Ballot drop: Mail-in voting means that the election fun lasts all week! And this time, the progressives are actually having fun, not biting their nails hoping the late ballots turn the results around. King County Elections tallied up an additional 47,000 votes in the day-two dump yesterday. Rich Smith summed up the main developments, but keep an eye on the blog later today. As Rich writes, the big trends don’t start until the Thursday after the election. 

Surprise! Ukrainian soldiers entered Russia and seized three villages. According to Al Jazeera, the move "bewildered Moscow, successfully tested its weak border defenses and may deal a blow to its natural gas supplies to Europe."

VP v. VP: JD Vance tried his hand at attacking Tim Walz. Vance accused Walz of “stolen valor,” which military peeps take super seriously. While Walz did not go into battle ever, he served 24 years with the Army National Guard and earned the rank of command sergeant major. And it doesn’t appear Walz is trying to mislead people about that. In a 2018 interview, Walz said, "I know that there are certainly folks that did far more than I did. I know that. I willingly say that I got far more out of the military than they got out of me, from the GI Bill to leadership opportunities to everything else." So yeah, easily debunkable line of attack. You know what’s not easy to debunk? The claim that Vance fucked a couch. Just ask the Associated Press!

Now there’s the Democrats I know: Presidential nominee Kamala Harris summoned the spirit of Hilary Clinton in 2016 and condescended to pro-Palestine protesters who chanted through her speech in Michigan last night. Michigan is a must-win state for Harris, and it has a high Arab-American population who rejected President Joe Biden over Israel's genocide in Gaza. Her attempt at an epic girlboss own may have just soured her relationship with young voters just as she was gaining momentum with them. I guess eventually the meme value wears off and people remember there’s more to the office than coming off as a fun wine aunt. On the bright side, Harris spoke with leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement before the rally. The movement, originally spun up to pressure President Joe Biden to end the genocide in Gaza, demands Harris commit to calling for a permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo on Israel.

Weird flex: In another move that may alienate the young progressives that Kamala Harris seemed better-positioned to win than President Joe Biden, Harris's campaign clapped back on former President Donald Trump's criticism of how Tim Walz handled the George Floyd protests as governor of Minnesota. They posted leaked audio that revealed Trump actually really liked how Walz responded. Personally, I would not want to align with Trump on how to crackdown on protesters. 

Keep protesting: After Israeli media revealed leaked surveillance video of Israeli soldiers allegedly sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee, the US State Department called on Israel to “swiftly” and “fully” investigate their soldiers’ alleged sexual abuse and rape of detainees. The footage comes soon after a new report from Israeli Human Rights group B'Tselem documenting Israel’s systematic torture and abuse of Palestinian prisoners.

Oceangate: The family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French explorer who died in the infamous submersible disaster, is suing Oceangate for more the $50 million. The lawsuit alleges the five people aboard experienced "terror and mental anguish" before the implosion and accuses the submersible's operator of gross negligence.

Question: As I marveled at how much power former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wields, I wondered if we have an analog in Seattle or in Washington State. I asked Twitter and there’s no clear consensus. Sound of below!

Warning: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern coast today. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning and reports waves reaching more than 20 feet high after the quake. 

Close call for Ms. Swift: Cops in Austria think they foiled an ISIS terror plot aimed at Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna. Swift canceled all three of her Austrian shows out of caution. 

Checkmate: The Russian Chess Federation suspended Amina Abakarova for allegedly attempting to poison her chess rival during the Dagestan Chess Championship earlier this month. Surveillance footage appears to show Abakarova rubbing something, allegedly mercury, on her opponent's side of the board.  

Before you go: I almost forgot the weather! We’re in for a warm one today. By 10 am, you can expect full sun and 70 degrees. That will heat up to a peak of 84 degrees around 5 pm. But it may not be the best day to sit at a park with the girlies. The wind may drag over some haze from wildfires in eastern Washington.

Enjoy this song recommendation from my friend!