
Boeing says sorry: The aviation giant apologized Monday for the deaths of the 346 people its faulty aircrafts killed. Executives issued the apologies at the beginning of the Paris Air Show. I’ve always said that nothing quite gets an air show going like owning up to the deaths of hundreds of people. The 737 MAX, executives said, is on its way to being patched up and fixed, but there’s still no telling when it will be in the air again. Meanwhile, Airbus, Boeing’s biggest competitor, unveiled its new plane that will be ready in 2023.
Excuse me, would you take a dead whale in this trying time? Gray whales are dying en masse. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries is doing its best investigating the cause and scooping up whale carcasses left and right. Unfortunately, there’s been kind of a lot of whales and NOAA has run out of dedicated dead-whale space. They’re asking waterfront property owners to offer up some of their land to let some whale carcasses decompose in peace. It’s like adopting a highway except it’s a whale carcass that will slowly melt into the sand. If you squeeze some lime on it, the body will decompose faster!
Cyclists flock to downtown: On Sunday, Seattle’s bike community rallied for “The Ride for Safe Streets.” Hundreds of cyclists rode downtown with a police escort in an effort to draw attention to their plight: We really need some new goddamn bike lanes.
WAY TO SHOW UP SEATTLE!#Ride4SafeStreets pic.twitter.com/eRxSV45toP
— The Ride For Safe Streets (@4SafeStreets) June 16, 2019
Some fuel for the anti-bike fire: The fuel is a literal fire. On Thursday, a Ballard home went up in flames. You’re keyed into the news, you remember this. Well, the cause of the fire, officials determined, was a rechargeable e-bike battery. It caught fire after being unplugged from a power strip.
Congrats to our Major League Rugby team: The Seawolves are MLR champions for the second time in a row. They won in the last few seconds by three against the San Diego Legion. Yay, Seawolves! My new favorite rugby team.
And now, the weather: In Los Angeles, we call this type of weather “June Gloom.” It feels more accurate to whatever “Juneuary” is. It’s cozy this morning. My cat, who you will all remember from this piece, is flopped over my lap. She’s so cuddly, I think she’s about to meld with my thighs.
Low clouds covering most of the lowlands this morning with a mid level deck above. Have to use the Camp Muir web cam to find sunshine. Clouds will dissipate later with sunshine this afternoon for the interior. Highs mid 60s to mid 70s. Cloudy and cooler Tue. #wawx pic.twitter.com/ez5R70NHoG
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 17, 2019
Speaking of LA, the Los Angeles Times profiled Governor Jay Inslee: He’s the climate-change sweetheart. He’s been Washington’s environmentally conscious uncle for basically forever, and the rest of the country is just now finding out. There’s a line in here where he calls Trump’s perception of climate change “a bunch of baloney.” There’s obviously a lot more substance, but I thought I should point that one out. Shockingly, this profile does not reference the inimitable Rich Smith’s piece on Inslee.
Happy Pride: The bakery that’s the enemy of the gays may be getting a second chance. The Supreme Court cleared lower court fines and rulings against the bakers who just couldn’t bring themsleves to bake a cake for a same-sex ceremony. The case is going back to state courts for another round of hearings.
BREAKING: Supreme Court tells lower court to revisit $135,000 fine against Oregon bakery that refused to make cake for gay wedding. After months of delay, Scotus remands to reconsider in light of Masterpiece.
— Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) June 17, 2019
Bill Cosby requested this tweet be posted for him from prison: Cosby, who is in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, had one wish for Father’s Day on Sunday. He wanted America to know he is still there for us. Keep it, Bill.
Hey, Hey, Hey…It’s America’s Dad…I know it’s late, but to all of the Dads… It’s an honor to be called a Father, so let’s make today a renewed oath to fulfilling our purpose —strengthening our families and communities.#HappyFathersDay#RenewedOathToOurFamily pic.twitter.com/6EGrF87t6G
— Bill Cosby (@BillCosby) June 17, 2019
This poses an important question, though: Who is America’s dad?
Maybe if we had a strong father figure, we wouldn’t be fighting with Iran: I can’t actually make that statement with much authority. But I can say that things are looking… tense between the United States and Iran, as Iran threatens to violate multiple aspects of Obama’s 2015 nuclear agreement (the one that Trump withdrew the US from last May). Iran will soon exceed the amount of nuclear fuel and enriched uranium allowed under the deal. Iran is threatening to abandon the deal altogether if other signatories, aka some of the US’s European allies, ignore US sanctions.
An infestation of massive rats in New Zealand: These rodents of unusual size are swarming all over a New Zealand suburb. To give you a sense of these furry little guys, they have been described by CNN as “brazen” and “cat-sized.” Nightmare words.
This is what resistance looks like? Dems are really motivating the masses with this impeachment-themed cell-phone wallpaper.
I can’t believe this is real…
(It is) pic.twitter.com/295PYOWaaf
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 17, 2019
Meanwhile… : Trump is cobbling together a health-care plan of his own. The plan—”something terrific” that will replace Obama’s Affordable Care Act—is expected to be issued in the next month or two, according to Trump.
Hong Kong protesters score a win but don’t take it: The Hong Kong government kowtowed to protests and reneged on the controversial extradition bill that drove residents into the streets. Protesters, unconvinced, rallied more fervently with an even longer list of demands for the government. An unverified tally? Organizers said two million people turned out. Even porn sites in Hong Kong have shut down to help the protest effort.
Gloria Vanderbilt is dead: The fashion icon died Monday at age 95. Here’s Anderson Cooper, her son, reporting on her death:
Gloria Vanderbilt died this morning, according to her son, CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
The fashion designer and socialite was 95. https://t.co/Hxeen0b3fm pic.twitter.com/uNJutm9BV6
— CNN (@CNN) June 17, 2019
Tonight’s best Seattle entertainment options include: A screening of Raising Arizona at Central Cinema and the Tony-winning comedic play Take Me Out.
