Were not eating this for a while.
We're not eating this for a while. ANIKO HOBE / GETTY IMAGES

Turns out the F.B.I. wasn't trying to take down Trump from the inside: A report due in December "debunks a series of conspiracy theories and insinuations about the F.B.I. that Mr. Trump and his allies have put forward over the past two years," according to the New York Times, though it does criticize some low-level functionaries for "sloppily" handling a wiretap request. Looks like the only thing capable of taking down Trump from the inside is still just a Big Mac. Which reminds me...

Come on a little journey with me into the Nut Hut: You know the Nut Hut, it's over here, and it's important you grab your nuts and get inside of it as soon as possible.

When are the impeachment hearings ending? Rep. Adam Schiff's panel on the House Intelligence Community is busy drafting its report on the impeachment inquiry, but Schiff won't rule out more hearings in the future. Here's what he told the LA Times today: “We’re not foreclosing the possibility of additional depositions or hearings, but we’re also not willing to wait months and months and let them play rope-a-dope with us in the courts."

Amazon puts the kibosh on "a dozen" skin-lightening creams: Not because they're racist, but because they're literally toxic. BeautyWell Project founder Amira Adawe, quoted in this AP piece, says it best: "For a large retail company selling toxic products to individuals of color, I think it’s so wrong. And these are illegal products."

Don't eat romaine lettuce from California’s Salinas Valley: The Centers for Disease Control say it'll give you the E. coli death shits. So far, 40 people in 16 states have already been sickened. So lay off it for now. Iceberg, kale, and greens are better anyway.

Speaking of E. Coli death shits: Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped $30 million on a week of "autobiographical" TV ads designed to introduce himself to voters across the country, reports the New York Times. "It is more than all of Mr. Bloomberg’s potential rivals — other than the other billionaire running, Tom Steyer — have spent on television ads all year, and about double what Senator Cory Booker had raised in donations from February through the end of September." The amount of money billionaires will spend to avoid getting taxed is staggering.

Oregon Supreme Court says cops can't ask random-ass questions during traffic stops: "Civil rights advocates say this decision will likely provide needed protections to people of color, who evidence indicates are far more likely to see routine traffic stops devolve into an investigation," according to a report from OPB. We should consider passing this law in Washington State if we don't have one already.

After 40 years and a cancer fight, KOMO weatherman says bye: Steve Poole, one of the first African American weathermen in the country, will forecast his last partly cloudy sky on Tuesday, according to the Seattle Times. In celebration of a funny digression in the Times' piece, below is Poole interviewing a "pint-sized [Elvis] Presley," who would later become Bruno Mars, for his Emmy Award-winning show, "Front Runners."

"Seattle-area foot clinics under state investigation for alleged 'kickback' scheme:" Ha ha, get it? Because a "foot" can "kick," and so it's funny that a "foot" clinic would be involved in an alleged "kickback" scheme, and so that's why it's the headline. But seriously, this story from King 5 is yet another example of why there should only be one health insurance company: "...Records say at least two podiatrists – Drs. Charles Chu and Ryan Bierman – conspired with a medical supply company to prescribe large amounts of medications to patients and share the profits from excessive billing to insurance companies."

Downtown denizens, rejoice! I've been reporting on the deleterious effects of a downtown supermarket's Mosquito, a loud, annoying anti-loitering device that sucks at its job. (Ha ha, get it? Because a Mosquito...) Today the supermarket says they've unplugged the machine forever, much to the benefit of the aural health of all who stroll down 3rd Avenue.

Kalama methanol refinery pushed back another year: The Washington Department of Ecology says it needs to review claims that the new refinery would "reduce global emissions by at least 10 million metric tons per year" by offsetting methanol production in China. Environmental groups are calling bullshit on that claim, and add that methanol contributes to global warming more than previously thought. If constructed, the refinery would be the largest methanol refinery in the world.

Greta's still out here:

'Best books' lists of 2019 are out here, too: Here's the Washington Post's list of 50 "notable" works of fiction, including The Water Dancer by Ta Nehisi-Coates and the terrific Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett. The New York Times' list includes Bellevue writer Ted Chiang's Exhalation and Ben Lerner's The Topeka School. You can hear Lerner read this Saturday at Elliott Bay Books.