No, no the exclusive vaccination spots for big hospital donors wasnt actually a donor event!
No, no the exclusive vaccination spots for big hospital donors wasn't actually a donor event! JEFF SWENSEN/GETTY IMAGES

Eastside hospital granted special vaccine access to its rich donors: Overlake Medical Center & Clinics sent an email offering guaranteed vaccine slots to around 110 people who had donated over $10,000 to the hospital. The over 500 appointments were accessible by invite only. But, someone caught wind of the unethical special preference Overlake was giving to the wealthy in the midst of the state's effort to vaccinate vulnerable groups during a vaccine shortage. Overlake backpedaled after a call from Gov. Jay Inslee's office. "We thought that was the most efficient way to add slots," Tom DeBord, the medical center’s chief operating officer told the Seattle Times, "it was never intended to be a donor event."

Teachers won't get poke priority: That's what Inslee said yesterday. The Tulalip Tribe said fuck that. The tribe isn't bound by the state's vaccine phases and will instead vaccinate teachers who will have direct contact with students in the Marysville School District.

Alaska has a Nazi license plate problem: Somehow, Alaska's DMV greenlit vanity license plates that said "FUHRER" and "3REICH." Local officials tried to address the problem. Anchorage Assembly member Jamie Allard made a Facebook post in opposition to rescinding the vanity plates, saying "FUHRER" was maybe just German for leader. "The progressives have put their own spin on it and created their own definition," she wrote. Gov. Mike Dunleavy removed Allard from her post on the Alaska Human Rights Commission.

Is that snow? No, it's just rain.

Black Brilliance research project audited: Last year, the Seattle City Council entered into a $3 million contract with King County Equity Now to help stand up a participatory budgeting process. The way the council awarded the contract was kinda iffy and raised some eyebrows since it didn't open the contract up to other bids, a practice that is the norm with nonprofits. However, KCEN isn't a nonprofit. The council awarded the contract to the Freedom Project, which was listed as a fiscal agent for KCEN but also as a subcontractor. Now the state auditor is reviewing the contract, Crosscut reports.

Reddit breaks the stock market again: Okay, who's been following these Game Stop shenanigans? I'll do my best to fill you in. The basics are that a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets orchestrated a short squeeze on Game Stop stock, a company traditional investors betted against, or, shorted. Game Stop stock skyrocketed last week. Now the Redditors are targeting AMC stock. Today, before the market opened AMC was up more than 400%. As the market opened, AMC stock is up over 250%. Wall Street is pissed.

Microtrading app Robinhood is down: This market frenzy is legit.

Seahawks player arrested on suspicion of domestic violence: Seahawks offensive lineman Chad Wheeler allegedly choked his girlfriend, dislocated her arm, and smashed her face because she didn't "bow to him." She said she thought she was going to die. According to this KOMO article, Wheeler was surprised she survived the beating, too. When police showed up, Wheeler cried out "Sorry!" and "I don't beat women!"

Deadliest month of COVID-19: January is the worst month to date for COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. Over 79,000 people have died from COVID-19 just this month. The previous death record was in December.

This shocking video from 2013 is trending: I did not know our elected officials lived this way.

Superspreader insurrection: In the weeks since the Capitol insurrection, 38 Capitol Police officers have tested positive for COVID-19.

Climate takes center stage: President Joe Biden will make a flurry of executive orders focused on climate change today. Biden will pause "entering into new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters" and order federal agencies to "eliminate fossil fuel subsidies." Additionally, he's making climate change a "core part" of all foreign policy and national security decisions, the New York Times reports.

Old-ass Tony Hawk completes a hard trick: Proud of you, Tony.

China is swabbing asses: For COVID-19. Apparently the new anal swab method “can increase the detection rate of infected people” because the virus lingers for longer in the butt.

Proud Boy leader has a past as a law enforcement informant: Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, has a past helping law enforcement prosecute over a dozen people in multiple cases.

Is Philadelphia getting scammed by a vaccine distribution group? Philly Fighting COVID was a student-run start-up originally started to make PPE. Somehow the organization, which is run by a 22-year-old, became the largest vaccine distributor for the city. That was the case until last weekend when volunteers at a vaccine site reported that the CEO (the 22-year-old) left the site and took 15 to 20 vaccines with him. Photos of him allegedly vaccinating people himself circulated over the weekend.

A crossword: Just for you.