Happy Earth Day: It’s raining. I love to see it. The past few days of beautiful spring weather have been appreciated (I planted flowers!), but I am so happy to get some rain that will wash that thin layer of pollen off everything.
Read the Room, John: Remember King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson? Last year, his ex-girlfriend accused him of stalking and harassing her, and the King County Council unanimously approved a no-confidence motion calling for him to resign. But he did not! Late last month, he was charged with stalking and told he had to stay 1,000 feet away from his ex. That was supposed to be enforced by an ankle monitor, but a judge allowed him to remove it to allow him to soak his legs daily (due to a medical condition). That same day, he posted shirtless pictures on social media, “soaking his legs,” and clearly taunting the judge. Well, the King County Council has had enough. Yesterday, council unanimously demanded his immediate resignation.
We Love You, Bait Shop: ICYMI, Charles Mudede got the scoop that beloved Capitol Hill bar Bait Shop is officially looking for a new home after they “were informed by their landlord, Redside Properties, that the century-old building they’ve called home for over a decade would be demolished.” They hope to stay on Capitol Hill, but owner Jonah Bergman, aka the nicest man in Seattle, says, “I also think the idea of the Bait Shop could work in a lot of different parts of town. However, we’re a neighborhood bar. That’s what we are. … I’m trying to kind of serve the community; the kind where we can all just do our little weird things in a little weird space.”
The Fart of the Deal: Trump, ever the genius negotiator, announced yesterday that he was extending the two-week ceasefire with Iran until the peace talks have ended. Following that announcement, JD Vance canceled his trip to Pakistan, where he was supposed to do some of that peace talkin’. Iranian official Mahdi Mohammadi responded to the mess on X, writing, “Trump’s ceasefire extension means nothing, the losing side cannot dictate terms.” If there’s one thing Trump hates being called, it’s a loser! Pedophile, rapist, brain-rotted baby boomer with undiagnosed personality disorders… none of those phase him. But calling him a loser? Ouch. Then Iran attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
People Keep Turning on Trump: Add Tucker Carlson to the growing list of Trump supporters who are waking up to the fact that the president is an evil, self-serving piece of shit. Tucker said on his podcast with his brother, Buckley, that he’s “tormented” by his support of Donald Trump, and, “You and I and everyone else who supported him—you wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him—I mean, we’re implicated in this for sure.” I’m sorry, but the Carlson brothers are named Tucker and Buckley??? That’s hilarious.
Another Loss for the Republicans: Virginia voters approved a referendum to redraw the state’s congressional map, making most districts lean Democrat. Florida Republicans are looking at doing something similar, though Dems say it’s illegal, and, after last night’s Virginia results, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is reminding Florida governor Ron DeSantis that his gerrymandering could backfire, so who knows if they’ll go through with it. All of this is a response to last year’s redistricting in Texas (remember when Dems fled the state???), and some states have been battling over districts ever since. You’re all terrible, to be quite honest!
Oh No Flu Didn’t: Pete Hegseth confirmed yesterday that US military service members no longer need to get the annual flu shot. Seems like a bad idea, given that this season’s flu resulted in record-high health care visits, but what do I know? I’m just a person capable of basic research that could help inform my decisions.
Let’s Talk About Naked Mole Rats Instead of Political Rats: This story about naked mole rat hierarchy is fascinating! “Naked mole rat colonies are often structured with a single large mating queen and dozens of smaller male and female rats that serve specialized roles such as guarding, gathering food and caregiving.” And sometimes, when it comes time to establish a new queen, there is a NAKED MOLE RAT CIVIL WAR. I suggest you ignore all other news today and take a deep dive into the naked mole rat world.
Bye, Y’all: Starbucks is opening their office in Nashville and adding or relocating 2,000 jobs to its new $100 million Southeastern headquarters. I lived in Nashville for nearly 10 years, and I miss it. (Hi, to all my Nashville Scene and Nashville Banner buddies, I <3 U!) But I could never live in Tennessee again. Not while Gov. Bill Lee is in office. He’s fucking terrible. He just declared that June (you know, Pride Month) is now Nuclear Family Month. I do miss Woodlands, though.
A Very Important Update: Remember my story about the handleless paper bags at the Greenwood Fred Meyer a couple of weeks ago? Well, huge news for everyone except that one Instagram commenter who was mad that I didn’t use my journalism skills to cover the Iran war: The Greenwood Fred Meyer now has PAPER BAGS WITH HANDLES!!!!!! And they are correctly labeled with the necessary recycling information, too. Journalism, man. What a thrill.
Let’s End with Mirah: Mirah is playing Ballard Homestead this weekend, on April 26! We feature the show in our monthly music calendar (here!). I will forever take any opportunity I have to listen to one of the greatest songs ever written, “Cold Cold Water.”
