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Takesies Backsies: The Department of Health and Human Services rescinded about 700 of the 1,300 termination notices they sent to CDC workers this weekend. HHS claims the notices were mistakenly sent due to a “coding error.” The layoffs included members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service and two people leading the measles outbreak response. Who needs’em, right? (The US has confirmed more than 1,500 cases this year, the highest number in three decades.)
CourtWars: Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones will have to pay the $1.4 billion judgment against him for spreading lies that the Sandy Hook school shooting was staged. The Supreme Court of the United States rejected his appeal without even asking the victims’ families to respond—the judicial way of saying, “Don’t waste our time, man.” Jones argued he never got a fair trial, which is rich coming from a guy who spent years yelling about “crisis actors” instead of turning over discovery documents.
News flash, Hegseth! Major news outlets, including The New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and even the far-right Newsmax, are refusing to sign the Defense Department’s new media access pledge. The pledge is a gag. It limits journalists from much of the Pentagon without escort and gives the Secretary of WAR!!! the power to personally revoke the credentials of any reporter who seeks information that he has not approved for release. Any outlet that refuses to sign will likely get their reporters kicked out of the Pentagon, according to the AP.
Reporters say it’s a First Amendment Nightmare: The sign-or-get-out rule that makes transparency sound like treason. The New York Times posted on X that “The public has a right to know how the government and military are operating. The Times is dedicated to pursuing the public interest through deep, fair reporting and an unwavering pursuit of the facts.” Hegseth responded by retweeting the Times’ statement, adding “👋.”
Extreme Stream Makeover: In a press release for F1: The Movie, Apple announced Apple TV+ is rebranding as Apple TV. “Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity,” the release read. Vibrant new identity TBD.
Dallas ICE Shooter Was “Completely Normal” Until He Moved to Washington: The man who shot and killed two detainees and injured a third at a Dallas ICE facility last month became convinced he’d contracted radiation sickness while working at a marijuana farm near the Hanford site in southeast Washington, according to records obtained by the Associated Press. Returning home because of this belief, Joshua Jahn, 29, became obsessed with AI, avoided touching plastic, and played thousands of hours of shooter games with the username “Frank Hoenniker,” a misspelling of Frank Hoenikker, a character from Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. The FBI, short-staffed by the shutdown, says it’s “focused on essential public safety.” Translation: Don’t expect answers soon.
And Now, the Weather: It’ll be sunny and a little windy, with temps in the high 50s. Tomorrow, it’s more of the same with a high of 61. On Friday, there’s a chance of morning showers.
Orcas Island Activist Released from Israeli Prison After Gaza Flotilla Arrest: After several days in Israeli prison, 32-year-old activist and sailor Jasmine Ikeda returned home to Orcas Island on Sunday night. Ikeda was one of 400 activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian convoy challenging Israel’s aid blockade. Speaking to KING 5, Ikeda said Israeli naval forces had surrounded her boat, came aboard, and held activists at gunpoint for nearly 20 hours. After her arrest, Ikeda said she’d shared a four-person cell with 14 people. She slept on concrete and saw Israeli soldiers beat her fellow prisoners, she said.
Mariners Crush Blue Jays: The Seattle Mariners are just two wins away from their first-ever World Series appearance after obliterating the Toronto Blue Jays 10–3 on Monday, KUOW wrote. Julio Rodríguez and Jorge Polanco hit three-run homers, and Joshua Naylor added a two-run shot. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, managed only six hits all game, leaving a crowd of 44,000 with nothing to celebrate on Canadian Thanksgiving. The Mariners play at home tomorrow in Game 3, and the team is up 2–0 in the AL Championship Series.
Leaving Paid Leave Without Pay: Washington’s paid family and medical leave program is so popular that it could go broke. The Washington State Standard reported that it faced a $350 million deficit by 2029 unless lawmakers raise taxes or cut benefits. The state paid more than $2 billion in benefits to roughly 240,000 Washingtonians last year, a $300 million jump from 2023. Premiums are rising. Next year, the state will take 1.13 percent of our paychecks, up from 0.92 percent. It’ll hit the state’s legal cap of 1.2 percent by 2027.
Campaign Sign Killing Case Dismissed: A Skagit County judge dismissed the case against Angela Conijn, a woman accused of shooting and killing Kamran Cohee in 2021 during a fight over a Loren Culp for Governor sign, KING 5 reported. Conijn was also exonerated of bail. The defense argued Conijn acted in self-defense. Prosecutors argued that Conijn fired after the confrontation was over, and called the ruling “an inaccurate reflection of the facts and law.” They plan to appeal. A March trial ended in a hung jury.
Only 74 Southern Resident Orcas Left: The latest census from the Center for Whale Research shows just 74 orcas total across J, K, and L pods, with K pod falling to 14, the lowest total recorded. Researchers say too many newborn calves are dying, and not enough are being born. Whale moms are starving. Their main food source, Chinook salmon, is depleted thanks to decades of damming, pollution, and climate stress.
🙁 : Neo-soul pioneer D’Angelo died from pancreatic cancer this morning. He was 51.
