From attacks to the #ESA to attacks on #PublicLand, the last few weeks have been especially hard for those who care about the wild. We were made for this moment. We have risen to the occasion, countering each attack with lawsuits and advocacy. Our work has never been more important.

So, something that the media will sanewash as this story develops is Quay isn't just a lab origin proponent. He has for 5 years sold an endless stream of very specifically wrong and silly ideas on the topic. He's not right, but even if he was, that wouldn't excuse his fabrications along the way!

Steven Quay, in line to be NIAID director, is not just any lab leaker. He is of the type of leakers who still talk about "HIV inserts". He has deleted his tweets from 2021-2025, so here are some screenshots to give you an idea of who Quay is: ▫️1/🧵 #covidorigin #quayniaid

Gregg Gonsalves@gregggonsalves.bsky.social · yesterday

This is just bat-shit crazy. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

NEW: Voters have rejected Republicans' scheme to unseat the Kansas Supreme Court's Dem-appointed majority and overturn abortion rights. Amendment 1 would have let the GOP replace the system of a nominating commission, gubernatorial appointment, and retention elections with direct partisan elections

Body isn't even cold yet

#StupidSuez@diplomatofnight.com · 17h ago

Goodnight

It's long been radioactive in WA politics to push for an income tax. So would there be backlash for Democrats in Tuesday's voting? That's a big no, as a blue wave forms again.

Backlash from that income tax? Nowhere to be seen for WA Democrats

seattletimes.com

It's sad the way Seattle voters have lost touch with the Seattle Times editorial board.

So far, voters overwhelmingly approve Seattle library levy

A property tax levy to fund the city's public library system over the next seven years is solidly ahead after the first release of vote totals Tuesday evening.

seattletimes.com

So Vancouver council voted down the Villages plan (as expected) …. But it seems they did pass the updates to R3 zoning that would enable projects like our “Four/Five” single stair prototype to be built in existing R3 zones.

In ancient R’lyeh she slumbers. Each minute, a grain falls, and when her prison fills, the salt girl awakens. When it rains, it pours.

Derek Faraci@whwoolhat.bsky.social · 2d ago

Bet you didn't know that the Little Morton Salt Girl is an immortal being who existed before there was life on Earth.

I would like to see The Onion top this.

Mediaite@mediaite.com · 2d ago

‘I Will Literally Eat Anything’: RFK Jr. Touts His Nonexistent ‘Gag Reflex’

can't find premium content like this on threads i'll tell you that much

Your boss and your landlord have voted.

Hannah Krieg@hannahkrieg.bsky.social · 2d ago

NEW: Young people are on the ballot this election, but can we please get young people to the ballot BOX? So far, King County voters 65+ account for 4 times as many ballots as people under 35. You have until 8pm Tuesday to close that gap!

NEW: State House candidate Ron Davis is accusing Will Dreher's campaign of stealing yard signs as they believe to have captured on video. Dreher says that's not his staff in the video and says Davis's signs amount to removable litter anyway! www.theburnerseattle.com/post/state-h...

State House Candidate Ron Davis Accuses Opponent’s Campaign of Yard Sign Theft, Dreher Denies And Calls The Sign "Litter"

State House candidate Ron Davis is accusing his opponent Will Dreher’s campaign of stealing thousands of dollars of campaign yard signs — and over the weekend, they obtained video they believe proves ...

theburnerseattle.com

This is both useful guidance (how to turn off AI summaries in Google), and also an important way to think. "it’s worth pushing past what you think you can accomplish. If something’s not working, don’t give up—try to figure out why. You might just fix it." buttondown.com/justinpot/ar...

How to turn off those AI summaries (and other thoughts)

Hi! This week I’m going to show you how to turn off Google’s AI feature, then talk a bit about why it’s fun to make things working How to get the old Google...

buttondown.com

We are gonna beat this, and the other ballot measure preventing teachers from respecting kids’ requests for support with gender and sexuality. @nohateinwastate.bsky.social

Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 2d ago

An initiative on the ballot in Washington state in November would require all athletes seeking to play girl's sports from kindergarten to high school to undergo "genetic screening, a testosterone-levels test, or an examination of their reproductive anatomy" before they can play

An initiative on the ballot in Washington state in November would require all athletes seeking to play girl's sports from kindergarten to high school to undergo "genetic screening, a testosterone-levels test, or an examination of their reproductive anatomy" before they can play

I have a rising high school student and college tours are in my increasingly-near future. No way I want my kid attending any college that signs this, @aau.edu

Adam Harris@adamhsays.com · 2d ago

“The letter, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News, asks schools to publicly pledge to make sweeping changes that include reexamining admissions practices, hiring more conservative faculty, cracking down on student protests, combating grade inflation, reducing foreign donations and lowering tuition.”

“A White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said institutions that do announce reforms could be more likely to be involved in discussions around reshaping the roughly $200 billion federal research funding apparatus that is vital to higher education.” It’s extortion

Liam Knox@liamknox.bsky.social · 2d ago

Scoop: The Trump administration is sending a letter to college presidents asking them to pledge a series of policy changes by the end of the year. Unlike last year's Compact, this effort was devised with input from higher ed leaders. Free link to my exclusive: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New forecasts show #Seattle not only faces heat, but thick wildfire smoke this week that could bring poor to perhaps even unhealthy air quality at times :( Latest info in my ECW blog: emeraldcityweather.com/heat-wildfir... #wawx

Heat and wildfire smoke set to return to Seattle and Western Washington this week - Emerald City Weather Blog

(I know this is super long but it’s a lot to discuss, but here’s a TL;DR/ “Too Long;

emeraldcityweather.com

Seattle Pessimism is a thing for real and it is mostly a nostalgic lamentation for a city that didnt actually exist and was supposed to die in the 70s and many imagine did...but for the next 40 years where it didnt, and in fact became one of the sizzle cities. Seattle as is refutes them every day

Three Flats Bettcher@bettchergonnabike.bsky.social · 3d ago

it’s wild how many things get Benghazied up about Seattle and various facets of it. I’ve been reading stories about how the city is dying from pleasant little cafes for nearly a decade now. They are desperate for failure for some reason

And of course, the many anti-LGBTQ actions under his leadership, including attacks on pro-LGBTQ protesters against an anti-trans rally, his decision to promote an anti-trans cop who nearly ran over protesters in 2020 over a well-liked gay officer, and cops hassling sunbathers at a gay nude beach.

For the past 19 months, I've been covering Barnes' controversies, including the fact that he is out of town much of the time, his lengthy refusal to meet with the head of our CARE Team, his decision to vastly expand his executive staff, his taking of a $50K bonus meant for rank and file cops....

What a batshit first sentence to an editorial excoriating the mayor of Seattle for removing a controversial police chief appointed by her predecessor, something our mayors have routinely done. The conspiracy brain at play: "How dare this scheming woman try to distract us from her incompetence!"

These were the three text messages ST sent out last night and this morning. No bus bridge operated last night. If we are going to hold the Mayor of Seattle to a very high standard when it wouldn’t have done much good, how about our transit leaders do the same when it would actually help?

Periodic reminder: The integration of generative AI models into every sector of society is the installation of ideological and epistemic choke points, regardless of who made the model.

World Politics Review@wpr.bsky.social · 3d ago

The spread of Chinese AI models with built-in censorship mechanisms could quietly shape the global information environment for the worse.

It's absolutely insane we've somehow let the Covid recriminations debate become like "why didn't we reopen in person schools before there was a vaccine" and not "why did none of the trump guys go to jail for stealing PPE from New York hospitals in March 2020"

medicine.yale.edu/news-article...

My unpopular (IRL) opinion is that there was little to nothing Wilson could do around the Seattle Center shootings. It was over in a short time, not an ongoing disaster that needed management. As Erica points out further down, it was a police matter that was bungled by Barnes

Erica C. Barnett@ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 3d ago

What a batshit first sentence to an editorial excoriating the mayor of Seattle for removing a controversial police chief appointed by her predecessor, something our mayors have routinely done. The conspiracy brain at play: "How dare this scheming woman try to distract us from her incompetence!"

This may dramatically slow down the attacks on science. It also provides a template for how to prevent the federal government from becoming a patronage state. It’s a big deal!

Politico@politico.com · 3d ago

Senate finalizes funding patch that would block Trump’s grant overhaul

I love Talarico and hope he wins. But he’s already raised $70M On the flipside, control of critical state legislatures will come down to seats where candidates raise 0.1% of that. I’ve researched the highest leverage swing district candidates you should donate to secure.actblue.com/donate/donat...

Donate to the candidates on the front lines of the fight against MAGA gerrymandering

These are anti-MAGA state candidates in *extremely* close races

secure.actblue.com