No more unvaccinated federal workers.
No more unvaccinated federal workers. Kevin Dietsch/Getty
President Biden is set to mandate COVID vaccinations for federal workers with no option for regular testing to opt out: The mandate will also cover federal contractors and their employees. He'll drop the news in his speech today outlining a new six-pronged plan geared towards fighting the pandemic, reports CNN. He definitely should have done this months ago.

The president's speech this afternoon is said to focus on "vaccinating the unvaccinated, further protecting the vaccinated through booster shots, keeping schools open, increasing testing and requiring masks, economic recovery, and improving care for those with Covid-19." That's despite the fact that the World Health Organization cautioned wealthier nations to hold off on booster shots as less affluent countries struggle with a worldwide vaccine shortage.

He'll deliver his remarks at 5 pm EST (2 pm our time), which you can watch here:

Actor Michael Constantine has died: He was 94. The actor starred in films and TV shows for decades but is perhaps best known for his role as Costas "Gus" Portokalos, the Windex-loving father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding writer and his on-screen daughter wrote of Constantine on Twitter, "Acting with him came with a rush of love and fun. I will treasure this man who brought Gus to life. He gave us so much laughter and deserves a rest now. We love you Michael. 🇬🇷" Rest in peace.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year: And she has already had surgery to remove the cancer from her right breast and underwent a round of successful radiation treatment, reports NBC News. Klobuchar said she hopes her story is "a reminder for everyone of the value of routine health checkups, exams, and follow-through.”

Hasta nunca, asshole! Amid cheers yesterday, crews removed the 21-foot bronze statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee from his pedestal in Richmond, Virginia. The workers then cut the sculpture into pieces and hauled it off, reports AP. Last summer during the protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer, Governor Ralph Northam ordered the removal of the statue that was erected in 1890. A lawsuit stopped the removal, but the state Supreme Court finally cleared the way last week. The pedestal will remain for now, but sometime today crews will remove a time capsule from 1887 believed to be contained in the structure.

Yesterday, Recall Sawant campaign submitted signatures for a potential winter election: The effort to remove Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant from office needs King County Elections "to validate at least 10,687 signatures from District 3 voters," reports Daniel Beekman for the Seattle Times. They've submitted over 16,000. King County Elections will start validating the signatures on September 16 and expects the process to take "two to four weeks." If Recall Sawant has the numbers, then an election must take place 45 to 90 days after enough signatures are validated. We'll see you at the ballot box sometime this winter, freaks.

COVID cases in children are surging as they head back to school: The Guardian reports that 250,000 new coronavirus cases in kids were reported in the last week of August, the "highest weekly rate of new pediatric cases." Additionally, around 2,500 children were hospitalized with the virus in the week of September 6, "more than ever before."

And here in Seattle: The Seattle School District is reporting at least 44 cases of COVID throughout the school system within its first week back to in-person instruction, reports KIRO 7. Forty-one of those cases are kids and the other 3 are staff. The district is still working to gather information on how many people are quarantined in connection with those cases. If you wanna take a peek for yourself, the district has pubbed a COVID-19 dashboard and posts cases by city region.

15-year-old girl is the main suspect in the Maple Valley hit-and-run death from July: County sheriffs are on the hunt for a girl who is suspected to have hit and killed 53-year-old Greg Moore during his early morning run on July 18, reports the Seattle Times. The King County Sheriff's Office says they were overwhelmed with "community support and tips" about the case, which helped identify the suspect, who remains at large. They have found the tan Toyota Camry they suspect to have been involved in the incident and are processing it for evidence.

Weather update: All before the big chill.

The worst season is here: Spider season. Early fall means that orb weavers, who like to set up shop on bushes and signposts, and giant house spiders have reached maturity and are looking to fuck. The Seattle P.I. reports that despite how creepy and crawly both species are, they are completely harmless to humans, and the best thing you can do for a giant house spider is to move it into your garage. Sure, fine, but if I ever catch one of those bad boys in my studio, I'm moving to another planet.

310,000 people applied for unemployment last week: That's a pandemic era low and a sign that Delta variant cases have resulted in "widespread layoffs," reports AP. This low comes as the pace of hiring slowed in August, with businesses adding only 235,000 jobs last month in contrast to the roughly one million added in both June and July. It also comes as the government pulled the plug on pandemic unemployment programs, causing more than eight million to lose benefits.

Body of 80-year-old man found in Chance Lake: Franklin County sheriff's office investigated reports of a capsized boat on the lake and discovered the body of the 80-year-old Grandview man who is believed to have drowned, reports KOMO. They also believe "that a 35-year-old Grandview man is still missing."

I'm rooting for them: A Spanish bishop recently resigned from his post after falling in love with a woman who "writes Satanic-tinged erotic fiction," reports the BBC. Hot! In his career within the Catholic church, Xavier Novell has backed gay conversion therapy and performed exorcisms—all of which he gave up for erotic novelist, psychologist, and divorcee Silvia Caballol. The BBC says Novell is now looking for work as an agronomist. I need the Lifetime version of this story, STAT!

For your listening pleasure: Beach House's "The Hours."