Did you hear that thunder? See that lightning? Okay, TBH I did not, but I know at least one of my colleagues did. And I know for sure a lot of Tacomans did, because around 9,500 Tacoma Public Utilities customers were left without power this morning due to lightning strikes. Nature is metal, etc. According to the NWS Seattle, that'll be the most electrostatic discharges we will have for at least the rest of the day.

As Will mentioned in this morning's Slog AM: Trump pleaded the Fifth to hundreds of questions asked by NY Attorney General Leticia James concerning his shady business dealings in the state. Most national news outlets are focused on the play-by-play of what happened during the interview. The New York Times speculates that James has two options: take Trump to trial, or seek a settlement that will kick him in the financial balls. Wanting any kind of satisfying accountability from this dude seems fruitless.

And in Trump crony-land: Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania said the FBI seized his phone yesterday, reports CNN. While the Department of Justice is, of course, remaining mum on the exact thing they're looking for, word on the street is that the seizure is part of the department's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Just because they're calling it a "guerilla garden" doesn't mean it is cool or helpful: A homeless encampment got swept on N 96th St, and what do the neighbors do? Build a barrier—flowerbeds—to prevent them from returning. KOMO tries to spin this act of eco-passive aggression as a "community greenspace," but we know what this really is: asshole behavior. Our philosopher-in-residence Charles Mudede put his thoughts on the matter in this Slog post.

Albuquerque police have arrested 51-year-old Muhammad Syed, who is suspected of killing two Muslim men, and potentially two other Muslim men in a spate of slayings that has put the community on edge. CNN reports that Syed, an Afghan immigrant, has denied his involvement in the killings, but police say they found bullet cases matching Syed's firearms at the murder scene.  

Ever wanted to see inside the West Seattle Bridge? Ellen M. Banner and Mike Lindblom from the Seattle Times climbed into the hollow guts of the bridge to get a closer look at the repairs construction crews are making. Forty-six miles of steel cable is holding all that heavy-ass concrete together and keeping it "banjo tight." And it seems the bridge is still on track to open the week of September, should everything go well...

This is bullshit: The Madison Trader Joe's is no longer selling booze for some reason. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog is still waiting for corporate's comment as of this publication. While the Hill has been blessed by grocery stores, they are getting increasingly hostile towards shoppers. I went to the Safeway on E John the other day and learned they now put personal products (shampoo, soap, baby formula) in the same restricted section as liquor. We are so fucked as a society, lol.

The New York Times has a great trend piece on the rising popularity of knotless braids in Harlem and Brooklyn. Makes me want to grow out my hair...

OK, this polio resurgence is getting kind of real: In London, health officials made polio boosters eligible for children aged 1-9 as they uncover more evidence that the polio virus has spread in multiple parts of the city, reports NPR. Though they haven't found a case in people, officials have detected viruses in wastewater that suggests "transmission has gone beyond a close network of a few individuals." The boosters are just a precautionary measure, so you might wanna tighten up if for some reason you have not been vaccinated against polio. 

Inflation hits Seattle City Light: The department is hoping to hike your electricity bill 4.5% as material prices surge. I think electricity should be free. Does that make me a communist? (Not actually looking for your input, thanks!)

Fauci was in town last night: Technically he was here to accept an honorary Hutch Award from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, usually awarded to a baseball player who is a "champion of health care off the baseball field." But he also swung by the Mariners vs. Yankees game at T-Mobile field, where the crowd greeted him with a hearty mix of boos and cheers:

All aboard the Chilkat Express! Today marks the express Des Moines-Seattle passenger ferry's first day in action. According to KING 5, the ferry is part of a pilot program run by the city of Des Moines as a way to figure out how to better service commuters. The Chilkat Express will make four 40-minute roundtrips daily, running from the Des Moines Marina to Bell Harbor Marina. This program will end on October 9, so you have most of Leo, Virgo, and a little Libra season to check out Des Moines. 

I'm so tired of talking about the Justice Department: But today they charged Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who remains at large, with planning to assassinate Trump's national security adviser, John R. Bolton, reports the New York Times. Yeah, the guy who admitted to planning coups in other countries. The feds say this plot was "payback" for the US bombing an Iranian official. No comment!

Something vintage to soothe yourself with: Seattle street scenes from 1985, back before our provincial soundside town got whacked with technology sibling energy. 

For your listening pleasure: Happy 15th anniversary to M.I.A.'s Kala. Yes, you are that old. Here's "Bamboo Banga":