Good Morning! It’s Thanksgiving week, which means, depending on your job, you’re either facing an easy breezy three day week, or one of the most nightmarish customer service weeks of the year. Be kind to your friends in the latter group this week. Bring them a treat. Maybe a hug. Or a pillow to punch.
MTG OUT: After four years of talking about “Jewish space lasers,” harassing the survivors of school shootings, and equating mask mandates to the holocaust, US representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Friday that she’s resigning from Congress. According to Greene, DC just couldn’t handle her sound: “I’ve always represented the common American man and woman as a member of the House of Representatives which is why I’ve always been despised in Washington DC and never fit in,” she wrote at the beginning of her four-page statement. She found out that there’s no “insane 4D chess game being played,” just the “Political Industrial Complex…ripping this country apart.” We all have to realize it some day, Marge. Her last day in Congress will be January 5.
What Does It Mean?? AOC called it MTG’s “revenge tour” after Trump turned his back on her. Greene had been a MAGA loyalist for years, but Trump recently turned on her, nicknaming her Marjorie “Traitor” Brown. When she announced that she’s stepping down, she framed herself at the true MAGA, uninfluenced by DC powerbrokers. She said she felt “cast aside” by Trump. But the New York Times thinks it’s also emblematic of deeper fracturing within MAGA and the GOP: “Some conservatives are slowly imagining a future where his priorities, whims and vendettas no longer steer their movement.”
Trump’s New Crush: Trump piled on the confusion on Friday when he met with New York Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani. He told reporters that the meeting “surprised him,” and called Mamdani a “rational person.”
Trump frickin’ loves this guy lmao
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) November 21, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Weather: High around 48, with some clouds but no rain. That’s the last time we’ll be able to say that for a while: if the forecasts are right, we’ll have rain from tomorrow through Thanksgiving. Breathe in that crisp autumn air while you can!
Harbor Island Studios’ Short Runway: Last week, our local, publicly-owned sound stage Harbor Island Studios was unexpectedly on the County Council’s chopping block. After a last minute call to action, dozens of people showed up to the council meeting before they voted to finalize the budget, and it was saved in a last minute amendment.
The Catch: It’s only funded for six months, and then it needs a new sugar daddy. County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, who told The Stranger’s Julianne Bell that she’s a “convert” to the cause after hearing the impassioned public comment, says that right now, they have a lot of ideas—including letting a nonprofit run it or “passing the hat” and running a massive fundraiser—but no actual plan. I really want to make a joke about Love Is Blind here, but honestly we really need infrastructure like this if we want a functioning arts industry in the city.
The Olympic Pipeline Is Still Fucked: And it’s starting to fuck up air travel. Since the fuel line started leaking into a blueberry farm two weeks ago, BP has dug up 200 feet of pipe, but they’re still struggling to find the leak. When it’s working, it provides fuel for SeaTac and PDX. Without it, airlines are trucking and ferrying in fuel from elsewhere, but it might not be enough. For international and long-haul domestic flights, airlines are preparing to build in refueling stops or making “scheduling adjustments” (it’s not clear if that’s a euphemism for cancellations or delays. Maybe both!) Best of luck in your holiday travel plans, you’re gonna need it.
Unfortunately: The FAA says this Thanksgiving will be the busiest in a decade and a half. And if you’re driving instead of flying, beware of the mountain passes. The Cascades could get hit by more than a half-foot of snow this week, and holiday traffic could turn fender benders into crazy delays.
This Is Definitely the Best Way to do This: In 2025, we’ve gone from crowdfunding our own healthcare, to crowdfunding entire clinics. Between changes to Medicaid and the cuts to federal subsidies for the ACA, about 380,000 Washingtonians are expected to lose their health insurance next year. Community health centers that take patients whether or not they’re able to pay are preparing for a massive influx of need, and a huge loss to their income.
Filling the Gaps: KUOW talked to the CEO of Healthpoint, a network of 20 community health centers about their looming crisis. About three quarters of their patients are on Medicaid. For any of their current patients that are legally authorized immigrants, or who can’t keep up with the new work requirements, Healthpoint will stop getting reimbursed. To try to make up the difference, the clinics will start asking for donations.
Florida Man Tries to Fix Problem He Created: According to Politico’s sources, Trump plans to announce his own ObamaCare extension as early as today. Details are sparse, but insiders say it’s expected to be just a two-year extension, with a minimum premium payment and creating income caps for eligibility. TrumpCare: It’s ObamaCare, but worse.
Teslas Are Still Death Traps: According to a new lawsuit in Tacoma, a man and his wife were driving in their Tesla in 2023 when it “suddenly and rapidly accelerated out of control.” The disgruntled robot slammed them into a utility pole. The car caught fire, and trapped the two inside. The woman was killed in the accident, and the man was badly burned. Now, he’s suing the company for gross negligence.
We’re Number Two! According to the Seattle Times’s FYI Guy, Seattle is #2 in CBD use in the country. Honolulu has us beat. Catch up, slackers.
Buyer Beware: Infant botulism is still on the rise thanks to a bad batch of ByHeart baby formula still lingering on shelves around the country. It’s already sickened at least two kids in Washington. If you see it on the shelves, don’t trust that it’s safe. Choose another brand. (I know that sucks, but botulism is worse.)
Meet Mount Drainier: In our delightfully unserious city, the Washington Department of Transportation held a contest to name one of the scuppers on the Ship Canal Bridge. The winner, Mount Drainier, was installed on the bridge yesterday, with “25 of his closest friends.”
Does no one know how ACA enhanced subsidies work? There already WAS an income cap on eligibility—if your premiums are less than 8.5% of your AGI, you get no subsidy. If Trump wants to reinstate these subsidies and rebrand it as “TrumpCare,” fucking fine. Just another case of him breaking something, gluing it back together, and showing us the incredible new thing he built.
I feel this should be obvious enough that I don’t have to explain it, but Trump probably does not actually like Mr. Mamdani. He views him as a threat to the Democrat establishment and useful in that respect. Trump wins either way – either Mamdani does poorly and he can say “I told you so”, or Mamdani does well and the Democratic establishment, with Schumer not even willing to endorse Mamdani, now has to reckon with him, dividing the base further.
“To try to make up the difference, the
clinics will start asking for donations.”
“Republican
“‘Healthcare’ Plan”:
do NOT
tax the Wealthy.
or They’ll just LEAVE.*
don’t let the
door hit your as-
ses on the Way OUT.
*it we the peeps
cannot thrive
WITH Them,
then WHYtf
are they even
Fucking HERE?
@1 problem is now Trump gets to take credit for the extension. Thanks again 8 enlightened centrist Dem defectors!
@2 much more likely there’s a cheat code to ingratiate yourself to Trump, almost certainly involving intense flattery, and Mamdani figured it out. He wouldn’t be the first.
@2 I think you’re giving far too much credit to someone who doesn’t seem to know where he is the majority of the time and literally shits himself regularly.
Who doesn’t LOVE
a good Scupper?
but
who wants
to $upport the
Metaverse? C’MON
WADOT — get onto the
Blueskies! & Dump the fb, pronto!
(on
Closer
Examination
it’s fucking WSDOT
you Idiot! & they ARE
on the Blueskies, tho their Blue-
sky Scuppers Report, Is, Alas! Lacking.)
@1 Nope, nobody knows how they work. That makes it easy to claim credit as you describe.
@2 Nope, Mamdani did more or less like what @4 said and said how important affordability was to Trump voters that also voted for Mamdani. He also emphasized how much they both love New York and other (very limited) common ground. Mamdani also deflected questions about whether he thinks Trump is a fascist, at least until after he was out of the White House.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, ignored by the vandalism-lovers of “teens” here at Slog AM:
Seattle teen arrested for violent attack on 80-year-old man during graffiti confrontation
Sun, November 23, 2025
SEATTLE — Seattle police have arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with the assault of an 80-year-old man who confronted him during an incident of graffiti vandalism on the Ballard Bridge.
The altercation happened earlier this week when the elderly man, driving on Nov. 17, noticed four people spray painting graffiti on an auto business in the 4900 block of 15th Ave. Northwest.
The man stopped his car to confront the suspects and began recording the incident on his cell phone.
As he filmed, two of the teens crossed the street and started tagging the side of the bridge. During the confrontation, one of the teens punched the man multiple times, resulting in a shoulder injury and a cut lip.
A bystander intervened, prompting the attacker and his accomplice to flee the scene.
In an effort to identify the suspects, the victim and his family posted video footage of the assault and graffiti online. The community responded, and through the social media app Nextdoor, the suspects were identified by name.
Detectives from the Seattle Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) took over the case and quickly identified the teen suspects. The 17-year-old involved in the assault had prior interactions with law enforcement.
Detectives discovered that the nearby business had already covered up the graffiti, estimating the damage at $250. During their investigation, police recovered five discarded spray paint cans at the scene, which were collected for fingerprint analysis.
On Nov. 20, CIU detectives, with the help of school administrators, arrested the 17-year-old at a high school in Wallingford without incident. He was taken to the North Precinct for processing, and his mother was notified.
Although detectives contacted the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center for potential booking, the center declined to take him, and the teen was released to his parents’ custody.
The City of Seattle has since repaired the graffiti damage to the bridge, with costs estimated at $1,110. The investigation remains open and active.
https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-teen-arrested-for-attacking-80-year-old-man-during-graffiti-confrontation-crime-assault-vandalism-ballard-update-investigation-juvenile-detention-center-high-school-student
@4, @5, @7 Trump had already decided how he was going to treat Mamdani before he even got there. He was not charmed and thrilled by exciting ideas like government grocery stores or whatever. His actions here are only surprising if you view everything through the lens of “Trump is the most racist and stupid person of all time”, or fall for silly tabloid pants-shitting stories with zero evidence like tbass. Viewing him through the more accurate lens of “Trump is devious and does not subscribe to any ideology besides winning” will give you greater predicative power.
I’m reading nekrasova’s comment @2, and it doesn’t quite hold water as an explanation for why Trump was so infatuated with Mamdani, but it does hold water as a right-wing talking point to try to explain why Trump was so infatuated with Mamdani.
nekrasova, I’d love to hear from you the latest encyclical as to how we should be thinking about the Epstein files.
@8: a Seventeen-year-old is a teenager. it’s right there in the number. why put it in quotes?
@5 – I think @2 is correct. Incontinence and dementia still haven’t overpowered Donald’s savvy political instincts.
But, I do think Trump likes Zohran – as wants a piece of limelight for himself.
@9 You just have to get over the notion that Trump play any-dimensional chess. He just doesn’t think ahead like that. He definitely has people around him who do, but the man himself? Nope. He listens to the last person who talked to him, he responds extremely well to flattery, and he’s fundamentally a bully/coward who chickens out when people stand up to him.
What about his success in electoral politics? He’s also extremely good at reaching a certain segment of the American population and validating many of their hot takes that other people said were unacceptable in modern society. He’s done a very good job of branding himself as caring about the little guy and being a successful businessman despite all evidence to the contrary.
@10 I have to say, I will never get tired of your theory that behind it all I’m a secret right-wing Trump supporter. Does it really seem like I moderate what I say in here to be popular and I expect everyone to agree?
Unrelatedly, with the Tyler Robinson trial coming up, I thought this was interesting from the Axios fact-checking team – “How Charlie Kirk’s killing sparked unfounded theories about Groypers”, a good roundup of another story tbass fell for: https://www.axios.com/2025/09/15/groyper-charlie-kirk-nick-fuentes-tyler-robinson
Trump being purely transactional and easily steamrolled by flattery has much more predictive power than any other explanation. For all his bluster when he’s in front of a microphone, he rolls over when someone is nice to him in person. He is desperate for adulation and we’ve seen people exploit this weakness many times, often with much higher stakes than a photo op with a mayor he has no leverage over, but i guess his followers are still clinging to be the belief that he is some strategic mastermind and that every move is in service of something bigger.
@8 that 80 year old should have heeded the wise words of Lil Jon: don’t start no shit it won’t be no shit.
Also graffiti “damage?” Please.
Say what you will about Zohran but he’s undoubtably principled – I don’t think at all he filled their meeting with flattery for Donald Trump. He called him a fascist while standing right next to him – does that really sound like kissing the ring?
@18 He didn’t call hm a fascist while standing write next to him. He started to speak and Donald interrupted him and said it was ok to call him one. Too high up on your horse there actually watch the video, eh?
Right not write.
@2 Ha! Watch the video of Mamdani in the Oval. Trump is fucking doe-eyed. “A pal is a wonderful thing,” his expression seems to say. Oh the wonderful secrets they could share…
@9 You’re ignoring hundreds of hours of footage where the man can’t string a coherent thought together. You think he’s playing chess and he’s sitting in the corner of the nuthouse playing Connect Four by himself because he smells bad.
@11 – “teens” has become a cliched media euphemism for “blacks”, and surprise surprise, it’s true in that incident too.
@17 – “that 80 year old should have heeded the wise words of Lil Jon: don’t start no shit it won’t be no shit.”
The “teen” was “starting shit” in the first place by vandalizing the Ballard Bridge in broad daylight, in full view of everyone passing by.
nekrasova @15: “@10 I have to say, I will never get tired of your theory that behind it all I’m a secret right-wing Trump supporter.”
Just remove one word–“secret”–and I think you have me dead to rights. And for my evidence, I would like to present:
https://www.thestranger.com/users/54772714/nekrasova
Anyway, even if it’s not today, I am looking forward to your latest Epstein files spin.
Is anyone here familiar with the Dingler’s Deli Dilemma?
I finally made it there, had possibly the best Matza soup and Reuben of my life, and…
Dropped over $40 for the pleasure.
@16: Trump is transactional and easily steamrolled by flattery is very true, but that’s not incongruous with his political prowess.
@18 As I noted in @7, Mamdani took a more strategic approach to the meeting than the average person–usually people who want Trump to change his mind/approach bring a nice shiny gift and a lot of ass-kissing. Mamdani apparently emphasized their common ground (largely limited to food and housing affordability) and how extensively Mamdani reached out to Trump voters and how that helped him win.
@24 “The man stopped his car to confront the suspects”
Man starts confrontation, loses, cries about it. More at 11
@29 – I’m pretty sure you are a “teen”
@27, As others have noted, his prowess is in his shamelessness and telling a certain segment of the population what they want to hear regardless of his ability to deliver. He is not a skilled negotiator or strategist as you guys are claiming — quite the opposite actually, and those skills are indeed incongruous with being transactional and easily flattered. He’s good at selling the big picture to voters but he sucks dog dick where the rubber meets the road, as demonstrated by his rapidly collapsing movement. He’s even lost Marge because has no ability to deliver on the promises he made to his constituents.
@17 and @29: Do you have any morality left at all? Just a little? Christ on a cracker.
@29 even most of the ultra-libprogs at the Seattle Reddit think the point of view of people like you is despicable and full of shit. Also, lots of humorous details there that aren’t available in the article I previously linked:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/1p3codz/detectives_arrest_teen_for_ballard_bridge/
Worse than Obamacare?
That’s saying something.
Worse Than M4A?
well
WTF
Isn’t?
@32 do I think kids should punch octogenarians? No. Is getting punched an entirely predictable result when you “confront” someone? Yes. The guy either made a decision that it was worth putting his body on the line to stop some graffiti, or he wasn’t thinking at all when he stopped his car to start a confrontation. Either way I hope he learned an important lesson, for his sake.
@35
C’MON
Reiches!
tell us How
WE CANNOT
AFFORD IT. But
First, you’re gonna
Hafta take that Billionaire
Dick out your Pieholes. or whichever
@36: Yeah, he should have called the cops, but bravo for standing up for what’s right anyway despite his age. That’s far different than “don’t start no shit”.
@38 in the video I saw he slapped the spray can out of the kid’s hand and that’s why he got hit. I’m sure NotMyopic will be here soon to explain how that’s lawful self defense and not a crime.
@19 Not only did I watch it, I one-upped you a little bit by listening to it too, and after the reporter asks “Are you affirming you think President Trump is a fascist?” and Trump laughs it off & allows it, Zohran does indeed say (quietly! You gotta listen!) “Yes.” Which is why I factually said “He called him a fascist while standing right next to him”. You’re wrong AGAIN! I’ve managed to educate you on a news story you misunderstood YET AGAIN! Another effortless Nekrasova dunk. How do I do it…
@39 You unfortunately saw only Part 2, of a later video. There’s a prior video taken by the elderly victim himself, where he simply walks up taking a video of the youth spray painting, and the kid turns and punches him within about a second of first seeing him.
@39 Normally I don’t like to do all the work, but here’s a Reddit (ugh!) link to the prior video for you: https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/1ozzfz2/broad_daylight_graffiti_and_assault_on_the/ You can tell for yourself it’s earlier than the the one you watched because there are some lines present on the graffiti in the later video that don’t appear at the beginning of this one. And I hope I don’t have to explain this, but punching a senior citizen within a second of seeing them taking a video of you committing a crime is not the inevitable result of a “confrontation”. It is psychopathic.
@42 I’ve seen that. Doesn’t look or sound like he actually hit the guy just cocked back to scare him. Both their actions after seem consistent with that too.
@40 Mamdani mumbled something. If it was a clear “Yes” you were the only person who actually heard it. Congratulations.
@43 He’s most assuredly rapidly moving toward him at the 16 second mark, so even if he didn’t hit him (he obviously hit him) it would be more of a result of a missed hit in that phase of the assault than “cocking back”, before he punches the old guy later.
@25, if I were right wing and a Trump supporter, don’t you think I would just say it? What do I have to lose? And if you actually bothered, before posting, to read though your own link, that you posted, you would have seen that my comment history hasn’t been there in some time. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the last person on the planet with any sense of thoroughness.
@40 He says “Okay. Alright. Yes.” You can hear it. You can watch his mouth. If someone asks you if you still think someone is a fascist and you respond in the affirmative, you have called them a fascist. I seriously don’t know why everyone insists on making me correct them on news stories they could just examine for themselves.
@44,
It’s not even ambiguous. The reporter asks if Mamdani thinks Donald is a fascist and he clearly replies “I’ve spoken about the” at which point Trump (dare I say, rather amusingly and probably to his credit) interrupts and says, “It’s OK, you can just say yes.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4nI1tiBnKA
Nekrasova is a fucking dipshit and a racist Trump apologist. What an ass.
@45 “He’s most assuredly rapidly moving toward him at the 16 second mark, so even if he didn’t hit him (he obviously hit him)”
The kid does a huge exaggerated spin but you don’t see his right arm, which by that point is holding the spray can, come forward at all before the camera angle changes. You don’t hear any blow land or the cameraman make any sound indicating he was hit. After he briefly retreats he turns right back around and faces the kid, camera still in hand, and the kid has calmly gone back to painting. I don’t believe the kid hit him there and it’s certainly not “obvious” that he did based on this video.
Plus of course we see the guy in the later video slapping the kid rather than having retreated to his car which any thinking 80 year old would do if assaulted by one of a group of youts (not that I’m convinced this guy was thinking).
@47: And then after a second at 0:57 Zohran says “yes” immediately before Trump says “it’s easier than explaining”.
So indeed – he said “yes”. The video you provided proved it.
So weird that you’re trying to disprove it as it’s no skin of a lib’s nose.
@46 I’m not sure why you’re replying to yourself, but it does kind of make sense.
I mean, I guess Mamdani probably does say “yeah” or “yes” but that was once Trump had introduced levity into the moment and everyone was laughing. I think (again, to his credit!) Trump handled what could have been an incredibly awkward moment quite well. It’s possible Mamdani would’ve said “yes” in a more straightforward manner there if given the opportunity, but we’ll never know and I don’t think this specific interaction revealed much of anything.
nekrasova @45: “@25, if I were right wing and a Trump supporter, don’t you think I would just say it? What do I have to lose?”
I dunno, perhaps YOU can explain to ME the concern trolling culture where you can never just come out and admit that you are what you are, and instead you have to weave these elaborate tales to establish that, “No really, I’m coming from the same place you’re coming from.”
nekrasova @45: “And if you actually bothered, before posting, to read though your own link, that you posted, you would have seen that my comment history hasn’t been there in some time. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the last person on the planet with any sense of thoroughness.”
nekrasova, please forgive me, but I value my time, and I don’t need to be reminded of your comment history. I’m not surprised that you’re trying to misrepresent it, although to be honest, I can’t quite make out HOW exactly you’re trying to misrepresent it right now.
Following up @51, well, wouldn’t you know, there is no comment history for nekrasova. In lieu of that:
https://www.thestranger.com/search?q=nekrasova
@52: You said you value your time (@51), but reviewing someone’s comment history would seem like a low priority if not a waste of time.
@2 and everyone else. It’s simple.
The man watches TV all day, he is obsessed.
The guy from TV came to visit him, so he’s ecstatic and excited and giddy.
This is all.
Lots of projection going on at 32 and 33.
Of course, that’s nothing if not predictable.
@55
reichwing
derailers of all
things progressive
seekers of STRONG Daddies,
telling them what to do think & pray
trying to make a decent Future
for the many GTFO & chust
Go Away,
pathetic af
down on their
luck seeking some-
one Anyone Else to Blame
yep. & lordy good Lordy
How they Do suck
at this & All
Of their
games
sad.
that’d be
a Bingo.
@56: So says the projection master.
@57
good
Lord, yet
Another projection!?
troll
Away
KkKoolie,
baby, Troll away
oh
and
BTW
are you still
giving Masters
Classes on English?
The point of a comment is
its most important thought
which is usually made in the the
second or the last clause of the sen-
tence to leave the reader with a with the
most important concept as the last or near
the last of what you are trying to say to folks.
–@Coolidge dollar on November 16, 2025 at 12:57 PM
come again?
@58: I imagine you wish you could.
@59
is it your Prostate?
now, That IS
Sad. af
b. is it you’re
Prostrate? well
get Off your Arse, get
Out there and Get some!
oh
and
maybe
Stop projecting?
d. THNX
for the Nov 16
‘English’ Lecture!
Still sorting it out . . .
@60: There’s no “me” or “I” in @59, just “you” – you twit.
it’s
the
‘I’ in
Project-i-on
you. Silly. goose!
learn to Read
(‘twixt the
Letters)!
@62: And so did you get “prostate” from my comment if you didn’t PROJECT it?
@63 — good query!
(I believe I May’ve
gotten the gist!):
A. “I
imagine
you wish you
could [cum again].”
Coolidge dollar on November 25, 2025 at 9:37 AM
tho I Seldom
play a ‘Doktor’ on
Prime Time, there havng
Been a Glut of Medical Shows
on Network Teevee, well, let’s just
say, I may’ve picked up a few things:
One of them being
every time you
Point a finger
at me there’s
three More
pointing
Back at
Y’all.
(this’s
been Fun,
but it’s getting
rather Boring, old Chap.
perhaps
I could peruse
wormmy’s comments
for some Snappy Putdowns
to spice things Up a bit. whatcha Say?)
@64: “One of them being
every time you
Point a finger
at me there’s
three More
pointing
Back at
Y’all.”
If that ain’t projection….
It’s a defense mechanism
project This:
“Perverting the truth in-
to an attack on those cal-
ling it out is Manipulation 101.”
–@Heather Cox Richardson
@65: Just pull your head out, Calvin dear, and breathe before you go flying over the side with the rest of the MAGA lemmings. That’s your best defense mechanism.
@66 kristofarian: WORD.
@67: I’m sure you’re very charming in real life.
and
you as
cunty kKkoolie
@68: Ya gotta stop chugging the hydroxychloroquine, KKKool-Aid dear. It’s not going to save your ass.
@69 kristofarian: I wonder if ole Calvin KKKool-Aid writes children’s books in his spare time–or tries to?
I’m estimating he’s ~ 40 going on 14, and barely passing at the third grade reading level.
Remedial must be quite a hurdle.
Nahhhh—methinks he’s really “homeschooled”, and keeps telling his ma he’s online “looking for work”.