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Good morning, Portland! Buckle up, stay hydrated, and find some shade, or air conditioning. The city could see 90-degree heat today. We’re likely to get some reprieve by Wednesday, when temps drop back down to the low 70s.
Wanna stay cool? Then be informed! We’re here to help.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• If you’ve been out and about lately, you may have encountered someone with a clipboard asking you to sign a petition to get a “public safety” measure on the ballot. Two people who were hired by a company to collect signatures for the Enhanced Community Safety Initiative—which would divert Portland Clean Energy Funds to Portland Police Bureau to hire more sworn officers—say they were instructed to mislead people into signing the initiative petition to get the measure on this November’s ballot. The Secretary of State’s office has received at least one complaint detailing those claims, and others who spoke to the Mercury also say they encountered disingenuous and misleading claims by canvassers working for the initiative’s campaign. Some were told the measure would hire more public safety staff, including 911 dispatchers (the ballot measure is strictly to hire more police officers); others were allegedly told it would prioritize diversity hiring within PPB (also not mentioned in the ballot measure language). If the allegations prove true, it could spell trouble for the campaign, which is scrambling to collect more than 40,000 signatures by July in order to qualify for the November ballot. Taylor Griggs has the scoop.
• Oregon-based drag queen and climate activist Pattie Gonia is currently embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with Patagonia (the outdoor-themed apparel company the drag artist’s persona is named after) over alleged trademark infringement. The Bend-based drag artist was hit with a lawsuit from Patagonia in January after filing to trademark the drag persona for the purpose of marketing merchandise with the name and likeness. Patagonia, the company named after the region in South America, argues it infringes on the company’s trademarked branding. According to the NY Times, the company met with Pattie Gonia back in 2022 and both parties developed a mutual agreement that Pattie Gonia would limit the use of the name on merchandise, but the trademark application changed things.
• You’re not tripping. Today, Portland’s Community & Public Safety Committee is set to consider a city code amendment that would de-prioritize possession of psilocybin. The proposed ordinance, sponsored by Councilors Mitch Green, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and Angelita Morillo, would designate personal use of natural psychedelics as a “low law enforcement priority” while still enforcing illegal sales, impaired driving, and generally illegal conduct related to drugs (or what I like to call “a fun night out). The stated goal is to “promote public health and safety by clarifying local enforcement priorities related to naturally occurring psychedelic plants and fungi.” The ordinance, if passed by the full City Council, would establish a Portland Psychedelics Advisory Commission as a new advisory body. 🍄
• And now for a little humble brag. Each year, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) awards newsrooms for their writing, photography, design, audio, video, and magazine journalism. The Mercury is proud to say we took home six awards in all—two first place awards, and four second place. (We’re gonna need to install a new shelf!)
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Congress isn’t happy about Trump’s plan to create a nearly $1.8 billion legal aid slush fund for paying out January 6 rioters who were arrested and sent to prison for beating police officers, as well as other political supporters of his who want a payday. The legal fund is currently paused by a court order, and today, Senate Republicans will meet to figure out how to proceed, after balking at the fund two weeks ago before leaving for the Memorial Day weekend. Some Republicans have suggested Trump abandon his plans for the legal fund, which was created as part of a settlement agreement with the IRS after the president’s tax returns were leaked. The AP, citing sources close to the president, says he might be re-considering whether to move forward with the “weaponization” fund. Democrats could continue to hold funding for the Department of Homeland Security hostage if the legal fund proceeds. Congress still hasn’t passed a funding bill for DHS.
• If it seems like everyone and their brother is on GLP-1s these days, you’re probably not wrong, but there’s more to the drugs than just diabetes treatment or off-brand weight-loss. Researchers are finding the drugs don’t just change blood sugar and appetite, they may also be re-wiring the brain, but it’s hard to say whether that’s for better or worse. Results seem varied. While some young women with hormone disorders saw unexpected improvements, others have reported what’s described as an emotional flattening– decreased sex drive, and less interest in food, hobbies, and for some, a lingering brain fog.
• Graham Platner, the U.S. Senate candidate from Maine, may cost Democrats a shot at a Senate seat. Platner is currently battling mounting controversies over everything from an old tattoo he got during his military service in Croatia that resembles Nazi symbolism, to old Reddit posts downplaying sexual assault in the military, and sexually explicit texts he sent to another woman while married. Platner is expected to be the Democratic nominee to face Republican Senator Susan Collins in November, but his chances of weathering the tsunami of backlash appear to be dwindling, leaving the Dems with fewer chances of regaining seats in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Today’s heat got me like:
