Category Archives: National

Trader Joe’s ends mask requirements in stores for fully vaccinated customers

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) In an update on its corporate website, Trader Joe’s announced that fully vaccinated customers will no longer be required to wear masks in stores unless a local area guideline requires them. The grocery retailer, with 530 locations, is one of the first in the nation to officially adopt the policy in alignment with CDC guidelines on mask-wearing announced earlier this week.

“We encourage customers to follow the guidance of health officials, including, as appropriate, CDC guidelines that advise customers who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear masks while shopping,” the website said after it was updated on May 14.

Individuals who have been fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks indoors or out, according to the CDC with certain exceptions. Masks are still required in situations such as using public transport, visiting a hospital or prison, living or working in a homeless shelter, or being in areas where people are densely congregated. On Thursday, Governor Jay Inslee announced that Washington state would adopt the CDC guidelines on mask-wearing. Businesses can set their own policies on mask-wearing and checking for proof of vaccination.

Trader Joe’s has locations in Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, and Sammamish, along with multiple locations in Seattle, and stores in Shoreline, Edmonds, and Everett in our local area.

Retailers, restaurants, bars, gyms, and other public businesses in King County are still in Phase 3 under the Safe Washington reopening program and can operate at 50% capacity. The Safe Washington reopening plan announced in March was essentially scraped by Gov. Inslee yesterday, with a new plan moving all counties to Phase 3 on May 18, and Washington state to full reopening on June 30.

The United States has administered over 250 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines nationwide. As of April 17, Washington state has administered more than 6 million doses, and over 43% of residents over 16-years old are fully vaccinated.

In King County, you can visit the Department of Health website to find a vaccination clinic, and many locations now support walk-up appointments. You can also visit the Facebook Group, Find a COVID Shot WA if you need language or technology assistance in making an appointment.

No, you don’t need to panic buy gasoline or diesel fuel, and no one needed to either

[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Yesterday scattered reports came in through the Puget Sound region of longer than normal lines at some gas stations as news spread of shortages in several southeastern states. Overnight the national average for the price of gasoline broke $3.00 a gallon for the first time in 7 years, while scenes of hoarding gasoline into tubs, trashcans, and in one case a plastic bag flooded the Internet. Anyone worried about gasoline shortages in the Pacific Northwest can relax, and so can almost all Americans.

The Colonial Pipeline feeds 45% of the gas, diesel, and aviation fuel used on the east coast from Texas to the northeastern states. The line was crippled by a Russian ransomware attack on Friday, and pipeline managers had to shut down operations to keep the attack from spreading to other systems. Over the weekend it appeared that operations would resume by Tuesday, but then officials said it may not be until May 15, or longer. That’s when the panic buying started.

On the east coast, Asheville, North Carolina was one of the first cities to report gasoline station closings, and spot closures spread through mostly southeastern states. According to TTAC, only 7% of the gas stations in the southeast were reporting they had run out of fuel. Like toilet paper just a year ago, buyers rushed to gas stations to buy every last drop, filling every container, including unsafe ones, with the fuel.

The issue spiraled from the comical to the dystopian with fights breaking out at gas stations. In North Carolina, 2 people were arrested after a fight described as, “wild,” erupted after a woman tried to cut into a queue for gas, and then rammed a car.

The Pacific Northwest is nearly a closed-loop for vehicle and aviation fuel. The Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains create natural boundaries that make it challenging to ship crude and refined products to our region.

For oil tankers, the trip from the Middle East is a long journey to our corner of the country. The Rocky Mountains prevent large pipelines from reaching our region, so almost all of the crude oil that is turned into fuel for the Pacific Northwest comes from Alaska and is refined in Washington state. Because refineries have to be calibrated to accept certain crude oil products based on the viscosity and how sour it is, using Canada tar sand oil isn’t a viable alternative.

Because Washington and Oregon, and parts of Idaho and California, are in this isolated region our supply is unique and isolated from disruptions east of the Rockies. However, our region is not isolated from national price fluctuations. The Pacific Northwest bears the brunt of market price increases when national averages increase, even when our supply chain isn’t disrupted. There is additional price pressure with the Memorial Day weekend, and the start of driving season, less than 3 weeks away.

Earlier today, officials from Colonial Pipeline announced that fuel was once again flowing, days ahead of schedule. It will take several days for the fuel supply to stabilize, but the best thing consumers can do is not panic buy.

The Russian hacker group DarkSide claimed responsibility for the ransomware attack, but stated they were only interested in making money, and not committing an act of aggression. Russian officials distanced themselves from the group, citing they had no involvement in the hack, and that it was not state-sanctioned.

Over a 9 month period in 2020, the Russian government committed a series of cyberattacks on multiple United States government agencies in what is called the worst breach of government data security in history. Known as the SolarWinds attack, Russian agents used software vulnerabilities within SolarWinds, VMware, and Microsoft. The scope of the attack was revealed in December 2020.

Malcontentment Happy Hour: May 10, 2021

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from May 10, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith. Patrons at the $5 and above level get access to our show notes and research documents.

  • Toyota campaign contribution story made our readers salty
  • Colonial Pipeline shutdown committed by Russian hackers
  • No one is talking about the AAHM raid done by the King County Sheriff
  • Franklin Graham coming to Bellevue and protests planned – controversy explained
  • Democracy vouchers explained
  • Jenny Durkan’s Textgate
  • Seattle Deputy Mayor Casey Sixkiller enters the 2021 mayor race
  • Angelyiah Lim wins the 2020 Lee Johnson Community Service Award

Wages and hiring on collision course as United States inches closer to ‘full employment’

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) Social media is abuzz with pictures of businesses closing because they can’t hire employees, entire workforces quitting and walking out, and talk of how extended unemployment benefits are keeping employees from returning to work. The economic reality is more complex and particularly problematic for the 5 states that continue to follow federal minimum wage guidelines, and the retail and hospitality industry have become employment and political flashpoints.

Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee, are the only states that have not passed state-level minimum wage laws. Even Florida has passed legislation that has put it on the path to a $15 an hour minimum wage. For tipped employees, base pay in those five states can be as low as $2.13 an hour, $85.20 for a 40 hour week, before federal payroll and state income tax. Three of these states are bumping up on ‘full employment.’

Full Employment

Some would consider full employment as 0% unemployment, but that has never happened in United States history. The lowest unemployment ever achieved was 1.2% in 1944, during the throes of World War II, millions of men overseas and a massive war effort. At any given point you will have discouraged workers, people between jobs, and others who are changing careers or entering the workforce after completing education.

As the number of people who are unemployed declines, you reach a point where employers need to offer higher salaries to compete. If you have too much productivity you create wage inflation, and a fraction of that is passed back to consumers. In the United States, the Congressional Budget Office considered full employment is achieved when the unemployment rate is 4.6%. Currently, the United States unemployment rate is 6.1% after a high of 14.7% in April 2020.

The states of Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and 17 others, are already below or near full employment. In Louisiana and Mississippi, new unemployment claims have plummeted, and Louisiana already has a lower unemployment rate than March of 2020.

Bureau of Labor Statistics and U1 – U6 unemployment numbers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a federal organization that tracks unemployment in the United States. Each month they create a report that shows the U1 through U6 unemployment numbers, and each number is formulated by adding or removing different groups of people and their unemployment state. The number you see in the headlines is the U3.

U3 unemployment includes the “total unemployed” as a percentage of the civilian labor force. The U6 number in contrast includes, “Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part-time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force.”

In April national unemployment increased from 6.0% to 6.1%, so what happened? Ironically, an improving economy and job market can move those not counted in the official unemployment number because they were discouraged or currently under-employed in part-time work. When people marginally attached to the labor force move to actively seeking jobs, it can create an increase in the official unemployment rate.

569,000 COVID deaths, 30% post-COVID infected with long-term symptoms

When COVID tore through the United States beginning in March of 2020, workers at fast-food restaurants, core retailers that provided groceries, home repair, and pharmacy needs, and workers in food processing were deemed, essential workers. In some industries such as food processing, these workers bore the brunt of COVID infections.

As the United States creeps towards 600,000 deaths from COVID, these losses impact the number of available workers in a post-COVID recovery. Additionally, up to 30% of people who have survived COVID, including asymptomatic carriers are dealing with long-term effects including chronic fatigue, mental decline, chronic joint pain, and heart damage. In other cases, able-bodied workers can’t return to the workforce because they are now caring for COVID long haulers.

Limited and expensive daycare

In the United States, it costs $11,400 on average to put a child in daycare for a year. For a worker making $7.25 an hour, their entire post-tax annual pay would go to care for one child.

Daycare centers in the United States were short-staffed before COVID, and the situation is more challenging today. Many school systems nationally are doing part-time in-class learning, further complicating when and how parents secure childcare. For some parents, the issue comes down to no available daycare compatible with a work schedule in retail and hospitality.

In retail and fast-food jobs, some workers are reporting working 12 to 14-hour shifts, which is incompatible with most daycare providers. In Idaho, childcare providers shut down en masse to protest budget cuts on the table in the Idaho legislature.

Long hours, irate customers, and understaffing

The hospitality industry is the hardest hit when it comes to open jobs they can’t fill. The worker shortage and competitive job market have created a vicious cycle.

Prior to COVID, retirees were among the ranks of part-time workers at fast food and casual dining restaurants. Chains like McDonald’s even actively recruit retirees as a way for them to stay active, engaged, and supplement retirement income. People over 55 disproportionately bore the brunt of COVID infections and deaths in 2020. Many older Americans are reluctant to rejoin the workforce due to vaccine hesitancy and patchwork mask rules.

Other employees have reported dangerous confrontations with anti-maskers, sometimes spiraling into violence between customers or customers assaulting employees. Frontline workers are attempting to enforce rules where they have no authority, and some customers view them as having to obey their will.

The stress of working with the public in an age lacking civility and being short-staffed has created longer waits, more errors in orders, and more anger among customers and employees. In a viral Tik Tok video, Chipotle employees complained about 12-hour shifts without breaks, being asked to violate employment and health laws to meet customer demand, and uncompensated hours.

Many businesses have moved to offer signing bonuses as high as $500 or even paying people to show up for an interview. However, these one-time payments don’t come for an overall salary boost, and workers have better prospects.

Education, gig economy, self-employment, and package delivery

For some, the return to the workforce isn’t going to happen because they have become job creators themselves. Facing unemployment and slow job prospects during the peak of COVID, some turned to career changes and formed their own businesses. In a report on WSVN, Dailys Gonzalez was a bookkeeper for years but lost her job due to COVID. Instead of looking to reenter the workforce, they formed their own painting business.

Amazon on its own created 400,000 jobs in logistics, shipping, and delivery in the first 9 months of 2020 as Americans flocked to online delivery and shopping. For others work from home or self-employment opportunities in customer service provided better pay, more flexibility, and a 25-foot commute from the bedroom to the kitchen table.

The tech community called 2020 the “great acceleration,” because changes in how, when, and where Americans would work moved faster than previously forecasted due to COVID. For some lower-wage workers, a return to the cash register or grille is never going to happen because they have found better opportunities that enable them not only to work but manage childcare while avoiding face-to-face confrontations with unreasonable customers.

Focusing on five states that follow federal minimum wage laws

Alabama has the biggest challenge in the country, with a state unemployment rate of 3.8%. Almost a full point below full employment and just 1.2 points higher than its record low in March of 2020. The southern state has a record number of unfilled jobs and a severe worker shortage. Business leaders claim that the federal unemployment boost is to blame, but the job market conditions in the Yellowhammer State point to increased wages will be needed to attract outside workers into the state.

Tennessee has an unemployment rate of 4.9%, close to full employment. There are no state-level minimum wage laws so tipped restaurant workers starting pay is as low as $2.13 an hour. Nationally, in-person restaurant dining is at 40% to 60% of pre-COVID levels, cutting into tips simply because of fewer customers. Overworked staff can’t provide a high degree of service, further cutting tips while increasing stress and workload.

If a restaurant is offering $2.13 an hour plus tips while an Amazon distribution center is offering $15 an hour for equally stressful and hard work with benefits, the hospitality industry is uncompetitive.

South Carolina is also close to full employment, with an unemployment rate of 5.1%.

Mississippi, which borders Alabama and Tennessee, has an unemployment rate of 6.3%. However, in March 2020, the unemployment rate was 6.0%, indicating that Mississippi has almost returned to pre-COVID employment levels. Further analysis shows that the unemployment rate in Mississippi was slowly climbing from a low of 4.8% since 2018.

Louisiana has the highest unemployment rate of the 5 states, at 7.1%. However, that rate is lower than the number of unemployed prior to COVID.

A further look at available state unemployment data, 18 states are at full employment, and not a single state has an unemployment rate above 10%. Hawaii has the worst unemployment in the nation at 9.0%, but the state is heavily tourism-dependent with travel down 60% and strict entry rules for the archipelago. Of the 10 states with the worst unemployment numbers, 4 had significant tourism prior to COVID including the aforementioned Hawaii plus, New York, Nevada, and Louisiana.

The employee shortage in the United States is more complex than extended unemployment benefits, with state and federal data indicating that for almost half the nation, unemployment rates can’t move much lower. The more than decade-long argument over increasing the federal minimum wage, the gig economy, and the great acceleration has created new opportunities that an increasing number of people are embracing.

Toyota is largest donor to post-insurrection election objectors despite pledge to end contributions

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) More than 4 months after hundreds of insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on January 6 to thwart certification of the 2020 Presidential election results, Toyota has donated over $62,000 to 40 Republicans, the largest amount from any company that pledged to stop GOP contributions in the wake of the election violence.

In the hours and days that followed January 6, a litany of companies made pledges to no longer fund GOP candidates who fomented former President Donald Trump’s followers. According to a report in Popular Information, April 15 was the first major campaign finance deadline since the insurrection. After Congress reconvened to certify the election results, while the sting of tear gas remained in the halls and blood on the floor, 147 Republicans voted against election certification.

What makes Toyota stand out from other companies that have since made donations, is the dollar amounts involved and how many other businesses stood by the pledges they made. According to Maplight, over 1,100 individual corporate PACs donated to at least one Congressperson who objected to election certification in 2020. In the first quarter of 2021, that number plummeted to less than 70.

Benefactors of the Toyota PAC include Congresspersons Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Cliff Bentz (R-OR), Barry Moore (R-AL), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Jeff Duncan (R-CS), Eric Alan “Rick” Crawford (R-AR), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Tim Walberg (RMI), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).

On April 11, in response to a Newsweek article published on April 10 revealing the donation to Congressperson Toomey, Toyota released a statement they were adjusting their stance on who, and why they would donate to candidates.

“We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification.”

“Based on our thorough review, we decided against giving to some members who, through their statements and actions, undermine the legitimacy of our elections and institutions.”

The donation by Toyota’s PAC to Congressperson Biggs of Arizona stands out as being counter to this position. Congressperson Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) released a nearly 2,000 page report in March outlining the social media activity for dozens of lawmakers in the days leading up to, during, and after the January 6 insurrection. The report for Representative Biggs is over 50 pages long.

As early as November 5, Biggs was retweeting calls to “go to total war,” over the 2020 election. On January 8, 2021, Biggs was already calling any attempt to impeach then-President Trump a “manufactured hoax.”

Tweet thread by republican congressperson andy biggs, Arizona, who has benefit from toyota pac donations since the January 6, insurrrection

There has been significant speculation that Representative Biggs’s words and actions have been at least reviewed by the Department of Justice, but to date, no sitting member of Congress has been directly accused of being directly involved in the insurrection plot.

In a tweet from 2018, Biggs thanked Toyota Financial Services for a tour of their facility in Chandler, Arizona, located in his Congressional district.

congressperson andy biggs, (r-AZ) in 2018 at Toyota financial services offices in chandler, Arizona

On June 29, 2020, Toyota announced they were opening a Parts Distribution Center (PDC) in Phoenix, Arizona, in partnership with Koi Distribution. The press released stated the center would stock 57,000 different parts for Toyota and Lexus products, and employ 61 people.

In 2020, Toyota’s PAC donated $8,000 to Biggs, a significant increase from the $3,500 the PAC donated in the 2018 election cycle.

Another contribution that stands out is one made to Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Toyota doesn’t have any offices, engineering, manufacturing, design, distribution centers, or research and development facilities in the deeply red state. According to the Toyota corporate website, the 97,000 square mile state only has 7 Toyota dealerships.

Toyota isn’t alone in supporting Congressional leaders that voted to block certification of the Electoral College results despite pledging not to. Cigna and JetBlue are two consumer brands that stand out. Intel and Microsoft have also made donations to GOP-led organizations, stating they did so with assurances that their money would not go to the 147 previously identified Congressional leaders.

According to Car and Driver, the Toyota RAV4, Camry, Tacoma, Corolla, Highlander, and 4Runner were among the top 25 vehicles sold, based on retail total volume, in 2020. The Seattle PI reported that the Toyota Corolla was the number 5 seller in the city of Seattle for 2020.

Malcontentment Happy Hour: May 6, 2021

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

The show from May 6, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith. Patrons at the $5 and above level get access to our show notes and research documents.

  • Tik Tok creates a lead in the 18-year-old case of missing person Sofia Juarez
  • Man pulls a gun on protesters in Portland, Oregon
  • Insurrections Landon Copeland has multiple outbursts in federal court
  • A Kirkland coffee order turns racist
  • Malcontented Minutes
    • First Nation Tribe buying the Palms Casino in Las Vegas
    • Vermont man arrested for hate crime after trying to run over a Black man
    • Amazon refuses to remove anti-transgender book from store
    • Caitlyn Jenner says do as I say not as I do
    • California bar is busted for selling fake vaccination cards
    • Arkansas woman steals a gun laden work truck, gets naked, gets arrested
    • Orphaned polar bear cub in Russia loves hugs and humans, and gets a new home
    • California bear relaxes in swimming pool while four cubs watch
    • National Park Services gets 45,000 applications for 12 slots to thin bison herd
    • U.S. government is using tech to warrantlessly grab personal information out of technology-laden cars
  • COVID Update

Peloton recalls all Tread+ treadmills after 1 death and dozens of injuries

[WASHINGTON D.C.] – (MTN) Peloton has struck a deal with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall all Tread+ treadmills sold since 2018 after a 6-year old child died and over 70 injuries have been reported. On April 17 the CPSC released a consumer warning advising to immediately stop using all Tread+ treadmills due to the hazard they posed. The treadmills have also been recalled in Canada.

A video released by the CPSC on April 17 shows 2 children playing on and around a running Peloton treadmill. One child has their arms pulled under the exercise equipment and is held in place by the force of the running track. Momentarily, they are freed only to be pulled back in, and then completely under the exercise equipment. A ball was also pulled under creating a gap for the child to wriggle free.

https://malcontentment.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Peloton-Recall-1.mp4
Peloton tread+ treadmill pulls a child under the running equipment

A statement released by the CPSC outlined the reasoning for the recall. “A 6-year-old child recently died after being pulled under the rear of the treadmill. In addition, Peloton has received 72 reports of adult users, children, pets and/or objects being pulled under the rear of the treadmill, including 29 reports of injuries to children such as second and third-degree abrasions, broken bones, and lacerations.”

Owners of a Peloton Tread+ treadmill are advised to call Peloton at 844-410-0141 from 9 a.m to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m to 6:30 p.m. on the weekends. You can also visit the Peloton Support website and view the current Alerts. Peloton stock (PTON) was down 14.5% to $82.59 in trading on the NASDAQ today.

Malcontentment Happy Hour: May 3, 2021

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

Content Warning

Editor’s Note: This show contains videos of events that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

The show from May 3, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith. Patrons at the $5 and above level get access to our show notes and research documents.

  • Update on Cocholati and their refusal to service a Seattle police officer
  • Mayor Durkan tells Seattle police to “soften” their approach on RV’s and the 72-hour parking limit
  • Portland, Oregon has the driest April in history – fire season is coming
  • Attacks on aircraft are skyrocketing
  • COVID Update
  • May Day in Seattle – Annual May Day March and Rally for Immigrants and Workers’ Rights
  • May Day in Seattle – insurrectionary anarchists bloc up
  • Protester struck by car outside of East Precinct – driver under investigation
  • Tucker Carlson of Fox News gets his wish
  • OPA calls for a ban on the use of blast balls as a crowd control measure

Thirteen Washington counties at risk of falling back to Phase 2

[KIRKLAND] – (MTN) The Washington Department of Health will announce on Tuesday which counties will fall back to Phase 2 with 13 counties at risk of reinstated restrictions. Three counties moved backward to Phase 2 on April 16 – Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman. None of those counties are at risk of going to Phase 1, but none meet the requirements to move back to Phase 3.

For counties to remain in Phase 3, each must have less than 200 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents and less than 5.0 hospitalizations due to COVID per 100,000 residents. Currently, 13 counties exceed these requirements.

  • Douglas
  • Franklin
  • Grant
  • King
  • Kitsap
  • Lewis
  • Lincoln
  • Pacific
  • Pend-Oreille
  • Skagit
  • Snohomish
  • Spokane
  • Stevens
  • Yakima

New infection numbers are a leading indicator for hospitalizations, which increase 2 to 3 weeks after a surge in cases. Fatalities start to increase 4 to 6 weeks after.

Falling back to Phase 2 will reduce indoor occupancy in public spaces such as restaurants, gyms, and stores from 50% to 25%. Professional sporting events such as the Seattle Mariners games at T-Mobile Park will not move to lower occupancy. In Pierce County, where Phase 2 restrictions went into place on April 16, restaurants reported a 25% drop in business.

Nationally there are 37,000 COVID patients in the hospital, a sharp drop from the third wave, which saw numbers exceeding 110,000. According to the CDC, patients between 18 and 64 now represent the largest group hospitalized with the virus.

Washington state has seen declining infections and hospitalizations for people over 75 while rates are rapidly climbing for those under 50. “There is a very sharp increase, it appears, in younger adults…these are largely people who think that their age is protecting them from getting very sick from COVID-19,” Cassie Sauer, CEO and president of the Washington State Hospital Association, said during a press conference on Monday.

During the same press conference, Dr. Chris Baliga of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health stated, “40% of our cases were under the age of 40, which is mind-boggling to me. We never saw that earlier in the pandemic.”

The rise in infections is coming at the same time vaccine hesitancy is taking hold in certain Washington counties. Currently, some areas have thousands of excess doses available while other regions can’t meet demand. Governor Jay Inslee announced today that vaccine distribution would move to a needs-based model. Areas with higher demand will get more doses in an attempt to get ahead of the surge. Anyone 16 and older can get a COVID vaccination in Washington state, and vaccination is free.

Additionally, the CDC and FDA paused using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports of a rare clotting disorder sickening 15 women and caused 3 deaths. The pause slowed down the vaccination rate and added to hesitancy. Both organizations concluded that the risk was extremely rare, with over 8 million doses previously administered. Use of the J&J vaccine restarted last week with an added warning about the potential of clots and additional treatment guidelines sent to physicians. 

The increase in COVID cases striking Washington, Oregon, and the Idaho panhandle is coming during a transitional time. The CDC changed guidelines on wearing masks, stating that individuals no longer need to wear masks outdoors and in small group settings, but recommends continuing to wear masks at large outdoor events such as concerts. Gov. Inslee announced earlier this week that Washington state had adopted those guidelines.

There is additional confusion on mask guidance, with some people believing that wearing a mask is no longer required after getting vaccinated. No vaccine is 100% effective, and herd immunity has not been achieved in the Americas. Vaccination significantly prevents infection and dramatically lessens the impact of becoming sickened by a break-through case. Because a vaccinated person could become infected in rare cases with a new variant and is more likely to be an asymptomatic carrier, masks are still advised when in an indoor public setting per CDC guidelines.

In many locations in the United States, the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom is becoming the dominant strain. The U.K. variant is up to 2 times more contagious than the earlier strains and targets younger patients with worse symptoms.

Another trend concerning the medical community is that younger patients are coming into the hospital in a sicker state. This delay narrows treatment options, including the use of therapies used on patients such as former President Donald Trump, that can lessen the impact of infection if delivered before symptoms become severe.

Only 9 Washington counties meet both requirements for new cases and hospitalizations to stay in Phase 3 – Asotin, Clallam, Columbia, Garfield, Grays Harbor, Klickitat, Mason, Walla Walla, and Whatcom.

Malcontentment Happy Hour: April 29, 2021

Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction

Content Warning

Editor’s Note: This show contains videos of events that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised. Additionally, our remote connection had issues at a couple of points in the show – we apologize for the experience.

The show from April 29, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith.

  • Mike Solan is unhappy with a police officer’s experience at Chocolati
  • King County is getting $62 million in federal funds to aid the unhomed
  • Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress
  • Follow-ups and corrections
    • Correction on the Bothell stabbing story
    • Pierce County Council has announced they are pausing the investigation of Sheriff Ed Troyer
    • Update on the arrest of 73-year old Karen Garner
  • Royal’lee Wallace murder investigation
  • Seattle’s Indian population mobilizes to support their homeland during COVID crisis
  • Kirkland postal carriers start a food drive
  • Native Americans petition for the return of wild Bison in Montana