Conference of Mayors, assemble! Mayor Jenny Durkan is just one of the mayors making her way to Tornillo, Texas on Thursday to a shelter where separated children are being held. Durkan and other mayors in the U.S. Conference of Mayors such as mayors from Los Angeles and El Paso will be protesting Trumpâs âzero toleranceâ policy when it comes to separating immigrant families at the border. The Conference of Mayors sounds like an elite secret society and Iâm happy to see theyâre committed to using their powers for good.
Microsoft employees have morals: More than 150 Microsoft employees have signed a petition asking Microsoft to dissolve its $19.4 million contract providing cloud-computing services to ICE. In their letter to CEO Satya Nadella, the employees said they refused to be complicit and that, as the creators of powerful technology, they have a responsibility to use it for good. Nadella responded by condemning the Trump administrationâs actions regarding immigration. He said that Microsoftâs âwork with ICE involves supporting email, calendar and document systems,â writes the Seattle Times.
Thatâs the last straw: Seattle has finally had it with plastic straws and utensils. Starting next month, they will be banned. Consumers will either do without or have to embrace paper straw and compostable utensil alternatives. The good news: Iâve tried the paper straws and theyâre pretty structurally soundâthey donât get unbearably soggy for like an hour. The better news: the ban will keep 1 million plastic straws out of Seattleâs monthly waste stream.
Send your viaduct memories to the Seattle Times: The Alaskan Way viaduct is not long for this world. Its days are numbered and so are your chances to see Elliott Bay in all of its splendor on your commute. The Seattle Times wants all of your viaduct memories; I think it can range from anecdotes to pictures to maybe your own personal ode to those daunting concrete pillars. My friend Rajah told me he heard a story about a piece of the viaduct falling on a baby once and he was scared to go on it ever since. Maybe he could send that to the Seattle Times. Although thatâs probably not quite what theyâre looking for. If youâre interested, include your name and phone number (not for publication), and email them to Erik Lacitis at elacitis@seattletimes.com
Woman found dead, apparent homicide victim: An 18-year-oldâs body was found on a Kent trail Saturday evening. She had a gunshot wound to her head. When officers found her, she was still alive but died on the scene. The King County Medical Examiner says she was a victim of homicide.
A soothing time lapse for you:
The 1st quarter Moon sinks into a sea of advancing altocumulus clouds as late night flights approach Sea-Tac. A time lapse from our roof. #nightsky #wawx pic.twitter.com/8pMZJFH5ut
â NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 20, 2018
New site helps Washington state sex trafficking victims: Itâs a streamlined site that has more than 70 service providers for victims of sex trafficking. The website, launched by Attorney General Bob Ferguson, was made so victims could easily find resources in one place. As sex trafficking and exploitation numbers increase, Ferguson says that they need to redouble their efforts to raise awareness about the issue and support victims.
There could be some thunderstorms today:
There's a chance of thunderstorms over much of Western Washington late today â especially over the mountains and over the lowlands from roughly Puget Sound eastward, which includes the greater Seattle metropolitan area. Be ready to move indoors if you hear thunder. #wawx pic.twitter.com/YkhUtUHQ33
â NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 20, 2018
At least weâre not in Colorado: Unless youâre reading this in Colorado or youâre a big fan of hail. In that case, I'm sorry.
"7 minutes of hail in Northeast Fort Collins." Watch as hailstorms pound parts of Colorado pic.twitter.com/KEfnOcVhWK
â CNN (@CNN) June 20, 2018
Canada is riding that legalization high: The Canadian Senate passed the federal bill legalizing weed last night. It still needs Royal Assent before itâs formally approved. Across Canada adults will soon be able to buy small amount of cannabis. Canada is the second country to uniformly pass a measure like this one. (The first is Uruguay.) Itâs also a huge undertaking that varies from province to province.
U.S. withdraws from UN Human Rights Council: Not exactly the news you want to hear as our nation is knee-deep in human rights violations.
The Trump administrationâs withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, coupled with its abusive use of power at home, only confirms what weâve always known â Trump is leading a concerted, aggressive effort to violate basic human rights of those most in need of protection. https://t.co/7eDtDQfQV5
â ACLU (@ACLU) June 19, 2018
Exhibit A: Actual human being and actual piece of shit Corey Lewandowski, Trumpâs former campaign manager, mocked the strife of children separated from their parents. On Fox News yesterday, Lewandowski was told about a 10-year-old girl with Down Syndrome who was separated from her parents. He interrupted with a sarcastic âwomp, womp.â If your blood hasnât boiled yet this morning, I envy you, and also, you can watch this video to easily remedy that:
"Womp, womp" former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says on Fox News during a discussion about a migrant girl with Down syndrome who was recently separated from her family at the US border. pic.twitter.com/eNgcoRjbz7
â NBC News (@NBCNews) June 20, 2018
George Takei says family separation worse than Japanese-American internment: Takei was 5 years old when he and his family were put in a Japanese-American internment camp. He said that the family separation going on now is worse than his experience because, as he said, "I and other children were not stripped from our parents."
Trump threatens China with more tariffs: His top trade advisor, Peter Navarro, said that âChina has more to lose than we doâ and that âthe value of Chinaâs exports to the U.S. was nearly four times what the U.S. exports to China,â according to the New York Times. Trump is now threatening to tax more than $505 billion of Chinese goods, the total value of Chinese products sent to the U.S. last year.
A bidding war for Fox: Disney wants to get its white gloves on Rupert Murdochâs entertainment conglomerate. Disney and Comcast are in a bidding war for Fox. Disney has just raised its offer to $71.3 billion which is $6 billion more than Comcastâs offer.
Belgian beehive heists: A growing interest in beekeeping as a hobby has led to the theft of 150,000 bees from hives in Belgium. The chair of the Flemish Beekeepers Association said that the culprits are likely lurking within the beekeeping community. Talk about a betrayal. Et tu beetus?
Have you ever wanted Nickelodeonâs slime in your mouth? What a sentence that was. Nickelodeon, the childrenâs television network, is famous for their trademark green, gooâslime. Being slimed was the stuff of kidsâ dreams, but it could never be realized. Until now. Nickelodeon is bottling up their slime and selling it as ketchup. Itâs at Walmart for $2 a bottle and it will stain your tongue green.
Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: An evening with former Stranger writer Angela Garbes (joined in conversation by Anika Anand), the Totally Gay Sing Along, and the Seattle International Dance Festival's Spotlight on Contemporary Ballet
Now, what you're eating this morning:
Patrick's balanced breakfast. Always remember to eat your greens.
From Lissa: Home made zucchini bread, nectarines and raspberries.
And, a big ass cup of coffee!
From Katie: Breakfast Stromboli with mushrooms, feta, and spinach. So delicious!