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Good Morning, Portland! Is your phone screaming at you about a heat advisory? That’s because metro area temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s on Saturday—potentially hitting 100 on Monday—and continue to radiate climate disaster until Tuesday. Really, I’m packing provisions to live in my basement until Wednesday, when the high returns to a reasonable mid-70s.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• At the Portland Mercury we’re proud of our queerness all damn year—stretching back to before we were born, before electricity, before the birth of the Earth and the stars. WAIT, SORRY, went into gay space. What I’m trying to say is our Queer Issue hits streets this week. It’s literally at your neighborhood cafe / enroute via USPS (if you subscribe) at this very moment. But you can also read it online for stories of local legendary gay greats, updating the outdated culture of social dancing, and an appeal on behalf of pro wrestling.
• Did you know: Portland police don’t have to cite drivers who injure cyclists and/or pedestrians so long as they don’t need an ambulance. Police say they lack the resources to cite all drivers for breaking the law in these cases, and writing a citation would require a lengthy investigation. However, the victims say lackluster police response lets dangerous drivers off the hook. Taylor Griggs has more about this frustrating issue!
• Gastropub, taproom, and event space the EastBurn has closed. The bar opened in 2008 and was home to several weekly events, including comedy nights, open mics, and trivia. The Mercury’s Katherine Hamilton has more.
• Also in our 2026 Queer Issue, it’s the latest edition of the Fault in Our Stars—the only horoscope column in the universe! (From the hilariously brilliant Anthony Hudson.) For you Cancers born in June: “Cancer, it’s your time to shine—and by ‘shine,’ I mean hide in your shell and violently snap through the sand at anything approaching.” Find out what the stars have in store for you!
• Lindsay Costello’s repertory rescreen column, Second Run Portland, returns with some June recs: films in conversation with David Hockney’s colorful compositions, queer romances, and a whole week of bleak. If you’re looking to hide inside a movie house and beat the heat, we’ve got some options.
IN NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• We’re getting some help on national / international news this morning from Stranger news editor Vivian McCall:
• President Donald Trump says he’ll hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT.” Then, “at some point in the not too distant future,” he claims he’ll seize Kharg Island, which handles about 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports, and take control of the country’s energy infrastructure “much like we have with Venezuela.” Trump lies constantly, especially in wartime, but we might be back to escalation.
•Following US strikes on Iran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted US bases overnight for the second consecutive day, CNN reports. Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed. The US military says it isn’t. A Qatari delegation left Tehran after talks with Iranian officials that lasted into the early hours while the US was bombing Iran. Some ceasefire.
•A Government by, and for, the Pre-Teen Boys: In what can only be described as even more awesome than a first boner, googling boobs.com, or drinking a two-liter of Mountain Dew to stay up super late on a school night, the same federal government that slashed medical coverage for the old and poor is spending $60 million to stage a UFC fight on the White House lawn for Trump’s 80th birthday on Sunday. This most important task will require seven federal agencies to pull off. Just 16 percent of Americans think this is appropriate.
•El Niño is here, and scientists are concerned. The natural warming of the Pacific Ocean near the equator on an already overheated planet will likely “turbocharge extreme weather,” writes the Associated Press. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is a 63 percent chance that it “would rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950.” Meteorologists worry it will exceed the record El Niño of 1997, which resulted in billions of dollars of damage in heat waves, droughts, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires. Oh my.
• Okay, let’s take a non-norm normalcy break:
• Dorks Weep: The BBC has cancelled the greenlit Doctor Who Christmas special, showrunner Russell T Davies and producer Bad Wolf have jumped ship, and the show might be off the air for years.
• Sending you into Thursday with respect for your raison d’etre.
