Cops crap on Seattle on the way out: MyNorthwest collected a bunch of recent exit interviews with cops leaving SPD and they say exactly what you think they'd say. Money isn't the main factor pushing them out of the department; instead, it's a lack of support. An honest broker of their complaints would focus that ire on a lack of alternative supports for people without homes or people suffering from untreated behavioral health conditions, but of course it's the very politicians fighting for those alternatives who the cops blame for the bad vibes in the city.

Surprise, surprise: KUOW reports that the recent wave of attacks on the power grid just so happen to coincide with FBI warnings about far-right groups promoting the idea of sabotaging the country's electrical infrastructure online. Prosecutors aren't alleging that the most recent attacks on substations in Pierce County are part of the trend, but there are several more ongoing investigations into other attacks in the Northwest in the last six months where the identity and motives of the saboteurs remain unknown. 

Finally! As The Stranger first reported, this week Washington lawmakers introduced a bill for a wealth tax, joining a national effort to claw back some of the obscene amount of wealth the richest of the rich have hoarded in the last few decades of our modern Gilded Age. State Senator Noel Frame, the sponsor of the bill, said it would create $3 billion in funding for housing and education by imposing a 1% tax on financial assets in excess of $250 million. 

Local sports update: For all you Seahawks fans still bitter about the walloping the 49ers put on your favorite team last weekend, might I suggest diving into hockey for the rest of the winter? Apparently the Kraken are nearing the tops of the standings in the NHL!

#Textgate continues: The Seattle Times reports that a federal judge has issued "crippling sanctions" against the City of Seattle in ongoing litigation over damages resulting from the 2020 protests in Capitol Hill. The judge found that Mayor Jenny Durkan's explanations for how her text messages with Seattle Police Department Chief Carmen Best and Seattle Fire Department Chief Harold Scoggins "strain credulity." Go off, king.

Public service announcement: T-Mobile reported yesterday that a data breach from a "malicious intruder" in November resulted in the theft of personal information for 37 million of its customers. The company says the hacker made off with addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. Although T-Mobile says Social Security numbers, bank account information, and passwords were not exposed as part of the hack, it's probably worth it for T-Mobile customers to monitor credit reports for the next couple of months to catch anything fishy. 

*Sigh*: Raise your hand if you're excited to spend the next two years debating whether technical details of document retention policies are as important as the threat of a wannabe dictator assuming control of the world's largest nuclear arsenal.

Boeing faces arraignment over 737 MAX: A federal judge in Texas ordered Boeing to face arraignment on a felony charge over its role in the crashes of two 737 MAX jets that killed 346 people. The narrow ruling isn't a guarantee that the feds will actually prosecute Boeing, but it does require the Department of Justice's prosecutors to hold a hearing where family members of the people killed in the crash can testify as to why they believe a prosecution should go forward.

Not a great look, Microsoft execs: Seriously, how did no one involved in planning this party raise their hand to suggest that a swanky private concert wasn't the best idea on the eve of 10,000 layoffs?

Google joins the layoff party: Not to be outdone, Google announced this morning that they'll be laying off 12,000 workers as the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes continue to have their intended effect of pushing us toward a recession in a bid to reduce inflation. CNBC has the full memo from Google's CEO if you'd like to experience what it's like to learn of your potential firing while being addressed as a "Googler" by someone with more money than God.

Say that again? NBC News reports that the family of the 6-year-old who brought a gun to school and critically wounded his first grade teacher claims the firearm "was secured." Cops are still investigating the alleged security measures, which will play a significant role in determining whether local prosecutors file charges against the parents.

Supreme Court leak investigation comes up dry: The Washington Post reports that the investigation into who leaked the draft opinion for the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade has wrapped up without identifying the leaker. The investigation interviewed 97 people, but apparently not any of the justices. That oversight, according to one law professor and former Supreme Court clerk, made it "hard to take this investigation seriously."

Some schadenfreude for your weekend: CBS News reports that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is running to be chair of the Republican party next week. The piece captured what might be my favorite self-own of the year. In an apparent attempt to emphasize his degree of commitment to election denial, Lindell claimed that his company has "lost $100 million in retailers" since he began pushing his conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Let's end AM with a jam for all of you heading out to the mountains for some good old-fashioned winter recreation this weekend.