Jury issues not guilty verdict in downtown shooting: Yesterday, jurors found Marquise Tolliver not guilty of first-degree murder and six counts of first-degree assault that resulted from a shooting on 3rd and Pine in 2020. Although all the shots fired that struck bystanders came from the guns of Tolliver and his co-defendants, Tolliver's attorneys convinced the jury that he acted in self defense when a rival gang member initiated the hostile confrontation. Tolliver's co-defendant will stand trial for the same charges on November 7.

Be careful what you wish for, Smiley: Senator Patty Murray's Republican challenger, Tiffany Smiley, is pressing the 30-year incumbent for a final decision on when and where the two will debate this fall. Murray's campaign manager confirmed the Senator will debate her opponent, but she hasn't yet finalized the details with event organizers. I'm not sure getting a TV platform to have Murray point out Smiley's skepticism about the legitimacy of the 2020 election will be the coup the Republican candidate seems to think it will.

ICYMI: Hannah broke down the nuanced debate around the temporary expansion of a shelter for unhoused people in SODO, or, as right-wing Twitter grifters have called it, the impending "homelessness megaplex." Surely we can find a way to recognize the past neglect of the CID without coopting that history for NIMBY nonsense. 

Leave this poor owl alone, SeaTac residents: Officials aren't clear on what is leading the owl to attack people strolling through the park, but I say that if you don't GTFO after hearing it hoot at you repeatedly, then it's justified in standing its ground. 

Public service announcement for delinquent drivers: You have until January 30 to clear those unpaid parking and traffic tickets before the City starts charging late fees again. The City suspended those late fees at the start of the pandemic in recognition of the economic mayhem COVID caused, but that grace period will end next year. If you're still in a financial bind, Seattle's Municipal Court offers payment plans, community service, and other options for dealing with unpaid tickets. The Court will hold an outreach event to help residents navigate those options on Monday at the Rainier Beach Community Center from 11 am to 6 pm. 

Ride-share drivers rally in memory of fellow driver:

Let's check in on the Trump show: The Associated Press reports that Trump has "overtly embraced" the lunatic conspiracy theory known as QAnon after years of merely winking at the far-right keyboard warriors responsible for pushing it into the GOP mainstream. Totally normal behavior for a former president. I'm sure this has nothing to do with Trump facing mounting legal trouble from multiple criminal investigations.

Nice country you've got there, it'd be a shame if something happened to it: That was essentially Trump's message while appearing on conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt's show yesterday. He promised "big problems, big problems" if he were indicted as a result of the FBI's raid on his beach house, where he'd stashed classified documents about a foreign country's nuclear capabilities. Hewitt gave him a chance to walk back the incitement to violence, which Trump ignored, of course.

I'm already exhausted by the 2024 GOP presidential primary: Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, somehow orchestrated a scheme to fly migrants from the Texas border to Martha's Vineyard in his latest attempt to win over the Fox News faithful. Can't they do normal shit like bully each other over hypothetical policies that will never pass the Senate instead of inflicting wanton cruelty on people just to own the libs?

Texas Governor Greg Abbot's reaction: "Hold my beer," presumably. Right before AOC tore him a new one.

European Union puts Hungary on notice: Following an EU parliament vote that declared Hungary no longer a democracy, the bloc's executive branch will meet on Sunday to decide how much funding they'll cut off from the backsliding country. A budget minister from the bloc projects that Hungary could lose as much as 70% of its funding from several EU programs.

The feds might have your sexts: If you've traveled internationally in the last few years and Customs and Border Patrol thought you looked suspicious for any reason, chances are a copy of everything on your phone at the time you entered the country is among hundreds of thousands of electronic records in a Department of Homeland Security database. New details about the lack of oversight involved in searching that database emerged yesterday when Senator Ron Wyden sent the CBP a letter criticizing them for “allowing indiscriminate rifling through Americans’ private records.” Approximately 2,700 DHS personnel have access to the database, which they can search without getting a warrant approved by a judge.

Unleash the meme lords: As Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman's relentless dunking on his opponent from "south of Philadelphia" will tell you, being from New Jersey is the most toxic identity a political candidate can have in Pennsylvania. RIP to insurrection organizer Doug Mastriano's chances of becoming Pennsylvania's next governor.

For your listening pleasure: I'm about to jet off to Florida for a family reunion this weekend, so there's no more appropriate song to end my week in Seattle than this funky track from Mac Miller's latest posthumous mixtape. Enjoy!