Wild Weather on the Way: The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory starting today at 3 p.m. through 6 a.m. Thursday. Whether you plan on hunkering down at home or heading out to the Torrent game for Cayla Barnes bobblehead night, plan on lots of rain and “winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts of 40 to 45 mph.”
Trump Lied: Trump has been claiming that the missile that struck near a girls’ school in Iran on February 28, killing more than 165 civilians, most of whom were under 12 years old, was fired by Iran. Iranian forces are “very inaccurate,” he said. But new video shows a US Tomahawk missile striking near the school. “The US is the only participant in the war that is known to have Tomahawk missiles,” according to the investigative group Bellingcat.
How’d This Happen? Last year, the Trump Administration dismantled and defunded a program focused on reducing civilian harm. ProPublica reports, “Dismantling the fledgling harm-reduction effort, defense analysts say, is among several ways the Trump administration has reorganized national security around two principles: more aggression, less accountability.” I hope all those little girls haunt Hegseth in his coke-fueled nightmares for the rest of his fucking life.
Meanwhile: After this war threw oil prices into a tailspin, the 32 countries that make up the International Energy Agency have agreed to release 400 million barrels of emergency reserve oil to try to help clean up Trump’s mess.
Iran Pulls Out of the World Cup: According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, said, “Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup.” Kind of a good point, tbh. Iran is scheduled to play the Pride game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Tickets to the game are currently going for $330–$7,495 a pop on StubHub.
These Men Are Not Serious Men: Apparently, Donald Trump won’t stop buying pairs of very specific dress shoes for all the men in his life. He just guesses what sizes to buy, but because he has also made it clear that he believes that “you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size,” all the shoe recipients are afraid to tell Trump if their new shiny kicks don’t fit. So now there are tons of photos of Trump’s bigoted besties bumbling around the White House wearing shoes that are very clearly several sizes too big. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Totally normal human adult behavior!
More Totally Normal Behavior: It’s surprising they’re all willing to look so foolish in their big boy shoes, given how obsessed they are with appearances. Case in point: The Defence Department has banned press photographers after seeing some “unflattering” photos taken during the March 2 press briefing. The AP reports: “It is unclear whether one particular photo—or the sum total of the day’s shots—led to consternation among Hegseth’s staff.” 🎶 You’re so vain, you probably think this press briefing about dozens of dead Iranian children is about you / Don’t you / Don’t you. 🎶
Tax the Rich $$$: Last night, the state House approved the millionaires’ tax after more than 24 hours of debate. The final vote in the Senate could happen today. As News Editor Vivian mentioned in yesterday’s Slog AM, Gov. Bob Ferguson has signaled he’d sign the latest version if it crossed his desk.
Florida Man Evades Taxes: The new Millionaires Tax bummed out billionaire and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz enough that he decided to move to Miami. Good riddance!
Fund the Libraries: Yesterday, Mayor Katie Wilson announced her plans to fund the Seattle Public Library system. Her new levy proposal increases the 2019 voter-approved levy from $31.3 million to about $59 million, from 2027 through 2033. Our local libraries and their staff are struggling in so many ways. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reported yesterday that within hours of Wilson’s announcement, a man was found unconscious and not breathing in the upstairs bathroom at the Capitol Hill Library. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Wilson’s proposal includes millions of dollars for social service referral programs and staffing upgrades, including human resource staffing.
They Paved Paradise and… Put in a pickleball facility. Maybe. At least, that’s what one developer wants to do with the old Joann Fabrics building in Ballard. I miss Joann so much.
Speaking of Passing Legislation: Yesterday, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a one-year moratorium on new detention centers in Seattle. The bill, sponsored by Alexis Mercedes Rinck, comes after the federal government was sniffing around last year, looking for feedback on the possibility of a 1,500-bed facility. ICE OUT, THO. The King County council passed something similar last week, ultimately voting 7-2, with KC Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Pete von Reichbauer voting no. Dunn called moratoriums “blunt tools.” You’re a blunt tool, Reagan Dunn.
Baby Gorillas! Two Woodland Park Zoo gorillas are pregnant, and both babies are due in May. I hope they’re both geminis. We could team up and take over the city.
