The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Hannah Krieg Good morning: Hey, Seattle. You can expect more of the same weather today. This morning, temperatures will stay in the low 50s and you may see some showers. In the afternoon, things will dry up, the sun will poke out of the clouds a little, and temperatures will peak at about 56 degrees.  Leave Maya Henry alone: One Direction band member Liam Payne died yesterday after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina. His ghoulish fans have launched a hate campaign against his ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, blaming her for his death because she recently sent him a cease-and-desist letter, accusing him of obsessive and harassing behavior. You freaks better leave her alone. This is not her fault, and blaming her will only scare women into silence about abuse.  Secret Service sucks ass: An independent, bipartisan review panel released a scathing report about the Secret Service's failure to interrupt the near-miss assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump this summer. The panel called the Secret Service "bureaucratic, complacent, and static,” arguing that without reform such an attack can and will happen again.  Archdiocese says sorry: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay a historic settlement of $880 million to more than 1,300 victims of clergy sexual abuse. And they deserve every penny! Let’s fucking go: NEW: The FTC has finalized its “Click to Cancel” rule – which will require companies to make it as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up.Unwanted subscriptions add up for Americans, and our Administration is taking action to save families time and money. pic.twitter.com/wdIcKac6PN — The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 16, 2024 A moment of clarity: In the city council’s select budget committee meeting today, Council Member Cathy Moore made an important point while discussing the future of the City’s JumpStart payroll expense tax. The mayor proposed stealing from the tax's fund to backfill a deficit in the 2025-2026 budget, disregarding its legal obligation to pay for affordable housing, Green New Deal initiatives, and a few other select priorities. But that plan would still leave a deficit for 2027. Moore said in the meeting that if the City wants to fix the deficit long-term, then the mayor’s plan won’t cut it. The City must either cut spending or find new revenue, she said. So, next time the mayor brags about balancing a budget in the face of a huge deficit without raising taxes, remember he just punted the problem two years at the expense of more than $200 million in affordable housing.  This is your sign to answer unsaved numbers: You may just get a call from the Mayor of Seattle. I need Bruce Harrell to phone bank me. I need it https://t.co/JEvVaImsRa — Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) October 17, 2024 Ashley has something to say! Federal oversight of Seattle cops continues: Yesterday, US District Court Judge James L. Robart checked in with the City and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) on their progress in meeting the goals of a federal settlement established about 12 years ago to curb biased policing, among other things. The City argued that they’re very nearly in compliance with everything in the settlement agreement except for crowd control management policy. The City claimed they made progress in that area and had recently sent a new policy to the city council for approval, which the court would have a chance to approve at a later date. One major change that doesn’t seem so good: The new crowd control policy allows other local law enforcement agencies that SPD calls for backup—who don't have special training—to use “less lethal crowd control tools," such as blast balls or pepper spray, on protesters. Kinda of defeats the purpose of what Robart wanted to see in the policy, which included intensive training for SPD officers to avoid mass disproportional force against crowds. I will have more on that and the hearing later. LMAO Robart mentions the fact that the police contract requires more than preponderance of evidence for discipline when the case involves something that might result in termination or make it harder for cops to get a job in the future — Ashley Nerbovig (@AshleyNerbovig) October 16, 2024 Now over to Vivian. Team effort on the Slog this morning! So much for supporting teachers and students: After student bullies on Instagram, right-wingers on Facebook, and conservative commentator Brandi Kruse ran English teacher K. Wayne out of Peninsula School District over their drag persona, Jack King Goff, students testified to the school board that the departure was just the latest example of out-of-control online bullying in the district. Then the Superintendent published a letter addressing the rise of harmful online bullying, promising to add it to the district's ongoing review of belonging policy. So how did the school board, which includes Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate David Olson, respond? It passed a version of a policy from the Washington State School Directors Association to restrict the way staff can express themselves online, which makes clear they can be disciplined or fired for this sort of thing in the future. In a statement, Board President Natalie Wimberley said that while she understood concerns about ambiguity, lawyers "thoroughly vetted" the policy, which is meant to balance staff expression with the district's responsibility to maintain an orderly learning environment. They're not trying to infringe on anyone's rights, she said. "Our governance must remain thoughtful and prudent, not tied emotionally to any particular moment or group, but focused on what will best serve our students and staff now and in the future." Their lack of consideration for "particular" groups is clear. She did not give an answer for why the board has not substantively responded to months of complaints about anti-Black and anti-gay bullying. The Stranger reminded her that she is a public official and it is her job to answer such questions. The local teacher's union did not respond to a request for comment. The district says similar policies have been implemented in other districts. Would you look at that: You know all those unhinged campaign videos that State House candidate Andrea Suarez has been posting on Twitter? The ones where she calls her opponent, Shaun Scott, a communist, despite the fact that literally every Democratic org and basically the whole Seattle delegation in Olympia supports him? Turns out, Suarez paid fallen KOMO reporter Jonathan Choe to film some of them! He went from splicing together gushing montages of the Proud Boys to playing campaign videographer for Suarez. Huge career shift! My friend sent me a video of them filming it together lol. BTS https://t.co/O4c2io5LoR pic.twitter.com/IdRErRupvT — Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) October 16, 2024 Beirut: Yesterday, Israel launched new strikes on the capital of Lebanon. Lebanese officials report Israel has killed at least 2,350 people and wounded almost 11,000 others in the last month.  Yemen: The US sent B-2 stealth bombers to strike the Houthis’ underground weapons facilities in Yemen on Wednesday. I could not find how many people the US killed in the strikes. US defense officials told CNN that these five facilities stored advanced conventional weapons used to target military and civilian vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels in the last year, claiming to attack ships linked to Israel as a way to pressure the country into stopping its genocide in Gaza. However, Houthis have attacked many ships with seemingly little to no connection to Israel, according to the AP.  ICYMI: We dropped our endorsement package this week for the upcoming election. Rip open that ballot and do as we say! Good old-fashioned election denial: Republican nominee Donald Trump's freaky lil VP pick, JD Vance, finally admitted yesterday that he does not believe Trump lost the 2020 election. He told a reporter, “No, I think there are serious problems in 2020. So did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use.” Vance usually redirects questions about who won the 2020 election. Most famously, in a debate earlier this month, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris's VP pick Tim Walz asked Vance if Trump lost in 2020 and Vance said, "Tim, I’m focused on the future.” Walz called that a "damning non-answer."  For your ears: My friend recommended this song because I cannot be bothered to think of a song every week. I don’t have good taste!