Israel agrees to stop bombing Gaza for four hours: Well, Israel agreed to whatever the fuck a "humanitarian pause" is. To appease the spineless politicians who will only ask for a "pause" in the bombing of civilians instead of a total ceasefire, Israel said it will take a four-hour bombing break each day. United Nations official Francesca Albanese told NBC News these pauses would be "very cynical and cruel" because they will "let people breathe and to remember what is the sound of life without bombing before starting bombing them again."

A blast at Gaza's biggest hospital: A projectile from Israel flew into and exploded inside the courtyard at Al Shifa hospital, a place where displaced Gazans were sleeping overnight. One person died. Others were injured, some severely.

Keep calling your reps: Staffers from more than two dozen Democratic offices told the Huffington Post they were receiving an "unprecedented" number of calls and emails demanding representatives call for a ceasefire.  "I’ve never seen such a disconnect between where voters and constituents are and where Congress is, and that’s saying something because there’s always a disconnect,” one staffer said. The calls seem to be working slightly since more members than ever are calling for "humanitarian pauses," but the immobility of the representatives is demoralizing to their staff. Most refuse to even utter the word "ceasefire." Meanwhile, 80% of Democratic voters support a ceasefire. Keep calling them. Keep threatening to vote them out of office. They represent you and your interests. Remind them of that. 

Meanwhile, Joe: Sigh.

Kilmer calls it quits: US Rep. Derek Kilmer, a moderate Democrat representing Gig Harbor since 2012, announced on Thursday he will not be running for re-election—despite raising $1.4 million already for a re-election campaign. Kilmer cited the personal toll working in the other Washington has taken on his family (missed theatrical performances, music recitals, and family dinners add up). The real story here isn't this middle-aged man's family, but how his seat's vacancy will shake up Washington state politics. State Sen. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, said she's considering running for Kilmer's seat. There are also rumors about how this could shake up the state governor's race; Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz may be considering dropping out of the running for Jay Inslee's seat and vying for Kilmer's again. 

Hottest year on record: This year was the hottest 12 months in recorded history for our little planet. Globally, 25% of people dealt with an extreme heat streak lasting five days. That'll happen when greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere keep rising. 

King County Council considers $1 billion for climate: The council voted this week to explore the possibility of adding a 2024 ballot measure to raise $1 billion over six to nine years for decarbonization, conservation, and environmental disaster preparation. The money would likely be raised using taxes, fees, or bond measures. With a warming planet and tangible effects (floods, wildfires, droughts, etc.) of climate change already worsening, it couldn't hurt to finally do something proactive when it comes to the environment. 

WSDOT goes dark: Since Tuesday, most of the Washington State Department of Transportation's real-time web information has been inaccessible. Traffic cameras, ferry schedules, travel maps, mountain pass statuses, etc. have been down for days due to what WSDOT is calling a "cyberattack." Traffic cams and online commercial vehicle permits came back online Thursday. Everything else remains down. So far, WSDOT is dealing with the attack internally and has yet to contact law enforcement, the Seattle Times reports. 

A dark and stormy night ahead: Expect scattered showers throughout the day on Friday. Expect some sun breaks, too. By Friday night, rain and gusty wind will sweep into the Western Washington region. The more mountainous parts of the region will see a helping of snow. Happy November.

Not exactly a pen pal: On Wednesday, elections offices in King, Pierce, Spokane, and Skagit counties evacuated after receiving similar letters containing white powder. All of the letters were the same—and, they were the same as a letter King County Elections received during the August primary. Postmarked from Portland, Oregon, the letter says to "ENJOY SOME COMPLIMENTARY WHITE POWDER," then it implies the white powder is fentanyl. After that, the letter goes on to say "THERE MUST BE NO MORE ELECTIONS!!!!!" because we "live in a communist country and COMMUNIST COUNTRIES DO NOT HAVE ELECTIONS!!!!" And, finally, "End elections now. Stop giving power to the right that they don't have.” There are three symbols on the letter: an anti-fascist symbol, an LGBTQ+ flag, and a Satanist upside-down pentagram. Call me crazy, but I don't think a gay, anti-fascist Satanist sent this. In fact, I'd wager just the opposite. Get the FBI on the horn, we're looking for a fascist, straight, evangelical Christian. 

Go get your abortions, Alabama: Don't get them in Alabama, obviously, since abortion is basically completely illegal there in this post-Dobbs-decision dystopia. But, if a friend or confidant wants to drive someone across state lines to get an abortion, that's fine. Contrary to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's implications that he would "look into" people accused of helping transport people to abortions, it is unconstitutional to prosecute them, the US Department of Justice said Thursday. Alabama cannot prosecute anyone who helps transport abortion seekers because the Constitution protects the right to travel. While I guess it's good that people can't go to jail for literally driving across state lines, it's still fucking depressing we have to even be talking about this. 

Despite everything going on, this is the worst thing I've read all week: "Millionaire biohacker Bryan Johnson, 46, claims he reverse-aged his penis by 15 years by using shock therapy on his genitals — revealing he is aiming to have 'the erections of an 18 year old'"

Wait, here's an orphaned beaver building a dam: I feel like you need to see this beaver that has never seen a dam built try to build a dam from instinct alone. 

Don't read if you love dogs: Officials found nine dogs in "tragic" conditions in a Tahuya house two weeks after the dogs's owner died. There was no food or water. The dogs were found close to the owners' body. I will not elaborate any further on the sad details of this story. Officials brought the dogs to the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County. 

Omegle is dead: Omegle, the video chatting site that paired random users together in a chat, is dead. After 14 years, the site shut down due to claims of abuse against users. The goal of the site was "social spontaneity." Unfortunately for Omegle, social spontaneity often included a lot of unsolicited penises onscreen. In the last couple of years, according to the BBC, Omegle was mentioned in more than 50 cases against pedophiles. 

I'm bored of music recommendations: Why don't you do something useful with your time? Like, solving a murder?