Former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III is on the Russia case.
Former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III is on the Russia case. Andrew Burton/Getty

Lawmakers Are Already Getting Nervous About Mueller: Wednesday saw the appointment of former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III to a special counsel investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Trump's associates and the Russians. 'Course now the buzz from certain members of congress is concern that his rise could complicate or push aside currently active congressional probes related to the matter, especially if he pursues a broad inquiry.

From the Washington Post:

Justice Department officials said Mueller would likely conduct his investigation almost entirely independent of Congress. But congressional investigators must take pains not to bump heads with the FBI’s inquiry. Committee leaders have already been having talks with senior Justice Department officials to “deconflict” their efforts — but lawmakers worry that if Mueller widens the scope of his investigation, they may have few witnesses at their disposal.

“Certainly, I think Congress’s ability to investigate this process fully is going to be hampered,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

Three People Fell Off a Ferris Wheel in Port Townsend: It was happened around 6 p.m. during the Rhododendron Festival on Thursday. An eyewitness reported that one of the pods on the ride flipped upside down and dumped its occupants. According to officials, a 59-year-old woman, a woman in her 40s and a 7-year-old boy fell 15 to 18 feet onto the ride’s metal flooring. All three were injured; the oldest is in critical condition.


Chris Cornell's Family Is Refuting His Death Is a Suicide: Yesterday, we all reeled hearing news about the death of Chris Cornell, which was ruled a suicide according to the autopsy report. Yesterday, the city grieved. Today, his family is disputing “inferences that Chris knowingly and intentionally” killed himself. In their statement, they said that without the completion of toxicology tests, they can’t yet determine what led to his death, or if any substances were involved. According to lawyer Kirk Pasich, Cornell had a prescription for anti-anxiety drug Ativan, and wife Vicky Cornell said in the statement that when she spoke to him following the Detroit show, he mentioned he may have taken “an extra Ativan or two” and was slurring his words.

Trump Is Booking It Out of Town: No, he's not running, but his first foreign trip—a nine-day journey across the Middle East and Western Europe—is conveniently timed to get him out of the country after a week of high rising controversy and scandal (more than the usual, anyway) that he's calling a 'witch hunt.' Aides hope that he'll be gone long enough for everything to have died down by his return. Problem is, one of his stops is Rome, and Pope Francis isn't a big fan, so... we're likely to see him causing some waves overseas, too.

Dinosaurs Could Still Be Among Us... Or Perhaps They'd Be Here and We Wouldn't: Some mind-blowing science for you—if that meteor had crashed just 30 seconds later, into the Atlantic or Pacific instead of just off the coast of Mexico, it would have generated some devastating waves but wouldn’t have killed as many dinos. This according to a new BBC documentary, The Day the Dinosaurs Died, which includes interviews with the scientists who've been drilling into the underwater crater and analyzing samples they brought back to the lab.

Deadliest Catch Crab Boat Captain Sig Hansen Allegedly Arrested Because of an Uber Payment Dispute: The cops picked him up at a Shoreline residence after said dispute, which happened after Hansen and his two co-riders tried to pay for the ride in cash. According to King County Jail records, he's been charged with assault and property damage.

The 2017 Seattle International Film Festival Launched Last Night: You have from now through June 18 to see any of 400 films screening at several theaters around town. Go watch something. Here's The Stranger's Top 28 Recommendations of SIFF Films You Must See and here's the full SIFF calendar.

Is It Really Going to Get Warm, Or Are They Messing With Us?: We've all been waiting for the weather to change. Summer is closing in and it's still averaging in the 50s outside, with too many colder, rainy days that sometimes keep us hovering in the 40s. This weekend, however, we're supposed to enjoy some sun and temperatures reaching up to the 70s, while Monday and Tuesday, forecasts claim we'll get all the way into the 80s. Bring it on.