Seattle Times Management Tells Pulitzer Finalists “Journalism Doesn’t Mean Journalists”: Times staff bargaining for a new union contract are facing management’s infatuation with the plagiarism and lie generating software marketed as “artificial intelligence.” According to the Seattle Ti mes Union, management rejected their proposal that would have guaranteed workers won’t be replaced by AI. Speaking of those workers, their coverage of December’s flooding got them named a Pulitzer Prize finalist Monday. How software is expected to wade through flood waters to interview disaster victims has not been made clear by Times management.  Gov. Bob Ferguson Still Avoiding Unscripted Press Conferences: Last week, Axios’ reporter in Seattle, Melissa Santos, published a story detailing how Gov. Ferguson is requiring his people to sign off on all press releases and media responses from the state’s numerous state agencies, creating a growing information bottleneck. Santos’ new report shows Ferguson’s obsession with image control has led him to not hold an open-ended press conference in 16 months. A former Associated Press reporter covering the state capitol told Axios “I don’t remember any previous governors having this bizarre combination—what appears to be an obsession with media coverage, and a real disinclination to interact with the press.” US House Democrats Say President Needs to Acknowledge Israeli Nuclear Weapons Arsenal: Developed in partnership with fellow pariah state Apartheid South Africa, the Israeli nuclear weapons arsenal has been publicly ignored by the US government for decades. Why? It reveals key nuclear nonproliferation treaties to be paper tigers, renders all aid to Israel completely illegal, and undermines US narratives about opposing weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. Now that the US and Israel are both at war with Iran over their nonexistent nuclear weapons program, a group of Democrats in Congress is urging the Trump administration to accept reality (good luck) because they worry Congress doesn’t have an accurate understanding of whether Israel might nuke Iran. The Washington Post has details. Iran Blows up UAE Oil Terminal Skirting Hormuz Blockade: Remember when the United Arab Emirates left OPEC last week because they wanted to export more oil during a wartime price spike? That just got harder, as the Iranian military hit the country’s only export terminal capable of getting oil past the Iranian-American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports. For those without an obsessive knowledge of Middle Eastern geography, most of the UAE sits on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, except for a small patch that cuts through Omani territory that gives them beachfront property on the Indian Ocean, beyond the Hormuz. Anyway, the Trump administration downplayed the attack as not a big enough concern to restart full-scale war, at least for now. Amazon Labor Union Founder Arrested for Crashing Bezos’ Met Gala: Local online book depository owner and CIA contractor Jeff Bezos sponsored the Met Gala this year, his latest fashion faux pas. Amazon Labor Union founder Chris Smalls apparently tried to crash the exclusive party, but was arrested before breaching the red carpet, Democracy Now reports. Etsy Fur Ban Hits Alaskan Natives: While we’re on the topic of online retailers hurting the Pacific Northwest, Etsy announced a new policy meant to tamp down on the fur trade. That sounds well and good until you take the Alaskan Native artisans who rely on exporting fur products into account. KNBA has some great quotes from indigenous artists on the backlash. Us Pulling Troops Out of Germany: Skepticism of US military adventurism abroad is generally warranted, but I have a soft spot in my heart for America’s proud occupation of Germany. As part of his ongoing feud with European and NATO leaders, President Trump is withdrawing thousands of American troops from Germany as the country’s right-wing government pledges rearmament (stop me if you’ve heard this one before). I am reminded of a quote explaining why NATO exists in the first place: “Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” The New York Times has the sad details. Local Masochists Found “Seattle Stair Walkers Club”: Seattle loves its hills, but they do not love us back. It is their nature. The city has 650 staircases to address this, and if urban hiking is your thing, there’s a new club willing to show you all of them, the Seattle Times reports. Personally, I recommend the old trolley trail in Frink Park, and I used to build these things for the parks department so I better not hear any complaining. Laurelhurst Residents Still Blocking Full Use of Children’s Hospital Helipad, Seattle Still Pissed: Rich Laurelhurst residents have successfully prevented Seattle Children’s Hospital from using their helipad to deliver sick kids for decades. Public outrage bubbles up from time to time, including last week, when a self-professed pilot posted about it on X. That outrage has never been enough to change helipad policy, which you can read about in The Stranger today. The Nightmare Begins: Candidate Filing Open for Prospective Washington Politicians: Pour one out for your local county clerk. Monday officially kicked off election season in Washington state, as candidates for elected office can now file for legislative, judicial and Congressional races. As for races to watch, the Washington State Standard has its eye on moderate Democrats in the state legislature being targeted in primaries from the left. Will Washington Democrats seriously challenge the two remaining Republican-owned Congressional districts in the state given the advantage of a doomed economy ahead of midterm elections? Don’t hold your breath.  Palestinian Photojournalist Saher Alghorra Awarded Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography for Coverage of Gaza Genocide:  View this post on Instagram The post Slog AM: Gov. Ferguson Dodges the Press, Dems Urge Trump to Acknowledge Israel’s Nukes, Amazon Labor Union Founder Arrested at Met Gala appeared first on The Stranger. ...read more read less