In non-smoke news, everyones talking about Facebooks new office today.
In non-smoke news, everyone's talking about Facebook's new office today. SEAN GALLUP / GETTY IMAGES

Joe Biden called Trump a “climate arsonist”: He made the comments while giving a speech in Delaware today. (Quote: "If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze?") Meanwhile, Trump was deadset on proving Biden right, saying, “I don’t think science knows actually" when confronted about climate change during a wildfire briefing in California.

REI is selling its unused, new headquarters in Bellevue: It looks like Facebook will buy the "so-new-it's-never-been-used Bellevue campus for nearly $368 million," reports Katherine Khashimova Long for the Seattle Times. Facebook now has over 5,000 workers in the Seattle area.

We first opened our Seattle office 10 years ago with three engineers. Since then we’ve grown to the largest engineering...
Posted by Facebook Seattle on Monday, September 14, 2020

Don't expect much smoke relief tomorrow: Or the next day. Or the next day. The smoke will probably stay through the workweek. "This year's smoke problems have even been worse than the big smoke event of 2018, with some air quality readings as much as 50% worse than two years ago," notes KOMO. The city said this afternoon that Seattle’s beaches, boat ramps, parks, and playfields would stay closed through Wednesday.

The Washington Department of Ecologys smoke forecast for tomorrow
The Washington Department of Ecology's smoke forecast for tomorrow

I'm a little jealous:

This morning, "Joe" asked the Washington Smoke Blog: "So when is it realistically going to start clearing out?" The sad answer: "Hard to answer that, Joe. Nothing major before the end of the workweek, it seems."

The Mariners played an outdoor doubleheader against the Oakland Athletics this afternoon, despite Very Unhealthy air at T-Mobile Park: I guess the good news is the Mariners won the first game (SEA 6, OAK 5), but the bad news is the teams are endangering their players and setting a terrible example for their fans. After today's first game, Oakland starter Jesus Luzardo told reporters, "I'm a healthy 22-year-old. I shouldn't be gasping for air or missing oxygen. I'll leave it at that." The teams are in the middle of their second game, which started a little after 5 pm.

Meanwhile, nearby:

And down south: "NO ONE should be outside."

Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, and Vicky are having a party: It's not a fun party, it's a tropical cyclone party.

Guns won't stop a wildfire or misinformation: Pockets of residents in Oregon continue to believe misinformation and lies spread online that suggest far-left radicals are starting Oregon's fires to loot homes. People have stayed behind to protect their property (from the imaginary looters, nevermind the murderous fires). At least one photojournalist was threatened and forced to leave by residents who perceived him to be a looter. Where are these rumors proliferating? Facebook, of course. More blood on their hands.

TikTok and Oracle appear to have struck a deal: But what is it?

Crosscut dropped a digital package on the coronavirus fallout: The seven-feature package highlights renters' looming debt crisis, the unique challenges facing sex workers, and how side hustles have become essential (featuring Briq House, our 2019 Pride Issue cover star!!!!).

TOMORROW:


Sawant will have to recuse herself from tomorrow's vote, which we'll cover on this here blog, Slog. SCC Insight has a thorough blog post up on Wednesday's "pivotal" hearing here.

We've got Apple TV+, Disney+, and... Walmart Plus? People can now sign up for a free 15-day Walmart Plus trial. The Plus program is frequently compared to Amazon Prime, but it's slightly different. The ~$98/year program gets you...

Building on the store's original Delivery Unlimited option, Walmart Plus will offer "in-store prices" and "as fast as same-day" delivery on over 160,000 items. Basically, anything that's in-store can be at your door within a day or even on the same day, with no added fees. There is, however, a $35 minimum for deliveries.

Subscribers will also get access to Scan & Go, a feature in the Walmart app that lets you scan items as you shop and then check out using Walmart Pay — effectively bypassing the checkout lane.

There's a gas perk as well: You'll save up to 5 cents per gallon at nearly 2,000 fuel stations, with more to come.

Find out more from CNET here.

Damn: "A majority of Black Americans (57%) say they personally know someone who has been hospitalized or died due to having COVID-19." And:


My mom just got COVID down in Florida. It knocked her on her ass for three weeks, but she didn't have to be hospitalized.

COVID-19 might have fucked over moviegoing, but we just had our first "major international movie event since the coronavirus pandemic began": The Venice Film Festival! It gave out its top prize to Nomadland! a new film written and directed by Chloé Zhao. It stars Frances McDormand, who plays a woman living as a nomad in America after the 2008 recession. Nomadland had its world premiere in Venice last Friday, while also screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival—receiving positive praise at those fests, too. December 4 is its expected release date.

Jeopardy is back to kick off its 37th season tonight: G.O.A.T. Ken Jennings is joining the Jeopardy team as a producer and host for certain sections. (So, is it's Jennings' show, post-Trebek?) Alex Trebek is still the primary host, and new COVID-era considerations have been implemented, like greater physical distance between the contestants.