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[In an extremely nurse Dana Evans voice] Good Mawning, Portland! This is the last you’ll hear from me—charge nurse Dana Evans—for a while, as the second season of The Pitt concludes tonight. Well, the last you’ll be hearing from me until Katherine LaNasa wins another Emmy, amirite? Lookin’ at the weather, today and tomorrow are cloudy with a chance of rain—but you better believe that nine percent precipitation’ll get ya at the exact moment you don’t have a coat. [Loudly claps hands]This is why we have summer raincoats, people! It’s getting nice’n warm with a high of 58 forecast for today and damn near 70 from Friday through Sunday. Enjoy it! Now, here’s the news!
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• The Oregon Government Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint about Portland City Council’s progressive caucus (I’m so over this being called Peacock, but here we are) receiving free legal services—in regards to ANOTHER / SEPARATE complaint. Sing it with me now: 🎵 The complaint about the free legal services is dismissed/ but the original complaint is still in place/ objecting to the five city councilors having a “retreat”/ which potentially violated public meeting law/ as it gave them a forum to potentially talk about public policy/ outside the public eye 🎵 [vocalizing].
• In a social media post from Tuesday Portland Archbishop Alexander K. Sample echoed criticisms made by Pope Leo of President Trump’s war on Iran. “His remarks… fall short of the standard one would expect from both his office and his professed Christian faith” Sample wrote. “His threat to eradicate an entire civilization goes beyond what can be considered just or morally acceptable in war.” The Oregonian goes into it a little more here—if you are wondering why the Pope and President and now Portland Archbishop are beefin’.
• A federal judge in Oregon ruled that the Keizer-based anti-abortion organization Oregon Right to Life should be considered a religious employer. Oregon Right to Life filed the motion, asking to be considered as such so that they wouldn’t have to provide employee coverage for abortion and contraceptive drugs. It’s a little weird since they’re not actually a church-affiliated organization. If we can be religious employers simply for having sincere religious beliefs… that seems to open the door for unfold amounts of hanky panky.
• Eight members of the Oregon Army National Guard prepared to be sent to the Middle East at a ceremony held Wednesday in Happy Valley. The guard members are part of the 150th Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment support detachment, whose work was described in a press release as support for “aviation, communications, medical, CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense), and weapons systems.” The detachment calibrates and repairs diagnostic testing equipment so it gives reliable readings. Though the guard members are being sent to support US Central Command (CENTCOM), per the release from Oregon Military Department, and that command is currently engaged in implementing Operation Epic Fury, it’s worth noting that CENTCOM is the military command responsible for a broad swath of operations in the Middle East (and Central Asia and parts of South Asia).
• Sean Christensen’s show Memory Foam, now up at Never Coffee’s SW 12th location, explores his childhood memories and the way familiar places transform over time—including Mount Saint Helens. The results are colorful, layered, and a little weird, just how we like it. Lindsay Costello asked Christensen to break down one of his colorful, abstract works for readers.
•Looking for a play to peep this weekend? We’re not saying that Triangle’s Savannah Sipping Society is modeled on The Golden Girls, but we will be telling you who among the play’s cast is our Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and so forth. With just a few shows left, the run ends, like a pitcher of margaritas—too soon! Read the full review by Andrew Jankowski.
• In Mercury Music Picks this week: Check out shows from hip-hop royalty the Pharcyde, emo heartthrobs AFI, and a chance to see the Karaoke from Hell doc at Portland Panorama Fest.
IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• A Manhattan federal jury has found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary maintained a harmful monopoly over big concert venues and overcharged customers. The decision arrives two years after the US Justice Department asked US District Court for the Southern District of New York to break the company up, so it could no longer operate as an illegal monopoly. TBH, that’s downright speedy, in big lawsuit years. Hold up; it’s not over: There’ll now be a 🎵SECOND TRIAL🎵 to decide what to do about this monopoly. Will the court order the requested breakup? Will it be satisfied with 🎵RESTRUCTURING🎵? Also, you’d better believe Live Nation’s lawyers are going to appeal. One more note: The Justice Department was part of this suit in 2024, but in March 2026 it attempted to settle with Live Nation—though this has yet to be approved by a judge. Thirty-three states and District of Columbia stayed on as plaintiffs in the suit to achieve this verdict.
• President Trump has been speaking of the US war on Iran in the past tense. But that guy says a lot of kooky stuff. The US and Iran are supposed to hook up for a second round of peace talks, aimed at finding a permanent end that extends beyond the ceasefire, which Israel has not been observing.
• This week’s good good podcast rescomendation is “Fauxbituaries” by Hyperfixed. The episode starts out with a reader question about the numerous fake online obituaries that populate wildly after someone dies. Forty-one minutes later, host and reporter Alex Goldman has gone deep into the forgotten problem of online marketing platforms funding fake news and extremism sites. It’s a real banger.
• On Wednesday at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, indie filmmaker Coerte Voorhees and his brother/producer John Voorhees revealed a teaser trailer for As Deep As the Grave, a film they’ve made featuring an AI-created Val Kilmer. They’ve done this with Kilmer’s permission, given before the actor he died in 2025 and re-enforced by permission from his estate. Kilmer signed on for the film, but needed to step away due to health issues. The director told AP that Kilmer’s likeness is onscreen for one hour and 17 minutes of what he considers a “long” movie. TBH, if it was good they would show it and they do not; teaser below:
• Wanted to send you into Thursday with an idea for a cool startup. But that embed is not working, so we’ll do Girl Moss Syndicalism instead.
