Cloudy today: Ah, here is a forecast we know and love. It will be gray and not too cold. Don't get it twisted, though, it will not be anywhere near warm. An atmospheric river could be on the way later in the week. Not today. Today it is simply gray.
That didn't take long: In the wake of Donald Trump's weekend cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staff, another plane crashed. A Delta flight from Minneapolis flipped onto its roof while crash landing at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. All 80 people onboard survived, though 18 suffered injuries. I bet those people were happy they followed the fasten seatbelt sign's instructions. This is the fourth major aviation crash in North America in the past three weeks.
BREAKING: At least 8 injured after Delta plane crash landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport - CP24
— BNO News ( @bnonews.com ) February 17, 2025 at 12:17 PM
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No, stop, please don't privatize everything: A team from Elon Musk's aerospace company, SpaceX, visited the Air Traffic Control Command Center in Virginia on Monday to take a look at what's going on and help "overhaul the system" in the wake of January's deadly D.C. plane crash. Look, I'm not a rocket scientist, but it seems like maybe upending a system that was working by firing everyone involved may have something to do with how everything is crumbling now. While it's still unclear if this is happening, I really, really fear Musk making a private version of the FAA with his own cronies, to help his own interests.
In case the wires got crossed somehow?
Maybe I wasn’t clear about this. I wanted more egg and no plane crash, not many plane crash and no egg.
— Tim Onion ( @bencollins.bsky.social ) February 17, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Parks, Forests workers cut in Trump layoffs: Trump's recent firings of newer, or probational, federal workers resulted in a 10% cut to the U.S. Forest Service workforce and a 5% cut to National Parks workers. This is a significant hit to the maintenance of our national parks, especially during a time when people are visiting national parks more than ever . In Montana, the cuts have left "just three full-time employees remain in both the Yellowstone and Bozeman ranger districts to manage 19 rental cabins, 60 bathrooms, 21 campgrounds and other infrastructure spread across 1 million acres," the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports . "There is no one left," a now-former dedicated Forest Service employee told the Chronicle . "They dismantled every single trails and rec program on the Custer Gallatin, and there’s no one left to take care of it."
Stories like this are happening all over: The Trump firings have hit people who love what they do. Stewards of the aspects of American life we take for granted. To add insult to injury, many of the firings cite "poor performance" as the reason. I guess that's because they couldn't write "hostile government takeover."
Assessment on nature trashed, not even composted: Around 150 scientists across the country—many from the Seattle area—were putting together a first-of-its-kind assessment on the state of nature born from a 2022-era Joe Biden order when the Trump administration just... canceled it. They were just shy of completing their first draft. Instead of stopping, the scientists vowed to complete their work , government sponsorship be damned.
DOGE dogs Social Security Administration (SSA): Musk's team at the Department of Government Efficiency (ugh) has hit the SSA. There, they're seeking the private information of millions of Americans. That information includes addresses, financial data, and employment information. The SSA's commissioner, Michelle King, resigned rather than give DOGE access.
Seattle protests the regime: President's Day took on a different meaning yesterday. Thousands flocked downtown to protest our new kings, Trump and Musk.
In Seattle City Attorney news: Candidate Nathan Rouse says that he's the first candidate to reach the qualification threshold for the Democracy Vouchers program less than two weeks after announcing his candidacy. You can read about Rouse here .
Shooting in Tukwila: Two people were shot on a bus in Tukwila late Monday afternoon. They were taken to the hospital. Police are searching for three suspects.
Dow's not done: Dow Constantine, who is stepping down as King County Executive after four terms, shared he's interested in becoming Sound Transit's next CEO after interim CEO Goran Sparrman retires effective May 15. Constantine, in his role, is already an acting Sound Transit board member. Critics of the decision think this is a bad idea and Constantine as CEO would be a massive conflict of interest. Constantine has been on the board for 15 years in his capacity as the executive and has appointed 10 of the 18 members on the board. Let one of the other four candidates with actual history leading transit agencies take this one, Dow.
An end to the war in Ukraine? Russia and the US announced Tuesday they will start working toward finding an end to the war in Ukraine. The two countries also said they'll start patching up their diplomatic and economic relationship. Nobody from Ukraine was at the meeting. Our current administration and its softness toward actual dictator Vladimir Putin have me very skeptical about celebrating any possible peace agreement cooked up by these sides.
A song for your Tuesday: A reader sent me this music video to plug into this post. It rocks. If you have any other music suggestions, please email them to me! You can send them via comments, but I am wary about wading into the comment section, so I can't guarantee I'll see it.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Nathan Rouse had qualified for the Democracy Voucher program. It has been updated to clarify that he stated his campaign had met the threshold to qualify for the program.
