Good Morning! We’re starting the day with some sun, but Charles Mudede will be happy to know that the skies will be overcast again by the afternoon. We likely have rain tomorrow and Saturday, so this morning, soak up enough vitamin D to get you through to Sunday.
But first, the news.
Trump in China: Trump and his merry band of business executives and lily-white advisers are in China for talks with President Xi. Xi came in hot, warning that if issues around Taiwan were handled poorly, it could lead to conflict and “an extremely dangerous situation.” He also warned Trump to not fall into the “Thucydides Trap” in the two countries’ relationship. (The “Trap” refers to Athenian General Thucydides’s writings about the Second Peloponnesian War, in which Athens saw the rise of Sparta’s power, and felt they had to attack them because they were gaining strength.) China clearly fancies itself to be Sparta, and has been using the analogy for more than a decade to insist that the “trap” isn’t inevitable, it’s a choice. I’m taking bets on how much of that analogy Trump was able to follow.
Judge Breaks Trend: On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata to the United States. They deported the 55-year-old Colombian woman to the Democratic Republic of Congo in April. Trump has been cutting deals with other countries, often in Africa, to deport people when he isn’t allowed to send them back to their home country (usually because the person is at risk of persecution there). But in this case, the Congo had told the Trump administration that they wouldn’t take Zapata because they couldn’t provide her the medical care she needed. This is a rare instance of a judge reversing a deportation.
Medicaid Alert: VP Vance announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration plans to withhold $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid payments from California because the state allegedly “has not taken fraud very seriously.” He also said the feds plan to audit all of the state-level watchdog agencies that are supposed to be finding Medicaid fraud, forcing them to prove that they’re “effectively and aggressively” combating Medicaid fraud, or they’ll also lose funding.
Trump Wants His Presidential Library to Be a Hotel: And it’s very possible that’s not constitutional. According to a lawsuit filed in Miami, the land was donated to the state to become a library, not a for-profit hotel with a 747 Air Force One on the first floor (which might sound familiar to anyone who commutes on Denny Way). And because it will likely be a for-profit business, it might violate the Constitution’s domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from accepting money or gifts from the states.
A Rose by Any Other Name: Will be just as painful, but might get better treatment. The AP reports that PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is now officially known as PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome). Researchers say the old name reduced a complex hormonal disorder to cysts and ovaries, which has led to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment. Now let’s do it with endometriosis.
Suspect in UW Stabbing Turned Himself in: On Wednesday, SPD released images and a description of a man that they believe stabbed and killed a 19-year-old trans woman in UW off-campus housing, and according to police, he turned himself into Bellevue police late last night. He’s since been transferred to SPD custody and then King County jail.
Boeing Pays Up: On Wednesday, a jury demanded that Boeing pay $49.5 million to the family of Samya Rose Stumo, a 24-year-old who died when a Boeing 737 MAX plane crashed in Ethiopia in 2019 (the second deadly MAX crash in just a few months). Boeing had already reached an agreement with the DOJ to avoid criminal prosecution, and settled dozens of lawsuits out of court with other victims’ families. Only one other case has gone to trial, which found Boeing liable for $28 million.
SAM Workers Unionizing: On Wednesday morning, Seattle Art Museum workers announced that their union, Seattle Art Museum Workers United, which represents more than 100 employees, was affiliating with the Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28. In a letter delivered to SAM CEO Scott Stulen and the Board of Trustees, SAMWU said it wants “sustainable and respectful wages,” “just-cause” protections, improved healthcare, PTO, and other employee benefits; and a workplace culture of “inclusion, trust, and accountability,” Stranger contributor Jas Keimig reported. They’re giving SAM leadership until May 27 to voluntarily recognize the union.
The Lawyers Aren’t Alright: And neither are the judges in Washington State. A new report from the Washington State Bar Association found that the stress associated with being a judge, lawyer, or law student is brutal on their mental health. “Washington state judges report they can’t sleep at night because of the decisions they make in court and threats to their families,” the Seattle Times reports. “New lawyers stress over long work hours and law school debt. And 55 members of Washington’s legal community took their lives between 2018 and 2023.” The state Bar Association’s board of governors are now tasked with figuring out how they should help.
Protest at Public Safety Meeting: For the first time, the Office of the Inspector General went in front of City Council this week to present the results of the Sentinel Event Review of SPD’s behavior at Cal Anderson last Memorial Day weekend, where police officers violently arrested counter protesters who were rallying against the Christian supremacist event. One officer was caught on body cam footage saying: “We’re going in this time with guns blazing and all our pieces in place… We are past talking to people; we’re here to fuck people up now.” On Tuesday, half a dozen protesters, including two people who said they were brutally arrested by SPD at the event, temporarily shut down the meeting. After two long recesses, Committee Chair Bob Kettle eventually switched to a remote meeting. We’ll have more on the meeting this week on The Stranger.
Drinking and Trotting: It’s party season for wild animals in rural France. A French law enforcement agency warned that in spring, animals tend to eat fermented fruit that can get them drunk, and drivers should look out for animals showing unpredictable behavior. “If Bambi has had a bit too much of that forest aperitif, now might not be the best time to drive as if you own the road,” the agency said.
In Case You Thought They Were Kidding:
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