Asylum-seekers refuse to leave Tukwila hotel and return to “inhumane” conditions: Dozens of migrants living in tents outside a local church moved into to a Hilton hotel due to the extreme weather. Now, they're threatening to stay until somebody provides them with dry and warm long-term shelter, according to Migrants Alliance USA, the advocacy group supporting their protest. The Seattle Times has the full story.

Israel censoring Palestinians: The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, 7amleh, claims the country has cracked down on Palestinians who've expressed their views online through mass content removal, shadowbans, surveillance, and even arrests.

Lefty Israeli parliamentarian to be indicted: Ofer Cassif will be indicted for allegedly assaulting a police officer in 2022. Cassif was protesting the removal of Palestinians from their homes when he slapped the officer upside the head. Earlier this month, Cassif signed a petition supporting South Africa’s case of genocide against his country.

Don’t let the door hit you: The three Tacoma police officers acquitted for the death of Manny Ellis agreed to leave the police department. Matthew Collins, Christopher Shane Burbank, and Timothy Rankine are taking home a collective $1.5 million settlement to leave, plus the accrued sick and vacation time from their more than three years on leave. An internal investigation found these guys did almost nothing wrong, except for Collins, who violated department policy on being “courteous” in telling Ellis to “shut the fuck up” while he died. 

Rich Smith says pay attention: The final boss at The Stranger read a bunch of bills in Olympia to separate the bull from the shit, the wheat from the chaff, etc., that our lawmakers could pass during this super-short, 60-day sesh. We've got renters rights! We’ve got housing supply (well no, we don’t, but maybe these bills could help)! Rocks! Check out our 2024 bill tracker here.

Authorities charged the Club Q shooter with 50 hate crimes: The 22-year-old who shot and killed five people at the Colorado Springs gay club accepted a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table. The shooter agreed to the possibility of multiple life sentences plus 190 years. The shooter stormed Club Q hours after it posted about the all-ages Transgender Day of Remembrance drag brunch planned for that weekend.

Democracy is working well, I see! ABC canceled its Thursday New Hampshire primary debate after Republican Nikki Haley bravely declared she won’t debate unless Donald Trump or President Joe Biden participates. There’s another one planned on CNN in less than a week, so we’ll see what happens, but I really doubt Trump, a man with an authoritarian bent who hasn’t participated in a debate once this cycle and seems to be doing just fine, is going to change his attitude over Haley. DeSantis suggested she’s just too scared to debate, which is funny, but stupid.

Thawing out: Regional temperatures are gradually rising after this brutal cold snap, edging just above freezing in much of the region this morning. But I-90 is closed in both directions over icy roads and spinouts; unlike us, Spokane could get a foot of snow. If you’re going out, still watch your step for icy spots.

“I’m gonna’ bust!,” groaned the pipe: Here's a reminder not to shut off your heat during cold temperatures. Several schools across Western Washington closed Tuesday after their pipes burst during the cold weather. As Ashley wrote yesterday, pipes burst all over Seattle, too, including icing over a hockey bar. More schools closed today over the weather, so check your district website for more information.

AI did good! A new artificial intelligence tool will help doctors diagnose children with rheumatic heart disease—a hidden and fatal heart condition—long before they could need surgery. There are currently 1,500 Ugandan children on the waiting list for the procedure. But with early detection, doctors could instead treat those kids with penicillin. 

Suspect doggie: The Guinness Book of World Records said its title for oldest dog on record is on hold after new doubts emerged regarding the supposedly 31-year-old Bobi. Veterinarians have questioned whether the awesome and cute Portuguese dog who died last year could have possibly been 31 because that’s really fucking old for a dog and he looked better than he should’ve (what a lustrous coat, wow, said skeptical dog fur experts). Wired reported in December that his age was never independently verified.