Lights Out: 400,000 residents lost power in yesterday’s high winds, and nearly 50,000 remain in the dark. The Snohomish Public Utilities District said it could take multiple days for power to be restored due to “extensive and spread out” damage in the service area. Snohomish County is also one of the areas hit hardest by the floods.
The King’s Speech: President Donald Trump spoke loud, fast and angry during his 18-minute address last night. He insisted his economic plans were working despite the economy and job market we’re all experiencing. He blamed former President Joe Biden, saying he “inherited a mess.”
$1,776: Trump also announced what he called a $1,776 “warrior dividend”—bonus checks for troops, totalling $2.6 billion—granted in the One Big, Beautiful Bill and funded by tariffs. It’s just smoke. The check is a rebrand of congressionally approved money for military housing.
Wilson Appoints SDOT Director: Mayor-elect Katie Wilson appointed Angela Brady as interim director of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Brady, who’s worked with the city since 2004, most recently led the Office of the Waterfront and helped oversee the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project. The project has been well-received, but has been criticized for prioritizing cars over walking, biking and commercial use, making Brady a “somewhat controversial pick” for the progressive Wilson, according to The Urbanist. Brady will replace interim SDOT director Adiam Emery, who was previously one of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s deputy mayors.
Lockdown: Evergreen High School entered lockdown early yesterday morning after the King County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a person with a weapon on campus. Deputies detained three students at the scene and recovered two handguns. Two were sent to a juvenile facility, the other sent back to the school. No injuries were reported.
Tit for Toy: Strippers donate more toys to Portland’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital than anyone else thanks to their annual event “Tatas for Toys.” Over the past 14 years, they’ve donated a total of $183,000 worth of toys. This year, they brought in $60,000 worth, breaking previous records.
Oldhouse: Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the two Republicans representing Washington state in Congress, announced that he will not run for reelection next year. The six-termer was first elected to Congress in 2014, but his political career began in 2003 when he began his first of four terms in the Washington House of Representatives. He later directed the state Department of Agriculture under former Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire. Newhouse was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 insurrection, and is one of only two in that group still serving in Congress.
Seattle Sonics Return? NBA commissioner Adam Silver is again teasing Seattle with possible league expansion next year. Speaking at the NBA Cup championship game in Las Vegas, Silver said the board is “gauging the level of interest” and getting “a better understanding of what the economics would be.” There have been talks about the NBA’s possible return to Seattle for the last 18 months. But expansion fees are high (possibly $6-7 billion) and the NBA is trying to launch a Europe league, so there’s no guarantee we’ll be seeing a team back here soon.
Weather: Lots of rain and winds of 9-16 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. High near 53 degrees, low around 38.
Seattle Public Library Wrapped: Need some new reads? The Seattle Times compiled a list of the top 10 checkouts from the Seattle Public Library across five genres. They include “The Emperor of Gladness” by Ocean Vuong, “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros, “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been against This” by Omar El Akkad, and more.
More ‘Drug Boat’ Strikes: The US military blew up another alleged drug boat yesterday in the eastern Pacific as part of Trump’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the “lethal kinetic strike” killed four people, bringing the death toll to 99 since this started inSeptember. Trump said he’d blocked all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. The President accused the country of using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes. He’s promised even more military force.
His Personal Taxonomy: Trump installed new plaques along the Presidential Walk of Fame at the White House describing his predecessors in a way only he can. A sample: “Sleepy Biden,” “Divisive Obama,” and Reagan as a fan of young Trump. He’s declared himself the creator of “the Greatest Economy in the History of the World.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called them “eloquently written descriptions of each president.” All plaques are haphazardly capitalized.
No Care for Trans Kids: The Trump administration announced today that it would take steps to ban the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care for minors. If the new rules pass, hospitals would be prohibited from providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries to minors as a condition to receiving Medicaid and Medicare funds, and would bar Medicaid funds from being used for gender-affirming care. Cisgender kids, however, will still be able to receive similar treatments for things like hormone production conditions.
