The Stranger's morning news roundup.
by Micah Yip
Millionaires’ Tax $$$: After that 24-hour debate in the House this week, the Washington Senate gave the millionaires’ tax its final stamp of approval and sent it to Gov. Bob Ferguson for signature. He’s expected to sign. The 9.9 percent tax on income of more than $1 million per year would raise about $3-4 billion annually to fund schools and other state services.
Trading Health for Healthcare: A third of Americans are skipping meals, stretching drug prescriptions, delaying education, putting off surgery and postponing vacations to pay their medical bills, according to two Gallup polls. All of these trade-offs can lead to a decline in physical and mental health.
Wind: High winds hit Western Washington last night. Seattle saw 45 mph gusts, which picked up to 60 mph in lowlands. Speeds peaked at Alpental Summit (124 mph) and Snoqualmie Pass (134 mph). One person died east of Monroe when a tree fell onto their vehicle. About 120,000 people lost power, and as of this morning, 30,000 still don’t have it.
Talk About Waste, Fraud and Abuse: Remember when former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem spent $220 million of our money on her weird cowgirl ad campaign encouraging immigrants to self-deport? So that budget surpassed several Best Picture nominees: Marty Supreme ($140-175 million), One Battle After Another ($200 million), and Frankenstein (about $120 million). Not F1, though. That movie spent $350 million (Brad Pitt is more in demand than Noem).
‘Try Being an Influencer For a Day’: Earlier this year, the state House declined to give press passes to conservative influencers Brandi Kruse, Jonathan Choe and radio host Ari Hoffman, saying they were activists and not real journalists. The trio asked the court for a temporary restraining order to force the House to give them passes, but on Tuesday, they lost their case.
No Medicaid for Trans Care in WV: The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld West Virginia’s ban on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgeries, overturning a district judge’s decision that the ban violated anti-discrimination protections. The 4th Circuit ruled that the law relates to procedures, not individuals, and therefore does not discriminate against transgender people. Riiiiiight.
MTG’s Replacement: The race to replace former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has advanced to an April 7 runoff between Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris. Fuller is a district attorney and a pro-mass deportation, tough-on-crime, constitutional conservative. Harris, a former Marine and cattle producer, wants a farm bill, a stop to Medicaid cuts, and a “tough but compassionate immigration policy.”
Domestic Workers Bill of Rights: Gov. Ferguson signed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights on Monday, giving nannies, housekeepers, gardeners and other domestic workers new rights and protections. Employers will have to pay a minimum wage and overtime, give advance notice of termination, and draft written agreements that state terms of employment. Workers will be able to file labor claims to the Department of Labor and Industries.
Sexual Abuse at Skykomish Schools: The Skykomish School District closed all its schools this week after a gym teacher was accused of abusing a student for nearly two years, mostly on school property. The teacher, Daniel Bubar, 62, was charged Wednesday with second- and third-degree rape of a child, communication with a child for immoral purposes.
AI Takeover: In a terrible job market, white-collar workers are turning to AI-training, essentially helping to eliminate more jobs. Lawyers, writers, HR managers, scientists— data companies are siphoning their intelligence. A company called Mercors says about 30,000 professionals work on its platform each week. Scale AI claims to have more than 700,000. Surge AI says platinum recording artists and Supreme Court litigators work for them. It’s not scary at all.
On That Happy Note: I’m a little late to the new Hilary Duff album party. She released luck…or something a couple weeks ago.
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