Weather: Alright, so here’s the deal, today’s weather is basically Seattle saying, “Oh, you wanted sunshine? How about some rain and 58 degrees instead?” For the next 7 days we’ll be trapped inside the backdrop of a sad indie film, where the main character just got dumped and the soundtrack is just endless, soul-crushing drizzle. So yeah, it’s Thursday!
All the President’s Billionaires: Donald Trump kicked off his latest cash grab in Riyadh, where US arms deals flourish and corrupt presidents go to announce they’re done pretending to care about democracy or the rule of law. (And specifically, that he would be dropping sanctions against Syria.) The crowd of Saudi royals and American tech CEOs gave him a standing ovation. Trump’s declaration of a new world order landed perfectly in a place where protest gets you prison time. And he’s just getting started. Next stops: Qatar and the UAE. Why? One White House trip planner put it plainly: “All three have a shit ton of money. It’s really that simple.” Trump says he’s forging diplomatic ties but what he’s actually doing is chasing cash. A $400 million luxury jet from Qatar? Gift? Bribe? Semantics.
Dealmaker in Grift: Trump landed in Doha just in time to announce a $96 billion “deal of the century” with Qatar for up to 210 Boeing jets, while lining up a palace in the sky as a parting gift for his presidential library. Qatar’s prime minister claims it’s just a “government-to-government transaction,” but even some Trump allies are calling it what it is: influence peddling at 30,000 feet. The White House, meanwhile, is hyping him as “dealmaker in chief,” while Boeing, still limping from safety scandals, strikes, and tanking orders, saw its stock tick up a half percent.
Freedom as a Concept, It’s All Just Vibes Now: Just as the official death toll in Gaza surpasses 53,000, with one-third of them children, Trump declares he has “concepts for Gaza” that he thinks are “very good!” His big idea: the US should take Gaza and turn it into a “freedom zone.” “Let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with,” Trump said. It’s unclear who he means by “people,” since he has already called for Palestinians to be pushed out of Gaza. Trump said he would be proud to have the US control Gaza—because nothing says “Make America Great Again” like 24 miles of fresh Mediterranean coastline real estate.
Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Gets Cuffed for Calling Out Congress: Ben Cohen—the Ben in Ben & Jerry’s—got arrested yesterday at a Senate hearing for daring to call out Congress for funding bombs that murder kids in Gaza while cutting Medicaid for kids right here in the US. Cohen and seven other protesters were hit with charges of “crowding and obstructing” after they disrupted the hearing to demand that food and medicine be allowed into Gaza, which is now teetering on the edge of famine. But lest we forget, Cohen’s been calling out US complicity in inhumane policies for years—including backing Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling ice cream in the occupied territories. But sure, let’s slap him with a potential 90 days in jail and a $500 fine for caring more about starving kids than imperialism.
Chemicals Are Forever (in Our Drinking Water): The EPA is gutting key parts of its long-awaited limits on toxic “forever chemicals,” giving utilities more time and even less accountability. Finalized in 2024, the Biden administration’s rules were expected to cut PFAS exposure for 100 million people and reduce cancer risks. Now, limits on three PFAS types are being scrapped and “reconsidered,” while utilities have until 2031 to meet even the most basic standards. It’s the latest move in EPA chief Lee Zeldin’s deregulatory spree. He’s already rolled back rules on coal, climate, and EVs, all part of his mission to, in his words, “drive a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion.”
Pro-Life, but Not Pro-Livelihood: For the life of me, I will never understand how the same people screaming “pro-life” are making it impossible for anyone to actually afford life in this country. Case in point: Child care costs have shot up 29% since 2020, and now families are paying more to keep their kids alive than to keep a roof over their heads—or, you know, to send them to college someday. But instead of actually fixing the child care crisis, the Trump administration is tossing around a $5,000 “baby bonus,” like that’s gonna cover a lifetime of skyrocketing expenses. Meanwhile, caregivers are still making poverty wages while parents are drowning in debt — but yeah, sure, let’s pretend a one-time check will fix everything.
Voting Rights Act Gutted Yet Again: So, a federal appeals court just decided that regular people can’t sue under the Voting Rights Act anymore in seven Midwestern states—you know, the same VRA that was literally designed to protect voters from racist election policies. Now the only ones who can bring these cases are the DOJ, which under Trump is basically ghosting civil rights work. And guess what? This whole mess started with North Dakota’s legislative maps allegedly screwing over Native American voters. But hey, if you thought the VRA still had teeth, this ruling just yanked ‘em out and handed them to the Supreme Court’s conservative majority.
Valley Medical Closing 5 Clinics: Valley Medical Center is about to shut down two inpatient units and five clinics in Kent and Renton by the end of June, and yeah, that means hundreds of jobs are on the chopping block while South King County loses even more access to health care. The reason? State and federal funding cuts, plus a $25 million operating loss that Valley says is basically bleeding them dry. And because Valley’s a public hospital without a big corporate safety net, they’re feeling the squeeze even harder — which means more layoffs and service cuts could be coming, not just here but across the state. But hey, our rich get to stay rich, instead of taxed (and still be quite rich).
Family Sues SPS for Death of Son: The family of 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine is suing Seattle Public Schools, saying the district was didn’t do their job to protect students when they failed to lock down the campus after reports of a masked student shooting a teacher with a pellet gun earlier that same day. Amarr was shot and killed trying to break up a fight in the parking lot, and now his family’s asking why the hell no one took the earlier incident seriously. Meanwhile, Seattle police have made no arrests and have no answers, but plenty of thoughts and prayers—because that’s always been super effective at preventing gun violence.
Traffic Camera Cash Grab: Our city is about to crank up its traffic camera game after the City Council unanimously said yes to slapping more automated cameras in places like parks, hospitals, and ferry lines—basically anywhere people love to speed. The goal? Supposedly to curb speeding and fund Vision Zero, the city’s big plan to eliminate traffic deaths by 2030. Mayor Harrell’s expected to sign off on it, and those cameras could be up and snapping in 30 days.
Cap Hill Could Get a Crisis Center: So King County wants to put a 24/7 crisis center on Capitol Hill—a place where people in mental health crises can actually get some help instead of being tossed in a jail cell or left to rot on a sidewalk. Naturally, of course, some business owners are clutching their pearls, saying the area’s already “stretched thin,” like they’re not already stepping over people in crisis every damn day. But hey, let’s keep pretending that ignoring the problem is working out great for everyone. Maybe if we just gentrify the suffering enough, it’ll disappear. Sounds like a solid plan.
Ambassadors Coming to Chinatown: The city is rolling out a shiny new ambassador program in the Chinatown International District with $1 million in city and Asian American Foundation money to cover basics like cleaning, crisis help, and pointing tourists in the right direction. And get this—they’re starting in June with just three ambassadors. THREE. For a whole neighborhood dealing with prolonged challenges, including crime, addiction, and boarded-up businesses. Meanwhile, Mayor Bruce Harrell says that it’ll provide “regular, visible, and reliable support,” but without a dedicated funding source, it’s more like a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. And yeah, after years of empty promises, many in the CID aren’t exactly holding their breath. And yes, while this is better than more cops, what happens when the money runs out and it’s back to business as usual?
Seahawks Drop Schedule with Cringe-Worthy 90s Throwback: The Seahawks (and the rest of the NFL) just dropped their 2025 schedule in elaborate fashion, because clearly, we all needed another overblown, testosterone-fueled spectacle pretending to be news. But even if you’re like me and only pretend to care about football as an excuse to bond with your career military dad—instead of, you know, actually talking through our feelings like none emotionally maladjusted adults—the best part of this whole charade is this gloriously cringey 90s action figure parody video. It’s awkward, it’s weird, and yeah, it’s way more entertaining than the NFL’s annual schedule release, which they hype up like it’s some kind of cultural event instead of just, “Hey, here are the dates you can pay us to watch young men give each other CTE for your viewing enjoyment.”
Goodbye… for now. As an elder millennial, I still carry that old-school journalist gene that says you never make the story about yourself. But I also believe you honor a relationship in how you say goodbye. Today’s my last day at The Stranger—at least as its interim news editor. I’ll be staying with the team as a contributing editor, but as I step into my mercenary, vagabond freelance lifestyle, I want to take a moment to thank the Noisy Creek and Stranger crew, especially a few folks who made these past few months one hell of a ride.
Nathalie Graham, I know we only officially overlapped for a few weeks, but it was a pleasure to work with you, to edit your work. I can’t wait to see what you’ll do next—it’s going to be tremendous. Vivian McCall, being around your brilliant mind and purposeful journalism forced me to step up my game. This city is damn lucky to have you as a reporter, and so am I. Charles Mudede, I’m grateful for your affirmation and support in this role. Being around you has made me a better thinker, writer, and appreciator and scrutinizer of life. How could it not? Shane Wahlhund, thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone and introducing me to creative heights I never would’ve reached alone. Emily Nokes, just being in your orbit made me feel cooler. Christian Parroco, you kept this whole operation together behind the scenes with such grace and patience—work most people never even see. Megan Seling, if anyone’s the heartbeat of this place, it’s you. Your passion for this work and this city is palpable, and it’s been an honor to work alongside you.
And to Hannah Murphy Winter—what a ride. I always knew what to expect from you as an editor and a colleague: everything you had. Thank you for that. Thank you all.
With that, I’ll leave everyone on a high note with a song matching my mood…
damn, Marcus,
Sad to see
you go!
Adiosa &
via con
diosa!
“one hell of a ride … what a ride.”
lol, calling your employment a “ride” twice in the course of a single farewell letter! 😆
“A new life awaits you in the Trump Gaza colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure.”
“Invest Now and
get $crewed
in the end.”
There was nothing “cringey” about that Seahawks video. And it’s not very 90s either. This GenXer gives it five Evel Knievels.
Don’t give up the fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj7Usr51NmU
Best of luck to you, Marcus!
May you move up at least one tax bracket!
Balls
Cool. A nearby ‘crisis’ center for the next time Marcus goes psycho.
@9
Reich-WNJs
NEVER not
go Psycho
must
be Nice, being
so damn Even-keeled.
“… when they failed to lock down the campus after reports of a masked student shooting a teacher with a pellet gun earlier that same day.”
My child’s school locks down every morning, shortly after their school day begins. Police officers ensure pedestrian traffic control throughout the day. I’m not happy we need do such things , but in the sad reality of modern America, I’m glad we have it.
Best of luck on your next gig, this is Seattle so always a market for ultra left screeds. TS continues to circle the bowl. Salaries go up, jobs go down, easy to see this one coming. Guest Eds are cheap.
Ps, you might try giving ash, rich and han a call, start a fired stranger club?
Re the school shooting, from the linked article: “Seattle police are still investigating whether the assault on the teacher is connected in any way to Murphy-Paine’s killing.”
So in other words there is currently no reason to believe the airsoft gun incident had anything to do with this kid getting shot. And the school knew immediately that that incident did not involve a real gun. I don’t see why a lockdown would have been warranted, or honestly how it would have prevented what happened. Sounds like a money grab.
Thank you for your service, Marcus. You are a talented writer. Taking over on short notice, after Rich was fired for, um, well, whatever he was fired for (whatever it was, it was apparently not the large ethical failures he actually committed) could not have been easy, but you did a great job.
“…including backing Ben & Jerry’s decision to stop selling ice cream in the occupied territories.”
Indeed, Ben & Jerry’s did finally stop selling ice cream there, https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/media-center/opt-statement#:~:text=Press-,Ben%20&%20Jerry's%20Will%20End%20Sales%20of%20Our%20Ice%20Cream%20in,soon%20as%20we're%20ready. The company continues to sell ice cream in Israel itself, so perhaps someone who is more understanding of boycotting than me can explain how not selling a comfort food item in Gaza will help the food situation there?
“But hey, let’s keep pretending that ignoring the problem is working out great for everyone.”
That’s been the Stranger’s policy for many years. Homeless persons have been going into crisis on Seattle’s streets for many years, whilst the Stranger continually insisted the sole root of the Homelessness Crisis was housing affordability, not public health. What prompted this sudden change of messaging?
@15
“… the Stranger
continually insisted
the sole root of the Home-
lessness Crisis was housing affordability,”
another Lie.
Quotes, urls, etcs.
the Main Driving Force
behind Homelessness is
the fucking Price of Housing.
now that the Guy YOU
HELPED ELECT’s In Fucking
Charge, enabling the Gougers
Profiteers, and other scum-Sucking
Soul-sucking parasitic Vulture Capitalists
(thanks, wormmy!) and Insurance Too $pendy
for the Working Class, expect to see OODLES
more fellow Americans, living on our Streets
many seeking to Dull the Pain with Opiates
like your Buddies the Sacklers got
America hooked upon.
this is not
“Seattle’s problem.”
it’s fucking NATION WIDE
how
Convenietly
you Choose to
‘misremember’ Leave
it tf Outta the Equation
but that’s just Par for
the Wormtongue’s
insidious course.
“Meanwhile, Seattle police have made no arrests and have no answers, but plenty of thoughts and prayers—because that’s always been super effective at preventing gun violence.”
Maybe the community could put pressure on folks to talk (there’s no shortage of folks who witnessed the shooting but then we have the snitches get stitches crowd). I empathize with the family for their loss, but the lawsuit is ridiculous (I hope it’s dismissed in short order).
Another lie. Quotes. URLs, etc. The main driving force. Behind homelessness is the fucking price of housing. Now that the guy you helped elect is in fucking charge, enabling the gougers, profiteers, and other scum-sucking, soul-sucking parasitic vulture capitalists. Thanks. Wormy and insurance too spendy. For the working class, expect to see oodles more. Fellow Americans, living on our streets, many seeking to dull the pain with opiates like your buddies. The Sacklers got America hooked upon this. Is not Seattle’s problem, it’s fucking nation wide? How conveniently you choose to misremember leave. It task force out of the equation but that’s just par for the worm. Tongue is insidious course.
“vision zero” is almost as dumb as calling Capitol Hill “Cap Hill”
@14, They are related by timing.
I.e. If Seattle Public Schools had followed their own policy with regard to lock down procedures for the airsoft incident, the school would have been in lock down at the time of the second incident. None of the three students would have been outside to be shot at during the second incident. The civil claim is but for SPS’s negligent failure to follow their own procedure, the student in the second incident would never have been where he was to get shot. He would have been locked down in the building. That’s a pretty solid civil negligence argument.
@14, The airsoft gun is a weapon dictating lock down by SPS’s own policy.
@17, The lawsuit isn’t ridiculous. The letter of their own policy required a lock down. They didn’t follow their own policy. Had they followed their own policy the student shot would have been safely locked down in the building and would not have been at the scene of the second, unrelated (other than by timing) shooting. I.e. The murder would have been prevented had SPS followed their policy.
@22 what time was the airsoft incident? Are you certain the school still would have been locked down through the lunch hour? Also per Superintendent Procedure 3248 you appear to be wrong that an airsoft on campus “required” lockdown:
https://www.seattleschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/3248SP.pdf
The lock down procedure goes on until police respond to the incident that prompted it. Police were still responding to that call when unrelated shooting incident
Per your link, the air soft gun is specifically listed as a dangerous weapon to which the school V.P. or principal should initiate a lock down.
That timing, and the policy you provide, are the basis of the Plaintiff’s lawsuit.
The airsoft incident literally occurred minutes before the deadly shooting. So when the office was notified, they should have gone into lock down (and didn’t) and would have been in lock down at the time of the deadly shooting.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/garfield-teacher-shot-with-rubber-bullets-day-of-fatal-june-shooting/
@13
There was The Estranger on Facebook where Goldy kept up with the staff diaspora, but the ball got dropped in 2020. Fun while it lasted.
Jesus.
even a stopped
Clock gets it
right every
Once in
awhile
Wishing you all the best, Marcus.
I’m sad to see you go.
Now I feel sorry for parents, too, with what USED to be a great country turned upside down.
5K doesn’t cover jack shit worth of child care. It’s a slap in the face. I’m so grateful I never had kids.
What future could any daughter or son I might have had decades ago possibly have now?
That’s like seeing someone in a fatal car accident bleeding to death and offering a Band-Aid.
When will the dystopian nightmare of Mu$k and his Mein Trumpf Reign of Terror ever end?
I don’t see the Divided States of TrumpReich KKKonfusion making it to 2026 at this point.
Rock on, Ben and Jerry!
@16/@18: “Another lie. Quotes. URLs, etc. The main driving force. Behind homelessness is the fucking price of housing.”
Under the headline, “17 Unhoused People Died Since April in King County…”, the Stranger published a photo of a snow-covered encampment, with the caption, “It’s been a deadly year to live outside”. The article listed “…17 unhoused people who died outside, in public, or by violence in the months of April and May [2022].” Commenter hbb consulted records from the King County Medical Examiner’s office, and found that at least seven of those persons had died of overdoses, against maybe one who may have died of exposure. (That one person’s cause of death was not available at that time.) Even at a time when drug use had killed many more homeless persons than might have died of exposure, the Stranger still tried to claim living outside was the main cause of their deaths.
(https://www.thestranger.com/slog-am/2022/06/09/74853880/slog-am-17-unhoused-people-died-since-april-in-king-county-the-county-proposes-gun-return-and-jan-6-hearings-start-today/comments/30)
@24 not “should,” the policy says “Lockdown
response may be initiated if necessary.” And if it happened minutes before, during lunch hour, they’d have the opposite problem: how could they wrangle back all the kids who were off campus for lunch, apparently including the one who got shot, in a matter of minutes? Lockdown was not required or apparently necessary, and it’s unclear whether it actually would have prevented the shooting anyway.
Hindsight is 20/20. If Murphy-Paine had skipped school to play video games that day he also wouldn’t have been in position to be killed. That doesn’t mean him going to school was the wrong decision, and it doesn’t mean the school was so wrong for not initiating a lockdown that they are culpable for his death.
There has got to be a way that people can avoid getting ticketed as a result of traffic cams.
Not speeding or not committing other infractions?
No. That’s just not how Seattle rolls.
@30, Highnsight is 20/20. Civil lawsuits allow more of that kind of exploration.
The student who was shot, was shot on campus. He came from inside the building. So a lockdown 10 minutes earlier, and he is never there.
The other incident was 20 minutes beforehand. So notify the office and school security as required by policy. The Principal or V.P. at that point doesn’t know the true nature of the weapon, he/she doesn’t know the location or identity of the student who fired it, striking a teacher.
What would a reasonably prudent Principal or V.P. do at that point? Lockdown the building to isolate whoever is on campus behind locked doors and barricades. So Plaintiff’s will allege for a jury.
The football player who was shot, walked outside to intervene in the fist fight, shoving match, between the other two students. Had the building been locked down, he is never there. His parents would still be seeing his smiling face. He would be at college or whatever promising place was just ahead for him.
That is the Plaintiff’s allegation. Somebody didn’t follow the SPS policy. Maybe the teacher delayed in reporting to the Principal or V.P. Maybe the Principal or V.P. dithered in acting on it and/or otherwise didn’t act as a reasonably prudent Principal or V.P. should have given the policy, training, school shootings in the news.
All questions for a jury to explore, with sobbing parent witnesses, pictures of a dead football player, expert witnesses in school security, SPS’s own history of on-campus shootings/near campus shootings, and lots of evidence about the SPS policy and training. If you are the attorney’s for SPS, do you want that emotional case in front of a jury? Do you want your staff sitting through hours and hours of depositions and testimony? Do you want Plaintiff’s attorneys combing through all of the District’s security incidents with a fine tooth comb? It’s a bureaucracy run by humans. Humans err. You think Plaintiffs will create a credible (but not definitive) narrative of negligent errors?
SPS will settle for something less than the cost of legal fees, and staff costs on their side, if the case were to get appealed in whole, or in part to the 9th Circuit, or a State Appeals Court. That’s over a million.
Ben and Jerry’s is awful ice cream, way too sweet. A small serving (2 scoops) contains 38 grams of added sugar, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This is equivalent to about 9 teaspoons of sugar.
@32 “SPS will settle for something less than the cost of legal fees, and staff costs on their side, if the case were to get appealed in whole, or in part to the 9th Circuit, or a State Appeals Court. That’s over a million”
That was a long winded way of getting to exactly my point. SPS won’t want to deal with the hassle so they’ll give the family money to make it go away almost regardless of any merit. Like I said, a cash grab.
@34: “they’ll give the family money to make it go away almost regardless of any merit. Like I said, a cash grab.”
The incident with the pellet gun was only one example among many cited in the complaint to demonstrate that Seattle Public Schools repeatedly and continuously failed in its duty to provide students a safe campus.
It’s funny, you’re always so quick to assign culpability when it’s Israel. Now that it’s Seattle Public Schools, suddenly it’s just a “cash grab.” 😄 Judgment is nothing more than a question of in-groups and out-groups with you, isn’t it? 🤣
@34, It’s less tax dollars to settle, than to pay your legal fees and win on the merits. The budget, and fiduciary obligation to be fiscal stewards of tax money, not principle, will drive the legal strategy.
Plus there is a 50/50 chance they lose in front of a jury with all that emotive images and testimony about the family’s insufferable loss of a promising young man.
@36: Neither you nor Thirteen12 has so much as read the Murphy complaint, yet you’ve managed to convince yourselves BOTH that the Murphy case has no merit AND that Seattle Public Schools will pay Murphy a settlement.
The Murphy case is not a dispute over whether the school district followed its pellet-gun protocols. It’s a dispute over whether the school district met its duty to provide students with a safe campus. That’s not a meritless “cash grab” argument, not after a student has been gunned down on campus. 😝
As for settlement, Seattle Public Schools tries cases to verdict every single year, including cases involving seven- and eight-figure claims for damages. The notion that “it’s less tax dollars to settle than to pay your legal fees and win on the merits” is not true and not an accurate description of Seattle Public Schools’ litigation strategy. If the school district settles the Murphy case, it’ll be because it’s a strong case that the district thinks it will probably lose. 😄
The two of you are polar opposites yet somehow indistinguishable. I know you don’t like the words “horseshoe theory” but come on now! 😂
@35, @36: You guys just have to accept that sympathy and emotional appeals should always remain reserved exclusively for Palestinians. When American children get trapped without food, or miss medical appointments, due to freeway-blocking pro-Palestinian protestors, thirteen12 will be there, to defend these heroic protestors from those crybaby children (and their crybaby parents). When an American high school student gets killed by trying to prevent other students from getting hurt, then his family can kindly sit tf down, and really shut tf up about the lack of safety at their local school, lest thirteen12 label them mercenaries who don’t really care about their dead son.
Feel the humanity!
@37, I don’t think the case has no merit. As I said, there is a reasonable probability that Plaintiff wins.
That, and the legal fees, gives SPS all the reason in the world to settle for the lowest total cost possible, including, but not limited to legal fees. If gives them every incentive not to roll the dice with a jury who go particularly emotionally attached to this promising young man and his family. It gives SPS every incentive to not have the considerable legal cost of appealing the penalty (common) if a jury verdict goes against them.
All those incentives mean most cases settle. It means we often never gets a jury’s thoughts on merit or lack of merit.
@33 Phoebe in Wallingford: (re @28) Actually, I was referring to Ben Cohen’s commendable standing up to Elon Mu$k’$ and his Mein Trumpf’$ $pinele$$ Congre$$.
But—yikes!! No, I don’t and couldn’t eat Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. That’s way too much sugar for me.
Griz’s Haggen-Dazs and Hershey’s syrup days of yore are distinctly over.