NO: Robert Redford, the actor, director, and activist who gave us inimitable performances (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, The Sting), films (Ordinary People, Quiz Show) and Sundance Film Festival, died at his home in Provo early this morning. He was 89.
Homelessness in Washington Growing Slower—For Now: According to a “snapshot report” from the state, the number of people sleeping outside or in emergency shelters in Washington only rose 2.2 percent between January 2024 and January 2025. King County saw a larger 6.13 percent increase, according to data from the Department of Commerce. These numbers show progress, state officials say. In 2023, when one in 50 Washington renters faced eviction, homelessness jumped 9.5 percent statewide. In the last two year budget, Washington invested $1.8 billion toward housing and homelessness. Federal cuts might lead to more spikes. Read more at The Seattle Times.
Yoink: Seattle’s Cascadia Elementary won a Blue Ribbon Award this August, but they might never get it after the Trump administration killed the nation’s most prestigious education award in an effort to “return education to the states.” Third-grader Austin Allwine told KING 5 he didn’t “think it's exactly fair that the government could just yank away the award right before we win it.”
Comcast Sues State: The cable company sued to block a state sales tax on advertising. Comcast says the statute violates federal law, which prevents “discriminatory” state taxes on e-commerce, arguing that the state is taxing almost all internet ads, and almost no ads that are off the internet. Striking the tax would cut revenue by $475 million over the next four years, KUOW reports.
Weather: A little smoke this morning, followed by sun and a high of 85. Later this week, we’ll drop into the 70s before rain and temperatures in the mid-60s this weekend.
Nelson, or Whatever: In a recording of a recent virtual meeting obtained by The Stranger, Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson laid out a plan to keep her seat, part of which was to “bump up my sort of anti-Trump rhetoric, or acknowledge that we're under attack, or whatever.” Inspiring. As I reported yesterday, before Nelson said this, her political consultant explained that to win, Nelson had to get centrists to show up at the polls, convince the restless, Trump-averse liberal homeowners to vote for her, and emphasize that Nelson would “put up systems that are resilient to whatever is happening nationally." Sort of like voting to expand police surveillance over more than 100 voices telling you not to, or whatever.
Threats to Democracy, or Whatever: The Trump administration wants to use the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a man they held up as a free speech warrior, as pretext to limit speech. The wrong speech, of course, that liberal speech and a supposed left-wing network that sponsors political violence even though the right-wing is responsible for the vast majority of political violence in this country. It’s unclear what the administration specifically plans to do.
Wisdom Is Knowing What You Don’t Know: While Utah Governor Spencer Cox claims shooter Tyler Robinson was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology," there’s no hard evidence to support his claim. What little we do have suggests the messages inscribed on Robinson’s ammunition referenced far-right Groyper memes made by Nick Fuentes' little fanboys. But even that isn’t enough evidence for any coherent ideology. As Joan Donovan, a Boston University Professor and founder of the The Critical Internet Studies Institute, told Time, ambiguity is the point.
So Shut Up! Robinson isn’t cooperating with law enforcement, so this country could do some good and stop speculating. While we wait for the facts to trickle in, we can all focus on government officials talking about stifling political dissent.
Israel Launches Land Invasion of Gaza City: Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 78 people since dawn, and rescuers are digging people out of the concrete rubble with their hands, Al Jazeera reports. At least three other Palestinians have starved to death.
Genocide: A new report from the United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has found Israel’s genocide is genocide. “The Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” read the report, which held Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and President Isaac Herzog responsible. Last week, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Israel had a legal duty to provide food it’s withholding from thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
US Kills Three in Boat Strike: The US military destroyed another boat off the coast of Venezuela, in an attempt to target alleged members of drug cartels. This comes two weeks after the US blew up a speedboat, killing 11 people. Trump claims he has the power to summarily kill these people under the laws of war. Legal specialists and retired military lawyers do not think Trump has the authority to treat suspected smugglers like they’re launching an armed invasion on the US. The Trump administration has not said how the boats were destroyed, or publicly verified who was on them and what they were allegedly carrying. Trump says he has proof and that cocaine and fentanyl were “splattered all over the ocean.”
Very Smart Diplomacy: This military operation risks war with Venezuela, which has called up its reservists to prepare for a US invasion. The Trump administration considers President Nicolás Maduro to be an illegitimate leader and says he is one of the largest drug traffickers in the world, a claim that does not hold water. Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled the award for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million.
Boat II: China’s Coast Guard is accusing a Philippine ship of intentionally ramming one of its vessels near Scarborough Shoal/Bajo de Masinloc, a territory in the South China Sea both countries claim as their own. The Philippines said China blasted its ship with water cannons, damaging the vessel and injuring a crewmember. The (boat battle? accident?) happened six days after China announced it would designate part of the area as a nature preserve. The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest, the AP reports.
