Good Morning! Our cold, dry January continues. I’m not mad at all the sunshine, but it’s 28 degrees right now and that’s just not walking-to-the-bus weather. It’s supposed to make it all the way up to the low 40s today, and we’ll have a break from the freezing temps overnight today, but we’ll dive right back in tomorrow. Stay warm, check out the KCRHA resources if you need them, and for the love of their little Frito-y paws, keep your animals inside.

Okay, let’s get the Trump-dates out of the way. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, hit a new snag in his confirmation hearing. Democrats have a sworn statement from his ex-sister-in-law, saying that he was frequently intoxicated and abusive to his ex-wife. The Senate is holding a test vote to see where things stand, but “There has been no public indication that any Republican is having reservations,” the New York Times reported. Cute. 

Trump Loves a Rat: Yesterday, the administration sent an email out to tens of thousands of federal employees, threatening them with “adverse consequences” if they didn’t rat out colleagues who defy the executive order to purge DEI efforts from their agencies. The email says there have been reports of workers trying to disguise DEI programs by using “coded or imprecise language.” (Badass.) They have 10 days to report it without punishment. The policy shift and threats are bad, but it’s the propaganda in the email that I find most chilling: “These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars and resulted in shameful discrimination.”

On Ice: In case the DEI memos didn’t get the administration’s racist message across, the Justice Department halted all ongoing litigation in its civil rights division, according to memos obtained by the Washington Post. The memos don’t state how long the freeze will last, but they essentially shut down the civil rights division for at least the next few weeks. One memo also required that the civil rights division notify the Justice Department’s chief of staff of any consent decrees the division has finalized within the last 90 days. The Justice Department has negotiated police reform agreements with Minneapolis, Louisville, and Memphis, all of which could be in jeopardy.

Baby’s First Racist Legislation: Trump got his first big legislative win yesterday when the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with certain crimes. It was a huge priority for the new Republican majorities, but don’t forget: with such narrow advantages, it wouldn’t have been possible without Democratic support. The call is coming from inside the house. 

MAGA Granny Reform: Last night, my new favorite headline of this Trump administration popped up on my phone: “Ex-MAGA Granny is turning down Trump’s pardon of her Jan. 6 conviction.” Pamela Hemphill went to DC on January 6, 2021, just before she started chemotherapy, thinking it was her last chance to see Trump speak. She befriended some Proud Boys (like you do) and was ultimately part of the crowd that broke into the Capitol Building. Accountability isn’t something we’re used to from the MAGA crowd, but it turns out that there is precedent for turning down a pardon, so she’s free to do it. She’ll stay on federal probation for nine months. “I don’t want to be a part of them trying to rewrite history,” she said. “It was an insurrection that day.” 

Wildfires Are Back: Call your friends in the LA area—they’re having a bad day (again). There’s another fire in Los Angeles County, about 45 miles north of the city. It grew to more than 10,000 acres yesterday, and tens of thousands of people are under evacuation orders again, but officials are confident that they will be able to get it under control. 

“We’ve lost propulsion.” Earlier this week, a light rail train stalled, 70 feet above ground, just before the Tukwila station. Passengers were stuck for an hour while they waited for a rescue train (which honestly sounds a little fun if you’re not in a rush to get anywhere). But fun and games aside, technical issues have become frequent enough that Sound Transit’s CEO has declared “the existence of an emergency” in the system, which would allow them to get a no-bid work order for urgent repairs. The transit system announced that through November 2024, out of their 6,500 hours of service, trains were blocked or reduced for 376 hours, or 6 percent of the time. For reference, in New York City, trains arrived on time 84 percent of the time last year. But I’m all for aspiring to some European-transit-style precision here in Seattle. 

The Oscar Noms Are in: The Oscar nomination announcements were delayed because of the LA wildfires but came in this morning. First, the top lines: Emilia Pérez came out on top with 13 nominations, including best picture. The Brutalist and Wicked tied for second (also with best picture noms). In some regional news, Brandi Carlile got her first nomination, and Julian Brave NoiseCat’s Sugarcane was nominated for Best Documentary. The film investigates abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school near the Sugarcane Reserve. You can read our interview with Julian here. 

City Hall Cluster Fuck: Yesterday was the only scheduled forum for the finalists for the open city council seat in District 2. And it was…messy. Stranger contributor Nathalie Graham watched the six men (yes, they’re all men) fail to answer most any questions in a substantive way that would give constituents confidence that they could represent them. Read more about it here. 

Farm Workers Unite: More than 100 farmworkers and allies went to Olympia this week to lobby the state for better protections against unfair labor practices. From KUOW: “Many of the farmworkers who arrived were from Indigenous Mixtec- and Triqui-speaking communities in Oaxaca. They lobbied lawmakers at the state Capitol accompanied by translators. Even though President Trump’s immigration policies could target people in their communities, organizers said that won’t stop them from trying to get better working conditions. They’re calling on the state for more protections against unfair labor practices.” It’s a ballsy reminder that just because we’re going to be on the defense with Trump for the next four years, doesn’t mean we can’t also be on the offense.  

Serenity Now: We started putting these on in our house to entertain our cats, but honestly, it’s such a vibe. I swear that after 30 minutes of this on in the background, my blood pressure is actually lower. So, if you’re feeling a little stressed, treat yourself like a house pet today. 

Hannah is The Stranger's former Editor-in-Chief. 

73 replies on “Slog AM: A New Fire Is Burning Near LA, Trump Tells People to Be Tattletales, Local Filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat Nabs Oscar Nom”

  4. What Trump didn’t say in his inauguration speech

    Bernie Sanders

    The simple truth is that Trump ignored almost every major issue facing this country’s working families in his first speech

    […]

    Our healthcare system is broken, is dysfunctional and is wildly expensive. We remain the only wealthy nation not to guarantee healthcare for all. Not one word from Trump about how he is going to address the healthcare crisis.

    We pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs – sometimes 10 times more than the people in other countries – and one out of four Americans is unable to afford the prescriptions that their doctors prescribe. Not one word from Donald Trump on the high cost of prescription drugs.

    a man wearing a suit speaks at a podium, a crowd behind him

    Factchecking Trump’s inauguration speech, from inflation to healthcare

    Read more

    We have 800,000 Americans who are homeless and millions of our people spend 50% or 60% of their limited income on housing. We have a major housing crisis in America – everyone knows it. And Trump, in his inaugural address, did not devote one word to it.

    Today in America, we have more income and wealth inequality than we have ever had. The wealthiest three people in America now own more wealth than the bottom half of our society. But Trump had nothing to say about the growing gap between the very rich and everybody else. And maybe that’s because he had those three people – the three wealthiest people in America – sitting right behind him at his inauguration.

    […]

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/23/bernie-sanders-trump-inauguration-speech

  6. Am I wrong in thinking DEI programs are largely corporate marketing nonsense, organizations making a show of caring about the disadvantaged without taking real steps to better themselves? It’s hard for me to get worked about them one way or another but maybe I’m just ignorant.

    Snitching on fellow workers is all bad though.

  10. @7 I read Kristo’s dribble and find it more worthwhile than whatever you just wrote. You should go say mean things to yourself in a truck stop mirror.

  11. @6: my employer has been implementing DEI hiring practices since the Floyd protests. it sure doesn’t look like it’s a show, and the organization is better for it.

  13. @10: “@7 I read Kristo’s dribble and find it more worthwhile than whatever you just wrote.”

    You also disgustingly simp for Hannah Krieg, so there you go.

  15. @7, 9, & 13

    not to Worry

    hekkki — in less than

    a Generation, No one with

    an Income under $200K’ll be

    literally Literate and your lowly

    progeny’ll be wiping Oligarchial

    arse, If they’re ‘Lucky’ & You can pull

    a few

    Strings.

  17. Well at least only one zombie twitter link today (fyi, Hannah you can find weather info lots of places besides a literal nazi sympathizer’s propaganda machine / shit hole)

  18. Pretty sure it’s the “i’m not mad i’m actually laughing lol” emoji guy being slightly more trumpy than his main profile but I suppose there could be multiple people with his same writing style and a personal vendetta despite only being here for like 5 minutes

  19. Hekkkaci… you sound like a prime candidate to work for DOGE. SImple minded, full of only bad vibes and hate, think you can leave a mark on this world by destroying and having no ability to create, and you love gratifying yourself in truck stop bathrooms while you say mean evil things to your reflection. Maybe we will all get lucky and you will choke on your own vile vomit when you pass out intoxicated to drown out the feelings of hate that you have for yourself.

  20. @7, 9, 13, 14, 16

    & likely @19,

    21, 23, 25

    well

    we’re

    having

    the Sex

    so I don’t

    think so hekkky:

    Most women

    Love my pheremones:

    many say I smell like ‘baking bread.’

    How’s the

    Incelling

    coming?

  21. Arguing over kristofarian’s Vogon poetry is far preferable to reading all the Israel/Palestine nonsense that usually dominates this comment section.

    I

    think

    it is very

    entertaining.

  26. @4 So?

    It’s a nice grandstand from Bernie but it’s ultimately worthless. Just like the lefty political purists that sat out the last election. You got the President you wanted… enjoy your victory!

  27. oh & didja

    Hear, hikkky?

    Thedonolde made

    your Meds Prohibitively

    Expensive? Yes, he DID! it’s

    all Part of his Making America

    Great Again! oh and he wants You

    to Pay

    for His

    Taxcuts

    for his Rich

    Buddies. it’s

    just Admirable

    how you’ll sacrifice

    yourself & your Progeny

    for djt.

    He LOVES

    you! get the T-shirt!

  29. @28

    sorry!

    I posted that

    before seeing anything

    post-@19, assuming my new

    little Trolly’d fill in all those & tonnes More

    Honeydew,

    eh? nice.

  30. I have a friend who works for a federal agency here in Seattle. The news about ending the DEI program at her workplace was greeted with relief. The office had been a source of consternation for years, regularly serving up performative innanities. At their behest;

    Regular employee breakout groups divided by race. The white group was lectured on their oppressor role. The BIPOC groups purpose was to instill racial solidarity and support. Jews were excluded from the BIPOC groups. The majority of the BIPOC staff happened to be in senior managment roles.

    Language was policed by the office. Guidance on workplace language was constantly updated. Infractions could get employees flagged with private disciplinary meetings for non compliance. Examples of nicht-nicht? No-can-do, blindspot, open kimono. Horrifying. Right?

    Outside racialist grifters were periodically invited to present to entire departments. Invariably, the presentations were rife with black nationalist polemic, delivered with senior staff standing by. Breathing exercises while listening to Stoakely Carmichael quotes, confessions of racism, promoting absenteeism for BIPOC employees as revolutionary resistance, encouraging employees to state the fundamental link between capitalism and racism – all par for the course. Immigrants were forgiven for coming to the US under delusions of pursuing a better life in such a system. All of this….at a federal agency!

    The office ran itself around the central conceit of “institutional racism.” This was/is a most remarkable concept when applied. No one in the agency was held responsible for acts of racism. No investigations, no real reform or accountability. The DEI office instead operated from the concept of the an omnipresent vapor that only required a slowly enlarging dei office staff and budget in the midst of a constant barrage of emails, presentations, guidance memos, and pointless meetings. Internal surveys showed increasing levels of perceptions of racism, which the office would then use to justify further expansions. That’s right! Racism purported became worse after the DEI established itself, and the solution was, conveniently, more dei!

    And then, slowly, the guidance began to influence core services…how the services would be delivered. The recommendations were frankly insane.

    At least at this agency, the DEI regime was simultaneously ridiculous and Orwellian. It also achieved nothing by its own admission. It certainly was a waste of tax dollars and the need for it’s termination was obvious to the sane. The tradegy that it took the likes of Trump to end it says much about the state of government beauracracies.

  31. Republicans are very much looking forward to confirm Hegseth, as it should be. The President is entitled to staff his cabinet as he sees fit.

    No surprise a District Court Judge ruled against Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship. We just appreciate the speed with which he issued the ruling. All the faster to get to SCOTUS who might have a different understanding of “subject to the jurisdiction therof”.

    It is not propaganda to state that DEI programs have “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars and resulted in shameful discrimination.” That is clear, concise fact.

    Thank you Democrats for not “resisting” when it comes to protecting Americans. The Laken Riley act is solid, common sense public safety legislation.

    Granny – what are you thinking? Take the pardon!

    Farm workers rights will improve as illegal immigrants are removed from those roles and replaced by American citizens. Americans won’t stand for that shit. Employers will have to raise wages and benefits to attract American employees. Or I guess the CEOs can try picking the crops themselves.

  32. @18: lol, did you miss me? 😉 That commenter isn’t me, the scatological jokes and personal insults are the giveaway! 😉

    It serves you right to have some actual Trump supporters to grapple with! Progressives and Trumpists deserve one another! 😂

  33. @30

    Hard af

    to Believe

    but if it’s True

    then. yes

    good Riddance.

    there’s a LOT

    Thedonolde may

    ba able to Do to Fix this

    Mess we’ve found ourselves in

    but if he’s gotta

    be Emperor (or Co-emp

    with MUX) and make the Planet

    Fascist Again then the whole

    Baby/Bathwater scenario

    makes it even Worse

    than Worthless

  34. So @6 asks if DEI programs are “are largely corporate marketing nonsense” and, well, it depends. Some corporate DEI initiatives are window dressing, and I suggest those are likely the ones that have been so quickly dropped. I worked for a major tech company that is run by a woman with a PhD. She never took any crap, so your DEI project proposal better have had some substance or she would not fund it. There were many such proposals, high quality, directed, promising actual results, that she chose to fund. I am sure there are other examples of real DEI programs, but that is one decade from my experience.

  35. Well, we’re going to see what this country is made of, aren’t we? The Nazis lost and Hitler committed suicide and all Nazi Paraphernalia and the Nazi Salute are outlawed and criminal punishment is handed out to those who think they have a right to do what they please.

    So will this country put down the white supremacists? Will Trump end up dead in a bunker? Will Musk? Will 75 million white supremacists in this country be put down?

    Whatever happens, this country as it has been from the beginning is over. We either band together and fight the fascists and end them or we all die. There is no in-between no matter what the fascists believe.

  37. I’ve some friends spamming up that email setup by the administration to rat-out DEI hires. They’re sending messages naming a bunch of folks who’ve been given their positions based solely on race & gender, then calling out Trump, Vance, Hegseth, etc. Good times.

  38. @11 and 34 thanks for sharing your experiences, glad to hear some employers took the concept seriously and implemented actual change to improve people’s lives. Hopefully the ones who are serious about it can continue that work even if they’re no longer allowed to call it “DEI” because the new regime loves playing stupid culture war games.

  39. bingo

    xina:

    tiz Tsunami

    Season. Over-reach’s

    what’s most likely to get ’em

    if we’re

    ‘lucky.’

    Thedonolde’s

    gotta get the Military

    the key Generals, those

    guys and re-Win the Po-po’s

    hearts and minds not – That difficult.

    the djt’s got his henchpeeeps Mostly in all the

    Right Places. oh well. it hasn’t happened Yet. but

    it’s like he’s

    in a Race.

    get that Thousand-year

    eltrumpftopian Dynasty up

    and running with jr & Ivanta and

    jerod k. the Whole Party in a Nutshell

    whom will ‘the little

    people’ side with?

    it’s All about the

    Marketing.

    and they

    OWN Am radio

    and X & fb and FOX et al

    so it’s gonna be a

    little Challenging

  40. @31 lol fuckin hegseth. if i were you guys i’d want a puppet in front of the pentagon to control too. some great conflicts coming soon

  42. @31- The falsehood behind -‘DEI programs have “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars and resulted in shameful discrimination.” is the assumption that before these programs Americans were not divided by race.

  43. @18 my bet’s on a i.

    seems like there’s a

    learning curve. i’d

    prefer to befud-

    dle it tho that’s

    likely a fool’s

    errand. per-

    fect, then.

  45. 31 I know you’re just trolling because you’re trying so hard but you can’t be stupid enough to actually believe these things

    32 didn’t know you went anywhere

    35 ???????

  46. nyt:

    Trump

    says he is ‘open’

    to meeting with Jan. 6

    rioters he gave clemency to.

    see: @nyt.org

    when djt”s got his own personal

    well-armed traveling Militia

    (after one too

    many Luigi’s!)

    we’ll Know we’ve

    gone Full

    Nazi.

  48. by trolling i mean you’re just saying stupid things for attention and by believing i mean you can’t actually be this naive but of course you can be both, i was just being polite

  50. @26 So? Well, we need strong leadership today and Bernie is giving us a blue print for retaking the house in 2 years from now. Convincing those who sat out (not left wingers but people who feel left out of this economy btw) and those who foolishly thought that Trump was the workers’ candidate is going to require going beyond conservative Democrats milquetoast promises. Don’t blame progressives for your refusal to listen again thus giving Trump another victory.

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