Autumn Serenade: When I stepped outside this morning, the air smelled like fall. It was a little damp, a little brisk, the sky threatened rain. But we’re still in that sweet spot where the light lasts longer than 12 hours and the summer sun still warms the afternoon. Today, we’ve got a high of 74. This is the weather that convinces people to move to Seattle. If you’ve been working on getting a friend to move here, now’s the time to invite them for a visit.
City Hall Wants to Watch You Teeter Home Drunk: And whatever else you do on Capitol Hill. City Council is voting on two bills this afternoon that would drastically expand the city’s video surveillance pilot program to include the Capitol Hill Nightlift District, Cal Anderson Park, and Garfield High School. If that pisses you off, public comment starts at 1 p.m. If you’re not sure if it pisses you off…
The Research Is in, and Surveillance Is as Bad as You Think It Is: You can tell that uncle that likes to say that “you only have to worry about surveillance if you have something to hide” where to shove it. Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck asked the Office of Civil Rights to assess the risks of increasing video surveillance in Seattle. The office found that research based in law, social science, and behavioral science does not support the argument that these surveillance technologies reduce felonies, violent crimes, gun violence, or human trafficking. But there’s a large body of evidence that shows that it is not neutral, and it carries “direct consequences for equal protection, privacy, and the freedoms of speech and association.”
Plus, Trump: The report also pointed out that “cities like Nashville, Austin, and Denver have chosen to move away from similar surveillance technologies due to the risk of federal co-opting of data and the undercutting of essential civil rights and liberties.”
My office requested that the Office of Civil Rights assess CB 121052 and 121053, and we wanted to share this report with the public.
“CCTV and RTCC technologies are not neutral instruments, as they carry direct consequences for equal protection, privacy, and the freedoms of speech and association.”
— Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (@councilmember-amr.bsky.social) September 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The Little Engine The Could: Around midnight on Monday night, Sound Transit sent its first train across the I-90 bridge using its own power. It was moving slowly enough that people in hard hats and hi-vis vests could run alongside it, but it proved that it is, in fact, possible to run a light rail train across a floating bridge. The connection between the 1 and 2 lines is slated to open in early 2026.
“When I Turn 21 iam going to kill people”: That was one of the posts that led police to arrest a 13-year-old Pierce County boy over the weekend. Police discovered 23 firearms in his home, including high powered rifles. Some of the guns were mounted on walls. Others were kept in a gun safe. In images he posted online, he posed in the clothes of notorious school shooters. On Monday, the teenager was charged with three counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of attempted threat to bomb or injure property, and one count of unlawful possession of fireworks. The incident “checked all the boxes of a mass shooter, but we were able to prevent it from happening,” sheriff’s spokesperson Carly Cappetto said Monday, according to the Seattle Times.
Fire Update: The rain pushed the smoke out of Seattle, but the fires are still burning. Right now more than 80,000 acres are burning in Washington state. The Bear Gulch Fire, which is the only major human-caused fire burning in the state, is the largest and still only 9 percent contained. This is more or less the fire season we expected, experts say, and it’s below the 10-year annual average. To keep it that way, the Department of Natural Resources would love it if we didn’t casually start more fires by ignoring burn bans. Cool, thanks.
Another Wonderful Secret: On Monday, the House Panel released Jeffrey Epstein’s “Birthday Book,” including a letter allegedly from Trump to Epstein, and as a result, the homepage of every major daily newspaper was plastered with a hand drawing of a woman’s figure that was clearly done by someone who only vaguely remembers what a woman looks like. Inside her shaky hourglass figure, there’s a dialogue between “Donald” and “Jeffrey.” It ends by saying: “A pal is a wonderful thing—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump says he never wrote it. The White House says his signature isn’t his signature. “DEFAMATION!” the White House deputy chief of staff for communications cried. A “fake scandal,” claimed JD Vance. Meanwhile, the Birthday Book also includes a “partially redacted image of Epstein holding an oversize novelty check signed by ‘DJTRUMP.’ A handwritten message below that image reads ‘Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells “fully depreciated” [redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.’”
Exclusive: Jeffrey Epstein’s estate has given Congress a copy of the 2003 birthday book, including the letter with Trump’s signature that he has said doesn’t exist.
— The Wall Street Journal (@wsj.com) September 8, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Bible Study: Have you been looking for a way to spend an hour a week with 10 other Christian nationalists? On Monday, during his speech at his Religious Liberty Commission’s hearing at the Museum of the Bible, Trump announced his America Prays initiative. The WhiteHouse.gov website reads:
The Ask: What if one million Americans dedicated one hour a week to praying for our country and our people?
The Invitation: Will you join with at least 10 people to meet each week for one hour to pray for America?
The Opportunity: As we celebrate 250 years of freedom, this is an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the principles that gave birth to this land of liberty.
Trump’s Prosperity Gospel: At the Religious Liberty Commission hearing, he did his best to show the powerful Christians surrounding him that he was a Man of God. And that if they continued to support him, he would inch us closer to a theocracy. “To have a great nation, you have to have religion,” Trump said at the hearing. “There has to be something after we go through all of this, and that something is God.” He claimed that students are “indoctrinated with antireligious propaganda” in public schools and announced the Department of Education would have new guidance about religion in schools, but didn’t say what that guidance would be.
A Song for Your Tuesday: This one’s hot off the presses. Jay Som released this new single while I was writing this news roundup this morning. And it’s a vibe. She’s playing at Neumos on December 19 if you want to catch it live.
