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Slog AM: Council Appointee Tanya Woo Barrs Media From Council Quorum ‘Co-Hosted’ Event, DNC Snubs Palestinian-American Chairman RFK Jr., Who Will Step Down

Posted on by angelo
Slog AM: Council Appointee Tanya Woo Barrs Media From Council Quorum ‘Co-Hosted’ Event, DNC Snubs Palestinian-American Chairman RFK Jr., Who Will Step Down

Minecraft Season Preview: Today, Seattleites can expect mostly cloudy skies and temperatures around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Around 9 p.m., rain will start to fall and persist through the early hours of Friday. It feels like summer has come to an abrupt halt in recent days, but don’t get too used to it. Sunny skies and temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit will return later next week.

DNC: On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, the party invited talk show personality Oprah Winfrey, former President Bill Clinton and the woman who allegedly pushed for President Joe Biden’s resignation, Nancy Pelosi, to the stage. Winfrey shot back at J.D. Vance’s “cat lady” comment, Clinton bragged about being younger than Trump and Pelosi thanked Biden for his presidency, presumably because it would be in poor taste to do a victory lap. But the big headliner was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who accepted his nomination to be Kamala Harris’s running mate. Tonight, the final night of the convention, Harris will finally take the stage.

Notably absent: The Democratic National Committee invited the parents of a man taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel. The parents called for a ceasefire to bring their son home and end the devastation in Gaza. It’s great, though, that the Democratic National Committee The DNC has refused to allow any Palestinian-American to speak about Israel’s bombing and killing of 40,000 people in Gaza, even though the party had been able to review the speech beforehand. After two months of demanding such a speaker, the leaders of the “uncommitted” movement, the uncommitted delegates and their supporters staged a sit-in outside the DNC last night and held a press conference this morning, demanding a time slot for their movement. I just have to say that when the DNC seems to let any anti-Trump Republican on stage who answers their calls but ignores a movement of Democratic voters who care about the genocide in Gaza, it shows that the “tent” is only big in one direction.

Despite the popularity As for the ceasefire request, it appears the DNC is not a welcoming audience for pro-Palestinian protesters:

Moment of well-being: Fortunately, people who have complicated relationships with their fathers got a kick in the gut from this moment.

Later, losing: Sources expect Robert F Kennedy Jr. to drop out of the presidential race tomorrow. This is news because I had forgotten that this man was still In The White House race was a failure, but mostly because some believe he intends to support former President Donald Trump. While I think that’s the natural order of things, Kennedy reportedly tried to trade a job with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for her support last week. So that’s a bit of a change if you’ve heard that news.

Rest in peace, Ruth: Police have arrested a 48-year-old man suspected of killing beloved 80-year-old dog walker Ruth Dalton. The suspect is expected to appear in court today, police said. The Seattle Times.

Nightmare Blunt Rotation: City Council appointee Tanya Woo is hosting a fundraiser later today, “co-hosted” by six of her fellow council members. I tried to confirm my attendance, but Blue Wave, the fundraising group organizing the event, said it was closed to the media. With a full quorum of the council potentially in attendance, it seems odd at best to exclude the media and a violation of the Open Public Meetings Act at worst. The city attorney’s office told me it doesn’t see an ethical issue here because it’s a “private campaign event” where council members are appearing in their “personal” capacity, where they are “free to exercise their constitutional rights to political expression and freedom of association.”

Nightmare Blunt Rotation Part II: Okay, sure. But if at any point during the hour-and-a-half event they talk about their day jobs, that seems like it’s overstepping the mark for personal capacity, IMHO. And since they’re not letting the media in to make sure they’re not doing anything illegal, I’m not in a position to give them the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, I’m curious to hear how they’re reporting on Woo’s embarrassing primary performance and why most of the city council continues to force it on us. If you want to go find out, you can RSVP to [email protected], according to the flyer.

Discreet W: It appears that Council Speaker Sara Nelson has lost her war on minimum wage for delivery drivers.

Billionaire down: The yacht of Mike Lynch, a 59-year-old British tech mogul, which was supposed to be “unsinkable,” sank earlier this week off the coast of Sicily, Italy, when it crossed paths with a tornado. This morning, the Italian coastguard announced that it had recovered Lynch’s body. As of 6 a.m., the coastguard has rescued 15 people, found six dead, and is continuing to search for Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, the last of 22 passengers still missing.

Ceasefire now: On Wednesday, Israeli tank and drone strikes killed 17 people in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Defense Ministry. Associated PressAs Israeli forces advance deeper into central and southern Gaza, Reuters reported 27 more deaths on Thursday. That figure includes 11 people killed in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya, six people, including a local journalist, in a house in Al-Maghazi camp in central Gaza, five people in separate strikes in the south, and five killed and many wounded in an airstrike near a square in Khan Younis.

Arms embargo now: President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday to “underscore the urgency” of reaching a ceasefire agreement with Gaza, according to the White House. Proponents of the deal argue that the best way to pressure Israel is to withhold weapons. Worth a try, Biden?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Councilwoman Cathy Moore’s anti-sex work crusade is still wrong, and neighbors who once supported her are starting to notice, writes Ashley Nerbovig.

Carpenter Sah-BB: Sabrina Carpenter is releasing new music TOMORROW. Here’s a sneak peek.