NEWS GLEAMS | Cooling Centers Open for Heatwave, Abortion Protection Legislation, & More

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

A round-up of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

Beat the heat this week with some recommended places to hang out, or get dreamy by getting lost in the expansiveness of the universe thanks to new images from the James Webb telescope.

Plus, there is City Council legislation being proposed to protect reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, the Jan. 6 hearings are over until the fall but went out for the summer with some revealing testimony about former President Trump's whereabouts during a crucial 187 minutes.

—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor for the South Seattle Emerald

P.S. Don't forget to vote in the Aug. 2 primary elections! We've broken down the candidates in the 37th Legislative District and will have a voting guide for South End readers tomorrow!

✨Gleaming This Week✨

• Councilmembers Morales and Herbold Announce Legislation to Protect Abortion and Gender-Affirming Care
• Jan. 6 Hearings Are Over Until Fall, Concluding With Trump's Actions on the Day of the Riot
• James Webb Telescope Captures the Oldest and Most Distant Galaxies Thus Far
• Cooling Centers and Other Resources to Combat the Heat This Week

Councilmembers Morales and Herbold Announce Legislation to Protect Abortion and Gender-Affirming Care

Last week, Councilmembers Tammy J. Morales (District 2, Chinatown-International District, and South Seattle) and Lisa Herbold (District 1, West Seattle and South Park) announced to protect abortions and gender-affirming care. In an effort to ensure their civil rights protections, the ordinance would add those who have received and are seeking abortions as a protected class. Another piece of legislation would create a misdemeanor charge for people who encroach on individuals seeking abortions or gender-affirming care.

According to The Seattle Times, "Those convicted can be fined between $250—$1,000 and have a minimum jail sentence of 1—30 days, depending on the number of offenses."

The two pieces of legislation were heard in Morales' Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights and Culture Committee, and will be up for vote at a full council session on Aug. 9.

In June, however, City Attorney Anne Davison cosigned a letter with 95 other elected prosecutors noting that while all hold differing views on abortion, "… we decline to use our offices' resources to criminalize reproductive health decisions and commit to exercise our well-settled discretion and refrain from prosecuting those who seek, provide, or support abortions."

Jan. 6 Hearings Are Over Until Fall, Concluding With Trump's Actions on the Day of the Riot

Former President Trump's Actions the Day of the Riot

During prime time on July 20, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol conducted their eighth and last hearing until the fall, when they will gather and present new evidence.

New images, video, and testimony revealed details around the actions and whereabouts of former President Trump as a violent mob pushed its way through police lines and into the Capitol, in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the last presidential election. During the critical period 187 minutes between when he urged his supporters to March on the Capitol and when he told them to depart at 4:17 p.m., Trump was allegedly sitting idly by or watching television of the events unfolding.

"While Trump's public silence during much of the violence is already well-known, the panel argues that the new evidence it presented about what happened inside the West Wing showed he purposely didn't intervene in the chaos until it was clear the mob had failed to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election," Politico reported.

The eighth hearing also offered testimony around the desperation of Secret Service agents who feared for their lives, and the key role of Trump's 2:24 p.m.'s Tweet that day, which attacked Mike Pence for his refusal to help block the transfer of power, prompting some of his supporters to chant, "Hang Mike Pence." In a previous hearing, former White House aides testified that Trump believed Pence "deserved" such treatment.

Steven Bannon Has Been Indicted by a Grand Jury on Two Counts of Contempts of Congress

Relatedly, Steve Bannon has been indicted by a grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress, stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Jan. 6 committee. He is charged for one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents, despite a subpoena from the committee. An arraignment date has not yet been set in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

James Webb Telescope Captures the Oldest and Most Distant Galaxies Thus Far

Earlier this month, NASA released a collection of images made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which has already significantly impacted the future of astronomy. JWST showcases thousands of galaxies — including some of the most distant ever captured; the more remote ones date to a time more than 13 billion years ago, not long after the dawn of the universe.

"One of JWST's much-touted abilities is the power to look back in time to the early universe and see some of the first galaxies and stars. Already, the telescope — which launched on Christmas Day 2021 and now sits 1.5 million kilometers from Earth — has spotted the most distant, earliest galaxy known," writes Quanta Magazine.

Read more about how this telescope reshapes our understanding of the universe or listen to a podcast summary via The Daily.

Cooling Centers and Other Resources to Combat the Heat This Week

With forecasted high temperatures over 90 degrees this week, the City of Seattle is working with regional partners to curate cooling centers and offer additional resources. Some of these City-affiliated sites include:

Community Centers

Four Seattle Community Centers have air- conditioning and will be open to serve as cooling centers beginning July 26 through at least July 28 from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. each day.

• Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave. S.
• International District Chinatown Community Center, 719 8th Ave. S.
• Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Ave. NE
• Magnuson Park, Building #406 6344 NE 74th St.

Libraries

The Central Library and 17 branches of The Seattle Public Library have air conditioning. The nine branches that do not currently air-conditioning may need to close if temperatures inside exceed 80 degrees for over an hour. For a current list of air-conditioned library hours and updates about closures, please visit SPL.org/Today.

Senior Centers

• Central Area Senior Center
  500 30th Ave. S.
  Mon.—Fri., 8:30 a.m.—5:00 p.m.

• Greenwood Senior Center
  525 N 85th St.
  Mon. — Thu., 9:30 a.m.—7 p.m.
  Fri. 9:30 a.m.—6 p.m.

• Pike Market Senior Center
  85 Pike St., Ste 200
  Mon.—Fri., 8:20 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

• Senior Center of West Seattle
  4217 SW Oregon St.
  Mon.—Fri., 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m.

• Southeast Seattle Senior Center
  4655 South Holly St.
  Mon.—Fri., 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m.

Parks

Pools, spray parks, wading pools, lifeguarded beaches, and other recreational sites can be found at the Seattle Parks and Recreation website.

Resources for People Experiencing Homelessness

For a list of indoor daytime cooling spaces operated in partnership with King County Regional Homelessness Authority, visit KCRHA.org/Severe-Weather-Update.

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