Jumpstart falls short: The city's Jumpstart payroll tax raked in $46 million or 11 percent less than expected. The tax resulted in $360 million rather than the $406 million city budget forecasters anticipated. That's still more than the $315 million of revenue the tax saw in 2023. The big issue is that Mayor Bruce Harrell abandoned Jumpstart's original spending plan to put the revenues toward affordable housing development, Green New Deal improvements, and equitable development and instead used excess Jumpstart funds to fill in budget holes and pay for city services. The tax is volatile since all the revenue comes from around 500 companies. If those companies have layoffs or if they relocate then that's money that doesn't go into the Jumpstart coffers. That's tough to depend on if we're using this tax to keep our city running.
Blacked out: If you are one of the 2,400 or so people in Bothell who lost power last night, blame it on a driver who slammed into power poles and toppled two of them. The driver is suspected of being under the influence.
Terrible news: I went to Opening Day yesterday and the Mariners changed the seventh inning stretch song back to "Louie Louie," except like... a weird club remix of "Louie Louie." Is Macklemore's "Can't Hold Us" gone for good? Just because he dropped a little "Fuck America" at one of his concerts last year? If so, the Mariners are cowards.
The weather: Enjoy a light rain today, Seattle.
They're going to kill us: The $12 billion in Trump administration cuts to federal grants will result in $160 million lost for public health funding in Washington. On a national level, the cuts are to COVID-era funds from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for infectious disease tracking, mental health services, and drug addiction treatment. In Washington, the state's Department of Health will lose $130 million in grants for disease monitoring, reporting, and work on vaccines—work done by about 200 full-time employees. Additionally, the ne'er-do-wells in power also cut $34 million in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funding for the Washington State Health Care Authority.
Oh, they're really going to kill us: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the guy who eats roadkill and has literal brain worms, announced he'll be laying off 10,000 employees at the Health and Human Services Department as he restructures the organization to reflect his priorities. Oh, does that mean we'll be getting a raw milk tzar? An anti-vax unit? I was mostly joking about that, but it turns out the areas where the layoffs hit the hardest are the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which will lose 20 percent of their staff from these most recent cuts. Need I remind everyone that there is still a bird flu crisis? Don't forget the tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas or the measles outbreak in Texas.
Well, that's gotta be illegal: Elon Musk is trying to influence a Wisconsin state Supreme Court election by speaking at an event where he will give away two $1 million checks randomly to people who have signed his PAC's petition "in opposition to activist judges." Musk did a similar thing on the campaign trail for Trump, but this time around he's making it so the only people eligible for the $1 million checks are people who have already voted. He's like a cartoon villain. If any Wisconsin residents are reading this, you should be offended. This man believes he can buy you. Your vote is your power. Don't let a billionaire purchase our democracy so that it serves him.
Tesla Takedowns sweep the globe: On Saturday, more than 200 Tesla Takedown protests will occur at Tesla showrooms around the globe. The Tesla Takedown group is dedicated to protesting Elon Musk and Tesla "for as long as Elon Musk continues to shred public services." They're going after Musk's bottom line.
Union busting on a whole new level: Trump signed an executive order Thursday telling government agencies to end collective bargaining with federal unions. So far, unions have been a thorn in Trump's side, fighting back as he tries to cut the federal work force. Trump claimed that canceling these union contracts was a matter of national security. The American Federation of Government Employees said this executive order was illegal. After he made the order, the affected agencies sued the unions representing their federal workers as a way to end their collective bargaining agreements. This is egregious anti-worker bullshit.
Meanwhile, Florida needs more workers: After following Trump's mass deportation orders, Florida is missing its immigrant workforce. To fill the jobs once done by the people the state forced out, Florida lawmakers are considering rolling back child labor laws. A new law would allow teenagers as young as 14 years old to work overnight shifts. The early 1900s are so back.
7.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Thailand and Myanmar: The epicenter of the shallow quake was at Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. The death toll is rising. An under-construction skyscraper collapsed in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least eight construction workers. More may be trapped under the rubble.
Cascade Line derailed: Amtrak pulled dozens of train cars from its Cascades service, the route that runs between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia, because of corrosion. As a result, only one train is currently operating on the route.
Something for your Friday: May this bald eagle live cam footage from Big Bear, California comfort you as our nation continues to crumble.
