GIVE ME TAX BREAKS.
GIVE ME TAX BREAKS. DAVID RYDER / GETTY

Trump Set to Gut Healthcare Subsidies For Poor People: As Republicans have failed again and again to repeal Obamacare, our vindictive president seems intent on killing Americans himself. His order would end subsidies, totaling about $9 billion, that help low-income people pay healthcare costs, an integral piece of President Obama's Affordable Care Act. Here's a Republican Representative from Florida:


Trump's decision comes the same day after he signed an executive order asking federal agencies to find alternatives to Obamacare, including plans through small business associations and short-term plans that don't cover pre-existing conditions. Washington State's Insurance Commissioner said the order "ignores the reality of how insurance works" and would "almost guarantee the eventual collapse of our health insurance markets across the country."

Amazon Has Received $1.24 Billion in State and Local Subsidies: The company got $40 million in tax cuts to bring jobs to Baltimore. $45 million in New York. The Puget Sound Business Journal partnered with its network of business newspapers across the US to report on how Amazon pressures lawmakers to give them big tax breaks in exchange for bringing the company to town. A sizable chunk of Amazon jobs are in its fulfillment centers, where low wage workers pack the stuff we buy online. The problem? Amazon has already announced its intention to give those jobs to robots. (This is a paywalled site, but well worth the subscription.)

Amazon Studio Exec Put on Leave: Roy Price heads Amazon Studios, the film production arm of Seattle's tech giant. Yesterday, Rose McGowan claimed he ignored a complaint from her that Harvey Weinstein raped her. The company put Price on leave and said it would review all projects it has with the Weinstein Company.

Data Shows Democracy Vouchers Are Making Younger, Less Wealthy People Into Political Donors: In other words, they're working. That's from a study of the 11,000 Seattleites who used vouchers since the first-in-the-nation political funding program was launched this year. Since the vouchers can't go to mayoral candidates yet, analysts compared the demographics of voucher-users with donations in the mayor's race.

Betsy Comes to Bellevue: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will be across the lake this evening to speak at the Washington Policy Center's annual gala. Protesters (including our attorney general, county executive, city council member Kshama Sawant and this DACA recipient) will be outside. Counter-protestors will be protesting the protest. It's happening at the Hyatt.

Could the Head Tax Come Back?: If council members Mike O'Brien and Kirsten Harris-Talley get their way, yes. They're proposing a per-employee tax on businesses that gross more than $5 million annually. Revenue would go to homeless shelters, affordable housing and diversion programs.

Prosecutor Publicizes Man's Attempt to Seal Record From When He Killed His Sister As a 13-Year-Old: Steven Anthony Rickards served his time for the crime he committed as a child. He asked the Skagit County Court to seal his record, so he can work at his mother's audiology business. That wouldn't happen if county prosecutor Richard Weyrich got his way. Weyrich sent an email to 11 media outlets highlighting Rickards case and pushing against his effort to seal his records.

And Could We Get Municipal Broadband?: If council member Rob Johnson gets his way, yes. He introduced a budget amendment to hire a city worker to figure out how to get it done.

Someone Made the Sound Transit Elevators Easier to Understand: Thank you.

Inquest Ordered into Fatal Shooting of Tommy Le: King County Executive Dow Constantine ordered an inquest into the fatal shooting of the 20-year-old student by a King County Sheriff's Deputy.

There's a Nobel Peace Prize Winner in Town: Muhammed Yunus.

Bus Fatally Strikes Pedestrian in Downtown Seattle: The deadly accident happened at Westlake Avenue and Blanchard street.