The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Hannah Murphy Winter Good Morning! Our cold, dry January continues. I’m not mad at all the sunshine, but it’s 28 degrees right now and that’s just not walking-to-the-bus weather. It’s supposed to make it all the way up to the low 40s today, and we’ll have a break from the freezing temps overnight today, but we’ll dive right back in tomorrow. Stay warm, check out the KCRHA resources if you need them, and for the love of their little Frito-y paws, keep your animals inside. Have you been enjoying the clear skies? It's been cold and quiet weather-wise, so we thought we'd share some pretty mares' tails (ice clouds high in the atmosphere) over Lake Washington this morning!☁️#wawx pic.twitter.com/53OzutZhWM — NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) January 22, 2025 Okay, let’s get the Trump-dates out of the way. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, hit a new snag in his confirmation hearing. Democrats have a sworn statement from his ex-sister-in-law, saying that he was frequently intoxicated and abusive to his ex-wife. The Senate is holding a test vote to see where things stand, but “There has been no public indication that any Republican is having reservations,” the New York Times reported. Cute.  Trump Loves a Rat: Yesterday, the administration sent an email out to tens of thousands of federal employees, threatening them with “adverse consequences” if they didn’t rat out colleagues who defy the executive order to purge DEI efforts from their agencies. The email says there have been reports of workers trying to disguise DEI programs by using “coded or imprecise language.” (Badass.) They have 10 days to report it without punishment. The policy shift and threats are bad, but it’s the propaganda in the email that I find most chilling: “These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars and resulted in shameful discrimination.” On Ice: In case the DEI memos didn’t get the administration’s racist message across, the Justice Department halted all ongoing litigation in its civil rights division, according to memos obtained by the Washington Post. The memos don’t state how long the freeze will last, but they essentially shut down the civil rights division for at least the next few weeks. One memo also required that the civil rights division notify the Justice Department’s chief of staff of any consent decrees the division has finalized within the last 90 days. The Justice Department has negotiated police reform agreements with Minneapolis, Louisville, and Memphis, all of which could be in jeopardy. Baby’s First Racist Legislation: Trump got his first big legislative win yesterday when the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with certain crimes. It was a huge priority for the new Republican majorities, but don’t forget: with such narrow advantages, it wouldn’t have been possible without Democratic support. The call is coming from inside the house.  MAGA Granny Reform: Last night, my new favorite headline of this Trump administration popped up on my phone: “Ex-MAGA Granny is turning down Trump’s pardon of her Jan. 6 conviction.” Pamela Hemphill went to DC on January 6, 2021, just before she started chemotherapy, thinking it was her last chance to see Trump speak. She befriended some Proud Boys (like you do) and was ultimately part of the crowd that broke into the Capitol Building. Accountability isn’t something we’re used to from the MAGA crowd, but it turns out that there is precedent for turning down a pardon, so she’s free to do it. She’ll stay on federal probation for nine months. “I don’t want to be a part of them trying to rewrite history,” she said. “It was an insurrection that day.”  Wildfires Are Back: Call your friends in the LA area—they’re having a bad day (again). There’s another fire in Los Angeles County, about 45 miles north of the city. It grew to more than 10,000 acres yesterday, and tens of thousands of people are under evacuation orders again, but officials are confident that they will be able to get it under control.  “We’ve lost propulsion.” Earlier this week, a light rail train stalled, 70 feet above ground, just before the Tukwila station. Passengers were stuck for an hour while they waited for a rescue train (which honestly sounds a little fun if you’re not in a rush to get anywhere). But fun and games aside, technical issues have become frequent enough that Sound Transit’s CEO has declared “the existence of an emergency” in the system, which would allow them to get a no-bid work order for urgent repairs. The transit system announced that through November 2024, out of their 6,500 hours of service, trains were blocked or reduced for 376 hours, or 6 percent of the time. For reference, in New York City, trains arrived on time 84 percent of the time last year. But I’m all for aspiring to some European-transit-style precision here in Seattle.  The Oscar Noms Are in: The Oscar nomination announcements were delayed because of the LA wildfires but came in this morning. First, the top lines: Emilia Pérez came out on top with 13 nominations, including best picture. The Brutalist and Wicked tied for second (also with best picture noms). In some regional news, Brandi Carlile got her first nomination, and Julian Brave NoiseCat’s Sugarcane was nominated for Best Documentary. The film investigates abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school near the Sugarcane Reserve. You can read our interview with Julian here.  City Hall Cluster Fuck: Yesterday was the only scheduled forum for the finalists for the open city council seat in District 2. And it was…messy. Stranger contributor Nathalie Graham watched the six men (yes, they’re all men) fail to answer most any questions in a substantive way that would give constituents confidence that they could represent them. Read more about it here.  Farm Workers Unite: More than 100 farmworkers and allies went to Olympia this week to lobby the state for better protections against unfair labor practices. From KUOW: “Many of the farmworkers who arrived were from Indigenous Mixtec- and Triqui-speaking communities in Oaxaca. They lobbied lawmakers at the state Capitol accompanied by translators. Even though President Trump’s immigration policies could target people in their communities, organizers said that won’t stop them from trying to get better working conditions. They’re calling on the state for more protections against unfair labor practices.” It’s a ballsy reminder that just because we’re going to be on the defense with Trump for the next four years, doesn’t mean we can’t also be on the offense.   Serenity Now: We started putting these on in our house to entertain our cats, but honestly, it’s such a vibe. I swear that after 30 minutes of this on in the background, my blood pressure is actually lower. So, if you’re feeling a little stressed, treat yourself like a house pet today.