The Stranger's morning news round up. by Vivian McCall That “lovely” weather we’re having: The rain from that dang atmospheric river crept into the morning, so stay alert if you’re driving in west central Washington. The National Weather Service in Seattle issued a flood advisory due to excessive rainfall. The clouds should clear after mid-morning, with rain possible again this afternoon. Rain is likely Thursday, less likely Friday, and very likely Saturday through next Tuesday. I’d get those steps in now unless you’re a little freak who enjoys walking in the cold wet. King County Metro driver killed: Police said the driver was stabbed to death after some kind of fight near the University of Washington’s campus this morning. Paramedics rendered first aid, but police say the driver was pronounced dead at the scene at Northeast 41st Street and 15th Avenue Northeast. A UW alert on X said the suspect, 6-foot-1 and wearing a blue jacket, tore northbound down an alley after the stabbing. Police have not yet identified the suspect, but have reopened the area. Adrien Diaz fired: In a letter this Monday, Mayor Bruce Harrell told the Council he’d fired the former Seattle Police Department chief because the Office of the Inspector General’s report supported the accusations that Diaz and a high-ranking employee had a romantic relationship that Diaz continuously denied. Ashley has more here. ICMYI: The ACLU of Washington sued the Washington Department of Corrections for allegedly violating a transgender woman’s rights under the Washington State constitution by keeping her confined to a men’s prison. I started following Kim’s story this summer, when she became the first trans woman to be removed from gender-affirming housing in Washington State. First severe US bird flu in Louisiana: Health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the patient had been in contact with sick and dead birds in a barnyard flock. The CDC did not detail the patient's symptoms. There have been 60 reported cases of bird flu in the US this year, all mild until now, and mostly among farmworkers exposed to sick poultry or cows. In two cases of a Missouri adult and a California child, the CDC still isn't sure how they got sick. Two Irish brothers sentenced for scamming old people: Patrick and Matthew McDonaugh of Ireland pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for posing as contractors and swindling elderly homeowners in Shoreline and Oregon into paying for unnecessary home repairs as part of a scheme that stretched from here to the Midwest, according to records filed in US District Court in Seattle. (In one instance, a homeowner paid $29,000 for a $2,000 dollar repair). A judge sentenced them to 18 months in federal prison and ordered them to pay $1 million in restitution. The US is likely to deport the men after their sentences.  General Secretary Jay Inslee says tax the rich: To close a $12 to $16 million state budget gap, Gov. Inslee proposed a first-in-the-nation 1% wealth tax on Washington’s 3,400 wealthiest folks (over $100 million, so probably not you) and a 20% surcharge on businesses making more than $1 million a year, which the state would later swap for business and occupation tax hike. The wealth tax alone could generate an estimated $3.4 billion over the next two years, and more than $10 billion in four years. Inslee urged lawmakers to minimize the impact on the state’s poorest residents when they’re looking for places to cut. “This is not the time to retreat from our efforts – it’s time to be resolute in our commitment to moving forward,” he wrote. A spokesperson for Bob Ferguson said the incoming governor's transition team is reviewing the budget, which increases state spending overall. Where’s the beef (education funding)? Inslee’s final budget doesn’t throw Superintendent Chris Reykdal that $3 billion bone he requested to pay for special education, school transport, and salary bumps for staff. Chris Reykdal said in a statement to the Washington State Standard that a budget that maintains current service will “result in more cuts at the local level.” The statewide teacher’s union, the Washington Education Association, isn’t happy either. Teens only! Seattle’s Department of Parks and Recreation has extended hours at its three Teen Life Centers to offer more “secure and supervised spaces for teens” as a part of a pilot program from now to April. If you’re a teen, or know a teen, or have a teen, The Seattle Times has the new hours here. Luigi Mangione charged with terrorism: It sounds wacky, but according to New York law, prosecutors can bring terrorism charges if the act is intended to influence government policy by intimidation or coercion. It’s up to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to prove that was precisely Mangione’s intention when he allegedly murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Manhattan’s former Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Saland told CNN he thought the terrorism charges were “a bit of a stretch,” and questioned why a CEO’s murder should be treated differently. It’s not the first terrorism charge connected to the killing. Florida charged a woman with terrorism for allegedly threatening her insurance company with the words “delay, deny, depose,” which were allegedly etched into bullet casings found at the scene. She reportedly told an insurance agent they were next. Seems extreme to me. They hit Luigi Mangione with a terrorism charge pic.twitter.com/lXBgXdmDt8 — Sopranos World (@SopranosWorld) December 17, 2024 Donald Trump sues Des Moines Register: After the Disney-owned ABC News rolled over for Trump and paid $16 million to settle a defamation suit last week, our Great Leader ascendant is taking his hate for the press to court again. On Monday, he filed suit against the Register, and its parent company Gannett, for publicizing a poll from Ann Selzer that showed Kamala Harris leading by three points in Iowa. Selzer was wildly off, Trump won by 13 points, and the President-elect says that’s evidence not of bad polling, but election interference in violation of consumer protection laws. This ridiculous suit probably won’t go anywhere, but he might be betting on this scaring corporate media into favorable coverage. (Trump has also sued Selzer and her polling firm. Lucky for her, even shoddy polls from respected pollsters aren’t defamatory.) I'm at the Honda, I'm at the Nissan, I'm at the combination Honda Nissan: Honda and Nissan are in talks for possible merger, but have no timeline or details to share. Earlier this year, the two Japanese automakers announced collaborations on electric cars and battery technology. Both companies are struggling in China, the largest automobile market in the world, where consumers are loving domestic cars. No, Biden can’t just certify the ERA: The archivist and deputy archivist of the US said Joe Biden can’t unilaterally adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, no matter how many Democrats beg him to. The amendment, which Congress sent to the states with a seven (later extended to ten year) ratification deadline in 1972, would've guaranteed legal equality between women and men if three-quarters of the states voted to adopt it. It came up short, until Virginia lawmakers voted to ratify in 2020. But that initial congressional deadline legally meant something. Nothing can be done without congressional or court action to lift it, the archivists said. Working hard, or hardly working? Congress unveiled a bill to narrowly avoid a government shutdown with a bipartisan (???) deal to kick the can down the road to March, when the Trump administration can make all the really important decisions. The stopgap bill includes $110 billion for disaster relief across federal agencies, and approved a couple of local measures to move along negotiations between Washington DC and the Washington Commanders over a possible stadium. It also allows the feds to pay the full cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore. We’re not totally out of the breach. House Republicans infighting could still kill the bill; without one, the government shuts down at 12:01 am Saturday morning.  It's Miser time: