Seattles Rep.
Seattle's Rep. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

🎵The name on everybody's lips is gonna be 🎵 Jayapal. Today, Seattle Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is on the front page of Fox News, the Seattle Times, the New York Times, etc etc etc. She's emerged as "a key power player" in Congress's infrastructure bill battle. She leads her 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus as it pushes back against the Centrist wing of the party and its attempt to sever the infrastructure bill from other parts of Biden's agenda, specifically the Build Back Better Act, which progressives want passed first.

As Washington Post summarizes it, Jayapal wants "Centrist Democrats, particularly in the Senate, to get behind a $3.5 trillion spending bill that would be the capstone of Democrats’ control of Washington right now." As Jayapal said herself today, “I feel like we in the Democratic Party have lost so many voters, because they don’t see us fighting for the things that might be a little bit harder to get across the finish line.”

Biden is putting the infrastructure bill on hold while he talks it out with his party, but "the progressives’ stand... makes successful passage of Biden’s agenda more likely, not less," argues at least one person.

“Jayapal is providing a master class these last few weeks in how to wield power,” the director of the progressive group Demand Justice told the Seattle Times. He suggested her withholding of support "allowed the Biden administration to sort of stand back... They let Jayapal be the bad cop here. I think there’s sort of a wink-wink relationship in her making these demands. I think the White House has been sort of happy for her to play this role."

Oh happy day: Seattle's transit spine is getting longer! The Seattle-SeaTac line is now up to 24 miles long, and we're throwing a party on Saturday to celebrate its successful surgery. Stranger's Rich Smith and Charles Mudede are down there for the ribbon-cutting.


Excuse the long thread, we're excited!!!!!!!





Annnnd here we go!
Annnnd here we go! Rich Smith

Follow Rich for all the live updates.

Name change: The upcoming Almost Everyday Music record shop in Queen Anne, started by former Everyday Music employees, will now be called Royal Records. "Almost" Everyday Music made it seem subpar anyways. We welcome the change!

Millions of students in California will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine following the FDA’s full approval of the shot for children 12 and older, which could happen by the end of the year. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the mandate for all eligible public and private school students, grades 7 through 12, on Friday. California is the first state to put forth a vaccine mandate.

The US House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection sent out another round of subpoenas this week, aiming to uncover the degree to which former President and lifelong shitbag Donald Trump was involved in planning the rally that proceeded the riot. The 11 organizations and individuals subpoenaed have until October 13 to turn over the requested documents, or testify in depositions scheduled throughout the month.

🚨Free ticket alert 🚨 Drop some emojis on this post to enter to win.

Nate Gowdy with the pics: Seattle Gay News has photos from Floyd Lovelady's new gay bar, AKA R Place 2.

Looking for some spooky movies? We got you, ghosties and ghoulies!

Here’s a spooky story for you: According to an internal review, US Department of Homeland Security officers complied intelligence and background reports on people arrested during racial justice protests in Portland last summer, despite their charges having nothing to do with homeland security threats. Oregon US Senator Ron Wyden said the report showed the “stunning incompetence, mismanagement and abuse of power” by federal officers while they were in Portland. YUP, YOU SAID IT RON!

Sticking in Portland for a moment: The National Women’s Soccer League is in the midst of a growing abuse scandal—and the Portland Thorns are in the middle of it. Earlier this week, a story in The Athletic revealed former Thorns coach Paul Riley harassed, intimidated, and sexually harassed at least a dozen players across several teams for years. There is ample evidence that Thorns management and the league itself knew about Riley’s abuse.

Back in Seattle: All eyes are on the trains...

...and the Mariners: