The Stranger's morning news round-up. by Nathalie Graham

Windy in Washington: High winds swept across the Olympic Peninsula overnight. The gustiest gales reached nearly 70 miles per hour in Hoquiam. Winds remain higher than normal and Washington State Ferries says it could impact ferry rides today. If anything, the ferry rides will be bumpier than normal.

Rain, rain, rain: Soggy conditions continue to saturate Seattle. Don't think about when you will see a clear day again—it's not worth it. 

Moderate to heavy rain will continue to move into the region this morning as a strong system moves across W WA. Have a morning commute? Best to slow down and give yourself a little extra time to get to your destination. Rain will transition to showers through the day. #wawx pic.twitter.com/k2PrlLJE5Z

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) November 13, 2024

Ashley's got some news you can use.

We’ll miss you, Dow: King County Executive Dow Constantine announced last night he would not seek a fifth term in 2025. It’s the end of an era for the county, which Constantine has helmed since 2010. During that time he’s championed funding transit, early childhood education, and housing. He also promised to end youth detention and close the child jail, which he’s kind of skipping out on. But all in all, Constantine pushed for pretty progressive policies and deserves a solid pat on the back for consistency and knowing that when you have power, you can just do stuff and make people accept the results. And you can get lots of haircuts. That’s cool, Constantine. Grab drinks with me and Hannah soon. 

But, onward: King County Council Member Claudia Balducci announced Wednesday she planned to run for Constantine’s seat. I rode around with Balducci ahead of her announcement on a little tour of everything she’s done for the Eastside, from her years as a Bellevue City Council Member to her time as Mayor and finally to her time on the King County Council. Balducci, a transit buff, plans to ride a train straight through King County’s glass ceiling and become the first woman to earn the title of King County Executive.

Thanks, Ashley! Back to the rest of the news.

Low voter turnout: Washington state had the lowest voter turnout this election since 2000. According to the Seattle Times, fewer than 78% of the state's registered voters cast a ballot. That's down significantly from the 84% of people who voted in 2020.

Kum & Go? More like Kum & Gone: The midwestern gas station chain is changing its name after 49 years of cum jokes.

Oh, we are so cooked: President-elect Donald Trump is in the midst of hand-picking his cabinet in a process that feels like the Avengers assembling except instead of superheroes these Avengers are the worst people you've ever heard of. On that list now is our new defense secretary. The person Trump picked to lead the world's biggest and most powerful military is, you guessed it, Fox News host Pete Hegseth. The move stunned the Pentagon. The Fox & Friends Weekend co-host is a National Guard officer. He is against "woke" diversity and inclusion programs, is skeptical about women in combat, and has spoken about pardoning war crimes. 

Trump apparently just named Fox News host Pete Hegseth his secretary of defense?

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— Parker Molloy (@parkermolloy.com) November 12, 2024 at 4:11 PM

Dog killer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who infamously shot her dog instead of training it after it misbehaved, to lead the DHS. The role should be important in an administration that wants to conduct mass deportations and clamp down on border security. 

The Department of Government Efficiency: Trump announced the creation of a new government office designed to "dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies." Elon Musk and failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the office. During his campaign, Ramaswamy said he wanted to cut down on government spending and discussed eliminating the FBI, the Department of Education, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to do that. Musk, meanwhile, wants to just meme about it all. The acronym for the department is DOGE, Musk's favorite meme. Will the two be able to keep the posts despite clear conflicts of interest? We'll see. Please, someone stop the edge lords. 

wait why does the dept of government efficiency have two co-chairs

— Caitlin Gilbert (@caitlingilbert.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 6:15 PM

So much for justice: Special counsel Jack Smith, the guy in charge of the Justice Department cases against Trump, announced he will resign before the beginning of Trump's term. During his campaign, Trump promised to fire Smith within “two seconds” of taking office. Smith has two outstanding cases against Trump, and he plans to write a final report on both before stepping down.  

Hell is empty and the devils are here: A Michigan community theater put on a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. Several Nazis gathered outside waving swastika flags and shouting racist and antisemitic slurs.  

Something to listen to: A friend recently turned me onto this radio drama about a space mission. I've barely scratched the surface of the series, but so far it's a nice escape. 

Like many people here in the United States, my spouse and I are not happy about the recent election here. But we did not get here without precedent; for example, the Nixon administration and Spiro Agnew specifically were very aggressive in demonizing the press as political enemies for reporting on the corruption rampant within that administration. What are some good videos we can watch with other (sympathetic) family members to help them understand the historical underpinnings of our current situation? Some examples of the sort of thing I am talking about below the fold:

Stanley Karnow's Vietnam: A Television History

BBC's Oppenheimer

American Experience's series on LBJ

So 20th century (and earlier, especially slavery/slavers' rebellion related) US history with a political bent, even if politics isn't the main thrust. As always, thanks in advance.

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The Canada Council for the Arts presents the winners of the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Awards The Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks) celebrate literature and inspire people to read books by creators from Canada. They provide finalists and winners with valuable recognition from peers and readers across the country.

CNN contributor and former Obama adviser Van Jones said Wednesday on CNN's "Newsroom" that President-elect Donald Trump's pick of Fox News host Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense is "very alarming."

The post Van Jones: Fox News Host Running the Military Is ‘Very Alarming’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Incantation will play Mortal Throne Of Nazarene, too.

[Updated] If you were planning to get up at 3:00am to watch Tyler Smith compete today [Tuesday, July 30], cancel your alarm clock as the men’s triathlon has been postponed due to the poor water quality - and it is now scheduled to take place on Wednesday July 31st. A few hours before the race was […]

The International Olympic Committee has approved the change of nationality for figure skater Vanessa James, with James now be able to compete for Canada at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The report on the Inside The Games website said, “James will be eligible to represent Canada at the Games with her new skating partner, […]

The Argus Group has released its third annual Sustainability Report, “charting meaningful progress in addressing challenges including climate change and social equity.” A spokesperson said, “The focus is on how Argus is living its purpose to be “a powerful force for sustainable wellbeing” by embedding enterprise-wide, material changes that benefit their people and the planet. “Featured […]

Pro hromadné násilí proti Izraelcům v holandském Amsterdamu jen proto, že jsou Židé, se vžilo slovo „pogrom“. I když je původem z ruštiny, dobře vystihuje smysl události – je to pokus o genocidu v malém. Jak známo, v kapce mořské vody je vždy přítomen celý oceán se všemi jeho příznaky a kvalitami. Leč ve většině znaleckých posudků k amsterdamskému pogromu se zračí snaha nepochopit, nebo za každou cenu pokřivit jeho niterný původ a význam.

Voyo a Televize Nova uvedly novou seznamovací reality show Bachelor. Jeden muž si mezi osmnácti „soutěžícími“ hledá na řeckém ostrově partnerku. „Cením, že máme první sérii českého Bachelora a český Honza v něm hledá nevěstu. Jako kdyby to psala Božena Němcová,“ říká Martin Bartkovský v podcastu Poprask. S Šimonem Holým a Hankou Trojánkovou Biriczovou navštívili premiéru Bachelora. Jak se jim první díl líbí?

Removed From Network (Open for application): Anti-Bullying Movement (Movements)

The Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (S&D) on Wednesday called the opposition Partido Popular's (EPP) boycott of Teresa Ribera, Ursula von der Leyen’s Spanish commissioner pick, “shameful” and “anti-patriotic”. Ribera (PSOE/S&D), Spain's current minister for ecological…

Boyko Borissov, leader of the election-winning GERB (EPP) party, has opened negotiations with the pro-Russian Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the populists of There is Such a People (ITN) over a possible Bulgarian government. GERB won early parliamentary elections in October in one of the EU's…

Siemens reported a drop in profit at its industrial business on Thursday and lowered its sales target for next year, citing geopolitical risks like trade conflicts and weak consumer demand. The German engineering group said its industrial profit fell 7% to 3.12 billion euros ($3.29 billion) in the…

BT’s Derek Cassidy helps us dive deep into the world of subsea cables and explains how they’re managed and protected. Read more: Cable ties: The geopolitical challenges of the internet under the sea

A security analysis of the OvrC cloud platform has uncovered 10 vulnerabilities that could be chained to allow potential attackers to execute code remotely on connected devices. "Attackers successfully exploiting these vulnerabilities can access, control, and disrupt devices supported by OvrC; some of those include smart electrical power supplies, cameras, routers, home automation systems, and

Amazon has discontinued its secretive "Encore" project to develop an at-home fertility tracker, resulting in layoffs for around 100 employees. The project, part of Amazon's Grand Challenge division, aimed to launch a device and app that would predict fertility through saliva testing but was ultimately terminated to control costs. CNBC reports: The project was born out of the company's 2020 acquisition of Wisconsin-based startup bluDiagnostics, the sources said. BluDiagnostics was founded in 2015 by Weibel, Katie Brenner and Jodi Schroll, all of whom joined Grand Challenge. The startup had developed a thermometer-like device, called FertilityFinder, to help women track their fertility from home by testing their saliva and measuring two key hormones, estradiol and progesterone. The results of the test were viewable through a corresponding app. Business Insider reported on aspects of the fertility device in 2022, when its codename was Project Tiberius. The team was working to develop its own saliva collection device and mobile app, which could predict when a user might be in the fertile window. Users could also log their period symptoms, sexual activity and other data to assist with tracking their fertility. There are similar offerings on the market from companies including Inne, Oova, Ava and Mira, along with fertility and ovulation tracking apps such as Flo, Clue and Max Levchin's Glow. Amazon initially aimed to release the product this year, but the timing was pushed out after the team encountered technical issues with the device, one of the people said. It was a costly endeavor and required significant upfront investments for lab research and development, in addition to the high salaries for scientists and engineers, the sources said, adding that the team's weekly overhead was roughly $1.5 million. Amazon didn't comment on the figure. Only one project now remains active within Grand Challenge. Its focus is on health tech, the people said. "We regularly review our businesses to ensure we focus on areas where we can make the biggest difference for customers," said Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan. "Following a recent review, we've decided to discontinue this project within Grand Challenge, and we're working directly with employees whose roles are impacted to support them through the transition and help them find other opportunities within Amazon."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich says he and his team-mates should not have "expressed political opinions" at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

BBC Sport is looking for its next expert football content creator.

1. Unrest over deaths of 10 ‘militants’ spills over to Assam, Mizoram; ‘extra-judicial killings’ by CRPF, sa  The Times of India
2. ​Manipur’s misery: On the need for the Centre to act  The Hindu
3. ‘Sleepless nights’: cop concerned about 6 missing family members  The Indian Express
4. Fresh gunfights, arson in Manipur amid shutdown  Hindustan Times
5. 'Completely charred': Autopsy fails to collect samples to prove claim of Hmar woman's rape in Manipur  Deccan Herald

More than 3 000 families in Silver Town, Khayelitsha, have been forced to either use filthy, damaged toilets or relieve themselves in a field.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is set to visit Tehran for crucial talks on Iran's nuclear programme, warning just ahead of his trip that room for manoeuvre is narrowing.

The seeds for the refurbished Wits Planetarium were sown as far back as 2022 when Professor Zeblon Vilakazi met the chief executive of Anglo American, Duncan Wanblad, in London while raising funds for the institution’s centenary campaign.

A new report said that a draft order creating a mechanism for reviewing America’s top military leaders is being considered by President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team. The Wall Street Journal […]

The post Trump Team Prepping 'Warrior Board' Executive Order in Bid to Purge Military of Wokeness: Report appeared first on The Western Journal.

CIA official Asif W. Rahman was arrested by the FBI Tuesday in Cambodia on two counts of violating the Espionage Act in classified documents leaks about Israeli military plans. He will appear Thursday in a Guam court.

President Joe Biden pledged a smooth transition as he welcomed President-elect Donald Trump to the White House on Wednesday in a reignited tradition Trump balked at in 2020.

Democratic Govs. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado on Wednesday announced the launch of a non-partisan coalition of governors aimed at protecting state-level democratic institutions.

One half of the La Poche Bleue podcast and former Montreal Canadiens player Guillaume Latendresse has announced he is taking a break.

In 1833, hundreds of thousands of shooting stars inspired songs, prophecies and a crowdsourced research paper on the origins of meteors

The fireball—one of many decommissioned satellites from SpaceX's internet service—was spotted by dozens of people across at least four states, and many mistook it for a meteor

Promises to build 30,000 affordable rental homes, make Halifax ferries free and temporarily remove the provincial tax on gasoline were centrepieces of the Nova Scotia NDP election platform released Wednesday.

Politically, John Horgan's legacy will be defined by bringing the B.C. NDP two terms in power, and passing a range of affordability policies amid a spiking cost of living and international crises.

Treasury has published a discussion document on phase 2 of the carbon tax, which kicks in 1 January 2026

For the first time in four years, Democrats are leaderless. But chaos is a ladder, as the saying goes, and the party is packed with climbers.

Penn State University has launched a University-wide partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, offering active-duty service members internships across various departments to help them transition to civilian careers.

Todd Davis, professor of English and environmental studies, Carolyn G. Mahan, professor of biology and environmental studies, and Noah Davis, are the editors of “A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia,” published by University of Georgia Press.

Teraco Data Environments hired Absa to syndicate an R8 billion loan as the company gears up for a new facility to meet rising demand from artificial intelligence applications.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the government-run telecom service provider, launched a direct-to-device satellite connectivity service on Wednesday. The Indian Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced the launch, calling it the “India’s first Satellite-to-Device service”. The Indian telecom developed this technology along with Viasat, a California-based communications technology company. It is aimed at offering seamless connectivity to users even in the remote and isolated corners of the country.

Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset was launched by Qualcomm at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii last month as a successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The rumour mill now suggests that its successor, the purported Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 SoC, might offer an even bigger jump in single and multi-core performance, despite recent changes suggested in its development plans.

Samsung is speculated to be developing a tri-fold smartphone. This move is said to be in a bid to catch up to Huawei, which launched the world’s tri-fold smartphone dubbed Mate XT Ultimate Design in September. Ahead of its anticipated debut in 2025, Samsung has been recently granted a patent for a flexible display device with a foldable design featuring three screens and a specialised barrier layer for improved durability and reduced strain.

India captain Rohit Sharma is not in Australia. There has been no official communication about the reason behind his absence