Last Wednesday was the final day for bills to make it out of their house of origin in the Washington State legislature. While many bills still in play are worth paying attention to, I want to focus on a pair that didn’t make the cut: Senate Bill 5233 and House Bill 1445. by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue

Last Wednesday was the final day for bills to make it out of their house of origin in the Washington State legislature. While many bills still in play are worth paying attention to, I want to focus on a pair that didn’t make the cut: Senate Bill 5233 and House Bill 1445. 

Both bills would have created the Washington Health Trust (WHT), a system of universal healthcare for the residents of our state. Introducing universal healthcare bills to both houses in the same session is a first, and these bills enjoyed unprecedented support. Efforts to enact universal healthcare at a state level have been underway in some form since 2016, but this year the bills received a record number of cosponsors in each chamber—11 in the Senate and 17 in the House—plus the endorsement of the Washington State Democratic Party.

Our state has a Democratic trifecta, meaning that the committees that both bills needed to pass through—Health & Long-Term Care in the Senate and Health Care & Wellness in the House—are chaired by Democrats. In this case, Sen. Annette Cleveland (D-Vancouver) and Rep. Dan Bronoske (D-Lakewood). Universal healthcare has been a part of the Washington State Democratic Party’s platform for almost a decade.

The bills also arrived at a time when our country’s system of private insurance is at an all-time low in popularity. Conversely, the concept of universal healthcare is polling better than ever. Our state’s bills would do exactly what has made universal healthcare such a popular idea: provide comprehensive coverage to all residents of Washington State at low or no cost.

So, if everyone loves universal healthcare and all the politicians involved say they do too, why the hell didn’t it get a hearing?

“That's a question I've been asking since 2016,” said Andre Stackhouse, the executive director of Whole Washington, one of the groups behind the WHT bills. 

“I wish I could say that I was surprised that the bills didn't get a hearing this year,” he said. “We have worked very hard to establish something of a dialogue and a working relationship with Chair Cleveland, but this is something she's held firm on ever since she was elected chair.”

This year, at least, she offered some explanation as to why. In response to a letter from Healthcare is a Human Right Washington (HCHR-WA) that went to her and Rep. Bronoske, she wrote:

“Regarding your request for a hearing, I have been clear in all discussions that Senator Hasegawa’s Washington Health Trust bill, SB 5233, would not be heard this year because I am not willing to disingenuously give advocates hope by hearing a bill that will not be moved out of committee. We are facing very dire budget shortfalls as a state this year that prevents bills with large fiscal notes from moving forward.  In addition, it is premature to consider SB 5233 when we still face the roadblock of the federal government in preventing implementation. Finally, the work of the Universal Health Care Commission must be more fully completed before any policy is considered.”

Earlier in her response, she told advocates copied on the email, “Be assured that I am a continued strong advocate of our shared goal.” 

While one might expect a strong advocate of state-level universal healthcare to advance a bill that would create such a system out of the committee she controls, she went on to list several things she is doing instead of that.

One was to join Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle), one of SB 5233’s cosponsors, in writing a letter to the Universal Health Care Commission asking them to study SB 5233 and develop recommendations for future legislation. Never mind that the bill is pretty finely tuned already. The other was to wait on passage of Rep. Hasegawa’s Senate Joint Memorial 8004, a nonbinding resolution that would ask the federal government very nicely to let us do universal healthcare.

Democrats are once again gearing up to tell us that better things are not possible, and they really like sounding like the voice of reason when they do it. “Just wait, we’re working on it, someone else is stopping us, these things take time.” But is this actually reasonable? Let’s take a closer look.

First off, while the Universal Healthcare Commission (UHCC)  is still studying the issue and plans to issue a final report that could potentially inform future legislation, it is by no means opposed to the WHT.

“The UHCC has published their Washington Health Trust Analysis Report and found that it aligns with their universal health care system design,” HCHR-WA wrote in its letter. Saying we need to wait for the UHCC to wrap up is something of a stalling tactic here, it seems.

Second, it is not fiscally irresponsible to enact universal healthcare. Not enacting universal healthcare is, in fact, the fiscally irresponsible choice, according to HCHR-WA’s letter:

“The Washington Health Care Authority’s Work Group Report has also estimated that a system like the WHT would potentially save $800 million to $2.5 billion in an implementation year, and up to $5.6 billion on an annual basis in total health care spending once its transition is complete. The WHT raises all necessary revenue and will result in savings for the state across other sectors like housing and law enforcement. In a year in which the state is experiencing significant budgetary challenges, revenue and savings like these may be necessary to implement the budget.”

It might sound preposterous that making the state responsible for all Washingtonians’ healthcare costs would pencil out, but there would be plenty of money coming in. The WHT’s coverage obligations would be backed by a lot of new revenue, specifically in the form of taxes on business and capital gains.

Employers would pay a new 4.5-10.5 percent tax on wages, while sole proprietors would pay 2 percent of earnings. Investors with capital gains of over $200,000 would pay 5 to 9 percent of their profits. For capital gains exceeding $300,000, they’d pay an extra 2 percent. However, profits from home sales or retirement accounts would be exempt, as would capital gains reinvested in a primary residence.

“[The cost is] very similar to the current system where the employers pay premiums and they usually share those premiums with the employee,” Stackhouse said. “I think for most people [it’s] very competitive compared to what they're paying.”

Several studies have shown that the only people who pay more under a system like the WHT are people in the top 1 percent of earners.

“It's really only incomes above, I think, $500,000 that pay significantly more,” Stackhouse added. “And the biggest, biggest impact is [in favor of] the working and middle class who right now pay the highest percentage of their income on healthcare.”

While there is no federal law explicitly preventing states from setting up universal healthcare systems, to make such a system work, states would need to use the money they get from the federal government for Medicare and Medicaid to cover the cost. To do that, they need a waiver allowing them to apply that money to the WHT. If a state enacts a universal healthcare plan and then approaches the Department of Health and Human Services only to be denied, it could leave you in quite a bind. States are required to balance their budget every year, and if they’ve suddenly taken on the cost of covering all residents while losing a major revenue source earmarked for that purpose, they won’t be able to balance shit. 

“They are in financial peril,” Stackhouse said, referring to programs that cover low-income residents like Medicaid or Cascade Care. “So even just to save existing programs, we need to talk about raising revenue.”

So if it’s not really about cost, because it might actually save us money, and it’s not really about federal barriers, what is it about? You could point to a lot of more, shall we say, transactional reasons why Sen. Cleveland continues to table the bill — her 2024 campaign donor list is chock full of large insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare industry associations, as is Rep. Bronoske’s — but let’s examine what Sen. Cleveland said about not getting anyone’s hopes up.

Cleveland is not wrong about the barriers something like the WHT faces, whether legislative or logistical. Getting away from the miserable, bloodsucking system of private insurance that we have now takes time. Private insurance won’t go away overnight or perhaps ever (nor is it intended to under the WHT). Funding for universal healthcare might get pulled out from under us like a rug. The deranged fascists in charge of the federal government might come down even harder than that, denying funding for other things until we give up our silly notions of socialized medicine. Right now, we have no way of knowing what would happen if the WHT was enacted into law.

But part of why we don’t is because we haven’t done it. We’ve known it’s the right thing to do for decades and now, when we have a viable plan to do it, the people who are supposed to be fighting for us are stalling.

Full disclosure: If I come off biased in favor of these bills, it’s because I am. I have lived with type 1 diabetes for almost 15 years. I have navigated every nook and cranny of the private insurance landscape. I have paid thousands of dollars, even while insured, for the simple privilege of being alive. And I’m lucky to have been able to stay insured. Without coverage, financial ruin comes to most diabetics in a matter of months. 

Frederick Banting invented insulin in 1921 and sold the U.S. patent for it for $1, with explicit instructions to make it cheap and widely available.

“Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world,” he said.

It now belongs to three massive pharmaceutical companies and costs $300 a vial. It costs them $2 to make that vial. If we lived in a just society, the price-fixing ghouls who have created this reality would face consequences.

When it comes to hope, I would say it’s too late. I already have hope. I hope every day for a system that doesn’t do this to people. But every day I see people in power preserve a system that actively does this to people — that causes medical bankruptcies and denies claims and drives people to ration their insulin until they fucking die — and my hope turns into anger.

In this case, I think anger is very appropriate. I think we should all be very, very angry that anyone allows this insane, criminal system to continue. I think that no matter our political affiliation, we should be asking anyone who wants to represent us what they really mean to do for us. And when. Are they willing to stand up to their donors? Or better yet, are they willing to forego donations from the people they’re charged with regulating? Are they on our side? If not, well, the word primary is also a verb.

So what’s next for Washington’s Universal Healthcare dream? Whole Washington, the group behind the WHT, is not giving up so easily. They’re starting the ballot initiative process as soon as this month. Despite what Brian Heywood thinks, they’re not only for billionaires to buy policy. and if you want to put the ballot initiative back in the hands of the people, Whole Washington would love your help.

See Torrey Peters at Town Hall Seattle Wednesday, March 19. by Blair Stenvick

Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories opens with a note from author Torrey Peters. Still on the heels of her 2021 hit novel Detransition, Baby, Peters shares that she was motivated to keep digging into trans identity this time, posing an underlying question connecting the four stories in her new book: “What does it even mean to be trans?”

It’s quite a question to be asking at this moment in time, as fascist gender policing reaches a boiling point. Those in power are interested in defining transness only insofar that they think they can separate and eradicate it. Well-meaning allies seek to define it through the lens of oppression, lack, and cookie-cutter narratives; even trans folks ourselves can get caught up in gatekeeping traps, seduced by the notion that if we can only find the right words, the right timeline, the right way to be trans, then existential threats will vanish.

The trans characters in Stag Dance didn’t fall out of a coconut tree; they all live under the stifling weight of gender norms. But rather than focusing on the macro, Peters zooms into their interiorities, desires, and close relationships, lighting up the pages with specificity, sucker-punch revelations, and some good old-fashioned romantic suspense.

In the titular novel at the heart of the book, a seemingly all-male camp of grizzly lumberjacks plan a dance. To liven things up, lumberjacks have the option to pin a brown cloth triangle onto the crotch of their pants—a makeshift “bush”—and attend as “women” for courting and dancing with. The opportunity stirs something inside Babe, the biggest and ugliest guy in the group, who is the first to claim a bush for himself. He tries to play it for laughs at first, but that changes as he gets to know Lisen, a more delicate and effeminate lumberjack who flirts and wrestles with the other guys.

Watching Lisen tease the men, Babe feels a difficult-to-name stirring:

“His sauciness disturbed me, or rather, I was disturbed by the unctuous temptation it endangered in me, a queer need like how it feels to forget the perfect word for something, even as you know somewhere in your mind you must have the word, that you don’t lack it at all, only its use.”

Trans people can recognize this feeling; it’s the first time you encounter another trans person and feel a terrified-yet-excited surge of familiarity. This crew of 1800s lumberjacks haven’t heard the
word “transgender,” and they certainly don’t have knowledge of gender-affirming care. But none of that matters when Babe wears his brown cloth and hooks up with the camp boss: “With eyes closed, there existed no difference between the triangle and myself: Distinction collapsed, and it was on me and of me and in me.”

Like “Stag Dance,” short story “The Chaser” also takes place in the single-sex environment of a boarding school bedroom, where a teenage boy starts secretly hooking up with his feminine roommate Robbie. In the confines of a dark bedroom, where bodies become shapes and curves, their attraction is undeniable. But when a new semester comes and room assignments change, tenderness with Robbie becomes humiliating and untenable for the protagonist: “What was hot for me before was that he was feminine and available, and I set all the terms.”

That’s just one instance of many in which trans women are betrayed in Stag Dance. To be a trans woman in Peters’ stories is to constantly live on a razor’s edge between cis people’s desire and disgust, which often co-mingle. And it often means betraying other trans people yourself, in the pursuit of mainstream approval.

You can see that dichotomy in today’s conservative media: There’s a rabid obsession with all trans people—but especially transfem folks—that so clearly stems from insecurity. They are angry at trans people for alighting their own gender and sexuality anxieties, for exposing the absurdity of the gender binary.

There’s a reason transphobes hate being asked their pronouns, and try to claim “cisgender” is a slur: If you have to work to define your cisness, then that means you are in some way defining your own gender, and then doesn’t that make you a little bit trans, too?

That’s exactly what “Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones,” the collection’s most inventive story, explores so deftly. A small team of trans women in Seattle develop and disperse a highly contagious injection that takes away humans’ ability to produce their own hormones, and the US quickly becomes a civil war-torn free-
for-all, where everyone is forced to source their own hormones.

“I was thinking I want to live in a world where everyone has to choose their gender,” one of the culprits says by way of explanation. But interestingly, this does not erase the distinction between trans and cis: A group of trans women who transitioned well before the infection broke out find each other and develop their own community on an abandoned farm, living under the shared principle of “t4t.” The familiar dating app acronym becomes a philosophy of respecting and looking out for other trans folks above all else.

While they’re ostensibly living in a world where everyone is trans in the physical sense, these trans women still find safety primarily in each other. Old resentments, rivalries, and desperation to appeal to cis people for safety and validation fade away. “All it took was the end of the world t o make that happen,” one trans homesteader observes.

The stories in Stag Dance aren’t about brave, articulate transgender people overcoming oppression and leading the way into a genderless utopia. They are instead about messy, flawed trans people attempting to find survival while achieving a modicum of authenticity, in a hostile world where cis people’s own gender anxieties—and the violence those anxieties can provoke—lurk around every corner.

In the end, true safety can only be found with each other. That seems a salient lesson to remember as new policies attempt to separate the “QT” from the “LGB”—and even to distinguish the good, quiet trans
people who keep to themselves from the ones who insist on playing sports, dressing outside the binary, using restrooms without passing, teaching young people, and other apparently flagrant offenses.

Still, it’d be a disservice to present these stories only as political fodder. As Peters notes in her introduction, this collection is about trans people as “just people yearning, crashing, loving, and messing up.” These characters stayed with me, and once you crack open Stag Dance, you’ll want to spend some time with them as well.

See Torrey Peters at Town Hall Wednesday, March 19, 7:30 pm, free–$35, optional book add-on for $28, all ages.

This story was originally published in our sister paper, Portland Mercury.

Thursday may be the first day of spring, but the Washington weather is determined to rain on its parade. However, there's still plenty of fun to be had this week at events from Kells 42nd Annual St. Patrick’s Irish Festival to Snow Patrol and from the Seattle Moisture Festival to the 5th Avenue Theatre's production of Waitress. 

Kells 42nd Annual St. Patrick’s Irish Festival
Kells' 42nd annual shamrock-festooned celebration wraps up over a week of revelry today. As usual, Post Alley and First Avenue will be closed to traffic and covered by a large tent to support expanded celebrations, including rugby watch parties and performances by local musicians like the Belfast Bandits, Máirtín Ó Huigin, and U2 tribute band Vertigo Zoo. Don't forget the house-brewed beers and classic Irish dishes—corned beef, anyone? SHANNON LUBETICH
(Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, Pike Place Market)

The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Nathalie Graham

Please vaccinate your kids: Measles is running rampant among unvaccinated kids in Texas and New Mexico. The outbreaks have seen a total of 300 cases and two deaths so far. Isolated measles cases are popping up across the country, even in Seattle. You'd think this would be enough to sway the anti-vax parents, yet according to data the Washington State Department of Health measles vaccination rates in kindergartners declined in 36 of 39 Washington counties. The only county with a kindergarten vaccination rate above the herd immunity threshold of 95% was Yakima County where 96.4% of students are vaccinated. 

Go Dawgs: The University of Washington's women's basketball team will head to the Big Dance, otherwise known as the 2025 NCAA Tournament, for the first time in eight years. They'll square off against the Columbia Lions on Thursday. 

Not dead yet! Elon Musk and his team of doofuses at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) believe dead people are receiving Social Security benefits. They've dedicated a whole team to rooting out those deceased freeloaders. Except, according to the Seattle Times, the opposite just happened. Leonard Johnson, an 82-year-old very much alive Capitol Hill resident was essentially erroneously declared dead by the Social Security Administration (SSA) last month. His wife received a notice from his bank explaining the SSA requested the return of Johnson's Social Security funds after his death. The bank had pulled $5,201 in payments Johnson received for December and January. He hasn't received payments for February or March. He's been trying to resurrect himself by convincing the SSA he's alive. After unsuccessful calls, Johnson went to a physical office, waited for hours, and finally proved he had a pulse. The bank returned the money it took from his account, but those other monthly payments from the SSA have yet to show up. The whole thing is like this Monty Python sketch:

Remember the teen killed during CHOP? Antonio Mays Jr., 16, was shot and killed inside a stolen Jeep in 2020's Capitol Hill Organized Protest Zone when the "autonomous" area took a darker turn. Yet, five years later, police have filed no charges in his death, reports the Seattle Times. They won't answer questions about it either. Mays' family is embroiled in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and recently sent a letter to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform urging Congress to probe into CHOP and the Seattle Police Department's homicide investigation. 

The weather: We have a true Seattle week ahead of us. Rain, rain, rain, and—you guessed it—more rain. So, wear a raincoat today. 

Storms kill 39: Severe weather events including "unusually vicious and damaging" tornadoes, dust storms, and wildfires killed at least 39 people across multiple southern states. 

Public transit is still kicking: Knock on wood, but things are looking good for Seattle-area transit ridership. Local transit agencies saw a 12% increase in ridership between 2023 and 2024. Everett Transit had the biggest jump with a 32% increase in ridership—the only local agency to report more transit ridership than its pre-pandemic levels. What's their secret sauce? Frequent ridership. Take notes, other agencies. 

Give her back: French Socialist member of parliament Raphaël Glucksmann said if the United States embraces dictators then it should give the Statue of Liberty back to France. The current goings ons in America are contrary to the values that led to France bestowing Lady Liberty upon us 140 years ago. “We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home,” she said. 

Exhibit A: The Department of Defense removed a Black Medal of Honor winner from its website. US Army Major General Charles Calvin Rogers received the award after being wounded three times while defending a base in the Vietnam War. Rogers was the highest ranking Black person to receive the award. Now, the Department of Defense's page on Rogers results in a "404 – Page Not Found" error. The URL to his page on the site was changed, too: "medal" was replaced with "DEI medal." 

Seems bad: The US stock market lost over $5 trillion in value in just three weeks. 

Immigration gets messier: A British Columbia woman's family says she has been detained for 10 days after "attempting to cross the [US] border with a job offer and visa paperwork in hand." Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a doctor and professor at Brown University, returned to the US after a trip to Lebanon. Customs and Border Protection deported her back to Lebanon despite her having a valid US visa. The deportation occurred despite a court order demanding Alawieh not be removed. A German green card holder and New Hampshire resident was detained at Logan Airport in Boston and is being held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a facility in Rhode Island. He told his wife ICE agents had "pressured him to give up his green card" and described inhumane treatment. 

El Salvador deportations could violate court order: Over the weekend, the US government deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a prison in El Salvador after Trump signed an executive order Friday invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to "rapidly arrest and deport" people he labeled as "gang members." The law allows the deportation of those from countries at war with the US. Unsurprisingly, since all of this occurred without legal oversight, Judge James E. Boasberg of the Federal District Court in Washington D.C. issued a temporary restraining order to block these deportations. However, the deportation occurred in spite of the court order. Whether or not the administration violated the order will depend on when the flights took off. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! All of this deportation news and hostility toward immigrants makes celebrating St. Patrick's Day—a celebration of the Irish—feel a little off. Still, kiss an Irish person today. Gorge yourself on Guinness. Eat corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Remind yourself that we are a country of immigrants. 

A song for your Monday: Sticking with the Irish theme, here's U2. 

Four Diamonds
This casual spot hosted its grand opening downtown this week, serving boba drinks and Vietnamese fare like pho and rice plates.
Downtown

This is the one customer service desk where the customer is always wrong. And no matter what, you’re going to Hell. by Hannah Murphy Winter

“Welcome to Hell. This is the Hellp Desk.”

A young woman with long, red hair and a glower that would make Miranda Priestly tremble stands in front of the gates of Hell. She holds your Soul File in her hand—a list of everything the Universe weighed when it decided if you were going to Paradise or headed to the gate you’re looking at now.

Most of Hell is run by demons, but Lily, the woman holding your file, is a human: one who had a short lifetime full of customer service experience. And the line you’re in isn’t for everyone. It’s for the Karens, the crypto-bros, people who insist it was “just a joke.” Everyone who, on Earth, learned that if you’re loud, obnoxious, or cruel enough, you’ll eventually get what you want.

Not here. This is the one customer service desk where the customer is always wrong. And no matter what, you’re going to Hell.

All of it is courtesy of Hell’s Belles, the TikTok series created by Seattle’s Jaysea Lynn. Born of two traumas—religious indoctrination and customer service work—Hell’s Belles has built the afterlife we all wish existed: fair, nuanced, respectful of religion but devoid of dogma. The series has spent four years exploring morality, justice, and some of our best and worst human instincts, with a sprinkling of demon smut on top. The series has 1.8 million followers who scroll in five days a week to watch updates from the Hellp Desk.

Hell’s Belles was only supposed to last a few episodes—an idea that Lynn had during a particularly bad day in, you guessed it, customer service. “This lady just told me to go to Hell,” Lynn told The Stranger. “The first skit came to me, and I was like ‘Cool, I’ll do, like, three or four of these. It’ll be cathartic, and I will fade into obscurity.’ And that was almost 600 episodes ago.”

Lynn started out by pulling material from her own life, growing up in Astoria (yes, of The Goonies fame) in a conservative, religious home. “In college, I lived in an all-women’s Christian co-op that was essentially a cult,” she says. “When I connected with those same people after college, we had all left religion—and some of us had left faith completely. And it was like, ‘Okay, what were the things that happened? They mattered and they hurt us, and they’re worth talking about.’ Hell’s Belles was a place where I could start expressing that malcontent and that hurt and not have someone immediately go, ‘Well, that’s not God,’ to make it more comfortable for them to hear. It’s really validating to hear someone say, ‘That’s not what should have happened.’ Or ‘You were assaulted, and it wasn’t God trying to get your attention.’”

In the Hell’s Belles afterlife, we’re all judged by the Universe on the same basic scale: Did you do your honest best to avoid doing harm? If you did, head to the paradise of your choosing. If you didn’t, you’ll find yourself walking past the Hellp Desk toward the gates of Hell. The first two levels aren’t punishment—think of them more like therapy. A place to work through the reasons you weren’t able to be as decent as you should have been on Earth. As you get deeper, the punishments get more severe, but Lynn’s version of Hell assumes that everyone is redeemable. No one is doomed to rot there as long as they’re willing to put in the work.

Some of the desk’s patrons are archetypes: Christian mothers who rejected their queer children, abusers, and backyard puppy mill breeders. Others are pulled straight from headlines: the day Anita Bryant died, Miss Oklahoma came up to the desk (“The gay is not a determining factor in how many stairs you have to do.”) When Luigi Mangione shot and killed Brian Thompson, an unnamed healthcare CEO passed through (“When you were lying in that bed, dying, did you still think it was best for healthcare decisions to be made by an insurance panel with no medical training?” Lily asked. “Your claim for hellp has been denied.”)

But between the Hellp Desk patrons is the whole “life” part of the afterlife. Lily falls in love with a hunky demon named Bel, they have a little found family that passes between the many levels of the afterlife and plays sexy trivia and sings “Margaritaville” karaoke, and of course, that’s where the sprinkling of demon smut comes in.

The show ran for four years, and in addition to the whirlwind that comes with TikTok notoriety, Hell’s Belles also helped reconcile some of that religious trauma in her personal life. “I started living more authentically,” Lynn says. “And it was like creative therapy for me. I’m more willing to talk to my mom about this. And we were able to have these sometimes sad or harsh conversations that built over time.”

But in January, as the TikTok ban loomed, it seemed like a chapter might be coming to an end. But the same week that TikTok went dark (if only for a day), Lynn signed a seven-figure, three-book deal, including her already self-published prequel to the series, For Whom the Belle Tolls. No matter which oligarch owns our various social media platforms, the Hell’s Belles universe will live on.

The series prequel starts when Lily is still alive, sitting in her car that refused to start, just after getting a bleak cancer prognosis: “The doctor had given her options, of course. Options to prolong. To ease. But options were for people with money. People whose cars would start.” By Chapter 3, though, we’re in the afterlife: Lily gets judged by the Universe, sorted into her own paradise, and the Hellp Desk comes to be.

The first book was the largest writing project Lynn has ever taken on—she doesn’t even script the Hell’s Belles episodes. But she’s excited to eventually move away from the daily grind of filming, editing, and posting an episode every day. “It’s not my favorite storytelling medium,” she says. And with a three-book deal, she may have the chance to (very, very slowly) move away from it. “At first I was like ‘Do you have two more books in you?’” she says. “As soon as I had the deal, I was like ‘Maybe I’m a fraud, and I only ever had one book in me, and this was all a fluke, and this is a lie, and they’re gonna put me in author jail.’ And then it was I took a nap and ate something, and I went, ‘No, I think I’ll be okay.’”

There are two possibly perfect descriptions I’ve read of For Whom the Belle Tolls. The first comes from a document titled “Reading waiver for dad.” When Lynn’s religious father expressed interest in reading the manuscript before it was published, she agreed, but first, he had to initial and sign on a few dotted lines. “I know, from prior conversations, that you have read Dostoevsky and believe this book to be similar. While I am flattered, I’m also concerned,” the letter starts. “For Whom the Belle Tolls does—like Dostoevsky—deal with religion, morality, the human experience, and satire. However, it is not, in any way, like anything Dostoevsky wrote. Dostoevsky did not write sexy demons. Dostoevsky did not have customer service trauma that affected his work. Dostoevsky did not write sex scenes.”

The second comes from the book’s dedication: “For anyone who has ever felt temporary. And for the nerds.”

On Tuesday in Seattle, as well as in five other cities across the country, Starbucks workers went on strike to demand a fair contract—provoking a police response that included 16 arrests. This occurred one day before Starbucks held its annual shareholder meeting. by Conor Kelley

On Tuesday in Seattle, as well as in five other cities across the country, Starbucks workers went on strike to demand a fair contract—provoking a police response that included 16 arrests. This occurred one day before Starbucks held its annual shareholder meeting.

It’s the latest episode in a contract battle between Starbucks and its workers that has lasted more than three years.

You may be thinking—“But Conor, weren’t these contract negotiations supposedly wrapping up late last year?” Good eye. As I reported in November, the coffee giant and Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) were engaged in negotiations that both sides swore were moving quickly toward a fair resolution. But given Starbucks’ long history of refusing to accept unions in their ranks and hiring the notorious union-busting law firm Littler Mendleson to argue against workers’ rights in court, some (certainly not me) were skeptical that the company would suddenly start playing nice.

Yeah, they didn’t.

In the final bargaining meeting in December, Starbucks reportedly offered SBWU no new wage increases, only a 1.5% increase in future years, and broke their promise to resolve the hundreds of pending Unfair Labor Practice charges the union has filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

The union viewed this offer as outrageous. “This is backtracking on months and months of progress and promises from the company to work toward an end-of-year framework ratification,” union leader Michelle Eisen said at the time.

In response, SBWU coordinated escalating strikes over five days starting on December 20, typically a very profitable time of year for Starbucks. The strike peaked on Christmas Eve, when 5,000 baristas at over 300 stores walked out.

On January 31, the two sides agreed to bring in the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help them hash out a framework contract for their 550 unionized stores representing over 11,000 workers. Those talks are ongoing. Neither side will disclose details on how the talks are proceeding, but perhaps this latest action speaks to its progress—or lack thereof.

Tuesday, community members aligned with Starbucks workers staged over 100 actions they dubbed “sip-ins” in six cities: Easton, PA; Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and here in Seattle at the shop on The Ave and 42nd.

This location, just a couple blocks off the UW campus, has been a hotbed for activity in this years-long saga. In 2022, workers called the store a “high-incident” location with frequent disruptions and security issues they felt ill-equipped to handle, but expressed concerns that if they filed incident reports with corporate, theirs would be the next store closed on dubious grounds.

Last month, on February 11, workers at this store walked out after Starbucks spent millions to run a Super Bowl promotion offering a free coffee at any of their locations—but neglected to staff up for the huge crush of folks who arrived and overwhelmed the staff.

Two weeks ago, UW students protested the school’s relationship with Starbucks, demanding in a letter to UW administration that the school stop serving Starbucks coffee on campus until the company offers their workers an acceptable contract.

On Tuesday morning, nearly 100 workers and community supporters sat inside the shop and protested outside, holding signs and chanting, “No contract, no coffee! No workers, no Starbucks!”

This week, we took direct action to show Starbucks the urgency of finalizing contracts with the wages, staffing, and protections we need to thrive.

We’re doing what it takes to win. And we won't stop until we do.

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— Starbucks Workers United (@sbworkersunited.org) March 13, 2025 at 10:51 AM

 “I’m out here because our store won a union election in 2022 and it's 2025 and we have yet to see our first contract,” said Emma Cox, a barista trainer. “Starbucks pledged to proceed with bargaining in good faith last year but they have not followed through with that promise. It’s never been that they don’t have the money to give us raises. It’s that they don’t put the needs of their workers first.”

Police scanner audio confirms that around 1 p.m., the store manager called the cops and requested seven protestors inside the store be “trespassed”—arrested for trespassing. Store management also informed the police they would “assist in prosecution,” according to police scanner audio.

SPD leapt into action, dispatching officers a mere three hours later to set up a “command post” in a parking lot at 42nd and Brooklyn, equipped with a “crowd management package,” which according to the SPD manual consists of blast balls and pepper spray. A photo a Reddit user posted shows Seattle’s Finest standing around chatting. That same user later reported seeing two more vans and four other officers around the corner, making a grand total of 10 vehicles and 20 officers deployed for a peaceful protest in a little coffee shop. SPD cleared out the protestors by around 5:15 p.m., without altercation.

Your tax dollars hard at work!

“Tuesday’s actions here in Seattle and across the country sent a clear message to Starbucks shareholders: It’s time for fair contracts. Starbucks needs to take care of their workers and the first step of that would be to finalize fair contracts with the wages, staffing, and protections baristas need to thrive,” said Ty Newbill, a Bremerton barista present at the protest.

“It's disappointing to see Workers United disrupt our stores and undermine the ongoing mediation process for single store contracts,” said a representative from Starbucks. “Since last April, Starbucks and Workers United have made significant progress through respectful dialogue and have reached a number of important agreements. Our success starts and ends with our partners (employees) and we’re committed to providing the best job in retail.”

In January, Starbucks reported $9.4 billion in global net revenue last quarter. Starbucks’ CEO Brian Niccol made $95.8 million in 2024 for four months of remote work from California. Meanwhile, SBWU claims that Starbucks workers make on average only $16.50/hour. The company disputes that—but still claims “the best job in retail” pays $18/hour.

“We are still without a first contract, from a company who can certainly afford to do right by its workers,” said union leader Michelle Eisen, one of 16 protestors arrested nationwide yesterday. “We deserve better.”

The Starbucks shareholder meeting the day after the protests was a spicy one. One shareholder from the well-funded conservative anti-labor National Legal and Policy Center advocacy group proposed that Starbucks consider the “commission of a report on human rights risks related to labor organizing.” (The board recommended voting against it.)

Shareholders also grilled CEO Brian Niccol on his private jet usage and interrogated the company’s lack of diversity on their board of directors.

Later, a shareholder asked when Starbucks would negotiate its first union contract.

Niccol stumbled through the beginnings of an answer before throwing the ball to Sara Kelly, their head of human resources. Kelly talked about how much they value their “partners,” and how much progress they’ve been making in negotiations.

She concluded by saying, “When a partner elects a union to represent them, we are committed to engaging in good faith with that union and the partners who have selected that union to negotiate fair contracts.”

Sound familiar?

Here comes new music from Suzzallo, Dead Bars, Perfume Genius, Kinski, and more! by Stranger Staff Dead Bars

All Dead Bars Go to Heaven

(Iodine Recordings)

March 21

For a certain crowd, the phrase pop punk often conjures up imagery of white dudes with frosted tips singing through their nose about how all girls suck. But Dead Bars aren’t like that. That was 2006. Today’s pop punk is different—it’s not plasticized misogyny, it’s optimistic. It’s punk with a pep in its step, not because everything is great, but because everything is terrible, and at least we have each other. On their new album, All Dead Bars Go to Heaven, the band’s vocalist John Maiello delivers earnest lyrics about finding community in music (“Your favorite singers are on your side / let the riffs come alive”) and visiting dead friends through his records (“I wanna be a ghost tonight / I wanna party with my friends on the other side”). That all may sound a little too saccharine on paper, but the band’s buoyant, melodic punk riffs and rough-and-tumble percussion adds enough of an edge to let you feel like you’re still a badass even while sitting in your feelings. (Dead Bars’ album release show is April 26 at the Sunset) MEGAN SELING 

Glory

(Matador Records)

March 28

In the words of a YouTube comment I read at 2 a.m. on the music video for the Perfume Genius single “It’s a Mirror”: “We’re about to witness the slay of the century.” YES. Give me a big mood, big music, big art direction; by all means, take up space on the strength of an album cover alone. An uncannily strawberry blond Mike Hadreas, in a crop top and low-rise jeans, strewn across the floor of a mysterious cabin? We needed this. For his seventh album, Glory, Hadreas and company swerve towards a fuller, more driving rock sound, while keeping it very weird and very queer. The sweaty, fever-dreamlike videos for both singles, “It’s a Mirror” (featuring a leather-clad Hadreas riding a motorcycle, getting a full facial of gasoline in a field, and so much more) and “No Front Teeth” (featuring Aldous Harding in a psychotic waffle-making-and-eating scene, and so much more) were made by Cody Critcheloe, whose warped aesthetic, as always, sets the whole thing off. (Perfume Genius play the Showbox June 26) EMILY NOKES

Your Love Is All I Know

(LACE Records)

April 4

Sifting through show listings last year, I didn’t expect to find a special band. I knew I had when I heard “Your Turn,” a desperate howl about the last short end of a relationship, at the point you’re ready to ask someone if they still love you, and to show you how. If Your Love Is All I Know is like Swamp Wife’s self-titled first EP, it will be emotionally forthright and play smart with big, brittle guitars. Swamp Wife doesn’t play loud for the sake of it—they play for the friends they wrote the song with. The first single from Your Love Is All I Know, “Cadmium Red Light,” released Valentine’s Day, oozes Chastity Belt, Pixies, and Pixies offshoot the Amps. The band plays like a single dark, mechanical instrument. Singer Abby Wrath stands alone in its murk. As if illuminated in intense red light, Wrath whispers, yells, and stretches each word until it breaks. (Swamp Wife’s EP release show is April 11 at Black Lodge April 11) VIVIAN MCCALL

Something About April III

(Linear Labs Records)

April 18

Self-taught musician, composer, producer, and orchestrater Adrian Younge is known for his work with big names like Kendrick Lamar, Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah, the Delfonics, and Snoop Dogg. However, the multi-talented artist has also released countless albums and soundtracks on his own. In 2011, Younge released the first installment of his Something about April trilogy—a pseudo-soundtrack series of dark psychedelic soul and cinematic instrumentals. After the album was sampled by hiphop heavies Timbaland and Jay-Z, Younge went on to release part two in 2016, and Something About April III will be released April 18. Don’t miss Younge as he stops by the Tractor Tavern with tracks from the trilogy with his 10-piece orchestra. I just have one question... how will that many musicians fit onto the Tractor’s little stage? (Adrian Younge plays Tractor Tavern on March 26) AUDREY VANN

The Quiet Year

(Thirty Something Records)

May 5

The term supergroup has been overused to the point of meaning nothing at all, but please believe me and put some respect on that word when I tell you Suzzallo is the most exciting supergroup to come from Seattle in quite some time. The band came together in 2022 after vocalist/guitarist Rocky Votolato’s child unexpectedly died in a car accident. Music and loved ones being the balm that they are, Votolato channeled his grief into performing soaring, guitar-driven rock songs with old friends, including his Waxwing bandmate Rudy Gajadhar, Steve Bonnell of Schoolyard Heroes, and, for a few songs, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. You can almost hear the heart healing—or, at least, finding a sustainable balance of love and grief—within the melodies. If you’re new to town and all these names mean nothing to you, know this: Seattle and the world are so excited about this record that Suzzallo raised more than $100K in presales via Kickstarter to make it happen. (Suzzallo’s album release show is May 17 at Madame Lou’s) MEGAN SELING

February 28
Max Nordile
Crystal Rescue Flux Code cassette
(Music For People)

March 7
Kinski
Stumbledown Terrace
(Comedy Minus One)

March 7
Lake
Bucolic Gone
(Don Giovanni)

March 8
Tennis Pro
Mismatch
(self-released)

March 21
Death Spa
Ewwwphoria
(self-released)

March 28
Great Grandpa
Patience, Moonbeam
(Run for Cover)

April 18
Melvins
Thunderball
(Ipecac)

May 30
The Minus 5
Oar On, Penelope!
(Yep Roc)

June 13
Casual Hex
Zig Zag Lady Illusion II
(Youth Riot Records)

June 13
Sea Lemon
Diving For a Prize
(Luminelle Recordings)

See someone? Say something! by Anonymous

Cute masked person on 3/11 redeye to Detroit

You: Ponytail, green jacket, brown gingham skirt. Me: Long braid, giant sweater. We landed at 6am; I couldn’t think. Are you gay? Coffee?

Missing wallet

To whoever found my wallet on the 36 and brought it to the BECU on Ranier Ave, thank you so much!!! Let me get you a coffee?

My haircut isn’t cool enough

I don’t have a mullet, but I did eavesdrop your compliments to a friend at Rough & Tumble and clapped. Of COURSE your name is Jen (all good ones are!)

Eye contact galore at Taurus Ox

You: Blonde gal with 3 pals at Taurus Ox on 3/7. Me: Bearded guy clad in a sweater vest with 2 pals. Wish we'd traded more than just repeated glances!

Crutching it at Ballard Pool

You hurt your knee skiing but it didn't keep you out of the fast lane! I was too shy to hold the door for you and your chaperone - red jacket, Mondays

T4T friendship?

You and your partner said my boyfriend and I were cute together at Time Warp. We shared gossip from eavesdropping. Want to be friends?

Star-Fated at the Rave

Said you were a Libra and we agreed it was fate. Kept finding you on the dancefloor, but I was coming & you were going. Can the starfated cross again?

Lowe’s Londoner, Mt. Baker

Actually you’re from the north of England and we chatted about my squeegee. I could talk with you 4ever. Me: dude (enthralled), you: so charming.

Is it a match? Leave a comment here or on our Instagram post to connect!

Did you see someone? Say something! Submit your own I Saw U message here and maybe we'll include it in the next roundup!

Seattle's only human generated news quiz. by Sally Neumann & Leah Caglio

Create your own user feedback survey

You're in luck this weekend, because there's plenty to do on a dime. We're suggesting events from 54th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade to Capitol Hill Swap Meet - CHASM and from Roq La Rue's Grand Re-Opening Party to a Grasslands Barbecue Pop-Up. For more suggestions, check out our top picks of the week and our St. Patrick's Day guide.

Almost Yours
Almost Yours feels like the sarcastic sister of I Saw U, The Stranger's version of Craigslist Missed Connections. If you're a fan of the heart-eyed drama that transpires on either site, head to this improv show, which "brings near-misses and 'what ifs' to life on stage" and is inspired by real-life unspoken connections. It's the perfect place to cry-laugh about what could have been. LINDSAY COSTELLO
(Here-After at the Crocodile, Belltown, $15)

The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Nathalie Graham

When one park closes... Little Saigon's eight-month-old Hoa Mai Park will temporarily close due to public safety concerns. It has become a gathering place for the unhoused and for drug activity such as fentanyl use, according to nearby residents. Unfortunately, since it's in this city's nature to restrict any and all places for impoverished people, the park will close until further notice. This feels like a sweep but in a different font. And, let's be clear—the rising crime in the International District and Little Saigon is correlated with Bruce Harrell's push to "clean up" downtown. There is nowhere for these people to go and there won't be a place unless the city provides one. When it reopens, Hoa Mai Park will do so with a lockable gate and with reduced night time hours. 

... Another park opens: Victor Steinbruck Park, the grassy gathering space next to Pike Place Market, will finally reopen today after two years. A dispute over the totem poles delayed the reopening. Don't you hate it when that happens? The March 14 opening will happen regardless of totem poles. As for the poles, they'll be restored now with the help of a Native carver and will be reinstalled once they're good as new. 

The weather: Gray. Cold, but not too cold. Rain returns tomorrow. 

A Tesla tinderbox: An arsonist in Capitol Hill dumped gasoline onto a Tesla parked at the intersection of 15th Avenue East and East Harrison then lit the car ablaze. No one was injured, but that Tesla sure won't be operable any time soon. Police apprehended the suspect. 

Help a Hoh out: The only road to Olympic National Park's Hoh Rainforest has been washed out with big bites eroded away since December. Each year, the Upper Hoh Road carries 460,000 visitors. Without enough funds in the county and with a federal government unwilling to help, road restoration hope has dwindled. But, tight-pursed Gov. Bob Ferguson announced yesterday the state will help. He directed $623,000 of reserve funds to help patch up the road. One hundred individual donors also contributed a total of $27,000. Thanks, Bob! 

Did you see the Blood Moon and Lunar Eclipse last night? This was the first total lunar eclipse in two years. If you missed it, you can watch this time lapse from the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles. I hope this is a good omen astrologically. What do we make of it, star readers?

Got home in time for totality! 

2nd picture was taken by my daughter who’s at an observatory! 

#lunareclipse #photography #moon

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— Mubashar “Mubs” Iqbal (@mubashariqbal.com) March 13, 2025 at 11:41 PM

Reading the tea leaves, it seems as if the omen may be bad: There's an impending federal government shutdown. Democrats are in a tricky situation. Do they side with the GOP ghouls and pass a spending bill that erodes much of Congress's power on government spending and gives that power to Donald Trump and the executive branch? Or, do they allow the shutdown to happen and potentially grant Trump more power that way? Minority leader Chuck Schumer announced he's going to side with the Republicans and vote for the spending bill. Why? He thinks a shutdown is the worse option of the two evils and that it would grant Trump and Elon Musk "full authority to deem whole agencies, programs, and personnel nonessential, furloughing staff with no promise that they would ever be rehired." Ugh, yes, but voting alongside the baddies...? There surely must be better ways to resist than to roll over and show your belly, right? 

Dr. Oz goes to Washington: Celebrity doctor and homeopathic freak Dr. Mehmet Oz wants to be the guy who oversees health insurance under the Department of Health. He'll face a confirmation hearing with the Senate Finance Committee today. Seems like he'll get it. Ahead of his confirmation, Oz announced he'd try to mitigate some of his massive financial conflicts of interest and sell "his interest in more than 70 companies and investment funds, including UnitedHealth Group, HCA Healthcare and Amazon, which now has significant health care ventures," according to the New York Times. 

Some good news: People keep booing JD Vance.

JD Vance was booed at the Kennedy Center.

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— Pop Crave (@popcrave.com) March 13, 2025 at 8:03 PM

Go for gold: With uncertainty about tariffs and a cratering stock market, investors are choosing to invest in something solid, something tangible, something... gold. The yellow metal broke $3,000 Friday—an all-time high. Gold dust or bust, baby. 

Parents sue Trump: A class-action federal lawsuit brought by parents against the Trump administration is suing on the grounds that decimating the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights will lead to discrimination at school. That violates the equal protection clause under the Fifth Amendment, according to the suit. Parents brought the suit three days after the Department of Education announced it was firing 1,300 workers including the entire staffs at seven of 12 regional civil rights offices. The firings amounted to a 50% cut in the department's work force.

Are you a potential political enemy of this administration? If you're reading this on this heretical blog, then you probably are. So read this Wired article about how to protect yourself from digital surveillance. 

Climate change stories everywhere: Jessie Holmes, a former cast member on the reality TV show "Life Below Zero," won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It was the longest Iditarod ever. Why? Well, the route had to change since there wasn't enough snow north of the Alaska Range. You can't sled dog race without snow. The route changed and ballooned from 1,000 miles to 1,129 miles. Holmes and his team of dogs finished the race in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds. 

New details in Mahmoud Khalil case: I write "case," but there is no case since Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, committed no crime. He was taken from his New York home in the middle of the night by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers. According to a new lawsuit filed by his lawyers, Khalil said the ICE agents never identified themselves. He felt as though he was "being kidnapped" when they took him from his home in front of his eight-months pregnant wife to a detention facility in Louisiana where he slept without a pillow or blanket. "This is a targeted, retaliatory and extreme attack on the right of free expression,” Khalil's lawyer Donna Lieberman. She said Khalil was only detained "for having ideas." He is still in custody. 

Protesters demand Khalil’s release: Yesterday, progressive Jewish protesters flooded Trump Tower, demanding the release of Khalil—100 were arrested. Their message? “Fight Nazis, not students,” and “We will not comply.” Khalil’s detention is looking less like an immigration case and more like a test run for mass political arrests.
 
Columbia’s federal funds ransom: Nearing final form fascist, the Trump administration has outlined its criteria to restore $400 million of federal funding to Columbia. The demands? The Ivy League university cracks down on protests, redefines antisemitism on Trump’s terms, and hands more power to campus cops. Among the specifics: ban most masks, centralize discipline, and put entire academic departments under government oversight. Columbia has until March 20 to meekly acquiesce or stay cut off.

A song for your Friday: This is stuck in my head this morning. 

We’re back with another batch of newly announced events! If you missed Cyndi Lauper’s farewell tour late last year, the pop icon is coming through the area for a second time this summer. Portland-grown alt-rockers Everclear will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their major label debut Sparkle and Fade on tour this fall. Plus, Iliza Shlesinger will head to Seattle to remind us that elder millennials can be funny, too. Read on for details and some news you can use.

MUSIC

The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Showbox (Sat Nov 15)

Broncho - Natural Pleasure Tour
Neumos (Sun June 22)

Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour
White River Amphitheatre (Tues Aug 19)

Currant Bistro
This restaurant inside the Sound Hotel will be shaking and stirring up on-theme cocktails like the "Cliffs of Moher" (Jameson and Guinness, of course) and "The Giant's Causeway" (Caffe Vita cold espresso, Bailey's, Jameson, and Georgetown Brewing's 9lb Porter). In between sips, snack on shareable plates of Irish potato salad, corned beef and cabbage sliders, and shepherd's pie.
Belltown

We’ve Got It All is drenched in nostalgia but not in the usual saccharine, obsessed-with-our-fleeting-youth sort of way. by Megan Seling

Alexandra Lockhart’s project Cumulus has always been a collaborative effort. It may have started as a solo(ish) project, at times literally existing in a bedroom, but for more than a decade now, Lockhart has surrounded herself with friends and fellow musicians to help bring her music to life both in the studio and onstage.

Among them, at least since 2018’s Comfort World, has been William Cremin, who’s worked with Travis Thompson, the Torn ACLs, and Skeletons With Flesh on Them, among others. Last year, while recording the fourth Cumulus full-length We’ve Got It All, Lockhart and Cremin made their music partnership official, announcing Cremin was a permanent part of the band. 

“For this new record, I wanted to explore more territory emotionally and sonically that I knew would require being more vulnerable and opening myself up to bigger contributions from William,” says Alex. “So it just made sense to say out in the open: These songs are as much William’s as they are mine!”

We’ve Got It All is drenched in nostalgia but not in the usual saccharine, obsessed-with-our-fleeting-youth sort of way. Instead of getting lost in the good old days, Lockhart remembers the music that shaped her into who she grew up to be and uses those memories as a map to help her find her place in today’s world.

Take, for example, the album's second single, “Lose Your Mind.” Lockhart’s optimistic lyrics are at first only accompanied by piano, but the song blooms into a vibrant burst of harmonies and guitar that almost feel like it was plucked from a jam session from the Band’s The Last Waltz.

For The Stranger’s premiere of the track, Lockhart and Cremin offered a little more insight into the creative process behind the upcoming record, and the music that inspired it.

One thing I’ve always appreciated about Cumulus and your songwriting is your focus on prioritizing comfort, especially when the rest of the world feels so unsettling and scary. Your 2018 album was called Comfort World, in 2022 you offered Something Brighter. You acknowledge the bullshit but then offer not an escape, really, but a cozy place to decompress. A reminder to slow down. Does that trend continue on this album, too? 

Alex: Your observation is going to make me emotional! I’ve always looked to songs that I love as like… being in the company of a good friend. When a songwriter is honest about how they are experiencing the world around them, as a listener, I can’t help but feel connected, inspired, and less alone. If my songs offer a cozy place to decompress, I would say that probably has happened naturally out of the fact that it’s the exact reason I go to music myself. I don’t go to music to escape. I go to music to feel things more deeply, maybe think about things a little differently, and connect myself to the world. Thank you for giving me the best compliment a songwriter could ever ask for! 

William: Yes! There’s always a balance between taking care of yourself and staying engaged with this increasingly horrifying world, not looking away. That’s obviously something we’re all reckoning with, and it’s a big part of this album. For me, one of the most crucial bits of sequencing was putting our self-care mantra, “Welcome Back to Me,” right after “Bad News.” You have to face the heaviness, and you also have to balance that out somehow.

Related to that, We’ve Got It All also celebrates the music that has shaped you. “Wolves,” “Old Friend,” “Dad Song”—several tracks refer to lyrics and liner notes and bonding with others through music. Who are some of the musicians, or what are some of the songs that were running through your mind as you wrote these? 

Alex: I love that you noticed this theme! This was a record where I wanted to be really unabashed about my influences and nostalgia of ’90s/ early-2000s music. “Wolves” is a reflection on growing up in Oak Harbor, a military town, and discovering punk music with these girls I idolized who eventually became my best friends (and still are!). They skateboarded and played in a band, wore their hair in liberty spikes, and in my most vivid memories we would spend hours in the garage just rocking out to the Distillers’ Coral Fang album. They helped me imagine more possibilities for myself. 

“Old Friend” is a song I wrote with Aaron Guest, who plays piano on the record as well. We got together in 2022 and started this song just as a fun co-writing attempt, and in 2024 as I was looking at old notebooks of lyrics, the lyric sheet literally fell out, and I was like, “Oh shit, I love this song!” When Aaron and I initially got together, I think this song leaned heavily into the storytelling tradition of John Prine, and Bruce Springsteen, where the finer details are fiction but still telling a very real story. For both the person who stays in the hometown and gives up a dream, and the person who leaves to chase it—there is real sacrifice, and the grass is always greener on the other side. 

“Dad Song” is a bit of a long story, but ultimately, it’s about my fandom of my dad and also Third Eye Blind. My dad’s love of live music and radio stations like 103.7 the Mountain was infectious to me, and I fell in love with the pop-rock bands of that era. We went to Bumbershoot together in 1998, and I was 10 years old, singing along to every word on “Semi-Charmed Life” with obviously no idea about the drug references. Many years later, as Blue came out, my dad and I were on our yearly summer road trip to Lake Chelan, listening to Third Eye Blind and reading all the liner notes. We got to “Deep Inside of You,” and it became a true “birds and the bees” moment that still cracks me up all these years later. 

You also reference road trips and long drives, so I have to ask (because I love to talk about snacks): What is your go-to road-trip snack?

Alex: I’m a drowsy driver, so I always need caffeine on a road trip, and despite hating most energy drinks, I love the Monster Rehab tea. Maybe some Boom Chicka Pop Sweet and Salty popcorn and some adult Lunchable-type salami-and-cracker snack. 

William: On one tour, I brought a huge stash of GoMacro bars, which absolutely saved the day on more than one occasion.

I read that you are donating a portion of your album proceeds to an organization that focuses on mental health. Can you tell me a little more about that and why that’s important to you to do that in connection with your music? 

Alex: When I was pursuing music full time, one of the biggest struggles was having health insurance so heavily tied to an employer and being in and out of jobs in sacrifice to gigging and touring. I think this is a big part of what prevents creatives from being able to imagine the arts as a lifelong pursuit. MusiCares is a Grammy Foundation non-profit that provides musicians with resources to therapists, coverage for emergency medical care and regular health check clinics, as well as recovery funds for natural disasters like the fires that just happened in LA. I’ve struggled with depression and financial instability for most of my adult life, so I can’t help but want to support an organization like MusiCares, which is one of the only safety nets specifically for musicians and music industry professionals. Working with a non-profit record label like Share It Music is amazing because we get to release a record and give a little bit back. 

You recorded the album with a great group of musicians—John van Deusen from the Lonely Forest, Aaron Guest, Aaron Ball—what will the Cumulus lineup look like for the record release shows in May? Will it be a full band? 

Alex: Yes!! We will be playing as a six-piece band for all three release shows. Aaron Guest (Polecat) on Piano, Aaron Ball (Dryland) on drums, Brad Lockhart (Dryland/husband) on guitar, Jeff Ballew (Baby Cakes) on bass, and William on lead guitar (plus me singing and occasionally strumming!).

Preorder We've Got It All on Bandcamp. Cumulus play three record release shows next month. See them at the Wild Buffalo in Bellingham May 1, the Unknown in Anacortes May 2, and Conor Byrne in Seattle May 3.

Seattle's only news roundup. by Charles Mudede

Say it ain't so. According to U District Advocates, Cedar's of Lebanon, "the oldest restaurant on The Ave," might be replaced by, of all things, a McDonald's. True, this is something rather new in this city, where the normal running of things is to give small businesses the boot for luxury towers that offer hoity-toity dining. In this case, it's the other way around: instead of going up, we are going down to a joint that basically doesn't really serve food, like Cedar's of Lebanon, but something like what humans are in The Matrix: batteries. If this bad business goes through, if we lose Cedar's of Lebanon, a key part of what for many years was known as Little Lebanon (it included Flowers Bar and Restaurant and Samir's Mediterranean Grill Lebanese Cuisine), for a Ronald McDonald, I'm going "to throw up both my hands."

In the words of U District Advocates: "For some of us, the introduction of a corporate chain restaurant, replacing three independent, small businesses with a block-wide façade, directly across the street from the entrance to our main light rail station, is very troubling." Indeed, indeed. And, more importantly, Cedar's of Lebanon has top-notch gyros. As for McDonald's, you have to go all the way up to our vast and once friendly neighbor to eat at that place. Canada actually makes sure their Mickey D's put real eggs and pork in their breakfast sandwiches. 

Beacon Hill also has some bad news on its plate. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) may cut down a whole bunch of huge, often old Maple trees that line Beacon Avenue. This section of South Seattle demonstrates what Enrique Peñalosa, the former urbanist mayor of Bogota, meant when he described a sidewalk as “relatives of parks—not passing lanes for cars.” Sadly, however, Beacon Avenue's sidewalk is about to look less like a park and more like its opposite. After years of neglecting the street’s cracked and buckling sidewalks, SDOT is now faced with a project that demands a good deal of imagination to solve. But it seems the department wants to take an easy (or more "efficient") way around the problem, which is the destruction of numerous trees. And this destruction could begin tomorrow.

Though SDOT claims it's making every effort to be transparent, its press secretary, Ethan Bergerson, described the plan to me (it "will [get] started over the coming weeks with the initial sidewalk repairs that can be done without affecting trees") in way that doesn't jibe with the announcement SDOT posted on suspect trees: "If  the root pruning needed [for sidewalk improvements] does not allow the tree to remain stable and viable, it may be necessary to remove the tree within 14 days of this posting." The announcement was posted on February 27. That's two weeks ago. When I asked Bergerson if SDOT has ever considered a project that would require the destruction of lots of trees in North Seattle, I received no answer.

Seattle is still refusing to just die already. In fact, its county is growing like it's the "2010s again." Seattle Times' Gene Balk examined the data from the U.S. Census Bureau and found that "[the area's] population grew by about 43,400 from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, for a growth rate of 1.9%." That’s the kind of increase our city saw when Amazon appeared to be a UTFO ("Untouchable Force Organization"). King County now has a population of 2.34 million.

After yesterday's tipping down, Seattle will experience a "'grab-bag' of weather." We have entered that zone of confusion ("confusion de confusiones") between the seasons. Expect days that behave like a nutter. Crying in the morning, laughing in the afternoon, screaming when entering evening, weeping again all night. So, it's not surprising that today we may experience "passing showers," and "a few thunder rumbles," and a "breezy afternoon," and the "occasional peeks of sunshine." 

Last week, two coyotes did a Bonnie and Clyde on Bellevue, reports King 5. One of them was killed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW); the other is still on the run. Officials have connected both with "five different attacks"—biting legs of citizens; trying to steal or stealing backpacks from defenseless schoolchildren. One of the coyotes even bit the hand of a kid (they will never forget that horrible moment in their childhood). King 5: "Officers are increasing patrols in that area in an attempt to locate the second animal."  

After the Fire, the Rain: Southern California is getting lots and lots and way too much of it. Evacuations and mudslides are just around the corner. Nothing can be normal anymore. We only live in the extremes.

Tech billionaires are now talking about building their own damn cities. Cities that follow their orders and money-fervid fantasies to a tee. No more of this democracy nonsense; no more "government oversight." These will be Freedom Cities. But what could a Freedom City do that, say, Hudson Yards doesn't? Billionaires already have everything. This is not our world; it's yours, all yours. 

Maybe now is a good time to return to these powerful lines by T. S. Eliot:

When the Stranger says: “What is the meaning of this city ?
Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
What will you answer? “We all dwell together
To make money from each other”? or “This is a community”? 

Looks like Seattle's iconic billionaire, Bill Gates, is giving up on all "that hopey, changey stuff" and, according to the Seattle Times, "retooling his empire for the Trump era." Breakthrough Energy, a forward-thinking climate organization he bankrolls, has announced it's going the way of our DOGE-slashed Big Government: cuts, cuts, cuts, and more cuts. It's now time for him to play catch-up with the leaders of his pack. He, too, must become a gora (a vulture capitalist); he too must stick his long featherless neck into the rot of America. You see Beyoncé, this is why you should never want to be "a black Bill Gates in the making."  

These VP eyes transpired during the Irish prime minister's White House visit. The VP's socks also made some noise. 

JD Vance went heavy on the eyeliner this morning

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 12, 2025 at 7:17 AM

Let's end with this excellent poem by Badu on the importance of being woke (its on her slamming track Master Teacher):

Even if yo baby ain't got no money
To support ya baby, you
(I stay woke)
Even when the preacher tell you some lies
And cheatin' on ya mama, you stay woke
(I stay woke)
Even though you go through struggle and strife
To keep a healthy life, I stay woke
(I stay woke)
Everybody knows a black or white, there's
Creatures in every shape and size
(I stay woke)

This Saturday, March 15, the Royal Room will celebrate the music and wokeness of badass Erykah Badu with a band lead by Sheila Kay. 

Donald Trump is determined to harm working and poor people’s living standards. With 13 billionaires in his cabinet, including Elon Musk, he has slashed over 14,000 federal union jobs and gutted social programs. His party’s threats to Medicaid come as they push more tax cuts for the rich. by Jozi Uebelhoer

Donald Trump is determined to harm working and poor people’s living standards. With 13 billionaires in his cabinet, including Elon Musk, he has slashed over 14,000 federal union jobs and gutted social programs. His party’s threats to Medicaid come as they push more tax cuts for the rich.

Democrats in Congress have failed to fight back, despite calling Trump an “existential threat.” This is no surprise, as they also serve elite interests. The party recently accepted $2.5 million from a top lobbyist for SpaceX and Palantir, companies set to profit from Trump’s cuts to unions and social programs.

Failing to fight Trump in D.C. is bad enough, but in Washington state, Governor Bob Ferguson is preparing to slash $7 billion from the budget, targeting over 50,000 unionized workers in the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). These workers provide essential services, from child safety to infrastructure, clean waterways, and public education.

Ferguson plans mandatory monthly furloughs for two years, along with deep cuts to healthcare for low-income residents and firefighting services. This will lead to hospital ward closures, reduced juvenile rehabilitation, and fewer housing options for adults with developmental disabilities.

Republicans in DC have majorities in the house and senate, giving federal Democrats some leeway to claim powerlessness against Trump’s anti-worker attacks. But in Washington, state Democrats control both legislative houses—and yet they still plan to undermine working and poor people’s livelihoods. This comes as the state’s wealth grows, with 13 billionaires and a growing millionaire class. Adding to the hypocrisy, state politicians pushing furloughs on public workers recently gave themselves a 14% salary hike, with Ferguson’s pay rising from $204,205 to $234,275. Meanwhile, public-sector workers face a meager 5% raise over two years, effectively canceled out by furlough days and inflation.

Washington remains a haven for the wealthy while becoming unaffordable for the rest of us. The state’s tax system is the second most regressive in the nation. Democrats have controlled the governor’s office for 30 years, the Senate for 20, and the House for 23—yet they continue serving the elite. 

WFSE leadership rightly opposes the cuts and furloughs, demanding taxes on the rich instead. But a real fightback requires mass protests and a coordinated statewide strike, demanding zero cuts to workers and social programs and full funding through taxation on the rich. This would send a powerful message of working-class resistance against attacks from both Trump and the Democrats.

Without a mass movement, Ferguson and his party will not change course.

Why should we play by their rules? Waiting until after the budget is finalized to bargain again would be disastrous, locking in cuts and demoralizing workers. We’re told we must choose between rejecting furloughs or providing essential services—an outright lie. We must fight for both or risk losing everything.

Statewide union leadership has failed to act, so we, the rank-and-file, are taking it upon ourselves to do so. 

On Monday, the members of WFSE Local 889 unanimously passed a resolution calling for a mass statewide Day of Action on Wednesday, April 9, involving thousands of WFSE members, and solidarity from other unions and working people, before the budget deadline on April 27. The local also passed a resolution calling on WFSE statewide to rescind the endorsement of Governor Ferguson. 

WFSE President Mike Yestramski and labor leaders should be organizing mass protests, solidarity actions, and a one-day strike against Democratic austerity and Trump’s attacks. Workers—not billionaires or their political allies—keep the state running, and shutting it down is the necessary first step to defeating these cuts. Next, WFSE should lead a ballot initiative to end Washington’s regressive tax system, securing funding for housing, healthcare, education, and protecting unions.

We urge WFSE members and working people to join Workers Strike Back at a March 15th town hall to expose Democratic betrayals and organize against both parties of the bosses.

Seattle’s working people showed how to win under Kshama Sawant’s leadership, securing the nation’s highest minimum wage, at the time, through an engaged worker-led movement of everyday people. We must follow this example and fight back with everything we’ve got.

We built mass meetings, rallies, marches, neighborhood action groups, and a ballot initiative to pressure big business and Democrats: pass $15 or face the voters. Despite their attempts to block or weaken it, we won—turning $15 from a slogan into a nationwide movement. In 2020, Sawant and the Tax Amazon movement secured a historic tax on Seattle’s richest corporations, raising over $400 million last year alone for affordable housing. Sawant’s office won these victories alongside workers and union leaders, including WFSE’s Paula Lukaszek.

Now, Workers Strike Back is carrying this strategy forward nationwide. Our Fight the Rich campaign is building a movement to take down Trump, the billionaires, and both their parties. Defeating Trump means confronting the Democrats, whose betrayals let him pose as a friend of workers. Both parties serve the ruling class—we must fight both to win real change.

Capitalism is rule by and for the rich, built on stealing the wealth workers create. But we have the power to shut it down and force real change. Millions would stand with us if we did.

Jozi Uebelhoer is a social worker and a rank-and-file member of WFSE Local 889. Grey Martin is a hospital staff member and a rank-and-file member of WFSE Local 3488. Both are members of Workers Strike Back in Seattle and write in a personal capacity.