The Stranger’s morning news roundup.

by Hannah Krieg

Weather: Good morning. Thanks for being here. Let me tell you a little bit about the weather before we get too rowdy, okay? Okay. So, according to the National Weather Service, Slog readers who live or work in Seattle can expect sunny skies and a high of 69 degrees (haha, sex number). The warm weather will continue through the weekend.

But wait: I hate to yuck your yum if you are excited about the sunny day ahead, but climate change is bruuuuuutaaaaaaaallllll. Yesterday, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres delivered a speech in New York, saying we are at a dangerous tipping point in the climate catastrophe. Guterres said, “We are playing Russian roulette with our planet” and “we need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.” This comes after hitting a “shocking” new milestone—12 consecutive months of unprecedented heat. Yikes! 

Ceasefire long overdue: Early this morning, Israel launched airstrikes at a UN school where displaced Palestinians were taking shelter from the bombardments in Israel’s ongoing genocide. Israel killed at least 40 Palestinians, including many children, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas was hiding in the school, but like usual, they did not provide any proof of their claim. According to IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, he’s “not aware of civilian casualties” and he’s telling media not to believe death counts from Gaza sources. With all the bullshit the Israeli government spews about how there’s no “innocent civilians” in Gaza, no one should trust that the IDF is being selective about which Palestinians they kill. 

Israeli forces have bombed a UN-linked school in central Gaza, killing many forcibly displaced Palestinians and injuring dozens more, according to officials and local media. pic.twitter.com/QvrGqcdwih

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 6, 2024

Ethic schmethics: Council Member Tanya Woo, after hearing advice from Seattle Ethics and Elections Committee Director Wayne Barnett to recuse herself from a controversial vote to roll back the minimum wage for gig workers, sought a “second opinion” from the whole committee. In a meeting yesterday, most of the committee agreed that she had a financial interest in the bill because of her father-in-law’s restaurant, but they did not act. Barnett told me that means the committee left his opinion in place. According to Seattle Times reporter David Kroman, Woo said she was hoping for more clarity in the commission meeting. He tweeted that Woo is “‘leaning’ one direction but needs more time to consider.” If she recuses herself, the bill is pretty clearly dead.

The commission didn’t take any action. They mostly agreed that Woo should recuse but not unanimously. I talked to Woo afterward who said she was hoping for more clarity. She said she’s “leaning” one direction but needs more time to consider https://t.co/ja66xKNTIk

— David Kroman (@KromanDavid) June 5, 2024

Kent update: As I reported earlier this week, the City of Kent did not sweep an encampment of more than 200 migrants on Tuesday, despite getting the go-ahead from King County. The County told Kent that they wouldn’t send King County sheriffs to help, so Kent backed off, telling press they wouldn’t sweep without the sheriff’s office support. The County told me yesterday morning that “If Kent is no longer planning to enforce their request, then the County will not enforce the trespass but will continue our work with the organizations we have funded to do outreach to asylees.” So, the encampment and the migrants who live there are in limbo again. The Seattle Times has more. 

Speaking of sweeps: Seattle loves them!

NEW: Seattle’s $26.6 million Unified Care Team carried out more than 2,800 sweeps in 2023, a three-fold increase from 2022. For @RealChangeNews, I investigated the city’s policy of systemic displacement and dislocation against its homeless residents.https://t.co/tH81Pt8kH0

— Guy Oron (@GuyOron) June 5, 2024

I hate them so bad: Senate Republicans killed the Right to Contraception Act, which Democrats designed to protect access to birth control and help them win favor with voters heading into an election. The Democrats also plan to vote on a package of legislation to protect IVF next week. Good luck with that!

We are here and we are queer: Hey! We wrote a bunch of gay stuff for Pride month, put it in a print edition, and now we want you to go find it in the wild and read it. Have fun!

Our 2024 Queer Issue has landed!

Given Seattle Pride’s 50th anniversary, in our first print Queer Issue since COVID-19, we decided to focus on that future rather than dwell on our past. pic.twitter.com/nTVtZ7sYSW

— The Stranger 🗞 (@TheStranger) June 5, 2024

Mr. Trump: In a new order filed Wednesday, a Georgia appeals court indefinitely paused former President Donald Trump’s election subversion case. According to CNN, this amounts to a massive victory for Trump (who is looking for a W after he got convicted on 34 felony counts last week lol) because the decision probably pushed the issue until after the election this November. 

Also: Trump may not be allowed to carry a gun in New York soon. 

More Trump: Okay, last thing I promise. All the national news girlies are speculating about who Trump may select to be his VP, an interesting job to fill given how he probably would have let his supporters hang the last guy he picked. It looks like Trump’s narrowed his search to four dudes: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and Ohio Senator JD Vance. Trump has requested documents from all of them, which is part of the selection process. But other rumors insist the former president already ruled out Vance, or that Trump will most likely pick Scott. A senior campaign manager is trying to keep the mystery alive. He said, “Anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump.” 

In honor of her upcoming album: This is the best Charli XCX song, hands down. When you are older and we go get drunk at a dive bar on a weeknight, I will tell you why this song hits me as hard as it does. I am so soft.

The Stranger