Senator Patty Murray may not be without her own some questionable decision-making, but voting against Jeff Sessions is the right move.
Senator Patty Murray may not be without her own questionable decision-making from time to time, but voting against Jeff Sessions is the right move. COURTESY OF SEN. PATTY MURRAY

An Update on the Snow Mess: The latest outage map from Puget Sound Energy shows that 536 people from Bothell to Chehalis are still without power. Seattle City Light's outage map shows that just 6 people are still affected by outages, down from more than 7,000 people yesterday. Many kids across the region get to enjoy another snow day, while others simply have delayed school start times. Here's the latest school schedule. King County Metro has been regularly posting public transit delays and updates on Twitter.

WA Senator Patty Murray: Jeff Sessions Is "Not the Right Person" to Be U.S. Attorney General: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, a man deemed "too racist" to become a federal judge, is set to have his confirmation hearing on Wednesday after the Senate Judiciary Committee delayed the vote on January 31. Sen. Murray, who is also fighting the nomination of Betsy DeVos, explained her decision to reject Sessions in a statement:

Over the past few weeks, I have heard from so many people across Washington state expressing deep concern about and opposition to the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to the office of Attorney General. I share their concerns, and I will be voting against his confirmation and urging other Senators to do the same.

Now, more than ever, we need an Attorney General who will be independent, who will put the Constitution first, protect our rights, and who is willing to stand up to President Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional actions whenever they occur. I know Senator Sessions, and given his central role in advising the president’s campaign and administration, I do not believe he is the right person to perform those duties.

I have seen Senator Sessions at work in the Senate, and I have serious concerns about his commitment to standing up for the right of everyone in this country to be treated equally under the law. From his extreme stance on immigration, to his vote against the Violence Against Women Act and the Voting Rights Act, to his efforts to undermine women's constitutionally protected reproductive rights, and his positions on criminal justice reform, civil rights, and so much more— I do not believe that Senator Sessions is the kind of person, committed to the principles of tolerance and inclusiveness, who can do this critical job on behalf of every American.


Indigenous Journalist Arrested at Standing Rock Camp During Police Sweeps: Jenni Monet, a reporter on assignment for Indian Country Media and the Center for Investigative Reporting, was arrested alongside about 75 water protectorsdemonstrating against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The group of water protecters was attempting to set up a new camp to continue fighting DAPL, which was recently green lighted by Trump. Monet told The Los Angeles Times that she was observing the water protectors from a distance and was attempting to leave the area on orders from the Morton County Sheriff's Office when she was arrested. She now faces charges for criminal trespass and "engaging in a riot," the LA Times reports. Her treatment at the hands of law enforcement officials was horrifying:

The arresting officer did not read Monet her Miranda rights, she said. She was loaded onto a school bus and held for seven hours with other women, “stripped down to our long johns,” in metal cages in a Morton County jail parking garage. Late Wednesday evening, Monet was transferred to an indoor cell with five other women.

Rob Keller, a spokesman for the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, said the department “respects the important role journalists play in our democracy and in the coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline protest.” He said he could not comment on the circumstances of Monet’s arrest.

In Other Media News, Journalists Will Now Have to Fax or Snail Mail Their FOIA Requests to the Feds: "Starting next month, the FBI will no longer accept Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by email," TechCrunch reports. "In lieu of its popular email service, the FBI suggests sending a fax or snail mail, a procedural change that has more to do with obstructing the law than a dearth of resources." The site reports that a small number of requests can be filled out in a web portal, but reporters will be limited to one filing per day and one filing per submission even after "[providing] a phone number, mailing address and other personal details.

The terms state that anyone making a FOIA request online is now “limited to making one request per day and one request per submission,” language that does not immediately appear to be supported by law. Then again, the FBI’s established use of outdated technology for FOIA requests does not necessarily sit well with its requirement to show that a search was “reasonably calculated to discover the requested documents,” as is required by law.



Seattle's "Civic Cocktail" Chat Features WA Attorney General/Heartthrob Bob Ferguson and Stranger Publisher Tim Keck: Ferguson, who filed the first lawsuit against Trump's Muslim ban, talked about the ban and legal cannabis while Keck, Crosscut.com Editor-in-Chief Greg Hanscom, President and General Manager of KUOW-FM 94.9 Karen Mathes, and Seattle Times Editor Don Shelton talked about the state of the media. Watch the show, which is hosted by Seattle Channel and Seattle CityClub, here.

An Update on the Shooting Outside Milo Yiannopoulos's UW Talk: The University of Washington Police Department still isn't talking.

Redmond High School Scientist Figures Out How to Make Seawater Drinkable: The name of Tesla STEM High School senior Apoorv Khandelwal's machine: "Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Experimental Fabrication of Nanoporous Graphene Membranes for Optimal Water Permeability in Reverse Osmosis Desalination." The name might not be catchy—yet!—but Khandelwal is headed to Washington DC in March to compete in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, where he could win up to $250,000 to further develop his invention, The Seattle Times reports.

Seattle Librarians Are Teaching Kids How to Spot Fake News: In a world of "alternative facts," this is incredibly important.


University Professor's Take on the Trump Effect: Here's American University's Chris Edelson on how Trump has emboldened "special monsters" for The Baltimore Sun:

When we worry and wonder about authoritarian regimes that inflict cruelty on civilians, we often imagine tyrannical despots unilaterally advancing their sinister agendas. But no would-be autocrat can act alone. ...

The men and women who reportedly handcuffed small children and the elderly, separated a child from his mother and held others without food for 20 hours, are undoubtedly "ordinary" people. What I mean by that, is that these are, in normal circumstances, people who likely treat their neighbors and co-workers with kindness and do not intentionally seek to harm others. That is chilling, as it is a reminder that authoritarians have no trouble finding the people they need to carry out their acts of cruelty. They do not need special monsters; they can issue orders to otherwise unexceptional people who will carry them out dutifully.