Kayaktivists Are a "Nuisance" to Tugboat Workers: Gail McCormick, of the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, says his union's tugboaters are involved in towing Shell's Polar Pioneer drilling rig into the Port of Seattle and they need those jobs! What does the union think of the protests? "It may be a little bit of a nuisance, but I don't think that any of the guys let it bother them at all," he tells KOMO.

Shell's Chief Executive Seems to Feel the Same Way About Seattle and Mayor Ed Murray: He told shareholders in a meeting that the port's lease with Foss Maritime, which is hosting Shell's drilling rig, is "legally valid," despite the City of Seattle's claim that their permits are expired. "We have not seen, apart from the protests, any legal obstacles for us," he said. Secretary of State John Kerry, by the way, opted not to speak at the port when he visited Seattle yesterday because of the protests. Sydney has the full story.

Foss Maritime Also Doesn't Seem to Give a Shit About Kayaktivists: They're opening a new office in Anchorage in anticipation of a "tremendous amount of activity going on relative to investment in Alaska," Puget Sound Business Journal reports.

Why Are All These Companies Planning to Get Rich Off of Oil (and, Therefore, Catastrophic Global Warming)? Charles has a theory: "Let's not rule out spite. It is, after all, the most human of traits. The idea of hurting yourself for the purpose of harming your enemy or someone who broke your heart is lost to most animals. But not humans."

Obama Will Call Climate Change a National Security Threat in a Speech Today: "Climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security," the president will say, according to his prepared remarks, "an immediate risk to our national security, and, make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country." Is this the only way to get America to give a shit about something? And how does this square with his administration's decision to give Shell the go-ahead on Arctic drilling? Shhhh—close your eyes and repeat the phrase "Yes, We Can" ten times fast. Everything will be better.

You Should Read Sydney's Quotes in Slate On Why These Protests Do Matter: Right here.

The First Hill Streetcar Has Arrived: According to Seattle's Department of Transportation and the Streetcar's Twitter account, the long-delayed streetcar performed its first testing run on Capitol Hill yesterday. FINALLY! The streetcar was supposed to open in early 2014; now it's expected to begin operating this summer. (Hat tip Capitol Hill Seattle.)

The Rent-Is-Too-Damn-High Guy Is Coming to Seattle: "Jon Grant is kind of late to the campaign-kickoff party, but what a fucking start," says Seattlish. "The Tenants’ Union director, who’s running for the City Council at-large position 8, managed to nab a very special (and very platform-appropriate) guest for his June 8 kickoff party." That's not all: Grant beat out incumbent Tim Burgess and rock star challenger John Roderick in voting at the 43rd District Democrats' meeting last night, though he didn't hit the threshold to secure their endorsement.

Turncoat Democrat Wants to Punish Washington Teachers for Striking: Thousands of teachers across the state walked off the job yesterday to call for adequate funding of schools, smaller class sizes, and less standardized testing. Tim Sheldon (D-Potlatch, though he caucuses with Senate Republicans) wants to forbid providing pay or benefits to striking teachers, but Democrats in Olympia walked out on a hearing for the bill. Don't mess with teachers.

FAA Approves Drone Businesses in the Northwest: Amazon is among this list of companies that officially have permission to send their drone fleets into the skies, KUOW reports. But they're not allowed in Seattle parks without a special city permit, as Eli points out.

Good morning. These are the new snow leopard cubs at Point Defiance Zoo: