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I bet Swole Trump will be the first page of that patriotic education.
I bet Swole Trump will be the first page of that patriotic education. CHRIS MCGRATH/GETTY IMAGES

Trump and Betsy DeVos would like kids to learn an "alternative Black history curriculum": Today Trump said he's planning on creating a commission to promote "patriotic education." He said schools are teaching a “twisted web of lies” that promotes the idea that “America is a wicked and racist nation," which he believes is inaccurate, reports Politico.

Trump spent the afternoon ranting, again, about the 1619 Project and critical race theory: He appears to have picked up this line of thinking from Tucker Carlson and this diva.

A short explainer on critical race theory: For balance.

Pac-12 athletic directors think the football season can start this fall: They're aiming to kickstart their season on Oct 31, so we'll have a few days of COVID-free football, and then the presidential election will happen, everything will go to shit, and infected Huskies will be the least of our worries. Here are the significant hurdles, according to the Seattle Times' sources:

— Navigating the last batch of local health restrictions

— Gaining consensus on the training camp schedule

— Approval from the CEOs.

The Gov. had a presser this afternoon about the wildfires and mental health: KOMO has video.

The Stranger's Nathalie Graham is here to break down some of that presser. Take it away, Nat:

Inslee says sorry for the apple maggot larvae: The Gov's presser started with an apology for gifting Bridgeport, Malden, and Omak in Eastern Washington apples that tested positive for apple maggot larvae and for violating Thurston County's apple maggot quarantine. While the press conference was not about Inslee's apples, journalists wasted a lot of breath asking questions about them.

Mostly, Inslee talked about mental health: Inslee put on his dad cap and leveled with Washingtonians. It's terrible out there. He rattled off the state's unprecedented hardships: six months (so far) of COVID-19, destructive wildfires, oppressive smoke, economic instability, and more. "It's really tough," Inslee said. "It’s normal to feel abnormal. I know a lot of people are struggling." If you're feeling stressed, anxious, depressed, and prone to angry outbursts, you might need help. That's okay, Inslee said. You can call the Washington Listen Line at (833)-681-0211, the crisis line if you're in a crisis at 866-4-CRISIS, and the National Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 if you're experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Everyone is feeling like shit, Inslee said: He invited Dr. Kira Mauseth, a clinical psychologist at Snohomish Psychology Associates and instructor at Seattle University, to break it down. Basically, we're living in a disaster cycle. A whole chart exists that maps out everyone's feelings in the wake of a disaster event! Mauseth explained that the "impact" was in mid-March, the "honeymoon" and "heroic" phase was in late April and early May for most people, and now we're in the "disillusionment" phase. The disillusionment phase, which hits six to nine months after a disaster, is the worst. It's terrible for people's mental health, it feels hopeless, the future feels bleak, and it's characterized by the "struggle and acceptance" about what the future will be like, Mauseth said. "No single brain is immune to this." And add catastrophic wildfires on top of all that!!

Reactions and Behavioral Health Symptoms in Disasters: A Chart!
Reactions and Behavioral Health Symptoms in Disasters: A Chart! Courtesy of the Office of the Governor

So get help now: As we enter into fall with darker days and worse weather, everything will feel worse. Seasonal depression on top of a global pandemic and social distancing measures plus a possible second wave? Fuck that shit. I'm finding a therapist now.

Wow. Just knowing there's a chart makes me and Nathalie feel better.


Bobby Ferg did it again: "A federal judge Thursday granted a preliminary injunction sought by Washington and 13 other states that halts some Trump administration changes that have slowed mail delivery ahead of the Nov. 3 election," writes Joseph O’Sullivan for the Seattle Times. A written ruling with more details should be available soon. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson helped lead the charge on this one.

A former top aide to VP Pence came out in support of Biden today: In the video, former Trump White House official Olivia Troye said Trump doesn't give a fuck about the American people and only cares about reelection, to no one's surprise.

You know those "In This House" signs littered across Seattle-area lawns? They're local and raise $$$ for charities.

Kamala Harris said a Biden-Harris administration would decriminalize marijuana in the United States: Still, Biden remains weak on the issue. While Harris supports full legalization (she's from California, after all), Biden does not. That said, "Biden's stance is a remarkable shift from where we were at the beginning of this decade," Lester Black noted in his decade-reflecting piece Pot Had Its Best Decade Ever. "In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, essentially every candidate—including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama—opposed even the decriminalization of pot."

Are you looking for a smoke forecast? Well: "More wildfire smoke heads into Puget Sound region before rain starts to clear the air." Although this is slightly optimistic:


How are you hanging in there with the smoke? It's looking and feeling a little better out there!

Hulu is releasing the first seven episodes of the second season of PEN15 tomorrow: The second half of the season will land next year. Vulture says this first half "is going to break your heart." I'm not sure I even have a heart anymore, so no worries there!