Votin’ time: If you haven’t dropped off your ballot (guilty), this weekend is the time to do it! Ballots are due to boxes at 8 pm this Tuesday, but the earlier the Activist Class ™ can get its ballots in, the better progressives will look on election night. Vote as soon as possible for morale! Here’s where you can go to participate in Democracy!

Though the line-up is a little disappointing: Kelsey Hamlin, principal consultant at Dujie Tahat Consulting wrote some analysis on how the Republicans embolden first-time candidates (Tiffany Smiley, anyone?) and the Democrats gate-keep. In this cycle, Republicans filed nearly twice as many first-time candidates as Democrats.

If you’re overheated, so are they! A Sedro-Woolley woman got arrested because she allegedly left her family dog outside "on a balcony without water or shade" in brutal heat and—surprise, surprise—the dog died. Please keep animals out of the sun and well-hydrated during this heat wave, and always! I have a surprising number of horrific I-saw-a-random-dog-die-and-held-the-owner-while-they-cried stories, and I would like no more of those. Not for anyone. 

MONKEYPOX: The first person diagnosed with Monkeypox in Washington state sat down for an exclusive interview with KING 5. After Ryan (that's his name) returned from a trip to the UK, he noticed some unusual sores on his skin and had trouble finding a doctor to take his concerns seriously. He’s all good now, but he’s not even eligible to get the vaccine in King County. He said he might go to Canada so he doesn’t have to deal with it again. 

ICYMI: Turns out, plenty of people are headed north to Canada to get vaccination. Apparently the Canadians were much better prepared for the outbreak. Matt Baume wrote that King County Health Officials think it's perfectly "reasonable" to cross the boarder to get the health care you need to keep yourself safe. 

Damn: Vehicular pursuits put everyone in danger. ACAB.

Support mutual aid: If you’re feeling the spirit of mutual aid during this heat wave, South Seattle Emerald wrote up this handy-dandy guide of mutual aid groups in the South End. Check it out!

Fuck your homophobic private school: Early this morning, Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office confirmed that it launched a civil rights investigation into Seattle Pacific University’s possible illegal discrimination. You’ll remember this spring when students staged a bunch of sit-ins to protest the university board of trustees's bogus vote to keep a school policy that bans employees from engaging in "same-sex sexual activity.” Well, Ferguson didn’t like the smell of that. Get ready to get fucked, Seattle Pacific University.  

Some wins for Starbucks workers: Starbucks closed a bunch of stores under the guise of “security concerns” including locations that had recently unionized or were in the process of doing so. The workers protested, and here’s what they won:

Checking in with the Long COVID patients: If you just got your COVID-19 cherry popped in this recent wave and then recovered, you may feel like you’ve dodged a bullet. Well, for some people, COVID-19 lingers. Some people still dealing with Long COVID want you to continue taking this shit seriously. 

Kentucky flood: Powerful flood water has ripped through the Appalachian valley, barreling through homes and businesses in its path. The Governor of Kentucky said that at least 16 people have been killed. The death toll will likely rise as the rain continues, he said.  

Taylor Swift has “Bad Blood” with the environment: My problematic fav strikes again. A study ranked Taylor Swift as the celebrity with the worst private jet CO2 emissions. Mind you, Kylie Jenner is known for her infamous 17-minute flight, and she didn’t even crack the top ten. Miss Swift is the worst offender, raking up more CO2 emissions in just seven months than over 1,100 times the average person's emissions in a year. 

Anyway: I know Will ended AM with some new Beyonce content, but I think she deserves at least two shoutouts for this album. Here’s my favorite track (not that I have any authority on what good music is lol).

 

Â