Mitnick meltdown: There’s trouble on the only self-proclaimed socialist campaign in the city. Former volunteers and alleged staff will put out a public statement later this morning accusing City Council candidate Matthew Mitnick of committing wage theft, creating a toxic work environment, and violating child labor laws. I spoke with some of the letter signatories, and they call for the Seattle left to stop giving what they call a "grift" campaign their time and money. The Mitnick campaign refutes the accusations and has cut ties with the Seattle Democratic Socialists America, which many of these volunteers are associated with. 

What Seattle does best: I know you all saw this Seattle Times story checking up on Mayor Bruce Harrell’s homelessness promises on the Slog yesterday, but I thought I would add a little something-something. Real Change dug up some documents and found that the City conducted more than 900 sweeps in 2022, or about 2.5 a day. Since the number of sweeps have increased greatly since 2021, Twitter is blaming Harrell, or, as the kids call it, “The Harrell Horror Show.” 

Where are the tiny shelters, Andrew? Council Member Andrew Lewis promised to fundraise and double the tiny shelter stock by the end of 2021. Dude. It's 2023. According to the Seattle Times, Lewis raised millions for the Low Income Housing Institute, but the money did not fund a single city-initiated tiny shelter. 

Weather: Is the weather as nice as yesterday? No. But Seattle will see temperatures peak in the low-to-mid 50s at around 3 pm. The sun should poke out later this afternoon, too.

Climate change did your nose dirty: Don’t let anyone gaslight you into believing this is a normal allergy season. You are not a baby. You are a victim of climate change. Here’s why, according to the Seattle Times:

"With warmer conditions arriving sooner in winter and staying later in fall, the “growing season” — or the time between the last freeze in spring and first freeze in fall — is expanding, leading to longer allergy seasons. To add to it, high levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide are spurring plant growth and raising pollen concentrations in the air, exacerbating seasonal allergies. "

Justice: As Conor Kelley wrote on the blog yesterday, former Starbucks CEO and current man-child Howard Schultz finally showed up to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to answer for his sins against workers. The senators did not hold back, and for a brief moment I had faith in the federal government. Savor this. 

Not my favorite job listing of all time: Yesterday, someone complained in my DMs about a job listing for a field director gig on Council Member Tammy Morales’s re-election campaign. It only pays $3,000 to $3,500 a month. To be fair, campaigns don’t pay incredibly well to begin with, but the low end of this salary falls just cents above minimum wage and the high end would still put the worker below 50% of the Seattle Area Median Income in 2022. I asked the campaign for comment and have not heard back. 

My mouth is literally watering:

ICYMI: Last night, hundreds of mourners gathered for a candlelight vigil in Nashville to honor the six victims who were killed in a school shooting earlier this week. As Ashley Nerbovig wrote Tuesday, the victims include Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs; all just nine years old. School custodian Mike Hill, the head of school Katherine Koonce, and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak also died in the shooting. Here’s what we know about the victims as of this morning. 

Kentucky crash: Two Blackhawk helicopters collided last night in an army training mission near Fort Campbell in Kentucky. All of the nine service members on board died.

Probably a snack break or something: Sources told CNN that the Manhattan jury for the case about former President Donald Trump’s alleged payout to porn star Stormy Daniels is taking a break for most of April. This puts a pause on potentially indicting Trump. I know Trump got a little antsy last week and wrongly predicted his arrest, so I hope he can wait another few weeks for his big day!

Gwyneth: Almond mom and actress Gwyneth Paltrow is on trial for allegedly crashing into Terry Sanderson and causing him a traumatic brain injury while skiing on Flagstaff Mountain in 2016. Paltrow claims he actually ran into her. New evidence from Sanderson’s group chat could give more insight into the he-said-she-said. 

The girlbossification of women accused of ruining lives: 

You good? 86-year-old Pope Francis went to the hospital on Wednesday for a respiratory infection (not COVID-19, a different one). According to the Guardian, Francis will likely be in the hospital for a few days. 

Protect the press: Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich because the government suspected he's spying for the U.S. Mr. Putin, I expect an apology video with tears ASAP. Absolutely fucked up.

Today in music history: In 1985, Phil Collins (that guy from Tarzan) entered his second week with his this song at No. 1 on the US singles chart. (My music taste is so limited that I just use this website to guide me lol.)