Good morning! This day wasted no time getting sunny and beautiful. Clear skies, highs in the mid-70s, extremely high grass pollen. It’s summer.
Let’s do the news.
If the Seattle Times’ estimates are right, 70,000 people showed up to the No Kings rally on Saturday. That would mean almost 10 percent of Seattle turned out with sneakers on and handmade signs to shout down fascism this weekend. It didn’t beat the Women’s March’s 125k record, but hot damn that’s a lot of people that hate Trump, care about immigrants and queer people, and wanna see Elon Musk, Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, and every other helmet-haired, puppy-killing Trump official lick rust.
The rally started in Cal Anderson Park. Protesters easily filled three quarters of the seven acre park, and spilled out onto the surrounding streets. The rally started with a series of speakers, including a group of federal workers who led the crowd in the pledge to the constitution. Rep. Pramila Jayapal gave a tearful speech about political courage in the face of authoritarianism, and then the whole rally started marching toward Seattle Center. The march stretched almost two miles (one spectator asked me if they were marching in a circle). Cops kept their distance—generally a block or two away from the crowd—and it paid off. Look at that: when cops don’t escalate situations, they stay pretty chill.
Shoutout to the Smaller Protests Too: At least 5,000 people showed up at UW’s Red Square, and hundreds of protesters rode the 10:25 a.m. ferry between Bainbridge and Seattle for their “Ferries, not Tanks” demonstration.
Justice for Afa: There were No Kings protests in all 50 states, and the ACLU estimates that at least 5 million people hit the streets over the weekend. They were largely peaceful rallies, with the exception of Salt Lake City’s. There, according to police, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa had an AR-15-style rifle in his backpack. Two armed, non-police “peacekeepers” saw Gamboa lift the gun as if to shoot it, and one of them shot at him. They did shoot Gamboa, and he didn’t shoot any other protesters, but they also shot and killed a bystander at the protest named Arthur “Afa” Folasa Ah Loo. Everyone involved is in custody, and everyone would be better off if we had better gun control laws.
Chinga La Migra: On Friday, ICE officials issued surprise notices to asylum seekers that were part of the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. The message instructed them to go to the Homeland Security building in Tukwila on Saturday or Sunday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. This was extremely unusual, immigration lawyers said. And to be clear, no one who was summoned were undocumented immigrants—they were legally allowed to be in the US. More than 40 people showed up to the immigration building on Saturday, and while reports differ, at least two appear to have been detained and sent to the ICE facility in Tacoma.
Chinga La Migra Part II: When ICE officials appeared to be transporting those people out of the ICE facility, protesters created a blockade, using shields, no parking signs, and their own bodies to try to stop the transport. According to a statement by Tukwila police, Federal Protective Services (part of Homeland Security) asked for their help to clear the road, because it was technically their jurisdiction. They obliged. KUOW reported that within 90 seconds of ordering the crowd to disperse, Tukwila PD used tear gas on the protesters. ICE Special Response Teams (their personal SWAT team) joined in, and video shows them wrestling protesters to the ground and using their own chemical weapons. In their statement, Tukwila PD said twice that the protesters were wearing all black—even providing photo evidence—as if that justified their actions.
Someone Left Trump’s Cake Out in the Rain: Meanwhile, Trump’s military parade/birthday party was a flop. He spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to trot out three dozen horses, 28 Abrams tanks, and 6,700 soldiers to a sparse, unimpressed crowd while he tried to figure out how to look like he was saluting and not just shading his eyes. Oh and don’t forget the moment when soldiers were marching to A SONG ABOUT PRIVILEGED DRAFT DODGERS.
I did not edit this, this is the actual parade with the actual music being played.
CINEMATIC
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog.lol) June 14, 2025 at 4:32 PM
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Political Violence in Minnesota: After a two-day search—and the largest manhunt in Minnesota history—law enforcement arrested Vance Boelter late Sunday night and charged him with second degree murder. On Saturday morning, authorities say Boelter approached two state lawmakers' homes wearing a latex mask and a police uniform. He shot and killed former Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark; He also shot Democratic State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who both survived. When he was arrested, Boelter had a list of about 70 potential targets, including politicians, civic and business leaders, and Planned Parenthood centers.
Another One Bends the Knee: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles—one of the country’s oldest and largest providers of gender-affirming care for children and young adults—announced that it’s closing its Center for Transyouth Health and Development next month. The hospital specifically blamed the Trump administration’s executive orders, and the funding that they’ve lost because they provide gender-affirming care to minors.
What Do You Call One Quarter of a Bonnaroo? Thanks to severe rain and flooding, the four-day music festival in Tennessee had to pull the plug after their first day. If you were there to see Luke Combs, you were in luck! But if you were there for Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, or Tyler, the Creator, this weekend was a disappointment. On the bright side, everyone who bought a four day pass is getting 75 percent of their money back. (And before you scoff at a little rain—the same storm system caused flash floods in San Antonio that killed 13 people.)
Looking for something to do tonight? Head to The Beacon for a screening of Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers. Stranger Staff Writer Audrey Van writes: “If you are a fan of any of the following, then Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers is a must-watch for you: the early films of John Waters, vanilla ice cream cones, ostrich-feather boas, and Buster Keaton-style physical comedy.”
Smokey Bear Is Disappointed in Us: Fire season is getting an early start in Washington this year. We’re getting some rain on Friday, which should help! But we should expect an..eventful fire season this year.
Sacklers Got Sacked: In a $7.4 billion dollar settlement, the Sackler family—who knowingly pushed highly-addictive opioids on the world—has agreed to never sell opioids in the US again. Purdue Pharma still gets to exist, but at least they can’t make money off of it anymore. Instead, all of Purdue’s profits will go to opioid addiction treatment and prevention. Justice? Maybe not, but it’s a start.
I’ll send you off with a treat: The anthem against wealthy, bone spur-having men who are able to dodge the draft, CCR’s “Fortunate Son.”
