Weather: Catch a little morning fog? I live in a basement so I haven’t had a proper look at the sky yet, so IDK for sure, but The Weather Channel said to expect some fog this morning. By the time you’re reading this, the fog's probably cleared, but the clouds are here to stay. Mid-morning should bring temperatures in the low 40s which will steadily warm up to a peak of 47 around 3pm. Nothing special! 

Stand with SAM workers: Gallery guards of the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) have been on strike since November 29 after two years of contract negotiations ending in a stalemate over pay and benefits. Today, the SAM Visiting Service Officers (VSO) Union invites you to join them on their picket line on First Avenue and Union Street from 10 am to 8 pm for their “Rally for a better museum; and a better future” during the first Thursday art walk. According to a press release, the rally aims to “draw attention to SAM’s Board of Trustees, whose corporate interests dictate SAM’s policies to their personal benefit, rather than the benefit of the workers.” Show them some love online, in their bosses' inbox, or get your butt to the picket line! 

City Council reacts: As you probably already know, Council Member Tammy Morales announced in a press release that she will resign, leaving her seat open effective January 6. I wrote about the bullying that led up to her decision here and I’ll have more on how advocates are reacting to the changing political dynamics later. Most people really feel for Morales, who faced undue scrutiny, scolding, and disparagement at the hands of her colleagues, probably because she’s more progressive than them. But Council Member Rob Saka took a different tact. Saka told KOMO that Morales’s complaints about the “hostile” workplace amount to “hyperbole.” He said, “'Look, everyone is entitled to speak their own opinion and speak their own truth. But for me, personally, I've been more than accommodating, been more than collaborative... [and] I strongly disagree on some of the harsh rhetoric and divisive politics inherent in her statement.'” This is especially rich since Morales accused the council of gaslighting her. 

What about Woo? After Morales announced her resignation, city council followers started speculating that former Council Member Tanya Woo would apply for the vacancy. Woo lost to Morales in 2023, but got big business’s blessing and the nepo baby hook up for a different, non-elected appointment to the council. Then, she lost to Council Member Alexis Mercedes Rinck last month trying to retain the seat. Woo did not confirm or deny any plans to apply for the appointment or run for the seat in 2025.

And finally, Sawant: Former Council Member Kshama Sawant came up a lot in discussion about Morales’s sudden departure. Morales said her association with the socialist made all her moves suspect to her new colleagues. But any comparison falls flat to Sawant, who told The Stranger Morales tried to make peace with the openly pro-corporate wing of the Democratic Party—unlike how Sawant conducted herself on council. “The decade-long record of my socialist City Council office stands in stark contrast to this dead-end approach,” Sawant wrote in a text. “I never sought for one minute to make peace with big business or their politicians. And yet, I was never isolated because my alliance was with working people.” Working people certainly felt more represented by Morales than any other member of the council, but Sawant argued Morales didn’t fight hard enough, citing how she snubbed an invitation to speak at a press conference fighting against the council’s brief attempt to permanently enshrine a tip punishment system. 

Unsurprising and unacceptable: The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Memphis Police Department after they beat Tyre Nichols to death in a 2023 traffic stop. The findings are in and it turns out the department indeed uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people. The city of Memphis said in a letter "that it would not agree to negotiate federal oversight of its police department until it could review and challenge results of the investigation." 

Pumping the brakes: President Donald Trump is on track to lose his third cabinet nominee in two weeks, says Axios. In November, Trump hit the lobbying phones to get Congress to approve his controversial appointment of Matt Gaetz. After the scrutiny uncovered just the tip of his alleged history of sex trafficking and cavorting with minors, Gaetz withdrew. Now, it seems GOP lawmakers have taken that as a sign that Trump's willing to change his mind. That seems especially true as he takes a hands-off approach to the appointment of his Department of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, who it seems is also a walking public relations nightmare. 

Twitter reacts: I know y’all hate the former bird app, but yesterday was one of those days. Like the time Trump got COVID-19 or when Henry Kissinger died, the assassination of the UnitedHealth CEO really brought the people together. But the jokes may come to an end soon. According to ABC, the cops are “closing in” on the gunman’s identity. They've found pictures of the gunman's face. Additional information includes bullet casings found at the scene with "deny," "defend," and "depose" written on them. Those words echo the title of a 2010 book, the subtitle of which reads: "Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it."

In French news: New right-wing prime minister Michel Barnier resigned this morning after 331 lawmakers supported a vote of no confidence brought forward by an alliance of left-wing parties. However, the vote received support from the far-right party as well with 331 lawmakers voting to topple Barnier. It was the country's first successful no-confidence vote since 1962. According to The Guardian this does not bode well. France is about to plunge into the unknown. Factions of both parties are now calling for centrist President Emmanuel Macron to resign. Stay tuned, I guess!

Stop me if you've heard this one: And it sound like many of you have—over and over and over again. Rising pop girlie Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso" made it to the top spot of the most users' Spotify Wrapped lists.Â