U.S. Department of Justice Argues That Civil Rights Law Doesn't Protect LGBTQ+ Employees from Discrimination: Jesus Christ. "In an amicus brief filed at the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, lawyers under Attorney General Jeff Sessions contend that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans sex discrimination, does not cover sexual orientation," Dominic Holden reported for Buzzfeed on Wednesday evening. The DOJ's amicus brief was filed in the 2010 case of skydiving instructor Donald Zarda, who claimed his employer terminated him because he is gay. "The Trump administration’s filing is unusual in part because the Justice Department isn’t a party in the case, and the department doesn’t typically weigh in on private employment lawsuits," Holden noted.
The DOJ's Filing Follows... Trump's Twitter announcement that he plans to bar transgender people from serving in the United States military, citing medical costs. Democrats in Washington State's congressional delegation know Trump's claims are bullshit.
Chelsea Manning Gives Trump the Finger: In an op-ed for the New York Times, Manning, who is a transgender veteran, said the president's plans "devastating blow to our livelihoods, our basic humanity, our survival. It is also a devastating blow to the entire credibility of the United States military for years to come." Despite this, she wrote, trans soldiers and veterans are here to stay.
Seattle Is Home to Two of the World's Richest People: It's Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who surpassed Bill Gates in wealth. Bezos' net worth is $90.9 billion while Gates' is a paltry $90.7 billion for Gates, Bloomberg reports.
Evergreen Professor Plans to Sue College for $3.85 Million: Biology professor Bret Weinstein and his wife, Heather Heying, also a professor at the college, plan to sue for damages after fallout from voicing objections to equity policy on campus made them feel unsafe, the Seattle Times reports. The couple's attorney, Joe Schaeffer filed a tort claim, which precedes a lawsuit, with the state Department of Enterprise Services’ Office of Risk Management. Weinstein headlines this spring after he objected to a new spin on the school's annual Day of Absence equity event in which white students, staff, and faculty could volunteer to leave campus to participate in racial equity events. Video from the student protests, including footage of protesters interrupting Weinstein's class and shouting down the professor, went viral. In a letter outlining the case, Weinstein's and Heying's attorney wrote that the Day of Absence event is "illegal discrimination in violation of state law because it divided people by race," the Times reported.
Seattle Officials Will Give Legal Aid to Prevent People Accused of Crimes from Being Evicted: Attorneys will work with King County public defenders to make sure housing issues don't arise during court proceedings. Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold and the King County Department of Public Defense spearheaded the pilot project.
PSA: Having a criminal record does not negate your humanity.
Eastside Car Prowling Ring Dismantled: Bellevue Police officers arrested 14 people in connection to car prowls at parks and gyms.
The Unlikely People Fighting the National Heroin Crisis: Librarians. King County librarians may be trained to administer Naloxone, which can revive someone from an overdose, KING 5 reports.
Speaking of the Heroin Epidemic: Although safe consumption sites are recommended by drug use and health care experts, Bellevue city leaders want to ban these centers.
As for Safe Consumption Sites... Bothell City Council member Joshua Freed is bankrolling an initiative to ban safe consumption sites in King County, Heidi Groover reports. Freed donated $40,000 to the terribly-named Impaction political action committee. Initiative supporters claimed they gathered enough signatures to land their initiative on the November ballot, but the signatures still need to be verified.
