Good morning! A heat advisory is still in effect today, until 10 pm Friday, and smoke from the fires in Spokane will likely linger into the weekend. A little good news on that end is that temperatures in Spokane have gone down a bit, allowing crews to contain three of the fires. A little bad news is that a fourth wildfire started on Wednesday, prompting further evacuations. That fire has since been contained, too.
Officials say the three main fires were started by humans, but only one so far, the largest Old Trails Fire, was allegedly arson. They’re still investigating. In the meantime, Spokane’s most famous (former) resident, Sydney Sweeney, is helping displaced residents by handing out meals and other supplies.
Something to consider in our bleak new reality is that prediction markets, where people can bet on everything from elections to celebrity deaths to wildfires, have the potential to “incentivize arson,” said a coalition that includes senators from Oregon. Polymarket, the largest prediction market, reportedly raked in more than $1.2 million in bets related to the Palisades and Eaton fires in California last year. The coalition has formally urged the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to ban these markets from offering bets on wildfires.
GOP senators have voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during last week’s hearing. One of Fauci’s lawyers said, “Today’s partisan committee vote is a crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights.” It’s even worse than that, imo. It’s a petty power move by Sen. Rand Paul because he’s embarrassed that Fauci called him out in his opening statement, saying that Paul has “an unhinged obsession” with him. Burn. [Editor’s note: Also, there’s nothing emasculating about keeping a diary.]
Let’s talk elections! Yesterday’s ballot drop was small, but there were some interesting numbers. Kelabe Tewolde is gaining on incumbent Sharon Tomiko Santos, and though Kshama Sawant gained slightly in the Congressional District 9 race, her chances of beating out Republican Doug Basler for second are basically zero. Since incumbent warhawk Adam Smith has twice beat Basler, his path to reelection looks clear. More ballots will be counted today—an elections spokesperson anticipates total county turnout to reach 37 percent—and we’ll post the latest this afternoon. Stay tuned!
A trans woman in Wyoming is being prosecuted after drawing her gun on three men, after she says one of the men pushed her down in the street. Wyoming has a “stand your ground” statute, which is “supposed to offer legal protections to gun owners who draw in self-defense,” but prosecutors charged her with aggravated assault, and she now faces up to 15 years in prison. She told the New York Times, “I had to defend myself. I don’t know how it wasn’t reasonable, given the dangers and threats trans people hear every day.”
Just kidding: “Meta is backing out of another office building in Bellevue’s Spring District” as its Seattle workforce shrinks with the shift toward climate change-generating robots, reports the Seattle Times. Feels so good when they boom ya; hurts so bad when they bust ya. A lesson this region will never ever learn.
To the delight of the city’s baseball-loving millennials, last night was Jimothy night at T-Mobile Park. Attendees who purchased tickets through a special promo could pick up Jimothy shirts, but the Seattle Times reports that plenty showed up with their own “Jimothy swag,” including at least one person with a tail and raccoon-ear headband. Big ups to everyone who discovered they are a furry. Congrats, you’re in the right city!
Are you going to Capitol Hill Block Party this weekend? We’ll be there, handing out copies of our Block Party zine, packed with band recommendations so you’re sure to catch all the best music this weekend. At our booth, you can also submit an old-school I Saw U message for any cuties who catch your eye! Let us help you find love! Or at least a summer fling.
Yesterday, Neumos’ security staff, along with staff at Barboza and the Runaway, announced they’ve unionized. The Neumos Security Union says “workers have successfully bargained with management and ownership for better conditions and pay for the security team, there’s still work to be done.” Hunter has more here.
Washington law schools request reprieve: The top three law schools in Washington state are asking the Washington State Supreme Court to allow law school graduates to start practicing law even if they haven’t passed the bar. The reason? Well, one of the two annual bar exams was cancelled last week due to technical issues. That delay will impact graduates who had opportunities lined up for the fall. There are retakes scheduled for September 1 and 2 and in February 2027. “These students have told me they have taken out loans. They have postponed surgeries. They have postponed weddings. They have pulled out of work,” said Anthony Varona, a law professor and dean at Seattle University Law School, in a KUOW report. “I cannot overstate how disastrous this was for them.”
Across the toxic pond: There’s something rotten in jolly old England. The water. A new Environment Agency report found that every single body of water in England is polluted by toxic chemicals. Those chemicals range from “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, to microplastics. Only 14.3 percent of surface water has “good” ecological status. Blimey!
