Good morning! Let’s start with the weather. Our little taste of Spring isn’t completely gone. It’s gonna be cloudy but mild today. Highs are still in the low 50s, and the low is only 42. Get outside before winter tries to come back for a month or three. 

Oscar Night: Conan O'Brien hosted with the Pretty Okay awkward charm we’ve come to expect, Cynthia Erivo narrowly missed an EGOT, Kieran Culkin publicly cornered his wife into making more babies, Zoe Saldaña apologized to the entire country of Mexico, and Hulu pissed off a few million people when it cut their live stream before Best Lead Actress and Best Picture were announced (oops). 

Wins and Snubs: Paul Tazwell, who led the costuming for the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s recent production of The Sleeping Beauty, was the first Black man to win in the costuming category. Seattle had a couple horses in this race, and we got snubbed: Brandi Carlile, who was nominated for best original song for her work on Elton John’s documentary (she lost to a song from Emilia Pérez); and Julian Brave NoiseCat, whose documentary, Sugarcane, lost out to No Other Land, a film made by a coalition of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers. NoiseCat was the first Indigenous person from North America ever nominated for an Academy Award for a documentary.

Go to the Movies: One of my favorite moments last night came during Sean Baker’s acceptance speech for best director. After a quick thank you, he gave an impassioned speech about saving the institution of the movie theater. “We are all here tonight because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” said Baker. He reminded the audience that we lost a thousand screens during the pandemic, and with the focus on streaming over theatrical releases, we could lose more. “In a time in which our world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever: It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.”

Okay let’s do the Trump stuff now.

Cuts to NWS: Did you like that little weather update earlier? Enjoy them while you’ve got them. The Trump administration announced mass terminations in the National Weather Service last week. According to the Washington Post, the terminations included “meteorologists, hydrologists and technicians that help inform daily weather forecasts in places including Boston and Boise, Idaho.” They also fired scientists who build and maintain forecasting models, staff responsible for warning the public about tsunamis, tornadoes and hurricanes — and an entire team dedicated to communicating NOAA’s work and science to the public.

Trump Hates Orcas: One of the cuts from NOAA was Hanna Miller, whose job was to protect whales from oil spills, ships, and fishing gear. 

We’re Tired of Saying “Unprecedented” But: During a press conference in the Oval Office, Trump and Vance attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him ungrateful, and painting him as a barrier to a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Biden called it “sickening” and “deeply disturbing.” It’s hard to watch. 

 

If you can’t get through it, here’s SNL’s take on it instead. 

I Am the Law: In a whole separate striking exchange, Trump threatened Maine’s governor to her far, saying he would pull federal funding from the state if they continued to support trans student athletes, “I’m complying with state and federal laws,” Governor Janet Mills said. “We are the federal law,” Trump replied.

No Hablo Iñgles: In proper White Nationalist form, Trump made English the United States’ official language this weekend. 

Quantifying It: According to a leaked memo obtained by the NYT, the suffering caused by the Trump admin’s decision to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development can be broken down by the numbers. By USAID's estimates: up to 18 million additional cases of malaria per year, 200,000 children paralyzed with polio annually, one million children per year not treated for severe acute malnutrition, which is often fatal, and more than 28,000 new cases of infectious diseases like Ebola every year.

The Tale of the 100 Lawsuits: As of this weekend, the Trump administration has 100 active lawsuits against it. According to the New York Times, in 21 of those cases, judges have issued temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions, effectively halting (or at least slowing) Trump 2.0’s agenda. But in response, the Trump admin is dragging its feet, looking for loopholes, and generally doing its damnedest to ignore judicial authority. “At this point, the argument appears to be shifting toward a debate over whether the judges — not the president — are pushing the limits of their authority,” wrote the NYT. 

IRS Standing Strong: The Department of Homeland Security is pushing the IRS to turn over the addresses of some 700,000 undocumented immigrants that they’re trying to deport, according to NYT. Many undocumented immigrants still file tax returns, and because they don’t have a social security number, the IRS gives them a special classification. So far, the IRS has refused to turn over the addresses, which would likely violate tax payer privacy laws. The IRS being part of the resistance wasn’t on my bingo card, and I’m here for it. 

A Little Shake: We had a little quake early this morning, about six miles east of Orcas Island. It triggered a Shake Alert around the islands, but no damage has been reported yet. Just a little love tap from one of the faults. 

Concrete Mama: Unincarcerated Productions launched Washington's first podcast out of a state prison today. Called “Concrete Mama,” the podcast’s eight-episode season will explore current life in Washington State Penitentiary, and stories from the prison’s nearly 140-year history. You can listen to the first episode today. 

Tumwater Acquiesces: On Friday, the Tumwater School Board voted 3-1 to ban transgender girls from sports, kicking off protests that forced them to shut down the meeting early. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association currently allows athletes to participate on the team that aligns with their gender. But in April, the WIAA will vote on two cruel and unreasonable proposals: The first would ban transgender girls from participating in girls sports, creating an “open” division instead. The other would create three separate divisions for boys, girls and transgender athletes (they clearly haven’t tried to count how many trans athletes are in Washington state).

Ramadan in Gaza: Ramadan started this weekend, and Palestinians in Gaza celebrated amidst the rubble of their homes. The images are striking. Take a look here.