Good morning! It might be two weeks until the Winter Solstice, but by my metrics, winter is already here. The weather is moody. The sun sets at 4:18 today. The storm drains are full of that sticky batter of dead leaves, mud, and dog poop. It’s hibernation time.

Speaking of Weather, She’s Comin’: We’ve got an atmospheric river on the way. The National Weather Service says the mountains could see up to 10 inches of rain. It tapers off as it gets closer to the water, but even in Seattle, we’re looking at two to three inches of rain from Monday to Wednesday. Rivers will flood. Highways will pond. Be safe out there. 

 

Heavy rain is expected to begin across the Pacific Northwest tomorrow and linger through the week. Rainfall amounts up to 10" are possible within the Olympics, Cascades, and coastal ranges. 🌧️

 

Check conditions before traveling and never drive across a flooded roadway.

 

weather.gov

[image or embed]

— National Weather Service (@nws.noaa.gov) December 7, 2025 at 7:20 AM

 

The ACA Blues: The ObamaCare healthcare subsidies are still set to expire at the end of the month, and so far, there’s no good plan to stop it. Republicans and Dems haven’t even tried to come up with a bipartisan option. Senate Democrats proposed a straight-ahead three-year extension that isn’t likely to get enough votes when it hits the floor on Thursday. Republicans haven’t offered a counter-plan yet, but GOP Senator Bill Cassidy is trying to push a high-deductible alternative that converts ACA money into health savings accounts for anyone on Marketplace plans. And so far, Trump is simply staying out of it. 

The Race for D2 Begins: With Girmay Zahilay officially in the County Executive’s office, his seat in the county council is wide open. Yesterday, Seattle Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa announced that she’s “strongly considering” running for the seat, which represents south King County. Like everyone else in the Democratic party, she seems to have realized that running on affordability works. “People are fighting to remain in the neighborhoods that shaped them,” she said in a statement. “They are fighting rising housing costs, displacement, and uncertainty. Affordability is not an abstract issue for me. It is the story of my family’s survival.” This promises to be just the first (not quite) announcement. In the meantime, Zahilay has nominated three people, all Black women, to take his seat for now. One of them will be appointed by the County Council on Tuesday, but they’ve all promised that, if appointed, they won’t run in the election next year. 

Tacoma ICE Facility Still a Nightmare: Three weeks ago, ICE lured Wilmer Toledo-Martinez, an undocumented immigrant who’s lived in the US since he was 15, out of his home by posing as construction workers, and telling him that they’d accidentally hit his car with their truck. When he stepped outside, even though he wasn’t resisting arrest, they released a dog that mauled his arm and torso before they arrested him and took him to the Northwest ICE Detention Center in Tacoma. There, he waited hours without proper medical care, and according to his attorney, he has struggled to get the medication he was prescribed for the injury. This weekend, after seeing the pictures of his wounds, Senator Patty Murray made a public call for his release.

PSA: Don’t chop down trees from public parks, even if it’s Christmas. We didn’t think we’d need to say this, but some genius decided to cut down a small cypress tree in Miller Park last week. Don’t do that.  

Here’s a Headline for Ya: “‘I’m Not Fleeing’ — Alleged Antifa Cell Member Says He Was Accidentally Released From Jail.” Daniel Sanchez Estrada was arrested for transporting “anarchist zines” from one Dallas suburb to another. The day before Thanksgiving, he was released without explanation. He figured it was a mistake, so he spent the week enjoying time with family while he could, and willingly turned himself back in when the jail realized what they’d done. He could wait in jail for months for his trial. 

LOYALTY! He Says: After pardoning Dem Representative Henry Cuellar for taking $600,000 in Azerbaijani bribes, Cuellar is planning to run for his seat again as a Democrat. Trump was shocked and appalled to find out his pardon wasn’t enough to radically transform his politics and turn him into a Republican. The rest of us are appalled that taking $600,000 in bribes isn’t enough to run someone out of politics. 

SCOTUS Update: This morning, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments about Trump’s decision to fire the FTC director, a position that’s usually protected from political whims. The New York Times is live-reacting here. So far, the conservative justices seem very skeptical that Congress should be allowed to limit Trump’s ability to fire anyone in the executive branch. 

Rest Well, Shanty Tavern: After winnowing down their hours for years, the Lake City roadhouse will host its final show on December 19 before the Tavern’s 94-year-old owner and bartender John Spaccarotelli plans to retire and shut down the venue. "Although the Shanty is my sweetheart, she does require a lot of time and attention," he told KING 5. He says he's still in good health, but wants to do different things with his time in 2026, like play piano and gather with family. The goodbye party will be sometime in January, and he said he’s still open to renting the space out for parties. 

It’s Moira Rose’s Favorite Season: The full list of Golden Globe nominees came out today. One Battle After Another snagged the most with nine noms, followed closely by Sentimental Value. But there’s more! For the first time, the Globes include a podcast category, which so far appears to just be a place to reward celebrities like Dax Shepard and Jason Bateman for sitting on a couch once a week.

A Wild Longread for Your Monday: A Chinese virologist was convinced the Chinese government created COVID in a lab and released it intentionally. Her husband, also a virologist, with more experience in the field, insisted that she was mistaken. Then one day, she disappeared, and reappeared as a talking head on Fox News, backed by the Trump administration. Her husband and her parents haven’t been able to find her since. 

 

A Chinese virologist fled to the U.S. in 2020, aided by President Trump’s powerful allies who sought to promote her unproven theories about the origins of Covid-19. Her husband still can’t find her. In interviews, she made clear that she does not want to be found.

[image or embed]

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) December 7, 2025 at 10:10 AM