Last Month This Month is a recap of all the previous month's news, featuring headlines from Slog AM. Find it in every issue of The Stranger! Subscribe to our daily Slog AM newsletter here. This story originally appeared in our Queer Issue on June 4, 2025.
The sun returned. And also, Elon and Trump broke up, Trump and Putin are having relationship woes, Harvard is fighting for its life, Biden is also fighting for his life, and Seattle’s College Inn announced it is in (another) long, protracted death rattle. Here’s what else happened in May:
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A coalition of unions, immigrant rights groups, and other anti-Trump protestors took over the streets on Capitol Hill on May Day. The rally brought together more than 1,000 protesters at Cal Anderson Park, and then, with the assistance of car escorts and bike blockades, they marched to the federal building, stretching across blocks at a time. And it wasn’t the only protest in the region. At the same time, 200 lawyers were ceremonially retaking their oath at the King County Superior Court, and immigrant advocates were marching on the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. This is the kind of progressive coalition-building we need.
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Because science is fucking magic some- times, and RFK hates magic (and thinks poppers cause AIDS), the Trump Administration has slashed more than $800 million worth of grants directed toward LGBTQ health, which, of course, includes HIV research. So, of course, Fred Hutch laid off staff related to their HIV research. What could we lose? Well, Fred Hutch has been pushing HIV prevention research forward in real, concrete ways, like human trials of an HIV vaccine. So, uh, maybe the ’80s are back in a big way. Yikes.
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Well, lookie there, Governor Bob Ferguson can do something remotely progressive. He signed a law capping rent hikes at 10 percent per year for most tenants, making Washington the third state to put rent stabilization on the books after Oregon and California. So now, landlords can only jack up rents by 7 percent plus inflation or 10 percent, whichever is lower. Next step: Uh, the rest of the housing crisis. Chop chop.
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New SPD Chief Shon Barnes released a statement in response to public outcry after his officers told three legally-nude people to put clothes on at Seattle’s queer nude beach, Denny Blaine “Simply being nude is not a crime,” Barnes wrote. Yes! True! But, then he says that SPD still needs to police the area because “we do not have tolerance for illegal indecent or lewd behavior at the park.” However, SPD is going to reevaluate their approach to policing Denny Blaine. Keep yelling at the cops! They are sometimes capable of hearing feedback.
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Igloo recalled 130,000 coolers because they were taking off people’s fingertips. Apparently, the tow handle can pinch your hand against the cooler, and it’s literally resulted in several amputations. If you bought an Igloo cooler between January 2019 and January 2025, you can ask for a free replacement handle. They, sadly, are not yet offering replacement fingers.
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A convoy of red Cybertrucks greeted Trump in the Middle East. It must be nice to feel so popular and evil. At the same time, Microsoft announced it will lay off thousands in July. Nothing gold can stay.
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Scientists discovered that an ancient three- eyed ‘sea moth’ used its butt to breathe. Maybe that’s why it’s dead.
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The new pope is a White Sox fan. This has not helped the White Sox’s abysmal record.
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More than 80 residents and business owners—including Molly Moon’s owner Molly Moon Neitzel, Stoup Brewing co-owners Brad Benson, Robyn Schumacher, and Lara Zahaba, and Poquitos and Cafe Vita owner Deming Maclise—signed a letter to District 3 Council Member Joy Hollingsworth complaining about the county’s plan to open a 30,000-square-foot, 24/7 fully-staffed crisis center on Capitol Hill. Their reasoning? Too much crisis here, put the thing to fix it somewhere else. Obviously.
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In a crossover episode from hell, Department of Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem is teaming up with the producer of Duck Dynasty to pitch a reality TV show called The American, where contestants would ride around the country, competing in regionally-specific contests like log rolling or rocket building. The winner would win US citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security is still vetting the proposal. Some real Hunger Games shit.
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The Point Defiance Zoo welcomed a new Malayan tapir calf. The Woodland Park Zoo euthanized its snow leopard matriarch, Helen, who was riddled with cancer. Rest easy, Helen.
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Get my son’s hands off my son! A mother in Kansas is suing four porn sites because her 14-year-old son found an old laptop in her closet and went to town. The woman (Jane Doe) alleges that her son (the masturbator) had “unfettered access” to these sites only because they didn’t adequately verify his age. The woman had been vigilant in monitoring her son’s exposure to “harmful material.” What are family dinners like after your Mom itemizes your spank bank into a court case?
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The House passed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” This Actually Very Ugly Bill extends $4.5 trillion in Trump 1.0-era tax breaks, and makes good on his campaign commitment to get rid of taxes on tips. It also would cost 8.6 million people their healthcare coverage, cut all gender transition care from Medicaid, and push 3 million people off of SNAP benefits. And of course, it adds $200 million in spending on deportation and border security.
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After Russia killed 13 more people in Ukraine, Trump said on Truth Social that Putin “has gone absolutely crazy.” The Kremlin responded by accusing Trump of being “emotional.” So sad when best friends have falling outs, and when they each have nuclear codes.
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The number of white nationalist groups is down in the US! Hooray? Nah. It’s because they think their views have gone mainstream and been normalized by the government.
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Scientists discovered a new dwarf planet hanging out on the far reaches of our solar system. They’ve dubbed it Planet Nine, an insult to Pluto, the real Planet Nine. This is especially hurtful to Pluto because Planet Nine is three times smaller than Pluto. So, no one here is a real, actual Planet Nine. Size does matter, according to astrophysicists.
