Art of the deal!!
Art of the deal!! WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES

Vacant Seattle houses being filled by low-income, homeless residents: Seattle's housing boom drew housing developers to the city like flies to money. Why do you think they're always rubbing their hands together (flies that is)? It's because they're greedy. But before developers tear down vacant buildings, there's a whole lengthy permitting process they have to go through, so in the meantime, they've been letting nonprofits house people in these vacant houses temporarily. Some housing advocates see it as a win-win: Developers get a free caretaker in a house they are going to demolish anyway, and nonprofits get access to hundreds of houses they wouldn't normally have.

Mayor Jenny Durkan calls out the navy for testing, training that's disruptive for orcas: The navy plans to use sonar and explosives in Puget Sound to test new technologies, but Durkan is having absolutely none of it. She implored their officials to put in place safeguards to limit the orcas' (and other marine mammals') exposure to loud noises and disorienting sonar waves, according to the Seattle Times. This would include things like using real-time whale presence alerts and changing the time of year they do their testing. The navy said they would consider it, which isn't the most encouraging response.

Trump said he would collude with foreign powers to win in 2020: You've got to be fucking kidding me. This guy has got no tact. In an Oval Office interview with George Stephanopoulos, Trump said if another country were to give him dirt on his political opponents, not only would he probably not report it to the FBI, he would also use that dirt to damage Democratic candidates. So you know, he basically learned nothing from 2016. Stephanopoulos said that Al Gore reported a stolen briefing book that was sent to him to the FBI, and Trump waved it away by saying stolen information doesn't really count. The interview has started the drums of impeachment yet again.


The 99 tunnel will remain toll-free all summer: The state transportation commission had initially planned for July to be the start date for tolling on the brand-new tunnel, but alternative roads and the tolling company aren't quite ready yet, according to the Seattle Times. Starting to toll now would be a whole lot of people trying to avoid the toll by popping over to Alaskan Way, where they would get bogged down in viaduct-removal traffic, so they're going to wait until the viaduct is mostly dismantled. And now the moment you've all been waiting for—drumroll, please! The tunnel will cost $1 on weekends and $2.25 during the afternoon rush hour. Less than bus fare.

The Saint Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup last night: But the real winner was this guy, who put down a $400 bet on them months ago when nobody thought they could win. With all the odds against him, that bet just paid off in a $100,000 check.


Attack on two oil tankers raises tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran: The two tankers in the Gulf of Oman were attacked in the early morning and one was set ablaze, causing both crews to abandon ship. This follows a May attack on Saudi Arabian oil tankers that many suspected Iran of perpetrating. There is no incriminating evidence that Iran is responsible for either of the attacks, but to Saudi Arabia, it sure does seem like Iran is behind it. These two countries have been fighting shadow wars for decades, so this may just be the latest attack in that proxy war. Or maybe it's extreme anti-oil activists. Who knows?


Now back to your regularly scheduled pleasant Seattle weather: It will likely be 76 and sunny, what more can you ask for?


Uber and Lyft CEOs join forces in op-ed yesterday: They're responding to the onslaught of criticism they've received following the rideshare driver strike last month and increasing calls to treat their drivers better. Namely the fact that they are independent contractors and not employees, which would entitle them to a whole bunch of other benefits. Unsurprisingly, they are not down with making that switch, saying drivers like the "flexibility" of being independent contractors. What goes unsaid is that making them employees would be really expensive.

House committee subpoenas Michael Flynn and Rick Gates: You may remember them from the brief but influential role they both played in Trump's election and his presidency—Gates was Trump's campaign deputy, Flynn was his national security adviser. You may also remember them from their guilty pleas in the Mueller investigation. Now the House Intelligence Committee has some questions for them and is subpoenaing them to appear before the chamber. Both of these men were key witnesses in Mueller's report but haven't exactly been cooperative with the Democratic-controlled House committee. It's possible they may just ignore these subpoenas altogether, but they have until July 10 to figure it out.

Now listen here, you $#!%: Well, nobody commented any music recommendations yesterday, so I'm putting one in here that I heard from a Slog fan in real life!

Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: A Pride-themed Capitol Hill Art Walk, local playwright Amontaine Aurore's Don't Call It a Riot!, and a blues-rock show with John Mayall Band.