Weather: It’s getting pretty chilly out there! And just in time for all us hoes (celebratory) to put on a skimpy lil costume and get wasted on the Hill. Don’t let sunny skies fool you, temperatures will sit in the low 40s throughout the morning and move up to the low 50s around 2 pm. It's all downhill from there, as temps quickly drop back to the low 40s after the sunset at around 6 pm. So, if you’re super extra and your Halloweekend starts tonight, I recommend bringing a jacket or at least taking a shot before you go outside. 

Big Mike: Yesterday the US House of Representatives finally elected a speaker, and it only took three weeks! The ascension of Louisiana’s Mike Johnson marks a huge L for anyone who isn’t a complete Trump zealot. He tried to help overturn the results of the 2020 election, he’s wildly homophobic, he gives credence to the white nationalist “great replacement theory,” and he advocates for forced birth with a fervor. Not great! 

First things first: And what did the House do as soon as it figured out who to give the gavel to? The representatives passed legislation reaffirming their support of Israel and pledging to give its government whatever it needs to continue to carpet bomb civilians in Gaza after Hamas's attack. I am so disgusted that after weeks of Israel leveling neighborhoods, starving civilians, denying humanitarian aid, and killing more than 6,000 Palestinians, US elected officials’ first priority is to signal support for a government waging genocide. 

This is what you are defending: 

Ceasefire: Israel sent troops and tanks into Gaza last night in preparation for an even larger ground invasion that will undoubtedly kill more civilians. Still, it does not appear the US will call for a ceasefire anytime soon, despite a possible halt to humanitarian aid as fuel runs out. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, regarded as one of the most anti-war senators, will only call for a “humanitarian pause.” His statement comes after hundreds of former staffers demanded he stand against Israel’s attack on Gaza.

One last thing: President Joe Biden is trying to gaslight us into thinking the Israeli government ain’t so bad after all. He said: "What they say to me is I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I'm sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war.” 

Check in on your urbanist friends: District 4 City Council candidate Ron Davis may have damaged his urbanist reputation. Tuesday afternoon, Davis sent an email to voters to announce that TreePac endorsed his campaign. In case you don’t know, urbanists, Davis’s core base, and tree advocates have long-standing beef, since sometimes people use tree preservation as an excuse to block new housing development. Sure, there are definitely ways to build housing and save trees, but the endorsement raised eyebrows among the chattering class. Before this, Davis also dented his urbanist armor by pledging not to upzone the Ave as the U-District continues to grow and become less and less affordable to students and low-income people. 

Worst case scenario: And somehow, Davis is still one of the best candidates in this whole damn election. If you have your ballot handy, please consult our in-depth voter guide or our cheat sheet. If we lose and big business wins, things will just get shittier, as I wrote yesterday.

GOTV:

Asylum-seekers: 300 asylum-seekers and counting now camp outside Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila. That count includes about 90 children and 11 pregnant women. The feds technically handle refugee resettlement, but Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) failed to secure money he requested from a program that already dried up, according to the Seattle Times. In the meantime, Seattle and King County chipped in a combined $250,000 to help while asylum-seekers wait for the feds to swoop in with the big bucks.

Lewiston shooting: In the US's 565th mass shooting so far this year, a gunman shot and killed at least 16 people last night in Lewiston, Maine. With the suspect still on the loose, officials tell Lewiston residents to lock down. 

I apologize: In honor of the release of 1989 Taylor’s Version tonight, please enjoy one of the best songs Ms. Swift has ever written.