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Break out the raingear: It's time to get wet and gushy, Seattle. A welcomed "moisture surge" is visiting our region this week. I've already blacked out all memory of the smoke. Please don't bring it up to me ever again.
Well it looks like fall is going to waste no time making its presence known! A weather system will bring widespread rain - heavy in spots - and wind to the area Wednesday with showers continuing through at least Friday! Here's a short thread with the details! #wawx pic.twitter.com/SNr3Ire8e7
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) September 21, 2020
Recode has a great long feature up about how you can spot misinformation on your social media feeds: On Facebook, set your account to prioritize reputable sources. On Twitter, consider utilizing curated lists rather than your general feed. Get specific tips here.
Speaking of misinformation, our president is peddling misinformation on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's reported dying wish. NPR broke that Ginsburg reportedly told her granddaughter, "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." But Trump thinks he has the real scoop:
During a “Fox & Friends” interview on Monday morning, President Trump claimed, without evidence, that Justice Ginsburg’s “dying wish” might actually have been written by a top Democrat like Representative Adam Schiff of California, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York or Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.
“I don’t know that she said that, or if that was written out by Adam Schiff, and Schumer and Pelosi,” Mr. Trump said. “That came out of the wind. It sounds so beautiful, but that sounds like a Schumer deal, or maybe Pelosi or Shifty Schiff.”
The key here is "without evidence."
"I don't know that she said that, or was that written out by Adam Schiff & Schumer & Pelosi? I would be more inclined for the second" — Trump claims Schiff, Schumer, & Pelosi actually wrote RBG's dying statement, & suggests she'd actually be fine w/him nominating her replacement pic.twitter.com/xLQq1csNTz
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 21, 2020
Sen. Chuck Schumer honored Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a Senate floor speech today:
Lick my envelope, Louis DeJoy: Seattle's Central District has a new post office after a ~20-month gap in service. Capitol Hill Seattle blog has more details here:
As City Council does Monday briefing, my staff were at 23rd & Union, celebrating our newly reopened Central District Post Office!
Myrna Umali, local president of American Postal Workers Union: This branch [of the USPS] is part of a tree that represents the life of the community. pic.twitter.com/g521mY3WKd
— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) September 21, 2020
The Seattle Police Department will withdraw its controversial subpoena of local media to hand over unreleased protest footage: SPD announced the move on their blotter with a defensive few paragraphs. For a refresh on this debacle, I recommend rereading Seattle Times executive editor Michele Matassa Flores's article on why the Seattle Times and other local media organizations were fighting this subpoena.
A win for local journalists. https://t.co/7Aytld1dkH
— Jake Goldstein-Street (@GoldsteinStreet) September 21, 2020
I'm gonna need Boeing to try much harder before I ever feel safe getting on a Boeing 737 MAX again: "Union for FAA’s safety engineers urges more changes to Boeing 737 MAX before it can fly again"
We'll probably see a big announcement regarding the killing of Breonna Taylor by the end of the week: Some federal buildings in Louisville are closed this week, and police are operating under a state of emergency in anticipation of an announcement coming from the state's Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Courthouse windows are boarded up. Reminds me of SPD's fortresses.
We're seeing signs that KY Attorney General Daniel Cameron could announce his decision in the Breonna Taylor case any day.
The latest indicator: LMPD has canceled all days off "until further notice."https://t.co/X63YQUiG5b
— Tessa Duvall (@TessaDuvall) September 21, 2020
It happened again: There's a lot of editing and re-editing going on over at the CDC. The center posted new guidelines and information on COVID-19 and then—bloop!—someone went in and removed those updates. From the Washington Post:
On Monday morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention edited its Web page describing how the novel coronavirus spreads, removing recently added language saying it was “possible” that it spreads via airborne transmission. It was the third major revision to CDC information or guidelines published since May.
The agency had posted information Friday stating the virus can transmit over a distance beyond six feet, suggesting that indoor ventilation is key to protecting against a virus that has now killed nearly 200,000 Americans.
The CDC shifted its guidelines Friday, but the change was not widely noticed until a CNN report Sunday. Where the agency previously warned that the virus mostly spreads through large drops encountered at close range, on Friday, it had said “small particles, such as those in aerosols,” were a common vector.
More here. Apparently "the CDC is 'very intensively' discussing guardrails in the publication process to prevent a repeat error."
The number to remember: 200,000 people are dead from the coronavirus in the United States. The US death toll is projected to reach 410,000 in the next four months if mask use goes by the wayside. Other countries face uphill battles: Spain's second wave is hitting some regions harder than others. France just reported a new daily record with fresh coronavirus cases. And England is threatening steep fines (up to ~$13,000) for people flouting COVID-19 regulations.
UK's top dog, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is getting heat: "What Mr. [Boris] Johnson seems to run is a gang rather than a government," wrote The Guardian in an editorial published today. "He does not appoint people for competence but loyalty... Mr. Johnson has reached the top by peddling half-truths. Britain’s high Covid death toll points to a set of real issues: a political culture of exceptionalism, shrivelled public services, rampant inequality and poor health."
Good news for Dan's Impeach The Motherfucker Again campaign: Nancy Pelosi hasn't ruled out impeaching Trump again.
Impeach the motherfucker AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/7GoAN5T5f6
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) June 30, 2020
Heh, heh, what? Why is the majority of Trump campaign funds spent in August not accountable? Seems like a good time to revisit this piece: REPORT: THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS SPENDING MONEY LIKE A GUY WHO BANKRUPTED A CASINO (AND FIVE OTHER BUSINESSES)
$46M out of $61M spent by the Trump campaign in August went to American Made, the LLC created and managed by senior Trump officials. We don't know where the money ultimately went.
That means over 75% of the Trump campaign's spending last month is basically untraceable. pic.twitter.com/EJ4OL2P8ty
— Brendan Fischer (@brendan_fischer) September 21, 2020
Remember when Mayor Durkan vetoed the City Council's entire budget? Right before a two-week recess? Freezing the Council in limbo? Well, tomorrow's the big day when the City Council acts on those vetoes. The Council could override the mayor's veto with seven votes (there are nine council members). A substitute budget was introduced today in case the Council sides with the mayor. "The substitute proposal would nix most of the public safety changes advanced over the summer by council members under pressure to redirect mass police dollars to social services," writes Daniel Beekman at the Seattle Times. "The outcome would be a major departure from the defunding aim that seven council members adopted in July."
To an entirely not-Black @SeattleCouncil currently capitulating to a wealthy white Mayor: stand in defense of Black lives. Stay the course and follow through on your public commitments to defend Black lives. Override the veto.
— King County Equity Now (Official) (@KCEquityNow) September 21, 2020
If a veto override fails tomorrow, @CMLGonzalez is talking compromise with Durkan on 2020 budget for "leadership of the city to come together and tackle seriously the many issues that face our constituents on such an important issue as the civil rights moment facing us."
— David Kroman (@KromanDavid) September 21, 2020
This thread is a vital must read in Seattle, and beyond. @MayorJenny the ppl of Seattle have spoken, ppl all over the world have spoken, it’s time for YOU to listen. It’s very simple. Black Lives either Matter to you or they don’t, and rn you are yelling to people they don’t.#BLM https://t.co/rpGfMrrNvr
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) September 21, 2020
We'll have more coverage on that pivotal vote tomorrow: Some things are up in the air, but, to no one's surprise, Sawant will not be supporting the mayor with her vote tomorrow.
As a socialist, I'll be voting to override corporate Mayor Durkan's shameful veto of the August budget vote.
If Councilmembers do not override Durkan's veto, it'll be nothing but a capitulation on even the tiny reductions in police spending & other modest gains our movement won.
— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) September 21, 2020
The 2020 Emmy Awards were the least-watched Emmys in history: Vulture's Josef Adalian breaks down what went wrong (competing with the NBA Finals; ignoring the shows people are actually watching; and, uh, the pandemic), but I will say that it was sweet watching Zendaya pick up a win for Euphoria. The 24-year-old actress became the youngest person to win best lead actress in a drama. It was well-deserved!