The U.K. doesnt want him either.
The U.K. doesn’t want him either. Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Local assholes can blame their assholery on Nordic culture: The Seattle Freeze is real. A new survey by Seattle-based Pemco Insurance reports that 49 percent of Pacific Northwest respondents said they don’t want to talk to people they don’t know. The Seattle Times theorized that the city’s Nordic roots may be the driving factor behind this closed-off behavior. “The American social norm is to engage in small talk about weather, sports and other noncontroversial events, while in Nordic countries the polite thing is ‘not to talk to people,'” writes the Times. While that may be true, there are other U.S. cities with strong Nordic roots that are perfectly friendly. Minneapolis comes to mind, although I’ve always thought that “Minnesota Nice” and “Seattle Freeze” are essentially the same concept. People in both cities are happy to give you directions to anywhere but their house.

America’s least favorite president will not receive a meeting with America’s most favorite royal: In a gift to the gays, Trump will kick off Pride month this year by leaving the country. The motherfucker-in-chief‘s upcoming state visit to the U.K., starting June 3, will include a ceremonial welcome at Buckingham Palace, plus a visit with many members of the royal family. One noted exception? America’s Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has no current plans to meet the president. This may be because she’s a new mom. Or because she hates the president like most Americans.

This photo feels like a bong rip:

Netflix threatens to scale back operations in Georgia if abortion law holds: Today, Netflix said it will “rethink our entire investment” in Georgia if the state’s looming abortion law goes into effect. This could prove to be an effective tactic, especially if other production companies and studios threaten to back out of the state as well. Much of black Hollywood is now based in Atlanta—if not much of Hollywood in general. Black Panther, Stranger Things, and The Walking Dead were all based in Georgia.

While we’re talking about movies: The nightmare porn that is live action Aladdin made $110 million-plus at the box office this weekend. IS THIS WHAT THE MASSES WANT?!

Trailer dump: Quentin Tarantino’s new film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood didn’t take home any awards at Cannes this weekend, but here’s a new trailer for it:

Also, don’t miss Tarantino getting huffy in this vid when asked why Margot Robbie has so few lines in Once Upon a Time…:

Where should Seattle put the new light rail station in the Chinatown International District? The city hasn’t decided. The station will be alongside the current station, but there’s tension over where exactly that “alongside” will be. Last Thursday, the regional transit board voted to keep four Chinatown-ID options alive, reports Mike Lindblom at the Seattle Times. Community members have asked the city to continue doing research and not to eliminate options, because fucking this up would have far-reaching impacts on the neighborhood, which includes a unique intermingling of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, and Vietnamese communities. The decision is important, not only for the neighborhood but also the region. “Nearly 70,000 people a day are projected to board or exit a train in the combined International District/Chinatown Station, surpassed only by the numbers at Westlake Station in the future 116-mile light-rail network,” reports the Times.

ALERT ALERT:

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Prepared by: USDA/NRCS National Water and Climate Center

In case you missed it: As of mid-May, 3.8 million people in Washington state are living a drought zone. MID-MAY! Enjoy the clear skies while you can.

Rich people continue to fantasize about blowing their loads in space: Last summer, NASA commissioned a dozen studies to investigate commercial alternatives to the International Space Station, GeekWire reports. Blue Origin, Amazon daddy Jeff Bezos’s space project, was one of the ventures that laid out a plan within the NASA studies. Other companies that released plans include Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp (different from the beer company). None of the companies have committed to following through with these plans; the studies were created to help NASA consider what a commercial ecosystem would look like in low Earth orbit (LEO). But the plans indicate that U.S. commercial space stations could exist by the mid-2020s. What do they want to put up there?! An Amazon Go?!

PSA:

Teen boy dead after drowning near Magnuson Park beach: The 14-year-old boy was reportedly underwater for 10 to 15 minutes before he was rescued on Monday. It is unclear what happened prior to his drowning. Witnesses say the boy seemed to have blood on his face.

I watched Tampopo last night: So Japanese food is on my mind.

I am contractually obligated to also share OUR Japanese restaurant round-up with you.

And I am personally obligated to share with you my favorite Japanese dish, courtesy of Tampopo, the egg-yolk-cumswap. How about that for an amuse-bouche, Tamari Bar?

The Seattle Times broke down some of their readers’ questions about Washington’s new “statewide #freecollege plan”: It will reduce the cost of college tuition or make it free for low- and median-income students. The Times‘s Katherine Long answered readers’ questions, like: Is there a residency requirement? Are students currently enrolled in college eligible starting in 2020? Will tuition for others go up? News you can use!

Kit Harington checks into rehab: For stress and alleged alcohol abuse. Kit Harington’s rep has confirmed the news that the actor is seeking treatment.

Headline of the Day: “It’s Only a Matter of Time Before Trump Shits Himself“

Chase Burns is The Stranger's former editor. He's covered everything from gay luchadores to chemical weapons to Isabella Rossellini's favorite pets.