The United Kingdom let xenophobia win.
The United Kingdom let xenophobia win. DRAZEN_/GETTYIMAGES.COM

Brexit has been signed into law: The European Union has approved the United Kingdom's exit. Diplomats in the EU's remaining 27 countries voted on Wednesday to ratify the UK's withdrawal agreement, which will formally happen on Friday at midnight. The final vote allegedly happened by e-mail. I wonder if Big Ben will be striking a solemn tone tonight, because the UK has shrunk from a powerful member of the world's most important political union to being just a small island nation with a few million people off the European coast.

Trump could be acquitted of impeachment charges: as early as Friday if Republicans in the Senate have their way. The pivotal vote will likely come tomorrow, when Senators will decide if any witnesses, like say one John Bolton who has already said the president is guilty, will be able to testify. If Democrats are able to force witnesses, the trial could last weeks longer; if Republicans can pull off their coverup (which is looking increasingly likely), Trump might be acquitted before next week's annual State of the Union.

Senators will spend today: questioning impeachment trial lawyers representing both the Democrats prosecuting Trump and the president's defense. The proceedings will begin at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET).

But the most important impeachment questions: were already asked on The View yesterday, when Alan Dershowitz, the president's celebrity lawyer (and powerful Jeffrey Epstein defender), took time out of his schedule to visit the daytime talk show. Joy Behar took a moment to point out that Dershowitz's sweeping defense of Trump has been rejected by nearly every other constitutional expert in America.

Get the thermometers ready: because Gov. Jay Inslee has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to check the temperature of every passenger who travels to SeaTac Airport from one of the regions in China where coronavirus has occurred. Inslee's request would be an expansion of screening measures already planned for the airport. A Snohomish County man was the first confirmed case of the virus in the United States but, before you freak out, you should probably remember the yearly flu season kills thousands more people than the current death count for coronavirus. Meanwhile, Russia is considering closing its 2,600-mile border with China over the virus.

Everett City Council doubles down on segregation: by passing a law that blocks multifamily supportive housing in any of the city's single family zoning. The law was passed specifically to block a development that would have built low-income family housing on a lot owned by the Everett School District, according to King 5. The council passed this law despite the fact that there are an estimated 1,400 homeless students in the city of Everett alone. The opponents worried that the presence of low-income families would "ruin the character of their neighborhood," which is confusing to me because, as someone who grew up spending too much time in Everett, I can attest that the city never had any character worth preserving to begin with.

Forget turning the other cheek: one Evangelical pastor is claiming that Jesus Christ would have "made a whip and beat the crap out of" John Bolton for documenting Trump's malfeasance. The pastor, Rodney Howard-Browne, was once invited to the White House.

"Because you got high": would no longer be a valid reason for most Washington employers to reject job applicants if a proposed state law passes. The law would make it illegal to reject a job applicant if they failed a pre-employment drug screening for pot. Some jobs would be excepted from the law, according to Crosscut.

There's a new head tax proposal: coming from Olympia that, like the failed Seattle proposal from 2018, would tax big businesses in order to pay for homelessness services. The proposed measure is expected to raise $121 million per year. But, as our very own Rich Smith reported last night, this law would raise only a fraction of the amount of money needed to actually solve the homelessness problem. The pittance this raises is probably why big corporations like Expedia and neo-liberals like Jenny Durkan are already announcing their support for the bill.

Where the F*CK is Nathalie: If you're wondering why this Slog AM is a little late and lacking in its regular wit, don't worry, Nathalie isn't dead (yet). I'm just covering for her because she is currently on the Kitsap Penninsula with someone who goes by the name of Pacific Northwest Transit Daddy. Bon Voyage Nathalie&Daddy!

It's dry in Seattle this morning: but don't expect it to last. The NWS is currently PORING over the forecast and it looks wet, with a 100 percent chance of rain tonight and the likelihood of flooding all weekend long.

Today's EverOut picks are: A very Pacific Northwestern alt-Americana show with the Berries, a reading with Isabelle Allende, and a comedy show with Geoffrey Asmus. See more on our EverOut Things To Do calendar.