Biden prioritizes fixing Seattle's housing crisis: The White House is sending a federal official to embed in the City for two years and strategize solutions for supporting the unhoused, according to the Seattle Times. The coming to Seattle part of the initiative ALL INside will essentially help the City and the unhoused navigate federal resources. The Biden administration's goal is a 25% reduction in the nationwide unhoused population by 2025. If he fails, he's promised everyone can live at the White House. 

Prominent judge calls out racism in courts across Washington: Washington Court of Appeals Judge George B. Fearing called out racism in a 2019 case involving the beating and arrest of a Black man who kissed a white woman against her will, according to the Seattle Times. The details are worth reading, because Fearing highlighted the racist comments of Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Haskell's wife, and ridicules the response by Spokane deputies. 

Did you wake up with a headache this morning? I did. Then I looked outside and realized why. Smoke season is upon us already. This plume is expected to be with us through the end of the week. On the plus side, our air quality is still moderate.

Seven incarcerated people overdose on fentanyl in jail: Somehow fentanyl found its way into the Snohomish County Jail, according to KING 5. The seven people who overdosed got medical treatment and are expected to recover. But must be a real shocker for all those legislators in Olympia who said this week that jail is the best place to treat addiction. 

Oh, claims of crime increase at grocery stores as food prices skyrocket? With zero data other than a few anecdotal examples, KIRO 7 reported grocery stores are turning into a place of crime and chaos. Pretty typical TV fear-mongering. But my favorite line is toward the end where the CEO of the Washington Food Industry Association says grocery stores are spending more on security rather than donating to food banks. 

Mount St. Helens erupted 43 years ago today: I was about to make fun of us talking about this on a year that doesn't end in a five or zero, but I always forget the eruption killed 57 people, making it the deadliest eruption in US history, according to KOMO. Fun fact, we have five active volcanos in Washington.

Debt ceiling talks continue: The US now has less than two weeks to get its shit together to avert a nationwide default before June 1. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and Biden appointed negotiators. Democrats remind people the debt ceiling is made up and we could just abolish it, in a Washington Post article. 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein still somehow in office: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's eldest daughter is part of Feinstein's permanent entourage, according to Politico's Playbook. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported on concerns about Feinstein's mental capacity in October. 

The G-7 summit starts this weekend: Biden is meeting with leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, to talk about Ukraine, China, and A.I., according to the New York Times. But not Russia. Russia can't sit with the other industrialized country leaders anymore. Japan gets to host this year, and since people are talking nuclear threats, seems apt that Japan elected to have it held in Hiroshima, the location of the world’s first atomic attack at the end of World War II.

Deutsche Bank must pay $75 million to Jeffrey Epstein's victims: A judge ruled the bank should have seen the signs of sex trafficking by Epstein, according to the Associated Press. 

Updates on laws targeting transgender people: At least 17 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, according to the Associated Press. Proposed bans are also pending before Texas and Missouri’s governors. Every major medical organization opposes these bans. 

A reminder to follow your dreams: A friend mentioned this video to me the other day about a Kiwi who learns to fly. Is it inspirational? Maybe.Â