The Stranger's morning news round-up. by Hannah Krieg

A perfect day for a biiiiiig walk: We could all use a little sunshine right now. Today, Seattlites can expect on-and-off sunny skies—I think the weather nerds of the PNW call it “sunshowers”—and temperatures in the high 50s. 

Council President Rinck: We got another ballot drop last night! Here in Seattle, Alexis Mercedes Rinck has only expanded her decisive lead on the City Council’s faildaughter Tanya Woo. And it's not just Woo that Rinck’s got beat. Her vote count trumps the combined total of the 2023 City Council victors and she’s got a 26,000-vote lead over Council President Sara Nelson’s 2021 campaign. Rinck may be a minority opinion on the council, but she represents more of the electorate than any other member.

Nail-biter: Washington’s 3rd Congressional District is still too close to call. U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez leads her far-right challenger Joe Kent by about 12,000 votes. We should have a clearer picture in the coming days, but for now the whole country is watching—this race is among the handful that will decide if Republicans retain their majority in the House. 

Another close one: It’s still a tight race for I-2066, the hedge fund millionaire's initiative that would ban the state from encouraging electrification.

Something good on Twitter: After a landslide victory, State House elect Shaun Scott has earned a meme.

???????? pic.twitter.com/RNI4iERKsK

— Shaun Scott ???????? (@eyesonthestorm) November 6, 2024

Joever: Yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the nation to concede she had lost the 2024 presidential election. She kept her remarks very positive, very boilerplate Democrat. If she truly believed  Trump is the threat to the American people he is, she should have come for blood. But, no. The Democrats love to capitulate to the right. And, it's part of why they lost so spectacularly. They championed an extreme and inhumane immigration platform, shrugged their shoulders at Israel’s utter decimation of Gaza, and totally abandoned working people crushed by the weight of the affordability crisis. I know you’re smart and you already know this, but as the #Resist libs start to re-recognize the ever-present threat of fascism—the precarity of reproductive access, queer and trans liberation, immigrants’ rights, workers protections, and more—remember that the Democrats' constant sidesteps to the right landed us here. 

well, as long as you had fun! https://t.co/FtJ9HJ4T8P

— Lead Actor from Pixar’s Sodas (@ByYourLogic) November 7, 2024

Trump transition begins: President-elect Donald Trump’s allies have started lobbying for positions in his administration. According to CNN, Trump will use these positions to “reward” those who have remained loyal to him. That’s also a key feature of his plan: make the administrative state, or what they often call the “deep state,” more friendly, thus radically expanding the executive's power and efficiency. Some top positions seem narrowed down. Trump’s likely considering 2024 co-campaign manager Susie Wiles, his former budget director Russ Vought, CEO of the America First Policy Institute Brooke Rollins, or his former US trade representative Bob Lighthizer for White House Chief of Staff. Rumor has it he will also find jobs for loathsome little rat Elon Musk and anti-vax nut job RFK. Cool.

Off the hook: Trump’s victory may mean the end of his two federal criminal cases related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his mishandling of classified documents. His team delayed the cases until after the election, banking on a victory so Trump could fire special counsel Jack Smith and end the cases. As for his New York hush money case, Trump is scheduled for sentencing later this month, but his team will likely argue he’s entitled to constitutional protections afforded to sitting presidents after his election. 

Solidarity: Yesterday, Cascade PBS workers staged an informational picket outside their workplace to pressure their bosses to meet their three demands in their contract: higher wages, better benefits, and strong workplace protections. And, boy, do they deserve higher wages. According to their press release, the Cascade PBS CEO made nearly seven times the average unit member’s salary in 2023. Greed is a fucking disease.

Today at noon, @CascadePBSUnion members used our lunch break to rally for fair wages and a fair contract. If you’re in the area, drop by and say hi - we’ll be the ones in the bright red shirts ✊ pic.twitter.com/ZR9pEwK6jV

— Cascade PBS Union (@CascadePBSUnion) November 6, 2024

In honor of our incoming commander-in-chief: He’s a theatre girly.

In an email sent to all Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers on Tuesday, SPD Deputy Chief Eric Barden celebrated the end of King County Jail’s misdemeanor booking restrictions and told officers to immediately begin increasing arrests. Barden called the decision “another great step forward for the City and, particularly, for Seattle PD.” by Ashley Nerbovig

In an email sent to all Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers on Tuesday, SPD Deputy Chief Eric Barden celebrated the end of King County Jail’s misdemeanor booking restrictions and told officers to immediately begin increasing arrests. Barden called the decision “another great step forward for the City and, particularly, for Seattle PD.” Not so great for Seattle’s poorest and most vulnerable residents, who will comprise the “overwhelming majority of people” jailed under this change, said King County Department of Public Defense Interim Director Matt Sanders in a statement to The Stranger Thursday.

In September, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and King County Executive Dow Constantine announced an agreement to lift booking restrictions, which had previously prevented SPD officers from jailing people pre-trial for low-level and non-violent crimes such as low-value theft, criminal trespass, and public drug use. The restrictions went into place because of COVID-19 and remained active due to low staffing at the jail, which is a predicament still plaguing the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD). Department spokesperson Noah Haglund said that the jail has 60 staffing vacancies as compared to the start of 2024 when it was closer to 100. But with those 40 additional guards, Constantine believes the new agreement balances booking needs with the wellbeing of jail staff, Haglund said.  

The agreement, which took effect November 1, increased the number of jail beds the City could use for misdemeanors to 135. Barden explained in his email Tuesday that in the six months prior, SPD held on average about 90 people a day on misdemeanors at the jail, so the increase would mean an additional 45 beds available to officers per day. The jail held well over 200 people on misdemeanor charges per day in 2019, according to Barden.

“So, while we are moving in the right direction, we are nowhere near pre-pandemic capacity,” Barden said.

With booking restrictions lifted, Barden told officers to book people into jail “whenever there is a public safety interest.” The only time officers should not consider booking someone, Barden counseled, was when the City reached or neared its 135-bed capacity. “Otherwise, booking decisions consistent with pre-pandemic assessments should be utilized.” The email made no mention of considering diversion options.

In a call with the Stranger, Barden explained that "public safety interest" meant officers should arrest if they believe a person could continue to be a problem for a business, the community, or residents in the area, and said officers should not arrest if those factors aren't present. Barden argued that arresting people can both remove them from a cycle of crime, prevent further decompensation for people in a mental health crisis, and set them on a path toward recovery.

Sanders disagreed with that perspective and pointed to studies that show jailing people pre-trial undermines public safety in many cases, and increases the chances that someone commits another crime. Even one to two days in jail can disrupt a person’s life, making it difficult to maintain stable housing, secure medical care for behavioral health conditions, or hold down a job. Lifting the booking restrictions means people presumed innocent might spend time in jail for the lowest level of crimes that might not even end up charged, and still have their entire lives disrupted, Sanders said.

Barden said he understood that perspective, but as he drives around Seattle he sees more disorder than he did before the booking restrictions went into place. As a result, even while the restrictions remained in place in 2023, property and violent crime in Seattle fell compared to 2022, and homicides fell in 2024, which speaks to an empirical improvement in public safety, if not a subjective cosmetic change to downtown Seattle.

The City has made it clear in the past two years that it plans to use cops to address substance abuse, poverty, and people with mental illness, all issues many argue would be better addressed through social services and unarmed alternative response teams. The City has tried to establish new diversion paths, and when it created its drug law earlier this year it came with a policy requiring SPD to consider diversion before booking someone in jail for drug use. Barden said that lifting booking restrictions would not change that. 

Returning to a pre pandemic booking mindset means potentially returning to the days when officers threw people in jail for stealing $30 sleeping bags and souvenir pennies. We reached out to City Attorney Ann Davison to ask her perspective on whether she also planned to crack down on prosecuting low-level, misdemeanor crimes, as she’s advocated for in the past, but she declined to comment. 

Update: The Mayor's Office told the Stranger that it believes the City needs an adequate number of jail beds and the ability to book people into jail and people who cause harm in the City should be held accountable. But, "jail is not always the first or most appropriate option," and Harrell has strongly advocated "for diversion and treatment options to help nonviolent offenders get the services they need."

The Stranger's only news round-up. by Nathalie Graham

International District stabbings: On Friday, someone stabbed five people in what appears to be a random, unprovoked attack in Seattle's Chinatown International District. The same person is believed to be responsible for other stabbings in the neighborhood that occurred between Thursday and Friday. In total, police believe the suspect stabbed nine victims in two days. Police arrested the suspect on Friday. His bail was set for $2 million.

Back at it: Around 300 people gathered over the weekend at the Space Needle for a rally against Donald Trump's re-election. It feels like we were protesting Donald Trump's presidency just yesterday. Time is a flat circle when your country keeps electing a fascist.  

Hundreds of immigrants, students, activists and union workers are protesting in Seattle against U.S. imperialism, violent policies against migrants, police violence and structural economic violence and exploitation by the capitalist class. pic.twitter.com/dZ9JFFPAii

— Guy Oron (@GuyOron) November 9, 2024

Wet, wet, wet: The rain is here. I hope you like it. 

????️ Showers are here to stay, with wet conditions on track through the week. #WAwx pic.twitter.com/0yM2lMdZH7

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) November 11, 2024

Income tax when? According to 2023 census data, the median wages for tech workers in the Seattle area last year was about $157,200. That's a $14,000 increase from 2022's tech-worker wage estimate, according to the Seattle Times' FYI Guy. Meanwhile, the median income for non-tech workers in Seattle was about $81,100 and only bumped up a measly $2,800 since 2022. 

Vaccinate your kids: Stop being stupid and get your kids their shots. Whooping cough is on the rise with nearly 1,200 cases documented statewide. Of those cases, over 80% are in children. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re starting to see the impact of waning immunization," Dr. James Lewis, a health officer with the Snohomish County Health Department, told KIRO7. 

Help SIFF staff out: Go see a secret staff pick on Wednesday and throw a few bucks in the kitty to help support SIFF workers who are out of a job now that the Egyptian Theater out of commission. 

A pipe burst at The Egyptian and SIFF staff need our community’s support!

Join us on November 13th at 7pm for a free screening of a VERY secret and VERY good movie. Tickets are free, but please donate to the fundraiser linked on our web page! https://t.co/AjQjZHaWJf pic.twitter.com/GLANjC3Hrs

— Northwest Film Forum (@nwfilmforum) November 9, 2024

Analysis suggests Gaza dead are mostly women and children: New analysis from the United Nations Human Rights Office found that 70% of those killed by Israel in Gaza were women and children. The UN verified the details of 8,119 people killed in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024. Of them, 26 percent were women. Around 44 percent were children, most commonly between five and nine years old. The report said the data indicates "an apparent indifference to the death of civilians and the impact of the means and methods of warfare." 

Wildfire to the East: Dry, windy conditions are to blame for a brush fire in New Jersey that now covers 39 acres. The blaze is currently 30% contained. Meanwhile, at least six more fires are burning in the state. And at the same time, two acres burned in the middle of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, killing a teenage park ranger. Wildfires have increased in east coast states thanks to historic droughts. Boston to New York City and Philadelphia to Washington, D.C are under red flag warnings. The bad news is everything is going to get worse thanks to who we elected president. 

Meanwhile: A California blaze tearing through Ventura County is 31% contained and still covers 32 square miles.

Trump chooses UN ambassador: New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has been chosen to fill the role. Stefanik, who serves as House Republican Conference Chair, is a Trump loyalist with little foreign policy experience. Trump called her a “strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.” 

Bird flu in Canada: The first presumptive case of bird flu in a human has been identified in British Columbia. The infected person is a teenager who likely contracted the illness from contact with animals. So far, the virus hasn't spread from human to human. 

Another abortion horror story: A woman in Georgia was 18 weeks pregnant with her second child when she miscarried. Despite her bleeding and her risk of serious infection, doctors could not perform a routine dilation and curettage due to abortion laws. They had to wait 24 hours or until the woman seemed like she might die unless she received the surgery. Sure enough, they waited until her hemoglobin levels were perilously low and then operated. While she survived, the pain and fear she went through was not medically necessary. Her pain was legislated.

Wicked whoopsie: Mattel released special dolls for the new Wicked movie. On the bottom of the packaging, Mattel listed "Wicked.com" to drive people to the movie site. Only Wicked.com is a porn site that makes parody porn movies. Mattel said sorry. 

A song for your Monday: You like to groove, right?

Salami Rose Joe Louis plays Madame Lou's on Monday, November 11. by Dave Segal

Recording for Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder label, Salami Rose Joe Louis (Lindsay Olsen) has blazed a distinctive trail in that fertile sector of California's underground where electronic music and jazz converge. On early releases by this multi-instrumentalist and producer—such as 2019's Zdenka 2080—Olsen sings in a hushed, dulcet manner over sparse, melodious electronic music that wears its jazz inflections gracefully. Faint echoes of '90s and '00s introspective, minimalist IDM (intelligent dance music, if you don't know) acts such as Múm insinuate themselves, too. It's ultimately dream pop, but not in the cloying way manifested by the genre's try-hards.

With 2023's Akousmatikous and this year's collab with Flanafi, Sarah, SRJL's rhythms get jazzier and the instrumentation fuller, with help from Soccer96 and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, among others. The songs are more kinetic while the vocals retain their breathy, Julee Cruise-like sweetness. The music's levitational feel and smooth propulsion belie lyrics about catastrophic ecological degradation and the dangers of propaganda/disinformation. Enchanting listeners through understatement and mutedly sparkling tones, Olsen offers the most pleasant dystopian sci-fi soundtracks extant. For this show at Madame Lou's tonight, she'll be joined by guitarist Flanafi, bassist Tone Whitfield, and drummer Luke Titus—most of whom played on the exceptional new Salami Live at 2131 North Kacey Street EP.

<a href="https://salamirosejoelouismusic.bandcamp.com/album/salami-live-at-2131-north-kacey-street">Salami Live at 2131 North Kacey Street by Salami Rose Joe Louis featuring Flanafi, Tone Whitfield, Nazir Ebo</a>

Salami Rose Joe Louis plays Madame Lou's Monday, Nov 11, 7:30 pm, $21, 21+.

This week's rounds are Music (Intros), Cetaceans, Football Club Nicknames (Quickfire), Places and an extra Prize Round!
There is no music this week because of the prize round.
Prize Round Picture Question:

Which country?

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Aviation, Famous Voices, and Music Too.
The music is Lady of My Dreams by Jay Tobin.

This week's rounds are Music (Themes), Julius Caesar, International Border Rivers (Quickfire), and the Natural World.
The music is Star Caesar from Possimiste.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Famous Roads, Languages, and Art.
The music is from Punk Rock Opera with a song called The Road.

This week's rounds are Music (Classical), Dragons, Cartoon Families (Quickfire), and Who Am I?
The music is Gone in the Wind by Dragon.

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Atlanta, Movies and History.
The music is Peach Tree by Matteah Baim.

This week's rounds are Music (Mashup Madness), Trees in Literature, Animated Disney Movies (Quickfire), and Sport.
The music is from Springtide with the Teahouse and Bamboo Trees.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Microstates, Television, and Geography.
The music is Liechtenstein with Roses in the Park.

This week's rounds are Music (Christmas Songs), The Nativity, Food Origins (Quickfire), and Science and Technology.
The music is Greg Atkinson with Pantomime Cow.

This week's rounds are Music (Connection), 2019, Musical Instruments, and Literature.
The music is New Year A by Lobo Loco.

This week's rounds are Music (Intros), Dictionaries, Dog Idioms (Quickfire), Transport and an extra Prize Round!
There is no music this week because of the prize round.
Prize Round Picture Question:

Which letter of the Greek alphabet?

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Copper, Famous Voices, and Television.
The music is Copper Kettle by Kathleen Martin.

This week's rounds are Music (Covers), Ethiopia, TV Animals (Quickfire), and Pot Luck.
The music is Handheld Recordings, with Wolaita & Derashe, Ethiopia 2009.

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Bananas, Mystery Sounds, and Famous People.
The music is from The Vivisectors with a song called Loco Banana.

This week's rounds are Music (Terrible Twins), Quotes, A Year in the Life (Quickfire), and Food and Drink.
The music is Anitek, with a song called Drums.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), The A-Team, Old News, and Anagrams.
The music is Shane by Orca Team.

This week's rounds are Music (Mangled by MIDI), Creation Myths, TV Theme Songs (Quickfire), and Places.
The music is from saQi with a song called Creation's Call.

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), The Vietnam War, Movies, and Music Too.
The music is Turn Me Back from Vietnam Cowboy.

Celebrating fifteen years of PodQuiz, this week's rounds are Music (Backbeat), the Number Fifteen, Directorial Debuts (Quickfire), and the Natural World.
The music is The Pendulum Swings's (It Must Be) Somebody's Birthday.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Bags, Languages, and Who Am I?
The music is Josh Woodward, with Bags of Water.

This week's rounds are Music (Intros), Singing, World Firsts (Quickfire), Art, and a Prize Round.
There is no music this week because of the prize round.
Prize Round Picture Question:

Which country?

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), 1970s Rock Music, Literature, and History.
The music is Elvis Depressedly, with Rock n Roll.

This week's rounds are Music (Lyrical Linguist), Bears, Religious Festivals (Quickfire), and Sport.
The music this week comes from Mountain High, with a song called Russian Bear.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Fictional Games, Famous Voices, and Geography.
The music this week comes from The Friendly Dimension, with a song called Just Your Game.

This week's rounds are Music (Classical Covers), The Himalayas, Late Sequels (Quickfire), and Science and Technology.
The music is Edoardo Romani Capelo's Himalaya.

This week's rounds are Music (Themes), Tulips, Movies and Literature.
The music is The Flowers by Elephant Funeral.

This week's rounds are Music (Sample Sinners), Beetles, IATA Airport Codes (Quickfire), and Famous People.
The music is from Blue Dot Sessions with a song called An Introduction to Beetles.

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Aromas, Places, and Transport.
The music is Faint Smell of Moss from Dark Meat.

This week's rounds are Music (Guitar Solos), The Knights Templar, TV Cop Duos (Quickfire), and Food and Drink.
The music is The Miseryslims, with a song called Knights Out.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Cuba, Old News, and Television.
The music is El Capitan by Cuban Cowboys.

This week's rounds are Music (Intros), Best Animated Feature Oscar, Dams (Quickfire), Pot Luck and an extra Prize Round!
There is no music this week because of the prize round.
Prize Round Picture Question:

Who is it?

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Pizza, Languages, and Anagrams.
The music is Pepperoni Eyes by Personal and the Pizzas.

This week's rounds are Music (Album Tracks), Spy Movies, Forty This Year (Quickfire), and Places.
The music is Crete Boom's The Spyin Blues.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Television, and Music Too.
Music this week comes from Decktonic with Spectrum.

This week's rounds are Music (Middle Eights), North Africa, Traditional Dress (Quickfire), and the Natural World.
The music is Casablanca by Phillip Gross.

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Ice, Famous Voices, and Who Am I?
The interlude music is To The Ice from Street Eaters.

This week's rounds are Music (Covers), Axes, TV Middle Names (Quickfire), and 12345 (with guest hosts the Trivia Rogues).
Music comes from The Deafening Colors with Waiting For The Axe.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Beds, Literature, and Sport.
The music is Derek Clegg with It Ain't This Bed.

This week's rounds are Music (Mashup Madness), the Pacific Ocean, National Animals (Quickfire), and Art.
The music is Tyler Jon Tyler, with Pacific Daylight Time.

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Orbitals, Musical Instruments, and History.
The music is Eccentric Orbitals by Hawkins and Laury Renac.

This week's rounds are Music (Lah-Dee-Dah), The Number Eight, ISO Country Codes, EGOT Award Winners (with guest host Amanda) and an extra Prize Round!
If you're able to, please participate in TriviAction - make a donation ($20 or as much as you can afford) to one or more of the following charities: Black Lives Matter, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Bail Fund Network, Assata’s Daughters and Brave Space Alliance. In exchange you'll receive an hour-long trivia special with contributions from many quiz podcasters and celebrity guests including Sinbad, Ernie Hudson, Andre Dawson, Tatianna and Epic Rap Battles of History!
Prize Round Picture Question:

Which company?

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Root Vegetables, Movies, and Science and Technology.
The music is from Eric and Magill with a song called Vegetable Gardeners.

This week's rounds are Music (Mangled by MIDI), Skyscrapers, Iconic Fashions (Quickfire), and Geography.
The music is All Along the Skyscraper by Jamie Ward.

This week's rounds are Music (Connections), Birds in Song, Old News, and Literature.
The music is Birdsong by Golden Dogs.

This week's rounds are Music (Terrible Twins), Human Biology, Transport Brands (Quickfire), and Famous People.
The music is Human Hands by Handmade Moments.

This week's rounds are Music (Annual Anthems), Poets, the Natural World, and Transport.
The music is from The Agrarians with a song called To Our Poet Most Pure.