Trump wanted to strengthen the border with snakes and alligators: He also apparently suggested to just shoot them in the legs. “Them” meaning people who desperately needed refuge and traveled across the earth to get here.
Pivoting to local ghouls: A for-profit signature-gathering firm must pay over $1 million in fines “for deceiving Washington state residents by funneling their campaign donations to activist Tim Eyman for Eyman’s personal use, and working with Eyman to cover it up,” writes Christine Clarridge at the Seattle Times.
Would you eat a robot’s pizza? Andrew Yang is probably fuming.
I visited Seattle startup @PicnicNews last week to see how their pizza robot can assemble 300 pies per hour. Here’s a video of the system in action. pic.twitter.com/gz3795H9YE
— James Thorne (@jamescthorne) October 1, 2019
A nice scary headline for your evening read: “A 1964 Earthquake Might Have Unleashed a Deadly Fungus on the Pacific Northwest“
Warren is winning the college vote: And Trump is right behind her. Biden is fourth. I wouldn’t be mad if this order is how the election shakes out. Here’s the College Reaction/Axios September Presidential Support Index:
Warren: 19.5% (+6 since July)
Trump: 17.4% (+1)
Sanders: 15.5% (-)
Biden: 13.1% (-3)
Yang: 10% (+6)
Buttigieg 6.5% (-4)
O’Rourke 5.5% (-1)
Harris 5.1% (-3)
Gabbard 1.5% (-)
Booker 1.4% (-)
Is WeWork the new Theranos? 😈 Yesterday the “tech company” WeWork officially pulled its IPO. (The Intelligencer: “[Monday] morning, WeWork announced it would be postponing its IPO indefinitely. In a matter of weeks, one of the world’s most highly valued private companies, a global emblem of the modern wave of venture-backed unicorns, had become a cautionary tale.”) Today, marketing expert Scott Galloway warned “that a great WeWork unraveling…is only beginning.” The interview is delicious.
“At what point does malfeasance become fraud?” Galloway wondered. Also, this part was interesting, considering how much space WeWork rents in Seattle (including *ahem* the building they’re about to rent right next to The Stranger):
What does the WeWork fallout look like?
There will be some pain at SoftBank, but they’re all billionaires. They’ll be fine. It’s embarrassing for Masayoshi Son, but big deal. MBS’s Saudi Arabia investment fund? Couldn’t happen to a nicer group of people. It’s the latent collateral damage that is the real hurt. It’s the employees. It’s a lot of landlords who are going to incur a lot of pain because in exchange for ten-year leases, they put in huge improvements for these spaces which they won’t be able to recapture if WeWork moves out. And you also have a lot of IPOs that will be affected, but I think that’s a good thing — Peleton’s a great company, but it’s not worth $8 billion. Everyone’s kind of been woken up from their trip.
Amber Guyger has been found guilty of murder: The former Dallas police officer fatally shot her neighbor, Botham Jean, after entering his apartment and mistaking him for an intruder. The Dallas Observer noted that what appears to be Guyger’s Pinterest page was admitted to evidence. The page seems to demonstrate Guyger had a “racial bias.”
SAM’s Asian Art Museum will reopen in February: They’ll be celebrating with a free weekend-long community celebration. The renovated building will feature a glass-enclosed lobby and a new gallery. Exciting! Here’s another pic of the interior, courtesy of the SAM:
More local art news: The grand prize winners of the 2019 Neddy were announced Monday, with $25,000 in unrestricted funds being awarded to Seattle artists Inye Wokoma and Aramis O. Hamer. Here they are:
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Aramis O. Hamer (@mis_liberation) on
Now, for impeachment: news. First up, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told House Democrats today that State Department officials who were scheduled to appear for depositions would not show up. (Those officials, however, have agreed to show up; see third tweet below.) Pompeo then accused Congress of being a bunch of bullies. Meanwhile, Trump reiterated that his call with the Ukrainian President was “PERFECT.”
“The congratulatory phone call with the Ukrainian President was PERFECT, unless you heard Liddle’ Adam Schiff’s fraudulently made up version of the call. This is just another Fake News Media, together with their partner, the Democrat Party, HOAX!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2019
Think about this: the @POTUS has proposed arresting @RepAdamSchiff for treason, has put a target on the whistleblower’s back—even hinted at execution!
And @SecPompeo accuses CONGRESS of “bullying and intimidation?” https://t.co/TVaSoSXCva
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) October 1, 2019
Aides say Volker has confirmed he will appear this Thursday; Ambassador Masha Yovanovitch who was scheduled to be deposed will now appear Oct. 11. Volker will be the first witness to be deposed on Ukraine affair
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 1, 2019
Waters doesn’t give a fuck: She’s ready for him to be thrown in solitary confinement.
I’m calling on the GOP to stop Trump’s filthy talk of whistleblowers being spies & using mob language implying they should be killed. Impeachment is not good enough for Trump. He needs to be imprisoned & placed in solitary confinement. But for now, impeachment is the imperative.
— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) October 1, 2019
All of this has been great ammo for Trump, apparently: His reelection campaign set a presidential fundraising record today. The Trump campaign and the RNC raised a record $125 million in the 3rd quarter. “Republicans aim to use the fundraising haul to fight off Democrats’ impeachment effort,” writes AP.
Pete Buttigieg doesn’t really watch TV: Well, he sorta does, but only like Family Guy. In a corny interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Buttigieg admits he hasn’t seen a movie in a theater in a long time, doesn’t have the patience for Succession, and totally nuts over The West Wing. This guy is milquetoast. An excerpt:
What about binging? What are you binging on TV?
Not a lot of time for binging but I’ll catch a TV show before bed sometimes. Usually Family Guy or Rick and Morty is on as I’m drifting off. I’m trying to get into Succession but I’m struggling. I need a character to root for and I haven’t decided if any of them are good people.
