Sometimes when Im stoned I like to think of Earth as residing in a big, black box and the moon is hung on a string from the top of the box like a diorama. Only when Im stoned though.
Sometimes when I'm stoned I like to think of Earth as residing in a big, black box and the moon is hung on a string from the top of the box like a diorama. Only when I'm stoned though. Phil Walter/Getty

Hey: How is everyone doing? We've made it halfway through the week, and it's already felt like an eternity. Here's a glimpse into my mental state, if you're interested...

Onto the news: I'm afraid things aren't much better! Today, an oil baron prevented Congress from codifying Roe v. Wade into law, because he claimed that the act—called the Women's Health Protection Act—"went too far." How Democrats have allowed Sen. Joe Manchin to hold the nation hostage is beyond enraging. Fuck this guy.

Joining Manchin in the Chorus of Suck: Is King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, who was the only 'no' vote on a symbolic resolution affirming the county's support for abortion rights, reports the Seattle Times. This comes after years of pretty tepid pro-choice support. Also should note that Dunn is currently trying to jostle a bunch of other GOP anti-abortion freaks gunning for Rep. Kim Schrier's 8th Congressional District seat, so there ya go. Here's his confounding statement about the issue he gave to the Times:

“I support a woman’s right to make her own decision. However, it is not an issue that any branch of the federal government should ever have the power to decide. The decision must rest with the woman, and not our government,” Dunn wrote. “If it is an issue that requires government involvement at all then it should be left to the states to decide and not lawmakers back in Washington D.C.”

Bill Gates still has COVID: And is experiencing mild symptoms.

The United States surpassed one million overdose deaths since we started keeping track twenty years ago: The news comes as 2021 came with a record number of deaths estimated at 107,622 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up 15% from last year, reports The Guardian. According to experts, around 70% of those deaths were caused by the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Black men and boys have the highest death rates, followed by Indigenous and Alaska Native men and boys. Learn more about Naloxone and overdose education on the Washington State Department of Health's website.

I meant to include this in Slog AM on Tuesday: But on Monday, Atlanta rapper Young Thug was arrested and charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act as well as participation in a criminal street gang, Young Slime Life (YSL). Young Thug, Atlanta rapper Gunna, and more than two dozen other individuals are listed in a 56-count indictment filed on Wednesday, reports Complex. Those charges "include murder, armed robbery, and possession of controlled substances, and weapons." Honestly, Complex breaks down the whole situation pretty well, but one thing that jumped out at me is that the case wants to use lyrics from Young Thug songs as evidence which could have hugely negative consequences for rap.

Stoners, here's a heads up: If you regularly shop at The Reef's location on Capitol Hill, you should use up your rewards points before they move to a new rewards program! I, for one, had no idea that points were even A Thing at The Reef. Go forth and save on some bud. You deserve it.

5,400 tons of garbage removed from Snohomish County waste transfer stations: There had been a severe backlog in clearing the garbage at the stations, which officials said became a "health, safety and environmental issue for customers and staff," reports KING 5. For context, crews cleared almost 7.4 million pounds of trash at the Everett facility and 3.5 million pounds at the one in Mountlake Terrace.

Israeli occupation army shot revered Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the head, killing her: Abu Akleh was on assignment in the West Bank covering Israeli army raids in Jenin when an Israeli soldier killed her, reports Al Jazeera. The site says that she "was wearing a press vest and was standing with another journalist when she was killed." The journalist, Ali al-Samoudi, was shot in the back at the scene, but is in stable condition.

Other reporters present at the time of Abu Akleh's killing said "there were no Palestinian fighters present when the journalists were shot" after the Israeli military released a statement suggesting that the Palestinians could have been responsible. According to Al-Jazeera, the funeral of Abu Akleh, who is a dual Palestinian-American, will be held tomorrow morning in Ramallah at the Palestinian presidential headquarters.

And in Surfside: The families of the 98 people killed in the horrific Champlain Towers South condo collapse have reached a $997 million settlement, which "includes insurance companies, developers of an adjacent building and other defendants in the extensive civil case," reports the New York Times. Exactly how the money will be split up will be determined in the next few weeks.

The Duwamish Tribe has filed a lawsuit against the government to get federal recognition: According to the Seattle Times, the tribe "argues that the federal government has on several occasions dealt with it as a tribe and now must recognize it as such." The suit also says the feds have discriminated against the tribe by "discounting its members" in not recognizing descendants of Duwamish women and non-Native men. "After 17 decades of broken promises, cultural erasure, and outright persecution since settlers landed, we’re now experiencing a moment of hope like never before," the Duwamish Tribal Council wrote in an op-ed at the South Seattle Emerald.

Pedestrian death in SODO: A 73-year-old man was struck and killed by someone driving a car near 4th Ave S and S Holgate Street, reports KOMO. Related, off-duty Auburn cop Michael Smith pleaded not guilty to charges of DUI, vehicular homicide, and hit and run after hitting and killing a 65-year-old man on a sidewalk. Cars and drivers are dangerous.

If it's up then it's stuck, or whatever: Traffic got backed up along I-5 this morning for around two-and-a-half hours after the lower West Seattle swing bridge malfunctioned, reports the Seattle Times. The Seattle Department of Transportation "blamed the blockage on an electrical issue."

Ok, let's end with something pretty: There will be a total lunar eclipse on Flower Moon this Sunday night, reports WaPo. BUT! For us PNW-ers, only the second half will be visible because "the burgundy moon rises during totality." A good lesson in taking in beauty as it's presented to us!

For your listening pleasure: Shygirl's "Firefly."