittee listening to ended abruptly yesterday after Texas Republican Rep. Keith Self deliberately misgendered Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride. McBride, the primary transgender individual elected to Congress, has been the goal of hateful assaults from her Republican colleagues since her time period started in January. The 71-year-old Rep. Self addressed McBride as “Mr.,” prompting Democratic Rep. Invoice Keating to criticize him, saying, “Mr. Chairman, you might be out of order,” and including, “Have you ever no decency?” Butt-hurt by that backlash, Self instantly adjourned the listening to to proceed his anti-trans assaults on X. Actual work getting carried out by the ruling occasion.
UW Hiring Freeze: In anticipation of federal funding cuts, the College of Washington has frozen non-essential workers hiring and restricted future school hiring. Following the UW’s monetary mitigation pointers, departments are exploring methods to cut back spending by 5 to 10 %. There are at the moment no plans to implement a furlough technique, although Governor Ferguson, in his “something and all the pieces however tax the wealthy plan,” proposed saving $300 million by requiring most state workers to take one furlough day per 30 days over the following two years.
Ferguson slicing meals banks: As a result of he’d relatively actually take meals out of the mouths of the poor relatively than tax the wealthy, Gov. Fergusion’s large concept to plug our $15 billion funds gap is to chop meals financial institution funding. God forbid we ask billionaires to chip in whereas we raid the canned items aisle. I suppose he believes folks can fill their empty stomachs by photosynthesis.
Davison Including Workers: Nicely, Disney on Ice should be touring hell. I even have some sympathy for Ann Davison (and my therapist thought these final two months have been profitable). Seattle dared to defy Trump, so now the feds are yanking funds, killing jobs, and packing up store like a sore loser taking their ball dwelling. That’s left the Metropolis Legal professional’s workplace scrambling to maintain up with all of the authorized battles. Take a look at the intense aspect: Not less than we’re creating some jobs… within the thrilling subject of suing our personal authorities!
Starbucks Strike: The espresso is likely to be sizzling, however the labor disputes are boiling. Becoming a member of a six-city strike, baristas on the College Means Starbucks walked off the job all as a result of the espresso large refused to finalize a good union contract three years after employees received their vote. The strike got here a day after UW college students rallied on campus to demand the college cease serving Starbucks till the espresso titan settles a good contract with wages for baristas. In the meantime, Starbucks execs maintain raking in thousands and thousands, proving as soon as once more that whereas they might run on caffeine, their enterprise mannequin runs on hypocrisy.
Tacoma Toxicity: It was the “aroma,” however apparently, nothing fairly says Welcome to Tacoma like a bunch of thriller barrels marked with poisonous waste simply chilling downtown. However nobody appears to know the place they got here from. The town says the barrels are on non-public property, and the enterprise supposedly accountable isn’t speaking. Possibly that is Tacoma embracing its Fallout period?
In a time of local weather and ecological emergency, we have seen hearth and we have seen rain. Comfortable Birthday, James Taylor.
