Surprise: Hannah and I switched Slog days. Because I respect tradition, we’ll begin with the weather, which is quite nice today. Expect a mostly sunny day, with a high of 64. Tonight, it’ll be cloudy with a low around 49 and a slight chance of rain.

Virginia Mason is closing its downtown birth center, women’s health clinic: Administrators said the hospital is closing its only birth center in the city to expand its “critical care capacity” for patients with cardiovascular, spine, and neurological needs. The Seattle Times reports that while Virginia Mason Franciscan Health will continue to offer gynecological services downtown, it’s unclear what this means for patients who are planning to deliver at the center or those that rely on it for prenatal care, lactation consultation, and a host of other services. When it closes, the closest place for obstetric care within that hospital system will be 12 miles away at St. Anne Hospital in Burien. The Washington State Nurses Association union told the Times it is concerned how the closure will affect expecting families and called for more regulatory oversight of closures to review potential impacts.

One less place to see a cool movie (temporarily): The Grand Illusion, an awesome, super vibey single-screen movie house in the University District is closing after more than 50 years this January. Though, it’s less goodbye and more see ya later. The movie theater is actively looking for a new spot (and seeking donations, if you’re so inclined) that retains some of the same charm while “improving the experience,” and is also planning a series of pop-ups with Northwest Film Forum starting in February. 

Tim Walz is coming to the Seattle area: The Vice President’s Vice President is scheduled to attend a private fundraiser at Hunt’s Point next Tuesday morning, but he’s got nothing public planned. Say any of you get the chance though, it’s a good time to tell him he could be a little meaner on TV and be a little less weird the next time someone asks him about Tiananmen Square.

Who is she: Rachel Savage looks like a cool aunt, gives not so cool aunt vibes, and might run for Mayor of Seattle. Hannah has more here.

More Israeli strikes on Lebanon: Israel says its fighter jets hit intelligence-gathering means, command centers, and “additional terrorist infrastructure” in a series of strikes on Hezbollah’s HQ in Beirut overnight. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported the European Union’s foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell condemned the Israeli Defense Forces killing 7 civilians including paramedics overnight, adding to the total of 97 medical personnel Israeli strikes have killed so far.

How’s Democracy doing? Special counsel Jack Smith dropped a 165-page filing describing President Donald Trump’s actions leading to January 6 in more detail than ever before. According to the filing, former Vice President Mike Pence, party leaders, state leaders, as well as Trump’s own election lawyers and campaign officials told him that there was no evidence of a stolen 2020 election and yet he trudged ahead with a plan to overturn the results (can’t a boy dream, folks?). Prosecutors are arguing that Trump was not acting as president here, but as a private candidate for office, and therefore not immune from prosecution.

RIP Bear #402: The National Park Service delayed the bracket reveal for Katmai National Park’s beloved Fat Bear Week after a bear (#469) MURDERED a contestant, bear #402, on a live webstream Monday. NBC reports that “it was not immediately clear what prompted the incident between the bears.” Are they thinking mob hit, or something personal?

Workers trapped by Helene: Tennessee state officials are investigating Impact Plastics after several factory workers in rural Erwin, Tennessee alleged that by the time they were allowed to leave work, the power had gone out and floodwaters from the nearby Nolichucky River had spilled into the parking lot. Authorities were only able to rescue five of the 11 workers at the factory. Four are still missing and two are confirmed dead, adding to a 180 person death toll across six states.

Rose and a thorn: Drugmaker Gilead Sciences announced Wednesday that it would allow six companies in Asia and North Africa to make and sell a generic version of lenacapavir, an extraordinarily effective bi-annual injectable HIV treatment, to 120 countries around the world, including all of those with the highest rates of infection. Leaving just enough room for evil, most high- and medium-income countries—where researchers say HIV is spreading among marginalized groups—will pay a higher price for Gilead’s brand-name version. While researchers at Liverpool University say it could profitably produced for $40 a year, Gilead charges more than $42K in the US.

The babies will be CGI: Paramount is making a live-action Rugrats movie. That doesn’t seem necessary to me, but they’re adamant about this and they’re insisting the babies will be CGI. Because babies aren’t very charismatic or something? The adults will not be CGI, which seems 
 okay. According to Variety, the movie is set in the “real world à la ‘Sonic the Hedgehog,’ which—unless I’ve missed something essential about Rugrats—presumably would have been the case even if the babies were not CGI? I don’t know who this is for.