The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Hannah Murphy Winter Good morning! It’s the first Monday of daylight savings, which means we all had a weird night’s sleep. And the weather’s no help. After a soggy weekend, the weather report promises a whole lot of the same. We’re getting rain all week, with a chance of wintery mix in the mornings.  Let’s do the news.  We’re Still at War: After US–Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country has named one of his sons, Mojtaba Khamenei, the nation’s new leader. According to the New York Times, he’s relatively unknown, but has been a shadowy, influential figure in Iran’s government, coordinating military and intelligence operations at his father’s office. He was considered the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ favorite candidate for the role, but no one asked Trump how he felt about it. Before the news was announced, Trump told ABC News that a new leader “is not going to last long” without his approval. He is two-for-two when it comes to violently unseating world leaders.  Death Toll: The United Nations has estimated that more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the war began. More than 300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon. In Israel, at least 12 people have been killed, and seven US military personnel have died. Pressure at the Pump: Unsurprisingly, starting a war in the region that provides a third of the world’s oil caused gas prices to go through the roof. This weekend, for the first time in four years, the cost of a barrel of oil broke $100. Here in Washington, prices are up more than a quarter a gallon. According to Trump, though, we just have to trust his process. “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump said on Truth Social. “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY.” Call me a fool. Speaking of Fools: Trump is still trying to steal an election. He knows the GOP could lose big in November, so he’s continuing his push to “nationalize” elections to fight his non-existent widespread voter fraud. According to the New York Times, he’s likely to target Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, and Arizona—all swing states where Republicans are already actively pushing Trump’s conspiracy theory.  Wonder Twins, Activate! What happens when you combine DOGE and AI? The National Endowment for the Humanities found out. According to court documents acquired by the New York Times, DOGE employees assessed their grants by asking ChatGPT: “Does the following relate at all to D.E.I.? Respond factually in less than 120 characters. Begin with ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” The “yeses” included: building improvements at an Indigenous languages archive in Alaska, the digitization of Black newspapers, and a 40-volume series on the history of American music.   Some Good News: Violent crime is down in King County. In 2025, homicides didn’t break into the triple digits for the first time since the pandemic. It’s the second year in a row that we’ve seen fewer homicides than the year before, and fewer overall shootings. Go team! More Good News: We’ve also seen a dip in ICE arrests in the last month, nationwide. According to government sources who spoke to the New York Times, immigration agents have moved away from their violent, indiscriminate street sweeps, and focused on more targeted enforcement operations. They still arrested more than 1,000 people in February, and it’s still dramatically more than when Trump first took office, but it’s an undeniable shift.  Women Marched: Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and the return of the Women’s March. By the Seattle Times’ estimate, about 300 people showed up at Cal Anderson Park to hear scheduled speakers (including Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and City Attorney Erika Evans) talk about ICE, the war in Iran, and Trump’s other misdeeds, see the now-traditional Handmaid outfits, and watch one person bop around in an inflatable Chicken costume. (Wanna make sure you know about other protests and demonstrations before they happen? Keep an eye on our Where to Scream column.) Pity the Millionaires: State Dems have finally come up with a version of the Millionaires Tax that made Governor Ferguson happy, and as we head into the last week of the legislative session, it looks like he’ll actually sign the bill when it hits his desk. But what happens next? It’s all but guaranteed to be challenged in the courts, thanks to a 1930s ruling in our state Supreme Court, which decided that, according to our state constitution, income is property. (Property has to be taxed at a “uniform” rate, meaning that we could only have a “flat” income tax.) A lot of supporters think that precedent deserves another looksee.  Fleet Flop: Washington is watery. And our state is finally recognizing that we should consider using those waterways to, ya know, move people. The state legislature is considering the Mosquito Fleet Act, a bill that would allow waterfront cities to create their own ferry systems, but after passing the State House with a resounding 84-11 vote, the new version in the Senate poked a bunch of seemingly unnecessary holes in the hull. According to the Urbanist, the new version requires that new passenger-ferry districts only use zero-emission boats made in Washington State, bans all state funding for passenger ferry districts starting in just two years, and requires that passenger ferry districts not overlap, which means cities wouldn’t be able to coordinate with each other on these ferry routes. Just give us the boats! Looking for something to do tonight? Stranger contributor Meg van Huygen knows a spot. The No Call No Show popup is back tonight, with themed craft cocktails and snacks “concocted by a group of fine-dining creative weirdos.” Your hosts will be Kamonegi’s Chef Mutsuko Soma, Matt Pachmayr from Le Coin, and the mononymous Quan from the Sake Noire pop-up. ...read more read less