RIP Ballard Light Rail: For now, at least. Yesterday, the Sound Transit board voted down Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss’s hail mary amendment to build the Ballard light rail extension. Facing a $35 billion budget gap, the agency will keep the Ballard line on ice while it goes ahead and builds a new line that stops at Seattle Center before making its way to Strauss’ stomping grounds. And he’s probably stomping right now. Sound Transit voted to keep most other lines intact, including Sodo to West Seattle, Federal Way to Tacoma, and Lynnwood to Everett. The agency saved the Graham Street infill station in South Seattle and a streetcar extension to Tacoma Community College, the Seattle Times reports.
So Fuck Ballard then? Not entirely. The board aligned on cost saving measures for the line , they just…don’t have a funding plan. So, there’s a future where Ballard has light rail, but it’s a future where Sound Transit is also flush with cash. Which definitely means fuck Ballard. The board did pass an amendment that requires transit staff to publicly present a timeline for getting to Ballard by August 1.
Claudia Balducci Is Fed Up: King County Councilmember and transit maven Claudia Balducci was the only “no” vote on the Sound Transit resolution aside from Strauss. Balducci called out the elephant in the room. Voters voted for ST3. This is the fourth realignment for this plan due to cost overruns. It’s ridiculous.
Longview Implosion Bodies Found: Eight people are now confirmed dead from the chemical tank implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. paper mill in Longview, and the remains of three more employees are still at the site of the industrial disaster. Recovery is complex because the implosion spilled 900,000 gallons of the white liquor that is used to break down wood pulp. Bodies have to be decontaminated before they are taken to the Cowlitz County coroner for identification and family notification.
Denny Blaine Trial: The legal challenge from Denny Blaine Park to declare the queer nude beach a public nuisance and possibly close it is in court. On Thursday, a Judge watched some videos of oral sex and masturbation taken from the property of Stuart Sloan, the rich guy who anonymously donated $1 million to put a playground at Denny Blaine.
Glossier Has Lost Its Luster: And most of its brick and mortar shops. The Capitol Hill location of the one-time millennial powerhouse makeup brand is slated to close. It’s unclear when the last day of business is, but the Capitol Hill store’s landlord has listed the store’s retail space for lease and the SoHo-based brand announced the closure of nine stores.
Appalling: Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper filmed a little “get ready with me” video while on the road in San Diego. He revealed his horrendous oral hygiene routine. Harper squirted toothpaste directly into his mouth, stuck his brush in there, swirled everything around for about five seconds, and then spit it out. Mouth clean? No! Atrocious. Who taught him this? The Phillie Fanatic?
Trump Cucks Push Trump Bucks: Since last year, two of Trump’s Treasury appointees have reportedly pressured the agency’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare prototypes of a $250 bill with Trump’s face on it, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US. We have a mock up. It is stupid, and the story of how it came to be is even stupider. There’s a reason we call money “dead presidents.” No living person has appeared on our currency in 150 years. That was banned in 1866, after a mid-level Treasury official appeared on a 5 cent note. Legislation that would allow Trump to be on a $250 bill languished in Congress last year. The engraving bureau’s director knew clearing legal and procedural obstacles could take years and told them as much. She was abruptly reassigned in April. “I don’t think that there’s anything untoward about having the person who is president of the United States on the 250th anniversary bill,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the White House yesterday.
Slush Machine Out of Order: This morning, federal judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocked payouts from Trump’s corrupt $1.776 billion “thanks for being my friend” fund for political allies who believe themselves victims of government persecution. Judge Brinkema also barred the government from working on the fund while litigation is pending.
Aliens: The White House released a depraved sci-fi-themed website celebrating the administration’s arrests of immigrants. Except the site only refers to them as “aliens.” The text is a bastardized Star Wars scroll and Chris Carter should probably sue for the unlicensed usage of the X-Files tagline. At the bottom, there’s a live map that shows arrests of immigrants nationwide. The whole thing is a horrifying warping of reality.
And now a quick check-in with Hunter Pauli, our resident Eastern Washington-understander:
Washington Anti-ICE Protesters Found Guilty: A Spokane jury found three anti-ICE protesters guilty of federal conspiracy charges to impede or injure police after a controversial 8-day trial. The charges come from a protest last summer that mushroomed into an attempt to block an ICE deportation and resulted in a police riot. Nine people were eventually charged under the broad conspiracy edict, a statute previously used to prosecute January 6 insurrectionists. The US Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington at the time, Richard Baker, resigned rather than press charges demanded by the Trump administration. Baker told the Spokesman Review on Thursday that he questioned “whether justice truly was served by today’s verdict.” Baker’s replacement, far-right Pasco mayor and failed 2024 Washington attorney general candidate Pete Serrano, was happy to prosecute the protesters, despite never being confirmed by the US Senate, which has led similar cases by “acting US attorneys to be thrown out.
Thanks, Hunter! Back to us.
Will Pam Bondi Spill? Ex-attorney general Bondi arrived for a closed-door interview with the US House oversight and reform committee Friday morning. She’s supposed to be answering questions on the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation and her handling of the Epstein Files. A bipartisan group of lawmakers subpoenaed Bondi in March. But she didn’t make it to her April deposition because Trump fired her. Democrats filed a contempt resolution against Bondi, requiring her to actually show up for a deposition. I That’s finally happening today.
A Blue Origin Rocket Blew Up: A fireball blast engulfed a rocket from Jeff Bezos’s space company during a test before an upcoming launch. The rocket was meant to fly 48 satellites into space for Amazon’s internet satellite network which is meant to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
Mullin Is Still on This Shit: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is still threatening to upend international travel to so-called sanctuary cities like Seattle. Mullin’s threat—which has not been greenlit by the White House—would cut customs staffing at these airports and potentially stop the processing of international travelers entirely. It’s Mullin’s big, genius way of punishing cities that have not complied with Trump’s federal immigration enforcement. Dangling this threat right around when millions of international travelers are planning to visit these cities for the World Cup has sent the travel industry into a tail spin.
Embarrassing: Seven of the nine musical acts listed as performers for the United States’ 250th anniversary, known as Freedom 250, have dropped out. Several musicians, like country singer Martina McBride, say they didn’t realize the event organized by the Trump administration wasn’t “non-partisan.” Others, like the group Milli Vannilli, say they were never even approached and surprised to see themselves listed as performers. Don’t worry, Vanilla Ice is still excited about the opportunity.
