Vancouver Carnage: Near the end of the Lapu Lapu Festival organized by the Filipino community in Vancouver, British Columbia, a black Audi SUV plowed into the crowd. The driver of the car killed 11 people whose ages ranged from 5 to 65. The driver tried to escape, but was restrained by the crowd. Police say they had had previous “substantive contact with him over mental health issues.” The police chief did not reveal what they believed his motive to be, but said the driver acted “intentionally.”
Counting the Days to the Conclave: The conclave, or the time when the cardinals of the Catholic church are sequestered while they choose a new pope, won’t start until May 7. The delay is because the cardinals want to get to know each other better and find more of a consensus on who to pick as pope before it’s conclave time. Will they continue Pope Francis’ people-focused progressive papacy, or will they choose a conservative to center the church back on its core doctrines?
Canadians Also Have an Important Election: Canada will vote today for their prime minister. The options are the Justin Trudeau-appointed Mark Carney of the Liberal Party and Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party. Before Donald Trump took power again, the Liberals seemed like they were headed toward defeat in this election. However, Trump’s bloviating about Canada being a 51st state has turned many Canadians against the conservatives. Carney could have a real shot, especially since a record-breaking 7.3 million Canadians voted ahead of election day. This could be the first election—depending on how it goes of course—that illustrates a referendum on Trumpism.
The Weather: The sun spoiled us last week. We’ll have to stick it out through a gray day Monday and a wet day Tuesday before any significant sun returns to us.
Olympia Decides on New State Budget: Lawmakers in Olympia passed a $78 billion budget that cuts spending while preserving core services, increasing funding for special education in public schools, and avoiding state worker furloughs. To do all that, the budget will increase taxes on a bunch of businesses, including an electric vehicle tax aimed at Tesla. It will also cut $5.9 billion in spending. Somehow, Gov. Bob Ferguson’s $100 million grant program devoted to hiring and retaining new cops made it through. Ferguson now will go through the budget “line by line” before he signs it into law.
Trump Donors Among Us: In Washington state, residents and local businesses donated over $5.3 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. In total, the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee raked in a record $245.2 million. Much of that money came from federal enforcement actions and lawsuits. Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, and Uber CEO and Seattle resident Dara Khosrowshani donated the maximum amount of $1 million each. Redmond’s favorite hedge fund manager and conservative initiative bankroller Brian Heywood gave Trump $125,000. His wife, Rochelle Heywood, also gave $125,000.
Are you watching The Last of Us? Well, no major spoilers, but the show has arrived in 2029 Seattle. I paused the show for like five minutes to analyze the skyline. After the few introductory Seattle scenes, this was my main thought:
the last of us season 2 episode 3 is what conservative media thought CHOP was like
— Nathalie Graham (@gramsofgnats.bsky.social) April 27, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Empty Ports Feel a Bit Apocalyptic: Fewer and fewer cargo ships are in Elliott Bay. The early effects of the Trump tariffs are already being felt by the port and by the ports workers and related industries, including longshoremen and the truckers who haul the loads from the ships. However, the full effects won’t be felt until May, which is just around the corner.
Laser Losers: Hey, can you please stop aiming your laser pointers at planes, you freaks? There’s a laser-pointing planes epidemic in Washington, according to the FBI. In 2023, there were 43 reports of lasers pointed at planes. That number rocketed up to 383 in 2024. So far, in 2025, there have been 106 reported incidents. The FBI says it needs help finding the culprits. Cut it out! Stop blinding the pilots. They need those eyes. We’re having enough airplane chaos these days.
“60 Minutes” Gets Candid: Correspondent Scott Pelley leveled with viewers in “60 Minutes'” about last week’s resignation of executive producer Bill Owens. Pelley explained that, in order to have its merger green lit by the Trump administration, “60 Minutes” parent company Paramount started “to supervise our content in new ways.” While no stories were blocked, Owens “felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires,” Pelley said.
And now, a note on Bill Owens who, until this past week, was the executive producer of 60 Minutes.
We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.
— 60 Minutes (@60minutes.bsky.social) April 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Mystery Pelican Plague: Pelicans are falling ill and dying along the Oregon coast and nobody knows why. So far, 20 have been found dead and 20 have been found ill around Gold Beach, Charleston, Newport, and Tillamook. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife doesn’t know what the cause is. The pelicans all tested negative for bird flu.
Far-right Youth Clubs Enter the Chat: “Active clubs” are prolific across the US. They combine fitness, mixed martial arts, with a fun little cocktail of neo-Nazi and fascist ideologies. They’re linked to fringe groups like Patriot Front. Now, these clubs have youth-oriented offshoots aimed at boys 18 years old and under. Teen boys are learning how to fight and espouse rascist memes and ideologies. These youth clubs have become prolific. They’re in at least 20 states, according to Telegram accounts spotted by The Guardian. So, uh, keep an eye on the boys in your life and their extracurriculars. If they like watching Ultimate Fighting Championship too much, sound the alarms—that’s a recruiting gateway for these groups.
Blackouts in Spain and Portugal: A huge blackout knocked lights, subways, ATMs, and phone service out across the Iberian Peninsula. It’s unclear what caused the power outage. What is clear is it’ll take between six to 10 hours for the lights to come back on.
A Song for Your Monday: Portland’s indie darling, Kenzy Peach, released a new song and it’s a banger. Something about a fiddle really gets into my blood, my bones.
@1 thirteen12, @5 kristofarian, @17 & @27 Catalina Vel-DuRay, @32 CDizzle, and @36 pat L: +6 for the WIN!!! Bullseye and kudos for being so spot on! I have nothing more to add. You all nailed it beautifully.
A group of angry white male teenage brownshirts is now running amok, fanning the flames of the Mu$k / Mein Trumpf inferno. Hooboy. As if we need any more batshit crazy as the world burns. 🙁
Adolf Hitler must be laughing his ugly fascist ass off in hell.
Will Mu$k’s Mein Trumpf follow suit on April 30th, 2025, 80 years after Hitler’s suicide?
Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!
Heartfelt condolences to the Filipino families impacted by the tragedy at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver, B.C. That is beyond insane!
FUCK Mu$k and his Mein Trumpf inaugural donors!! I hope they lose every ill gotten penny when Wall $treet crashes for the last time, and the Evil Empire burns. Then just watch these same MAGA tools stupidly blame everything on the Democrats.
I guess they’ll learn the hard way: the best way to hurt the rich and corrupt is to turn them into poor people.
They’re already doing it to themselves out of sheer greed. Oh, the irony!
“edgelord”? I had to look that one up, thirteen12 dear. (I am an old person who is not up on the “lingo” of you young people). Your assertion that I am “a person who affects a provocative or extreme persona, especially online (typically used of a man).” only reinforces my point about you being overly sensitive.
Have you perhaps become smitten with a radicalized young man, and think you can “change” him? That’s a tale as old as the hills, dear. The only one who can fix him is him.
@27: Luckily, Mother Nature (or Mr. Charles Darwin, or whatever name we want to give) has already begun implementing a structural remedy: these guys become incels, and thus get expelled from our collective gene pool. While, in the short term, their pent-up sexual frustrations leave them even more vulnerable to violent (and even racist) expressions of self-pity, our future generations will therefore become much less douche-y.
@53 you made an unnecessary comment about white dudes fully expecting someone to take offense (Phoebe dutifully obliged). If that’s not being provocative online for attention I’m not sure what is. Your responses to me further illustrate the point. Enjoy your dopamine rush I guess.
@55: Our Very Own Dear Divine Mrs. Vel-DuRay may or may not have written with provocative intent @27, but what she wrote was accurate, spoke to the point, and bears repeating:
“We have an element of douchey young white guys who feel like they’re being discriminated against because they’re white or have a penis (or a combination of both). They’re part of the perpetual anger brigade, where everyone engages in the classic drug combo of self-pity and self-righteous anger. That’s much easier and more fun than taking personal responsibility for one’s actions, or engaging in self-reflection, and it’s part of how we got trump.”
Thirteen12 dear, when you get rid for down to it, there is no such thing as a “necessary” comment on Slog. You just took exception to what I wrote, and decided to play gatekeeper, but that’s not the way it works.
@36, Just to be clear, while I believe the bible to be the word of God, he speaks in many other venues as well. Also, the bible is NOT a chemistry text, a book of recipes, a mechanical manual, or a book of magical incantations. It is wisdom literature. LITERATURE, to be understood & interpreted as is any other literature. And it is wisdom. Lots & lots of wisdom. (That’s why Trump is selling it. NOT buying it.)
@56 and @57: Yes, the way it works is that if you’re white you can disparage your own race (but only the White race) and elevate your influence in woke society.
So how does one elevate oneself in whatever retrograde society that you move
In, Phoebe dear?
@59: I’m sufficiently elevated. Thanks for asking dear.
Our Dear Phoebe, the standard bearer for the party of eternal victimhood and complete absolution of personal responsibility. Proud sponsor of The Perpetual Anger Brigade.
Jesus wept, Phoebe, put down raindrop’s cue cards and take a chill already.
Go outside for some sunshine and fresh air. Listen to birds sing.
Take a walk and enjoy Nature while you still can.