This Government Really Is The Worst: Late Saturday night, Trump’s U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a memo ordering states to give back any Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits it issued last week. According to KING5, “Washington state has already distributed full benefits to approximately 250,000 households.” The Trump administration is threatening states with financial liability if they don’t “immediately undo” these “unauthorized” payments to low-income families. States only issued those funds because a federal judge ruled the Trump administration could not withhold them during the government shutdown. But the heartless devils on the Supreme Court paused that judge’s order, casting SNAP into purgatory.
What the hell is going to happen? A federal appeals court blocked the Supreme Court’s order, so presumably benefits should flow again, but who knows?
Flight Cancellations Climb at SeaTac: Friday saw 28 cancellations, Saturday had 39, and Sunday hit 70. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to reduce flights during the government shutdown. Across the country, 2,200 flights were cancelled Sunday. Will it keep getting worse?
To Answer Both Those Hypothetical Questions: Cowardly Democrats might be buckling and about to end the shutdown. These moderate idiots indicated they’re going to reach a deal with Republicans without a guaranteed extension of healthcare benefits. Instead, these chumps are going to fund the government and trust Republicans as they pinky swear they’ll hold a vote to fund Affordable Care Act subsidies in mid-December. Part of the deal includes reinstating federal workers fired during the shutdown and giving backpay to furloughed workers—something that had never been in doubt before. Eight Democratic senators broke rank with their party to reach this bad deal. So far, they’ve only done a test vote. Sen. Bernie Sanders said giving up the fight was a “horrific mistake.”
Essentially:
DONALD TRUMP: [asleep, drooling on long red tie]
SENATE DEMOCRATS: fine, we give in
— born miserable (@bornmiserable.bsky.social) November 9, 2025 at 6:37 PM
In Case You Want to Yell at Them: Here are the names of those Senators: Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania (duh, right?), Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada. None are up for reelection next year. Some are retiring at the end of this term. They are all spineless and dumb.
Don’t Make Me Eat My Words: The Supreme Court isn’t entirely depraved, I suppose. This morning, the Court announced it would not hear the case to challenge same-sex marriage. Former Kentucky county clerk and three-time divorcee Kim Davis brought the case after she was jailed and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines for not doing her job when she refused to issue any marriage licenses because she opposed same-sex marriage.
Lenny Wilkens Is Dead: Basketball legend, three-time hall of fame inductee, and SuperSonics coach Lenny Wilkens is dead at 88. He will now only do slam dunks in heaven.
North Seattle Stabbing, Then Standoff: In Greenwood on Friday, police arrested a 51-year-old man after a stabbing in a group home. This guy did not come easily. He barricaded himself inside. It took five hours, a SWAT team, and hostage negotiators to get him to come out. His victim, a man in his 70s, died at the scene.
Girmay Zahilay Makes History: Zahilay has officially been elected as King County Executive. He will become the first immigrant and first refugee to ever hold the position. In a national political climate so hostile to America’s founding ethos as a nation of immigrants, Zahilay’s assumption of King County’s biggest seat of power is a statement. Since he’s filling Dow Constantine’s shoes after the 16-year incumbent bowed out early to become Sound Transit CEO, Zahilay will start his new role quickly—on Nov. 25. (Fear not, King County has not been captainless, appointee Shannon Braddock has been the interim executive.)
Stay Tuned: This afternoon could reveal who our next mayor is. Monday afternoon’s ballot drop might indicate a clear winner between Katie Wilson and incumbent Bruce Harrell. Experts are calling it a “coin flip.” We on the SECB did not plan on celebrating no nut November. Will we get our sweet release, or a ruined orgasm? Study up on our takeaways from Friday’s ballot drop.
The Weather: Cloudy, not too cold. Rain could come, too. These are the days in which you must always assume a chance of rain. The sky is always full of possibility.
No Doubt about Rain in the Philippines: Super Typhoon Fung-wong battered the Philippines’ northern coast on Sunday. At least two people died and more than a million people fled to escape “flash floods, landslide, and tidal surges.”
Super Typhoon Fung-wong made landfall in the Philippines on Sunday. At least two deaths have been reported and over a million people were pre-emptively evacuated from their homes. nyti.ms/4hMp3TC
[image or embed]
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) November 9, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Shark Killers: Great white sharks started washing up dead in South Africa in 2017. In Gansbaai on the Western Cape, great whites used to flourish. But they soon disappeared. Something was killing them. What was it? Scientists eventually figured it out. Killer whales, aka orcas. Not a sneaky name. The orcas were precisely biting the sharks between their pectoral fins and sucking out their livers. Rumor has it they do a good Anthony Hopkins impression, too.
The sharks have fled the area. Now, their usual prey—such as the cape fur seal and the bronze whaler shark—are flourishing, which is fucking up the food chain and disrupting the ecosystem. It’s a mess. Thanks for nothing, blood-thirsty orcas. But, if we really want a culprit for shark deaths we should look to ourselves. Overfishing is a far bigger killer of shark populations. Speaking of sharks, I watched a crazy movie this weekend about sharks killing people in Japanese hot springs.
A Good Sign? Trump became the first sitting president since Jimmy Carter to attend an NFL football game when he watched the Washington Commanders lose to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The fans booed him. UPDATE: I have been informed that Trump attended the Super Bowl this year (a game I technically watched, so should have remembered), so this is the first regular season NFL game a sitting president has attended since Carter.
Big Day for Criminals: Trump issued pardons for people like Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Mark Meadows for their role in trying to steal the 2020 presidential election. In total, 77 people received pardons. However, they’re only good for a get-out-of-jail card in the federal justice system. People like Giuliani and Meadows who face legal trouble in state courts will still need to deal with all of that. Many of those pardoned are in hot water in “numerous states that Biden won, including Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada,” according to The Guardian.
Big Foot on Vacation: Pennsylvanians may have spotted Washington’s favorite cryptid in October. According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, they received a very credible report from a a retired civil engineer and Air Force veteran who say a tall, shadowy, humanoid creature cross—no, glide across—a highway and easily step over (or, hurdle—he wasn’t sure) a guardrail. Two other people reported seeing something (“I don’t know WHAT I saw. I’m an avid hunter with +50 years in the woods. This was not a bear.”) in the area that day as well.
A Song for Your Monday: Local band, Pansy, which is led by our very own Vivian McCall released its sophomore EPon Friday. Look, I may be biased but its bangers only on here. Don’t believe me? Then believe Paste Magazine. Here’s one song off the new album:
@49: It was stolen! The “international bankers” rigged the election with their AIPAC! 😂😂😂
“We fight not for glory, nor for wealth, nor honour but only and alone for freedom which no good man surrenders but with his life.”
– Harrell the Bruce
1320
@32 — Bingo. Look, brinkmanship won’t work if the other side wants to blow up the world. Grover Norquist famously wrote: “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub”.
He would be considered a mainstream Republican. The Republicans will never give in on this issue. They don’t give a shit. They know this is a losing issue. They don’t care. Holy shit, the president was trying very hard to avoid having to pay SNAP benefits — causing traffic jams in fucking Oklahoma as people line up for food — on the same day that they gave out huge tax cuts for the ultrawealthy (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/business/trump-administration-tax-breaks-wealthy.html). Does this sound like a party that is going to crumble because you raised the health care premiums. Give me a fucking break. They don’t care.
The Democrats probably knew this going in. At least this raises the issue. At least by the midterms, when people are paying way too much for their premiums and are willing to blame “all those fucking politicians” it will be obvious that it is only one party that is willing to suck the dick of the ultrarich while shitting on the poor.
I think Our Dear Thumpus is just trolling some of the more politically earnest here on Slog.
@42: “She’s literally one of the most famously liked politicians in the country.”
This is New York. We do not care what persons elsewhere in the country — or in the world, for that matter — think about anything. We make our own decisions here, one of which has been to retain Sen. Schumer for quite a long time now, thank you very much. We know that politics is not easy, and we’re quite happy with how the shutdown is ending.
You’re welcome.
@41 this race would be less about AOC and more about how old and unpopular Schumer is. Much like with Mandami there will be a % of people who don’t necessarily support the policies but would vote against for them to get the old guy out of there. I’m not saying that’s logical but I think its a factor. It would be interesting though to see how far her support does extend in a statewide race. A lot of it may depend on how Mamdani does the next two years. If half of the things people are worried about come to pass any political aspirations beyond her house seat will be DOA.
“Anyone
who believes
AOC’s appeal extends
beyond her district’s narrow
boundaries may get a nasty surprise.”
Wormtongue thumpfnsorna on November 10, 2025 at 2:02 PM
@42 — Truthfully,
Correcting the
Record:
‘[AOC]’s
literally one of
the most famously
liked politicians in the country.
She was literally the first person in the world
to hit a million followers on Bluesky and she
has 9 million followers on instagram.
How many people
live in her district
exactly? 700k?”
–@tbass1981
“We
do not
care what
persons elsewhere
in the country — or in the world,
for that matter — think about anything.”
Wormtongue thumpfnsorna on November 10, 2025 at 5:18 PM
then
Why Lie
about So Many
Things Wormtongue?
that is
if you truly
“do not care
what persons
elsewhere in the
country — or in the
world, for that matter
— think about anything!”
then Why
wouldja Even
Fucking Bother?
A.
you’re
selling a
Narrative
that’s Oodles
past its ‘Sell By’ date.
and we can
Smell it even
on the Left Coast
time to Change your
Narrative. or maybe
it’s your Huggies?
Also, air safety and relief for the controllers is more important than keep the shutdown going hoping for a delusional win on the ACA.
@42:
“It’s all a popularity contest. If you don’t think these numbers matter, you’re an idiot. We have a reality tv host as president for a reason.”
Thank you; you could not possibly have picked a better example to support my point. Trump lost his then-home state of New York by over twenty points in 2016 — to a transplant from Chicago! He lost New York State by a landslide again in 2020, when his opponent received the largest number of votes ever cast for a presidential candidate nationwide. (Trump had moved to Florida in 2019, whining all the way there about how we’d treated him so very poorly.) Trump fared a bit better here in 2024, with Harris beating him by ‘merely’ ten points. And, of course, that was after a jury of New Yorkers had convicted him on dozens of felony counts.
Voters in other states may* have fallen for his game-show persona, but to us here in New York, he’s always been just another loud-mouthed loser.
@55: For any occupied office, an election is always a referendum on the incumbent. My point was popularity amongst chattering classes means little to us New Yorkers. If we decide it’s time for him to go, we’ll vote that way. How many followers someone else has on social media won’t matter much, if it even matters at all. (Also, as you noted, AOC will be associated with Mayor Mamdani, and, like you, I have a hard time seeing that go well for either of them.)
—-
*Trump never won a majority of the nationwide popular vote, coming up short of 50% in all three tries.
@54 “This is New York. We do not care what persons elsewhere in the country — or in the world, for that matter — think about anything.”
Right that’s why you live on this Seattle blog, because you don’t care what anyone outside NY thinks. I legitimately hope your entire persona here is you doing a bit the alternative is so sad.
@52, 57 Yes, Trump’s power over the Republican caucus is unprecedented, but it isn’t absolute. Surely enough Republicans DO care about the looming midterms that they would have made some kind of deal if Democrats had just stood pat for a couple more weeks. The generous concession Schumer offered last Friday (which I didn’t condemn him for) added to the pressure on Republicans to break with Trump. As the holidays approached their discomfort and political precarity would have increased, not decreased.
But here we are. Yes, I know Schumer himself voted no. That means nothing. Congresspeople routinely vote against things they don’t really oppose (and vice versa) as long as the outcome is assured. Susan Collins built her entire “moderate” persona on this tactic. Either Schumer privately approved of the surrender to please his donors (which I suspect is the case) or, if not, he’s lost control of his caucus to the point where Democrats can no longer reliably sustain a filibuster. Those are the only two possibilities — there’s no Door #3 here. Either way, it’s clear he needs to step down as minority leader. His age and seniority notwithstanding, he’s just no longer effective in the role. And any senator who claims to have truly opposed giving in (and didn’t just vote no for the optics) needs to prove it by publicly calling on Schumer to vacate his position.
The Republicans “caved” as well, and the Democrats got assurances on back pay for Federal workers. Lawrence O’Donnell:
https://youtu.be/Eqe0Suhoats
@59: Mike Blob resides in Portland, OR, and kristo’ has piled up well over a thousand comments at the Portland Mercury (including much shadow boxing with another commenter there, whom he accuses of being me). Yet, you seem to have no problem with any of that. What gives?
(Also, I recently described — yet again — my actual motivations for reading and commenting here. Please let me know if you need help finding that comment.)
@60: The Democrats couldn’t possibly care less about your pronouncements concerning their leadership, and it’s fun to watch you pretend they might.
@62a
‘much’
‘shadow boxing’
with ‘Babs Johnson’
down @the Merc, wormmy?
you’re
referring to
that One Time
when you accused
Xina* of whateverthefuck
it was; a brief, distant, nasty encounter
with someone who, if it Wasn’t you, did a
remarkably Spot-On impersonation, whom Xina
took down like a warm spoon thru melted butter, with
grace & the ease of someone quite well-schooled in human
psychology, as she is; you declared ‘victory’ & slunk off, tail twixt legs
@60(b)
yeah. we’ve
All etched your
wonderful, vile pro-
jections deep into our
memory banks, you needn’t
regurgitate your latest Defenses
of the Indefensivile, we’ve had our Fill
but thanks
and finally
and thank gawd
@62c
Exactly the Attitude
of the “d”nc, who gave
to us Hair Furor, not Once
but Fucking TWICE, a ‘party’
that’d Rather Lose to fucking Hitler
apparently, than give up their lofty top
o’ the food chain positions, whom you’ve again,
ad nauseam, defended, like Israel’s Genocide on Palestine.
‘they’
say Herman
Goering was a
warm and Cheerful,
Wonderful dinner guest.
Why can’t you
be more Fun,
wormmy?
toss in a little
Humor, you know
just for some Balance?
oh
and
Happy
Veterans Day.
let Us remember those who
gave their Lives, Defending the
World against the Fucking Fascists.
*you are
MISSED.
@54 “We don’t care what happens in other cities.” … proceeds to spend all day being a whiny bitch on a blog from a city clear across the entire fucking country.
Great job. slow clap
@54 Shouldn’t you be on some food blog somewhere explaining that your city invented pizza and bagels and hot dogs and that nobody else can possibly make them correctly?
@62 Did he profess that he doesn’t care what happens in any other city and then post on a Portland blog? I dont remember that. You literally just did that. That’s the difference, you stupid fuck. Good lord.
@63 – 66
‘Thee
Smartest
Man in ANY
Room!’ trips over the
pattern in the fucking carpet
@62 Well excuuuuuse me if I want Dems to be a real opposition party instead of a junior governing partner whose main preoccupation is cleaning up the majority’s messes so the trains (or in this case, planes) stay on time. Maybe you don’t care about fighting fascism but a lot of us do.
@61
‘Democrats got assurances …’
So did the East Wing.
During Trump’s first term, Lawrence O’Donnell was the prime example of a pundit species we used to call “hope peddlers.” Every fresh Trump violation of longstanding D.C. norms — big or small, flagrantly illegal or simply gauche — would prompt O’Donnell to proclaim that this time he’s TRULY finished, we’ve got him now, there’s no way he comes back from this one, even Republicans have had enough of his shtick, etc., etc.. After enduring a couple years of that, I tuned him out entirely. Since I no longer have cable I’m not sure how surprised I should be that he’s apparently still at it.
Punditry
Seldom requires
Accuracy in prognostication
long as one
Follows the Corporate
Line employment is generally secured
unless one gains weight
or loses their hair or
discovers Integrity
@64: Other than my not actually having written the phrase you put in quotes and attributed to me, that was spot-on. (Honest and accurate enough by your standards, anyway, right?)
@65, @66: Keep your shirt on (OMG, please!). I was merely pointing out the tiresomely predictable (and provincial) “you ain’t from ’round here, boy,” stuff is only applied to persons who disagree with the Stranger and sympathetic commenters, never to those who agree. It’s just a cheap ad hominem attack, an attempted dismissal instead of an actual answer.
Now, back to your fanboy idiocy @42: AOC has nine million followers on a social media platform. Great for her. Becoming a social media follower takes one second and zero commitment. How many of those nine million are registered to vote in the state? How many are eligible? How many even reside in that state? How many are willing and able to make a contribution (at least one, and preferably some combination of, time, energy, and money) worthy of solicitation? Just those questions alone may have reduced that nine million to maybe a few hundred thousand — or far fewer. So that’s the actual, potentially-exploitable base. Now consider you’re talking about a populous and well-off state, one with an extremely high cost of campaigning, so the potential impact of exploiting that base counts for far less than in most other states.
It’s still better than not having a following on a social media platform, but it’s not the slam-dunk you seem deluded enough to believe it is.
@68: I’ll see your minority Democrats, and raise you Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, and one in the White House, too. Rather than firing missives at a faraway senator who’ll never know what you’ve written here — let alone care — how about considering all of the effort the Stranger (and supportive) commenters put into trying to stop Democrats from getting elected? The Stranger’s most darling of all politicians campaigned “to punish Harris and to defeat her,” and neither the Stranger, nor so much as one single supportive commenter here, issued even one word of criticism to her for it. How about telling them they’re not part of any solution, but a small part of a huge problem?
@72 I’ll let yours be the last word on the topic aside from one small fact-check: Presuming you’re referring to Kshama Sawant, I did indeed denounce her explicitly for that move in this forum and because of it I will never support her for anything again. The Stranger shouldn’t either.
‘centrist’
Corporate Dems
(And Citizens United!)
have brought us to this
Existential Brink ~ to not
Recognize this or to Deny it
is the Surest highway to
the End of our little
Democracy.
thank God at
least Progressives’re
putting this Front and Center.
@73 CKathes: I won’t, either. Especially not after Kshama Sawant openly endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 election?!? WTF was THAT??
I’ve been living outside Seattle since 1997 but I’m glad that the votes are in favor of Katie Wilson as Seattle’s next mayor. Bruce Harrell struck me as someone who only listened to the insanely wealthy and to hell with everyone else.
Rest in peace, Lenny Wilkens, Godfather of Seattle Basketball—a true legend and amazing role model for our community and region. Heartfelt condolences to the Wilkens family and loved ones. May Wilkens’ spirit live on.
@4: Um, Calvin dear, have you checked the number of ballots tallied lately? Katie Wilson has officially been elected Mayor of Seattle, defeating incumbent Bruce Harrell. Evidently not even a colonoscopy can pull your head out of your gullible lil MAGA ass. How do you manage to see where you’re going, sweetie? Filling in for Babybarf isn’t doing you any favors.
@48 and @50: Deep breath, Trumpfus, gut in. Exhale. Don’t let women scare you. Felon Mu$k’s Mein Trumpf who thinks he’s Burger King should—especially with midterms coming. Katie Wilson grabbed the tax dodging wealthy coddling incumbent, Bruce Harrell, by the balls and is officially mayor-elect of Seattle. The voters have spoken.
Have a nice day.
@74 kristofarian: I know, I know—don’t feed the trolls.
I just love watching those who really ask for it squirm though—especially in their own shit, don’t you?
The Repigs have had it coming for 45 years now. Roast in Hell, Dick Cheney.
@64, @65, @66: Just wanted to note this, before the thread dies/gets closed.
While I’m gratified to read I got to you so easily @54 that you had to whine repeatedly about it, please note that — contrary to what you claim in all three of your comments! — @54 does not refer to New York CITY. I wrote “New York,” in the context of a hypothetical senatorial election contest between Sen. Schumer and Rep. AOC. A city cannot send a senator to Congress; only a state can do that, and so my reference to “New York” @54 was to the state, not the city.
Again, it was fun to see you lose it and just begin flailing, though.
@63-66
(@67, cont’d):
. . .
trips
shakes
fist at foor
yells at Cat
kicks Dog screams
at Children fires Maid
“You will NEVER WORK IN
NYC* AGAIN!” throws television
thru plateglass window — “it’s 62 Floors,
what Difference does it Make!?!” — sits down,
contentedly, and fires off yet another angry missive,
at them damn Progressives, over there, on the Other Coast
@the Stranger.
*or ANYWHERE!
for That
matter
“Again, it was fun to see you lose it and just begin flailing, though.”
–so sayeth
@tS’s Master
of Projections
@79
there
is no F
in Floor
there IS
however
a Fucking
L. pls make note!