Good Morning! Did you see a little snow yesterday? It was spotty, and fleeting, and it might be the only snow we get this year, so I hope you got a taste of it. Today promises to be cold (low 40s), but probably dry, so get outside for a bit. Tomorrow, the rain starts again.

MAHA Moms Revolt: On Wednesday, Trump invoked a Korean-war era law that allows the government to force the manufacture of supplies “in the interest of national defense.” What’re we manufacturing? Glyphosate—a probably-carcinogenic pesticide that’s sold in the hardware store aisles as Roundup. And the anti-vax, raw milk chugging, horse dewormer-obsessed MAHA crowd is pissed. The founder of Moms Across America (named Zen Honeycutt, of course), which has led the anti-glyphosate campaign, called it “an egregious offense to what he promised,” and Republicans are worried that it could impact how many women vote red in the midterms. To be clear, MAHA is off base on a lot, but they’re right to hate this pesticide. Studies have shown that it very likely causes cancer. But it’s a Monsanto favorite, and every decision is for sale in Trump’s America.

UN Who? On Thursday morning, President Trump emceed the inaugural meeting of his knock-off United Nations, aka the Board of Peace, which he created and oversees. (Any nation can get a permanent seat, as long as they’re willing to pay $1 billion to get it.) In the meeting, Trump announced that the US was committing $10 billion in aid to Gaza, but Congress doesn’t appear to have appropriated that money, so who knows where he’s getting it. “Beyond that, there were few clear objectives from the meeting. It was like the United Nations General Assembly, if everything about the United Nations revolved around Donald Trump,” the New York Times wrote.

Speaking of Peace: Trump is sending the largest force of American warships and aircraft to the Middle East in decades, and said that Iran needs to strike a meaningful deal with the US about their nuclear program, “otherwise, bad things happen.” He’s given the country “10-15 days” to strike a deal that’s been deadlocked for years.

Israeli Settlers Kill Palestinian American: His name was Nasrallah Abu Siyam, and he was 19 years old. According to residents, settlers marched into the town of Mukhmas and attacked a farmer. When villagers intervened, Israeli forces joined the settlers and, according to residents, that empowered the settlers to start firing into the crowd. Settlers in the West Bank killed 240 Palestinians last year, a campaign that the UN says could be considered ethnic cleansing. Nasrallah Abu Siyam is the first Palestinian killed by settlers in 2026.

Tariff Tumble: On Friday morning, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump does not actually have the authority to impose his insane tariffs. So far the Treasury Department has collected about $240 billion in tariff revenue since Trump’s “Liberation Day” last April, and they could be forced to issue massive refunds, which, in Brett Kavanaugh’s wise words, would be a “mess.”

New Neon: Pike Place Market got its first new neon sign in almost 100 years. It’s mounted on the elevator shaft attached to the Waterfront Park. I think it classes up the place.

 

 

Vote ID Law Would Do Its Job: Sen. Maria Cantwell and Washington election officials warned that the Trump-backed SAVE America Act (which requires proof of citizenship to vote) would turn our midterm elections into chaos. Fortunately, even Republicans in the Senate think it’s harmful bullshit, so it’s got slim chances.

Mom and Dad Are Fighting Again: Governor Bob Ferguson has some big feelings about the Millionaire Tax—namely, who should benefit from it, and who gets a tax break alongside it. But rather than working directly with lawmakers on it, state legislatures are complaining that at every stage, he’s simply taking to the microphone to bah-humbug their work. In this comically short session, they have just three weeks to land this plane.

The Latest from NWDC: Nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma told KUOW that since the beginning of Trump’s second term, they’ve seen a spike in ICE detainees coming to the hospital as patients. They say that agents have repeatedly ignored standard practices to safeguard patients’ privacy, health, and safety, including “refusing to leave detainees’ rooms during catheter changes, shackling a detainee so tightly to a bed they caused nerve damage to the person’s hand, and refusing to wear required masks and gowns in rooms where patients had communicable diseases,” KUOW reported. “I feel like [ICE agents] treat [detainees] like they’re animals,” one nurse told them.

Are you a renter? Probably. And if you are, you have until midnight to fill out the mayor’s renter survey. This is an opportunity to tell the City how much your rent has spiked, what kinds of bullshit charges you deal with every month (wtf is a valet garbage fee, really), and any other challenges you deal with as a renter just trying to keep a roof over your head.

Coming Home With the Gold: After a perfect Olympic season, the US Women’s hockey team won the gold in overtime against Canada. Hilary Knight, the captain of Team USA (and the Seattle Torrent), scored the shot that tied up the game, and at the same time, broke the record for most career Olympic goals (15 of them, if you were wondering). The players are coming home next week, and the Torrent will play their first post-Olympics game against the Toronto Sceptres on Friday the 27th.

 

 

More Olympics Shine: US figure skater Alysa Liu won the gold on Thursday, breaking a 24-year drought for women’s figure skating. For reference, the last time the US won a gold in women’s figure skating, Liu hadn’t even been born. And to make it even more badass, she claimed the win after a two-year break from the sport. The US women’s curling team also made it to the semi-finals for the first time in 24 years.

 

 

Have you played Routle today? It’s like Wordle, but for the King County Metro system. You get the shape of the route on a blank background, and five guesses. Are you King of the Bus?

A Song for Your Friday: A perfect track to make your commute feel like a little adventure, or to keep you company while you take a walk for your stupid mental health before the rain comes.