Alaska Air Cancels Flights After Wartime Fuel Shortage: If you plan on flying out of Seattle this summer you might want to start looking into doing literally anything else. Citing spiking fuel costs related to “recent geopolitical factors” (today’s crude euphemism for the unprovoked US-Israel i invasion of Iran), Alaska Air has begun canceling flights scheduled for May and June, reports the Seattle Times. They’re raising baggage fees for ticketholders to help offset the cost of the war on you, the consumer. Kuwait Says War Stopping Oil Exports: Speaking of crude, Kuwait declared force majeure on crude and refined oil exports on Monday due to the escalating standoff between Iranian and American blockades of the Strait of Hormuz. Basically this declaration is hard evidence that one of the world’s largest oil exporters is going to miss deliveries, Reuters reports, which means you’re going to continue to pay more at the pump. Belgians to Renton, Egyptians to Spokane for World Cup Lodging: Somehow FIFA is still going ahead with plans to host the World Cup in the US later this summer. Personally, I’m most excited for the Iran-Egypt Gay Pride Match slated for Seattle. The Egyptian team will have a rough commute for that game, as they’re being made to stay all the way over in Spokane (where the Sounders are also decamping for a match during the summer chaos) so they can use Gonzaga University’s practice facilities. while the Belgian national team takes over the Sounders’ facilities in Renton, The Seattle Times and The Spokesman Review report. Japan to Sell Weapons For First Time Since Attempted World Conquest: I don’t know if any of The Stranger’s readers are history buffs, but back in the 1930s and ’40s, the fascist Empire of Japan tried to conquer Asia and Oceania. So many millions of people died to stop them that when the US occupied Japan after the war, we forced them to rewrite their constitution to make warmaking illegal. But we also kept the Japanese hard-right in political power. That’s come home to roost as the nation’s new prime minister continues to tear up their pacifist constitution so the country can make money off the wars in Ukraine and Iran, Reuters reports. Amazon Threatened Retailers to Raise Prices: Local online book depository startup turned US military and CIA data analytics company Amazon has been accused of illegal price fixing in a recent legal filing unsealed in California, per the Associated Press. That state’s attorney general had sued Amazon in 2022 for allegedly violating antitrust laws and the juicy details are just starting to come out. Specifically, California says the Seattle-based company got Levi’s to increase the price of jeans sold by a competitor, which sounds like an old Seattle scheme from the gold rush days when Trump’s grandpa ran a brothel in Pioneer Square. Inside Washington There Are 270 Wolves: This is good news for anyone who dislikes hitting deer with their car, but bad news for ranchers who are bad at math. It’s an increase in population, though not enough. Gray wolves are still endangered in Washington, according to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife report. The state only started counting the wolf population in 2008, which gives you a hint as to how it got this bad. There’s Finally a Reason to Go to Lynnwood: Or at least a reason not to actively avoid Lynwood in favor of somewhere else. You can finally buy weed there, 14 years after voters legalized it. Whenever a state legalizes weed, a bunch of suburban communities and rural county governments freak out about reefer madness and ban marijuana sales in their jurisdiction. When the promised apocalypse fails to materialize in the rest of the state, the local politicians cave to business interests (their MO) under the rhetoric of taxing drug users. KING 5 has the story. Idaho Looks Likely to Restore Abortion Rights: Idaho was one of the states to roll back abortion rights after the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe decision in 2022. That’s not to say abortion rights are unpopular in Idaho—60 percent of voters favor them—but Idaho Republicans have total control of state government. They’d never restore abortion access. That leaves voters the option of citizens initiative, which is harder to do than in Washington because, by law, they’re required to gather signatures statewide, not just in Boise where the plurality of people live. Organizers in Idaho say they’ve done it, The Idaho Statesman reports, and barring any further Republican attempts to scupper the initiative, voters are likely to restore abortion rights in November. Alex Jones Disrobes on Air After InfoWars Takeover by The Onion: Alex Jones only takes his shirt off on live television when he’s really pissed off, so pretty often. Monday was one of those days, as satirical news site The Onion announced a deal to take over his right-wing conspiracy theory clearinghouse InfoWars and hand creative control to comedian Tim Heidecker. “Just ‘cause you’re wearing my shirt don’t mean you’re me,” Jones said while sweatily pacing behind the InfoWars news desk. “They’re body snatchers. They’re skinwalkers. They literally take your skin.” Jones lost control of the broadcaster after a lawsuit by victims of the Sandy Hook Massacre. New Seattle Storm Guard Sees Mount Rainier, Panics: Natasha Hiederman may have arrived in Seattle only recently, but she’s already acting like a local: freaking out on a nice spring day because holy shit look at Mount Rainier. In her defense, she’s from Wisconsin, where you can’t see Mount Rainier even on a clear day. BREAKING: Social media influencer doesn’t realize “the mountain is out” is a real thing, and it is entirely plausible a person who has lived in Washington state for a week had no idea about Mount Rainier being so huge. Spring cloudy. Cloud block mountain. No see mountain for… https://t.co/LGYqCGH90H— Charlie Harger, KIRO Newsradio (@KIROCharlie) April 20, 2026 The post Slog AM: Japan Back in the Weapons Business, Idaho Could Re-Legalize Abortion, Alex Jones Takes Shirt Off appeared first on The Stranger. ...read more read less