Scientists advance Parkinson’s disease biomarker research one sniff at a time.

Following recent hurricanes, reports of "flesh-eating" bacteria in Florida have emerged, but these bacteria, which exist year-round, don't actually consume flesh.

Zymo Research, Unravel Biosciences, and Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute team up to combat increasing cases of domoic acid poisoning in sea lions.

The Guardian 5000 Series Hotplate Stirrers represent a significant advancement in laboratory equipment, combining cutting-edge technology with unparalleled safety features. As the next generation of Guardian stirrers, these models offer exceptional performance and reliability for a wide range of applications.

This new system raises the bar in high-resolution, high-throughput 3D imaging for cells and organoids, providing researchers with faster, more detailed, and more accurate insights into biological processes.

Researchers found that Toxoplasma gondii increased the host cell’s metabolic activity, offering insights into potential treatment strategies. 

Collaboration enables customers to securely and confidently use AI to accelerate drug research and discovery.

Loss of the X chromosome increases with age and may have implications for health and disease risk.

Zymo Research believes that Qiagen’s lawsuit is part of a larger strategy to misuse litigation as a tool to stifle innovation and delay the adoption of groundbreaking technologies that benefit the scientific and medical communities.  

Why are Washingtonians using the Empower ride-sharing app?

The home team wasn't going to win every game in the NBA playoffs, anyway. The defiant and defensive-minded Chicago Bulls also might've been the easiest to predict as the first visitors to get a postseason victory after higher seeds went 8-0 in Game 1s over the weekend.

BRETTON WOODS, New Hampshire — Former Vice President Mike Pence met with local New Hampshire politicians during his crisscrossing of the Granite State on Wednesday as speculations mount over his 2024 ambitions.

Former Idaho state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years behind bars for raping a 19-year-old intern.

(The Center Square) – Whether a county can have more control over renewable energy projects like wind farms is under consideration by Illinois lawmakers in the final hours of lame-duck session.

(The Center Square) — A legislative task force "to study the dissolution or absorption of fiscally distressed municipalities" set the tone in its first meeting with a vote to change its name.

On Tuesday, Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke proposed a budget for the next fiscal year that includes massive layoffs and dozens of service cuts as the agency faces a $750 million deficit.

Commuters in Newark, New Jersey, were subject to delays Thursday morning after a bull got loose on the tracks of Newark Penn Station.

An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to return to Portland, Oregon, on Friday, after a window on the Boeing blew off midflight.

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to be temporarily grounded on Saturday.

Chicago Bears offensive lineman Sam Mustipher fell backwards in a dramatic fashion after an apparent light shove by Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne during a game Thursday night.

A Native American group filed a lawsuit against the Washington Commanders after the team alleged the group, which is advocating that the team revert to its "Redskins" title, was "fake."

A tech conference meant to be the largest gathering of female technologists faced backlash when biological men identifying as "nonbinary" were seen attending the event.

Researchers confirm the terror bird fossil 20 years after its South American discovery, comparing the creature to a massive, carnivorous-like ostrich.

It wasn't about power plays. It wasn't about missed calls. In the end, it was all about blown chances and missed opportunities.

Star shows frustration of another playoff loss

Washington Capitals winger Devante Smith-Pelly is planning to sit out the traditional White House visit if his team wins the Stanley Cup.

Facebook and Instagram users in the EU users are getting a new option to use these platforms for free with less personalized ads, and Meta is also slashing the price of its ad-free subscription by 40%.

The post Facebook and Instagram to Display Less Personalized Ads in the EU to Appease Regulators appeared first on Thurrott.com.

Nvidia is ready to replace its GeForce Experience app on Windows with its new Nvidia app, which is now officially out of beta.

The post New Nvidia App is Ready to Replace GeForce Experience appeared first on Thurrott.com.

The 2024 Bainbridge Island Film Festival runs from November 7-10. by Charles Mudede

If catastrophe strikes on Tuesday, and all you can see is four years of gloom and more gloom, then it might be the right time to take a ferry to Bainbridge for two reasons. One, the November-colored waters of Elliott Bay will match and maybe even soothe your mood. (One thing you can always depend on is the love misery has for company.) Two, there is a festival, Bainbridge Film Festival, which features a superb distraction, the comedy Micro Budget.  Directed by Morgan Evans, who has worked for The Onion, the film cannot be praised for originality but for getting the most out of a concept that really should have no gas left in it: The mockumentary.

The plot: An Iowan, Terry (Patrick Noth), decides to relocate to LA to make a movie that can only be, when completed, unspeakably bad. His wife is very pregnant, he doesn't have enough money, and the sun has never shined on his imagination. He hires actors who have many rungs to climb before they come anywhere close to the D List, and the production moves from one absurdity to the next. 

During the filming process, the pregnant wife suffers, the actors suffer, and the members of the production team work without disguising their contempt. All, including the cousin shooting the documentary, are caught in the fantasy of a madman who should have kept his desires in the lowest drawer of his office desk.

We have been there and seen all of that. And yet, Micro Budget, is actually funny and, once in a while, reaches a region that can be called brilliant (particularly in the moments when the director attempts to meet what he imagines to be the woke standards of Hollywood). The film also has a priceless cameo. One you will never expect in a million years.

It's worth watching even if a catastrophe is averted on November 6.

The 2024 Bainbridge Island Film Festival runs from November 7-10.

Seattle's only news roundup. by Ashley Nerbovig

Ok weather to vote in! Should be a pretty nice day to stroll down to your nearest ballot box, with a high of 52 degrees and partly sunny, and a slight chance of rain after 2 p.m. 

So go vote! Don't let anything stop you. As Hannah said yesterday, you can still vote! I voted last year on the last possible day, and I hadn't registered yet at that point. I just jogged down to Lumen Field though and it was super easy to register, vote, and leave. Even if you're feeling left out because you're not in a swing state and the entirety of the country's future doesn't rest on your shoulders, the future of this state and city really does! Dropping some helpful links to make sure you have everything you need to make your voices heard. First, how to register to vote. Second, how to replace a lost ballot. Thirdly, ballot box locations. Finally, our handy cheat sheet for help filling out your ballot. 

Done your civic duty already? Well then sit back and enjoy the final hours of uncertainty at one of the many election night parties happening across the city tonight. The Stranger is throwing one at the Crocodile—it’s sold out, but we think it’s worth it to take your chances on standby tickets. There might be some no-shows, and we can squeeze you in. But if you don't wanna chance it, check out this list of parties you can attend from our sister publication Everout. Stranger reporters will be dotted around the city to bring you coverage of the election from various candidate election parties as well.

Speaking of voting: The Boeing machinists approved a contract last night ending their strike after 53 days, according to the Seattle Times. The latest contract, approved by 59% of membership, includes a 38% general wage increase over the next four years, which equates to 43% when you factor in raises on top of raises. The contract did not restore the pension that they lost in a contentious vote 10 years ago. Union president Jon Holden said the union should be proud of what they accomplished and that it was time to get back to building planes.

Alleged sex abuse in youth detention: An additional 176 people made allegations against Washington state for failing to protect them from sexual abuse while they were children at youth detention centers in the state, according to the Seattle Times. Combined with another lawsuit filed in September, that brings the total number of people claiming they were sexually abused in Washington's detention centers up to almost 400. Meanwhile, the Seattle Times Editorial Board continues to decry and complain about youth diversion programs meant to help kids avoid being sent into lock up.

Seattle Steel Pan Project Evicted: The Seattle Steel Pan Project, dedicated to teaching the art of steel plan music and performance, needs a new space to operate in after MLK FAME Community Center in the Central District evicted the group this week, according to an Instagram post from the project. In the post, the group accused MLK FAME of bowing to the demands of neighborhood "Karens" who complained about the groups weekly practice. I reached out to MLK FAME for a response, who did not immediately reply, but I'll update if they do. In the meantime, the project is asking everyone they know if they have any ideas where they can house their steel pan band. Their email address is steelpanproject@gmail.com. Here's a little taste of what they do:

Ok. Moving on. Let's talk about the presidential election: Let's be real, no one knows how this election will shake out. The polls are insanely tight in swing states. Dixville Notch, a tiny New Hampshire town that votes at midnight every year on Election Day, tallied up their six votes which resulted in a tie, with three votes for Vice President Kamala Harris, and three for former President Donald Trump. There is a very good chance we don't know the election result tonight, and maybe not for a couple days.

Battleground states prepare for certification fight: Given the resistance to certifying the vote in swing states in the last election cycle, many officials have already started to prepare to quash attempts by county officials to squabble over valid election results, according to Politico. Election officials fear if Trump loses, he won't just fade quietly into the night, and instead will mount another attempt to overturn election results.

Meanwhile, the two parties also are wrestling for control of congress. New York stands out as a battleground state for the House, as the congressional seats they lost in 2022 helped Republicans take the chamber back, according to Politico. Meanwhile in Texas, Democrats continue to try to take Senator Ted Cruz's seat, and while Cruz continues to lead, Representative Colin Allred is within spitting distance of him. But, it's wholly unpredictable who will control what in 2025.

But for some good news: One of my top five favorite creatures in the world continues to beat the odds. A cloned black-footed ferret mother in Virginia gave birth to two little baby ferrets in June, according to the Washington Post. Unclear why we're only hearing about it now. We should have rang the bells. If you don't know much about black-footed ferrets, you're really missing out. These little bandits scurry across our prairie lands, and has supposedly gone extinct twice, but they're resilient AF. Now with the cloning and the babies, we could continue to see this species soldier on. Ugh I love them so much, I've been obsessed with them ever since I lived in Montana. And I'm not a ferret girl, it's just they're little markings make them look like they have a tiny black Zorro mask across their smol faces. Here is a video of them being adorable:

I'm so excited about this cloning thing: Instead of a musical recommendation, another video about black footed ferrets.

Mute Steve Kornacki, unclench your jaw, and scroll through these sweet scenes from Sea-Meow. by Megan Seling

Photos by Madison Kirkman

Sea-Meow, which bills itself as Washington’s largest cat convention, invaded Seattle Center’s Exhibition Hall over the weekend and brought with it appearances from the Two Crazy Cat Ladies, Moshow the Cat Rapper, and Christopher Watson aka the Catluminati, as well as a cat costume contest, a cat-calling contest, cat bingo, and dozens of vendors slinging everything from cat beds to catnip to cat coffee. (That is, cat-themed coffee that benefits cat rescues and not, like, coffee for cats.)

But most importantly, there were cats. So many cats. Old cats, young cats, kitten cats. Cats available for adoption, cats available for snuggles, and cats being pushed, carried, and cradled in backpacks and strollers and those bags with little clear bubble cutouts that make them look like grumpy-faced astronauts. 

Election results won’t be in for several hours, and even then, it may take days to know who won. So close Twitter (what are you still doing on that hell site anyway???), mute Steve Kornacki, unclench your jaw, and scroll through these sweet scenes from Sea-Meow.

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.

No, you people don’t like fun, you like to be miserable, it’s your bit. by Anonymous

Ah, it’s that lovely time of year when Seattle’s inferiority complex rears its ugly head in the form of the ridiculously stubborn “no umbrella” attitude. Listen, I’ve lived in this city for almost 30 years, and I love it (I won’t say where I came from lest I trigger that inferiority complex again), but you people are such martyrs. You’re willing to get sopping wet and miserable just to dig your heels in on this asinine stance that literally no other rainy place on earth takes.

Even the Brits keep calm and use a bloody umbrella, you twats. They also have a cute name for them: Brollies. Would it make you use one if we agreed to call them that? No, you people don’t like fun, you like to be miserable, it’s your bit. Get over yourselves! There’s a reason umbrellas were invented! No amount of overpriced, outdoor-chic REI gear is going to keep you from looking like a fool just so you can feel superior to the "weaklings” using umbrellas (read: people who don’t have insecurity issues).

Do you need to get something off your chest? Submit an I, Anonymous and we'll illustrate it! Send your unsigned rant, love letter, confession, or accusation to ianonymous@thestranger.com. Please remember to change the names of the innocent and the guilty.

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."

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+.

The Stranger's morning news round-up. by Ashley Nerbovig

Goooooood morning: The National Weather Service predicts a 50% chance of rain today, with a breezy evening ahead. Meteorologists expect wind speeds to possibly top 29 miles per hour, so batten down your rotting porch pumpkins people!

Time to talk dollars: Want to tell the City Council how to spend your tax dollars? Go to public comment tonight at 5 pm at City Hall. Or you can participate remotely. You can go to tell them to support a capital gains tax, or oppose cuts to tenant services. Or tell the Council to respect the Jumpstart spend plan and actually use the payroll tax to pay for affordable housing, as it was intended. Check back on the blog for more coverage of the budget from Hannah. 

ICYMI: With the blowout loss for former Council Member Tanya Woo, Hannah tells City Council Member Sara Nelson to count her days. Local politicos plan to mount a serious challenge to the conservative Council President Nelson next year in the hopes of ousting her and her pro-cop, pro-business agenda out of office.

Rob Saka Seeks Street Car phase-out: Saka proposed phasing out the South Lake Union streetcar and redirecting the funding to bus service in the City. The budget for the street car is about $4.4 million, which isn't a whole lot of money when you consider Saka wants $2 million to remove the Delridge median so he can take a left turn.

Last week, the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) completed its investigation into Seattle Police Department (SPD) Officer Kevin Dave, who hit and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula as she crossed through a crosswalk in January 2023. The OPA found Dave violated the department's driving policies as well as its policies requiring officers to follow the law. The City must hold a Loudermill hearing for Dave, which allows him to tell his side of the story before deciding on his discipline, so it may be a couple months before we know the final outcome. In the meantime, Dave continues to fight the traffic ticket Republican City Attorney Ann Davison issued him for his killing of Kandula. Seattle Municipal Court shows Dave's next hearing is scheduled for 8:30 am on December 18 in courtroom 301. 

BREAKING: OPA concluded its investigation into SPD Officer Kevin Dave on Friday and sustained policy violations for breaking the law and vehicle operation. Next step will be deciding discipline for him.

— Ashley Nerbovig (@AshleyNerbovig) November 11, 2024

What's your plan for this week anyway? Maybe you're checking out Christmas Dive Bar? Or maybe it's too soon? Maybe you're trying to enjoy something with more Thanksgiving vibes? Well, as always, our sister publication EverOut has you covered with the top 41 things to do this week in Seattle.

Republicans likely to control the US House: As it stands, Republicans have won 214 seats in the House, with Democrats at 205, and 16 races yet to be called. To control the House, Republicans need only to pick up another four seats, which they seem highly likely to do. Congress returned to Washington this week, ready to start setting Trump's right-wing agenda into motion.

Trump plans to pick Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State: The worst people in American continue to jockey for a position in Trump's new administration, with Florida Republican Rubio possibly securing the role of America's top diplomat, according to Politico. We're sure to hear more names in the coming days, including people such as Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, who Trump may consider for Secretary of Education. The nightmare continues. 

Israel kills 14 in Gaza: Two Israeli strikes killed 14 people in an area Israel had mostly declared to be a humanitarian zone. The deaths included at least two children, according to the Associated Press. 

Migos’ “Bad And Boujee” (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert): Been a minute since I checked out Tom Breihan's the Number Ones column, and I'm glad I plumbed it for a song today because I normally wouldn't think about Migos around holiday season, but that's when "Bad and Boujee" climbed to the number one spot on the charts, so I suppose that makes it a holiday classic.

Tuesday’s catastrophic results at the federal level mask a different, more durable, and deeply consequential result here in Seattle: Voters chose a public safety candidate from the left. by Kamau Chege

Tuesday’s catastrophic results at the federal level mask a different, more durable, and deeply consequential result here in Seattle: Voters chose a public safety candidate from the left.

For close observers, the result was no surprise: Alexis Mercedes Rinck, running on a strong message of smart, sensible, and progressive public safety and stability, won her primary handily, led in the polls in the lead up to the general election, and easily defeated an incumbent councilmember citywide with more votes than any city council candidate has ever won in a Seattle election.

The critical takeaway is how she won. Rinck, unlike other candidates from Seattle’s left wing in recent years, conceded to the obvious but difficult-to-navigate reality that Seattle voters view public safety as the single most important issue in local elections and, importantly, that those views actually reflect a material reality that bears serious public attention and public work. Missing from the campaign were efforts to browbeat voters for being concerned about public drug use, visible homelessness, and a pervasive sense of disorder in our streets. 

Unlike her opponent, however, Rinck’s policy proposals to tackle voters’ biggest concerns are evidence-based. She supports deep investments in affordable housing — and is willing to raise revenue to pay for it. She’ll work to expand mental health treatment opportunities for those who need it. She’ll fully fund critical municipal services that connect people to resources before they fall into crisis. And she’ll work to build more housing everywhere.

Woo’s campaign, meanwhile, felt rudderless and contradictory to itself. She was at once painting herself as an outsider seeking change, but also as an incumbent who got progressive results. But in facing a charismatic, competent opponent who conceded that Woo’s main issue was central but ran on doing something about it that might actually work, Woo’s campaign collapsed. 

At the beginning of the year, a campaign based on public safety seemed like fertile ground for Woo and her colleagues on the city council who won their elections hammering the same themes against a left that failed to counter pandemic-era attacks about defunding the police.

Rinck’s progressive campaign neutralized those attacks by recognizing a fundamental liberal principle: that when public spaces become private domains — whether through encampments or open air drug markets — they deny public amenities to the many while inadequately serving the few who are unhoused or in crisis. The solution most people want, as Tuesday’s results suggest, lies not in costly incarceration or aimless sweeps but in moving people from crisis to care.

The public’s fixation on safety and stability in this election should not surprise us. Fears about safety flourish in populist moments, in cities divided between haves and have-nots, and in places grappling with widening inequality. As zoning laws continue to strangle our ability to build, crisis care programs are starved for funding, and democratic institutions strain under populist pressure, voters gravitate to a basic need for physical and psychological security.

Rinck’s campaign offers us a model and a playbook for organizing with hope and meeting people where they are — even if that is initially a place of fear and contradiction. Her campaign, and those we hope will follow it in winning back the City Council for progressives, offers abundance in the face of scarcity and hope in the face of despair.

We’re facing bleak times as a country. Perhaps it’s precisely because things are so bad right now that we can't give in to despair, whose pernicious power is its ability to narrow our attention to narratives that only encourage more despair. Its impact results in our inaction. 

As implausible as it seems, this moment demands hope, and specifically, hope as action. We must remind ourselves and each other of our own agency, and our ability to imagine a better future, a better system. Despair calls on us to retreat. Hope asks: what if we win? Then demands we go out and make it happen. On Tuesday, Rinck did just that.

Kamau Chege is a democracy reform advocate. Rian Watt is an economic justice advocate.

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Sarah Borghi women ultra sheer pantyhose. Lycra 6 denier. Treated with natural essences BIO-FRESH, keeping away mosquito and insects with refreshing effects. Includes Hipoallergenic certificate from the Pharmacology Institute of the University of Pavia. Almost transparent ultra sheer for evening wear. Meryl labelled. Cotton gusset. Flat seams. Nude toe. Made in Italy. Colors Naturel,Trianon,Playa,Chiaro,Nero. Sizes 1,2,3. See Sizechart. Price: USD7.47

La Vora women high support pantyhose for daytime wear. Elegant for the modern women and yet provides pressure support to the stressful legs. Freesize (S-L, 145-185cm). Colors Fairlady,1404,Inca,1012,Charcoal. Price: USD4.45

Floral lace French-cut support, extra sheers. Freesize. Sandal toe. Luxurious floral lace together with extra-sheerness and silkiness makes you feel pampered and sexy. Ideal for day and evening, you get the support and control you need while enhancing the beauty of your legs. Colors Nude,Honey,Peach,Silk Beige,Suntan,Toffee,Midnight. See Sizechart. Price: USD4.90

Fitlady women toe cover. Incorporate pads to offer relieve to your stressful feet. Suitable to go with flip-flops. Treated to provide anti-perspiration and anti-bacteria. Freesize. Color 1021 only. Price: USD4.45

Fitlady women support stocking foot cover. 40 denier. Offers some relieve to your stressful feet. Good with highheels. Treated to provide anti-perspiration and anti-bacteria. Freesize (foot length: 7 - 12 inches). Color 1021 only. See Sizechart. Price: USD5.21

Support stocking socks to offer some relieve to your stressful feet. 60 denier. Suitable to go with sporty shoes. Treated to provide anti-perspiration and anti-bacteria. Freesize (foot length: 7" - 12").1021 color only. See Sizechart. Price: USD5.96

Ladies color fashion socks from Propeds. Lowcut cotton socks. Freesize (size 4-7). Colors Solid Pink, Solld Blue, Solid Black, White/Pink, White/Lilac, White/Dark Blue, White/PowderBlue, White/Black. See Sizechart. Price: USD4.45

Fashion slave bracelet-ring with imitation black stone inlaid used by harem dancer in medieval time. This bracelet-ring features a triangular layout of gem-stone looking black stones connected with a slim length of chain to a metal ring that loops over a finger. You will feel like a princess wearing this ornate exotic bracelet! Beautiful unique bracelet that will always be cherished!!. This item fits from 6" to 8" wrists. Price: USD7.55

La Vora women super sheer pantyhose for daytime wear. Make your legs beautifully smooth to touch. High spandex content provides support and clearly follows the contour of your legs without slag, making it also suitable for slender legs. Freesize (S-L, 145-185cm). Colors Fairlady,1404,Inca,1012,Honey,306,Black. Price: USD4.45

Charnos women sheer stockings. Luxury soft, sensual and sheer hold ups 10 denier. Sheer toe with run-resist guard. Flatlock seams. Luxurious deep lace stocking top - silicone backed. Made in UK. Colors Sherry,Black. Sizes S,M,L. See Sizechart. Price: USD24.07

Plasir fashion patterned pantyhose / tights from Sarah Borghi. 50 deniers. With Microfiber. Sheer to waist with cotton gusset. Flat seams. Meryl labelled. Suitable for figure-hugging dresses as there will not be any 'traceable' panty line. Flat seams for optimal comfort with no unsightly bulges and to minimise marking on your sides. Cotton gusset for extra comfort, durability and hygiene. Nero color only. Sizes 1,3,4. See Sizechart. Price: USD10.49

Fitlady women support knee high open toe socks, 15 denier. Toeless amd suitable to go with sandals and highheels. Treated to provide anti-perspiration and anti-bacteria. Freesize. color 1021 only. Price: USD5.96