The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Nathalie Graham No Disaster Relief for Bomb Cyclone: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied a Washington state request for a little bit of help in the wake of November's disastr ous bomb cyclone. The gusty storm felled trees, knocked out power, and killed two people. It left an estimated $34 million-worth of damage in its wake. FEMA said assistance wasn't warranted. This is in line with Trump's agenda to reshape and likely do away with FEMA or, at least, withhold disaster relief from states ideologically opposed to him.  FEMA Tap Turns Off in North Carolina: The Tar Heel State was spurned by FEMA, too. FEMA declined to keep matching North Carolina's spending on Hurricane Helene disaster relief. Back in the Joe Biden days when Helene first ravaged western North Carolina, FEMA agreed to reimburse North Carolina on 100% of disaster relief assistance. No longer!  Benefits for Striking Workers: House Democrats in the Washington state legislature pushed through Senate Bill 5041 which will provide striking workers with benefits. While the bill passing is a win for labor rights, the bill that passed is, of course, a watered-down version of the original; the House capped striker benefits at four weeks rather than the eight weeks in the initial bill. Now, the bill heads back to the Senate where senators will decide whether to approve the revisions or fight for the original version.  The Weather: We have another glorious day on deck. This is bad news for me because the sun has made my cat a menace. He longs for the outdoors and he is really letting me know about it.  The Sun Is Exerting Its Dominance: Starting Wednesday, the sun will set after 8 p.m in Seattle. Things Get Trashy at NOAA: Thanks to the Trump administration not renewing contracts, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center doesn't have anyone to do hazardous waste disposal, janitorial services, IT, and building maintenance for their lab. So, the scientists in charge of monitoring the health of West Coast fisheries are taking out the trash themselves. Instead of doing science, the ecologists, chemists, and biologists at the Montlake lab are scrubbing toilets. The lab is a victim of Trump administration inefficiency; a new policy at the Department of Commerce requires Secretary Howard Lutnick to personally review all contracts over $100,000. This is creating quite the bottleneck in what contracts get renewed.  Vance Fumbles: A butterfingered JD Vance dropped the College Football Playoff’s national championship trophy before presenting it to Ohio State University. The trophy fell apart. Is this a metaphor??? JD Vance just broke apart the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy on live television.[image or embed] — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 1:13 PM Trump Freezes Billions Intended for Harvard: Harvard University refused to comply with Trump orders to limit on-campus activism. In response, Trump is freezing $2.2 billion of grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard and threatened their tax-exempt status. The list of demands Harvard rejected included instituting a "merit-based" admissions and hiring policy, a ban on face masks, and an audit on Harvard's student body and faculty's view of diversity. Trump's demands are supposedly to root out "anti-semitism," which everyone with a brain can assume is a load of hogwash. Doing this controversial bullshit in the name of "combatting" anti-Semitism is one sure fire way to increase anti-Semitism. Chilling stuff.  Obama and Yale Come to Harvard's Defense: Former President Barack Obama praised Harvard for standing up to Trump's demands and said he hoped other institutions followed suit. His statement came after the letter published by 876 faculty members at Yale University that expressed support of their rival, Harvard.  White House Defies 9-0 Supreme Court Order: The Supreme Court, in a shocking show of unity, ruled the White House must facilitate the return of 29-year-old Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Abrego Garcia, who is from El Salvador, had an "immigration court order preventing his deportation to his native country over fears he would face persecution from local gangs," the Associated Press reports. He is now being held the notorious CECOT prison for being a member of the MS-13 gang, an unfounded claim. In spite of the ruling, Trump and El Salvador president Nayib Bukele refused to return Abrego Garcia back to the US.  COLLINS: Can President Bukele weigh in on this? Do you plan to return Garcia? BUKELE: How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course I'm not going to do it. The question is preposterous TRUMP: These are sick people[image or embed] — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 14, 2025 at 9:02 AM DOGE Digs into Sensitive Labor Data: The goons in the Department of Government Efficiency infiltrated the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the guise of "reviewing agency data for compliance and to cut costs and maximize efficiency." However, a whistleblower disclosure shared with Congress and obtained by NPR shows DOGE really was stealing data. That data could include sensitive information on "unions, ongoing legal cases, and corporate secrets." After their time rifling around inside the system, DOGE staffers allegedly turned off monitoring tools and manually deleted records of what they'd accessed, things "criminal or state-sponsored hackers might do." Later, employees at the NLRB started noticing login attempts from Russian IP addresses. What Happens if This Data Leaks? According to labor law attorneys interviewed by NPR, "If this data gets out, it could be abused, including by private companies with cases before the agency that might get insights into damaging testimony, union leadership, legal strategies, and internal data on competitors." 5.2 Magnitude Quake Rattles San Diego: There was no major damage, but look at how the elephants reacted at the San Diego Zoo. The adults huddled around their calfs to protect them. WATCH: Elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park react to Monday's 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook San Diego County. The elephants formed an "alert circle" meant to protect the young and the entire herd from any threats, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.[image or embed] — ABC 10News (@abc10news.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM Measles Outbreak Continues: Life in our anti-science country is going great. There are now measles outbreaks (places where there are three or more cases) in six states including New Mexico, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, and, of course, Texas. There are over 700 reported cases of measles nationwide. The majority of those—541 of them—are in Texas.  A Long Read: Here's a wild story about two Lakeside School grads who became indoctrinated in an AI Cult and were involved in two murders.  A Song for Your Tuesday: This song pairs perfectly with a sunny day.  ...read more read less