Weather: Yesterday’s weather was not nearly as stormy as I’d hoped for, but today brings a 50 percent chance of showers after 1 pm and a high of 71. Showers are expected to continue into Saturday and then taper off before the sun’s partial return on Monday.

A nail-biter DNR race: After the final count, Democrat Dave Upthegrove only led GOP-endorsed Sue Kuehl Pederson by 51 votes, narrowly taking an unsteady second place in Washington’s primary for Commissioner of Public Lands. The one-thousandth of a percentage point difference amounts to the state's narrowest vote margin in decades, and election officials will be recounting the votes by hand. It’ll be about two weeks before we know who faces former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler in the general election.

Dear Mayor Harrell: The Seattle LGBTQ Commission sent a letter to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell yesterday asking that he clarify his statements about Denny Blaine, Seattle's historically gay nude beach that might have become a children’s playground. In July, the City released a text exchange between Harrell’s personal cell phone and Stuart Sloan, the wealthy philanthropist who pledged $1 million to build a playground at the beach. In texts, Sloan described nude bathers as “DISGUSTING,” and Harrell later expressed his shared disgust. Despite the back and forth, and two in-person meetings with Sloan, Harrell claimed he didn’t know who was behind the donation. How mysterious!

The mayor responded: In a letter sent yesterday in response, Harrell said he welcomed the opportunity to clarify his comments (as if there has not been months of ample opportunity), and added that the City intended to improve Denny Blaine Park, not push anyone out. Harrell said their initial efforts “missed that mark” and that he understood “these comments–blunt and inexact–may have caused harm to those who have interpreted them as denigrating members of the LGBTQ+ community.” Harrell emphasized that neither he, nor Sloan, nor anyone who raised concerns about the park mentioned the queer community, and it had not occurred to him how anyone could view the plan as targeting anyone else. 

206-289-0287: That’s the new number to call for people in need of meds to treat opioid withdrawal. In addition to curtailing the headaches, chills, sweating, and other symptoms, buprenorphine reduces the risk of overdose by half. Within three days of the first call, a care coordinator will follow up with patients and connect them with ongoing care. Dr. Lauren Whiteside, an emergency physician at UW who helped conceive the hotline, told KUOW that it sidesteps a lengthy bureaucratic process to harness the "exact moment" a person is ready to accept treatment.

Get it together, y'all: Boeing, America’s little airplane and munitions manufacturer that couldn't, just cannot get the hang of this building safe planes thing! On Tuesday, the company announced that it had paused all test flights of the 777-9, a large passenger aircraft designed for international flights, after it discovered a problem within the engine housing. Boeing did not say when it would resume flights or whether this problem will delay the already delayed expected delivery of the first 777-9 next year. Meanwhile, contract talks with Boeing’s machinists are hot ahead of the September strike deadline.

When they go low, we also go low: Barack and Michelle Obama delivered headline speeches at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago last night. Michelle Obama said that Kamala Harris was one of the most qualified people to ever seek the presidency, and she skewered Trump for his nepo upbringing and failed business ventures. Former President Barack Obama compared Trump to a neighbor who runs a leaf blower outside your window all day. “We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos,” he said. “We’ve seen that movie. And we all know the sequel is usually worse.” He even made a small penis joke about Trump.

Lol: Stephanie Grisham, former press secretary to Donald Trump, spoke at the DNC and said that Trump mocked his supporters as “basement dwellers” in private, and that once, on a visit to a hospital, he was upset that the cameras were focused on patients in the ICU instead of him.

To the windows, to the Walz: Since Harris accepted the nomination in a virtual roll call earlier this month, Democrats didn’t have any official business to conduct with the in-person roll call, so they fucked around and hired a DJ to play a special song introducing each state. Georgia’s guest, Lil Jon, high-fived attendees as he performed “Turn Down for What,” swapping in the lyrics in places for chants of “we’re not going back” and “VP Harris, gimme the Walz.” People waved cutouts of Harris’s and Walz’s heads. Very corny stuff.

Harris’s coronation continues today: Reproductive rights are expected to be the big topic at the convention today; scheduled speakers include VP pick and Minnesota Governor Walz, former President Bill Clinton, and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Protests continue: Police arrested at least 72 demonstrators outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago last night. The majority of arrests reportedly happened late after police penned protesters in a plaza and prevented them from leaving, according to the Associated Press. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling denied that officers “kettled” anyone, a tactic banned under a federal consent decree that involves corralling people into a confined area.

World’s oldest living person dies: X's “Super Catalan Grandma” Maria Branyas Morera died in her sleep yesterday at the age of 117. Born in San Francisco in 1907, she emigrated to Spain after her father’s Spanish-language magazine in New Orleans folded. As an adult, Morera survived the country’s bloody civil war, the brutal reign of fascist dictator Francisco Franco, and recently, a supercentenarian bout of COVID. After her death, Tomika Itooka, a spry 116 year old in Japan, became the newest senior member of the human race.