Slog AM: At Least Nine People Were Shot in Seattle This Weekend, Jimothy Got His Own Art Contest, and Stephen Miller Continues to Be Terrible

Goooood morning. Today we have to talk about gun violence. In a weekend slated to be full of art fairs and food festivals, at least nine people were shot in two different shootings, and three people were killed. We all know this, but let’s say it out loud: This isn’t normal. The Second Amendment does not trump the right to survive in public. It should not be this easy to end a life. 

Let’s do the news. 

Mass Shooting at Seattle Center: During the last hours of the Bite of Seattle, at least one gunman opened fire in the crowd near the Armory. They killed three people, and injured four more. Police haven’t released any of their names, but one of the injured is a 2-year-old boy. 

As of this morning, three of the injured victims have been released from Harborview. The toddler is still at the hospital. One suspected shooter is in custody, and SPD is still looking for a second person they believe was involved. “There may be more,” Assistant Police Chief Tyrone said. “We’re still trying to figure this out.” Based on the weapons found at the scene, SPD believes the gunmen were trying to shoot at each other. If you witnessed the shooting, they want to talk to you at 206-233-5000. 

Information moved too slowly last night. Seattle police didn’t hold a news conference until almost 11 p.m.—leaving the public with just one vague update to “please avoid the area” for almost five hours. A Seattle Police Department spokesperson told KOMO that the conference was delayed because some dignitaries wanted to attend the news conference. Representative Pramila Jayapal attended the late-night conference, as well as Mayor Katie Wilson. 

Seattle Center is still closed to the public while vendors come back to close up their stands. The Pacific Science Center is closed today as well. If you have tickets for anything at the museum today, they’ll be automatically refunded. 

More Gun Violence: Late on Friday night, two people were shot on Capitol Hill at Pike and 11th—one at A-Pizza Mart and another at Wildrose. Based on security footage, police think the victims were innocent bystanders of a shootout between people on the street. They’re both in stable condition. 

In Less Horrifying Crime News: Two men bought tickets for the Space Needle on Friday night, rode the elevator up, went out onto the observation deck, climbed over the glass wall, and parachuted off of it. They landed safely on the ground, and didn’t appear to hurt anyone else. Police would like to charge them with first-degree criminal trespassing, but they haven’t been able to find them.  

It’s Officially Jimothy Summer: Is a meme still a meme if our local government endorses it? Yesterday, near the Ballard Farmer’s Market, Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck declared Summer 2026 “Jimothy Summer.” The event included a call-and-response of “round” and “boi,” and a Jimothy art competition. The winner was a Saint Jimothy stained glass piece, but I’m partial to the delightfully round Jimothy piñata. 

Weather: It’s warming up a little today. Expect highs in the upper 70s, partly cloudy, you know the drill.

Fucked Around, Finding Out: Economists are sounding the immigration alarm again. On Monday morning, in the name of “protecting American jobs,” the Trump administration will revoke about 350,000 immigrants’ work permits, with another 190,000 expected to get pulled in September. All of these workers, largely from Haiti and El Salvador, were protected under the humanitarian Temporary Protected Status program until last month when the Supreme Court gave Trump the OK to end it. But it turns out losing half a million workers isn’t good news for the American economy. The US Chamber of Commerce is lobbying Congress to push back. Even Republican elected officials in Florida and Ohio are calling it a “mistake.” 

If you remember one quote from the NYT story about Temporary Protected Status, let it be this from Stephen Miller: 

Stephen Miller, an architect of Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda, was asked after the T.P.S. ruling if Haiti is safe.

“For Haitians? Absolutely,” Mr. Miller said. “Haitians live in Haiti. It’s not our position that Haitians should leave Haiti. It’d be crazy for us to say that Haitians couldn’t live in Haiti. It’s their country.”

Haiti has been engulfed in violence since the assassination of its last elected president in 2021. Large swaths of the capital Port-au-Prince are controlled by gangs that have attacked, kidnapped and killed civilians, causing the internal displacement of more than one million people. The country’s economy is in ruins, and international aid organizations report widespread food insecurity.

Trump Tries to Hide the Cost of War: The Pentagon has changed how they report deaths in the Iran War, splitting them into categories on two separate webpages in an apparent effort to hide the total number of lives lost. As of today, 18 Americans have been killed in the war with Iran. One website logs the deaths in Operation Epic Fury, tallied at 14. Another logs “Overseas operations casualties starting July 7, 2026,” which includes the other four. Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said any claims that the Pentagon was trying to conceal the total number of deaths were “fabrications.” Sure. 

Has your Spotify rotation gotten sloppy? Spotify is getting overrun by AI slop, and the company has so far refused to actively mark when music is AI-generated. If you’re tired of it, SoullessMusic.com and SlopTracker can help you weed out the BS. (Or, even better, join the “Luddite Gnomes” and go back to physical media.)

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