Presidential candidate wants to take on campaign finance reform: And she’s looking at our Democracy Voucher system. New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand wants to implement the program nationwide by giving every potential voter in the United States $600 to contribute to House, Senate, and presidential campaigns, according to the Seattle Times. It would go even further by forcing federal candidates to swear off campaign contributions larger than $200 if they wanted to be eligible for “Democracy Dollars” in an effort to limit the impact of PAC and corporate money.
There is a coup going on in Seattle’s Municipal Courts: Public defenders are filing affidavits of prejudice against Judge Ed McKenna at a rate 10 times higher than his colleagues in an attempt not only to get a different judge but to highlight how public defenders have lost confidence in Judge McKenna. According to Crosscut, McKenna was previously asked by City Attorney Pete Holmes and Anita Khandelwal, the director of the Department of Public Defense, to step down on accusations of prejudice, but McKenna refused. Now McKenna is being removed from the equation by a united front of public defenders that simply switch judges if he’s assigned to their case. One official called it essentially “a vote of no confidence” in McKenna’s ability to serve.
Washington teaching staff will soon have to prove they’re vaccinated: This feels like common sense, but the staff in some Washington school districts were not required to be up to date on all the same vaccines the children were required to have. Measles has come back with a vengeance, and Issaquah High School had to close down yesterday after a staff member was suspected of having measles. The good news is that the law passed in the state legislature outlawing personal exemptions will mandate that it doesn’t happen again. Starting July 28, when the law goes into effect, all teachers, school staff, and even volunteers will have to show proof of their full vaccination record.
President Trump tells security officials he doesn’t want a war with Iran: “Hawkish” aides, such as national security adviser John Bolton, have been ratcheting up tensions with the Middle Eastern country over the past few weeks. Trump may have been fine with the military posturing, but he doesn’t actually want to use force against Iran. Now only time will tell if Trump’s wishes are enough to stop a cabinet of increasingly hawkish aides with their ire focused directly on Iran.
The clouds are sticking around for at least another day:
Showers will gradually taper off this through the morning hours, except for in the convergence zone where rain may continue through the early afternoon. #wawx pic.twitter.com/4erx0hsZaX
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) May 17, 2019
Elizabeth Warren rolls out abortion platform: On the heels of Alabama’s dangerous, discriminatory abortion ban, Senator Elizabeth Warren unveiled her vision of abortion rights if she were to be elected president. She’s one of only a few Democratic candidates to take a clear stand on abortion rights and would seek to enshrine the protections Roe v. Wade provides by passing bills through Congress. This may be impossible with a Republican-controlled Senate, but at least she has a plan.
Taiwan just legalized same-sex marriage: It is the first Asian nation to do so after the legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of marriage equality.
“We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.”
Taiwan becomes the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage. https://t.co/ql5LhOVkJf pic.twitter.com/6HPbtfCdvD
— ABC News (@ABC) May 17, 2019
KISS frontman Gene Simmons briefs press at the Pentagon: It was only the second time the briefing room had actually been used for a briefing in the last year, and the first was when Gerard Butler swung by to promote his new movie. A Department of Defense press secretary hasn’t briefed the press since May of last year. And the White House isn’t doing much better: Sarah Huckabee Sanders hasn’t briefed the press in 67 days.
Now listen here, you $#!%: I know this isn’t progressive rock, but my god does it feel good to rock out to in the mornings. Comment with which music theme you want to see next week!
The best Seattle entertainment options this weekend include: The Fisherman’s Village Music Festival, the University District Street Fair, and Pierogi Fest 2019.
