Big Day for Taxing Millionaires: Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the millionaire’s tax into law on Monday. The bill will put an annual 9.9 percent tax on annual, earned income over $1 million. When the state starts collecting the tax in 2029, it should bring in $3 billion a year. “We did it everybody,” Ferguson said. Meanwhile, the tax’s enemies are already sharpening their pitchforks.
Anti-Tax Avengers, Assemble! The Citizen Action Defense Fund announced it’s going to sue over the tax because they think it’s unconstitutional, violating a nearly 100-year-old Supreme Court ruling about property. Former attorney general and millionaire’s tax hater, Rob McKenna, will lead the litigation. He’s like the Iron Man of this Avengers metaphor. Brian Heywood, the hedge fund millionaire behind Let’s Go Washington, and Jim Walsh, chair of the state Republican Party want to put an initiative overturning the tax on the November ballot. They’re sort of like the Captain America and the Hulk of this Avengers metaphor. Tim Eyman, who is probably crafting 100 mailchimp emails with different GoFundMe links at once, is like Jeremy Renner.
Boo Hoo: Seahawks general manager John Schneider said the millionaire’s tax is “going to affect us” and it’s “going to affect all the sports teams.” Oh, you mean you’ll finally have to pay some taxes on the millions of dollars you and your team earn in the state? How will you survive this injustice? Schneider worries that inconvenience could “sting from a recruiting standpoint.” The average NFL salary in Seattle last year was $5.2 million. I think they’re going to survive.
Man Dead in Green Lake: The Seattle Fire Department responded to a water rescue call at East Green Lake Beach at around 3:30 pm on Monday. They pulled a 40-year-old man from the lake. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Palate Cleanse: Look at this dumb robot.
More Oversight Please: Washington’s Office of Independent Investigations needs “three to four times” the civilian staff to properly investigate police killings in the state, according to Roger Rogoff, the former prosecutor and King County Superior Court judge who just resigned as the agency’s director. The Washington agency is the only one of its kind in the US and is meant to expand to six regions statewide. So far, after five years of existence, only one region which encompasses 12 counties in Southwest Washington is operating and a second, which will comprise Pierce County, is about to open. The staffing levels are a chief concern and state budget cuts could further complicate things.
Speaking of Police Oversight: Some citizens are complaining about excessive force at the hands of police. You may know them, they’re the Jan. 6 insurrectionists who rioted and stormed the US Capitol over an election that was not stolen. A few dozen of them are suing the federal government because they believe the US Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department “indiscriminately” “fired chemical munitions, pepper spray, and other projectiles” into a “peaceful” crowd gathered on the Capitol’s west side exercising their First Amendment rights. So much for backing the blue.
Texas Teen Shoots Teacher, Himself: A 15-year-old student at Hill Country College Preparatory High School in San Antonio, Texas allegedly shot a teacher at the school and then fatally shot himself. The teacher was transported to a nearby hospital. Her condition is still unknown.
Supreme Court Rules Against Colorado Conversion Therapy Ban: The Supreme Court sided 8-1 with a Christian counselor who argued Colorado’s state law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ kids violated First Amendment rights. The justices said the Colorado law did meet free speech concerns and have sent it back down to a lower court “to see if it meets a legal standard that few laws pass,” the Associated Press reports. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissenter, writing “states should be free to regulate health care, even if that means incidental restrictions on speech.” Around two dozen states including Washington ban conversion therapy.
Just in Time: Oil prices have reached an average of $4 a gallon in the US, the highest level since 2022. Tired of your gas guzzler? Try an e-bike. Washington’s e-bike rebate program is open from now until next March. Depending on your eligibility, you can knock between $300 and $1,200 off the price.
Diplomatic Genius: Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that US allies like the United Kingdom should go to the Strait of Hormuz and “just take” fuel. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” he wrote, reports the Guardian. That’s stealing, sir!
Kid Rock Flyby: Two AH-64 Apache helicopters on a training run stopped by Kid Rock’s house to hover near his swimming pool. Kid Rock, a prominent Trump supporter, posted a video on Instagram. He wrote, “This is a level of respect that shit for brains Governor of California will never know.” The army launched an administrative review to see why two of its choppers ended up at Kid Rock’s house.
Another Investigation Perhaps? A Morgan Stanley broker for US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly tried to make investments into major defense companies in the lead up to the Iran war, the Financial Times reported. Apparently, that deal didn’t go through. It’s unclear if the broker found other inside-trading-type deals to capitalize on. Capitalize on This: Bob Dylan of all people started a Patreon series called Lectures From The Grave featuring audio recordings, “lectures” and “letters never sent” by famous historical figures. It seems like it’s a bunch of AI bullshit, but Dylan and his team have not confirmed. Why Bob? Why? Hasn’t he read the new Quinnipiac University poll about how, while Americans’ use of AI is growing, views on it are souring?
