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Good morning, Portland! It’s gonna be another hot one today, with temperatures expected to linger in the low 90s through the evening. Luckily, we are due for some reprieve later this week in the form of temps in the 60s and possible showers. But for now, stay hydrated and as cool as you can! 🥵🥵
Also, you know you need to partake in the Mercury‘s nacho week, which is happening NOW through Sunday! Click here to find out about all the amazing nachos you can get your hands on this week, all for just $10 a pop.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Early yesterday morning, Portland Fire & Rescue arrived at a brush fire scene in Southwest Portland, where they found four electric Amazon Prime vans aflame. The fire was contained, but it did a number on those vans, and is being investigated as potential arson. Sorry to say it, but burn bans also apply to acts of arson. (It’s kind of funny to imagine an arsonist who is really strict about adhering to state wildfire prevention rules.)
• Northeast Portland’s Bethany Lutheran Church closed down in 2024. But the church and the land it’s on will soon be transferred to the Native American Youth and Family Center, in what church and NAYA leaders are calling a “return.” The land transfer is part of the Indigenous-led Land Back movement, which church leaders recognized when they voted to return the land to Native American communities. NAYA plans to build elder housing on the site.
• In other cool news:
• The Trail Blazers have a new head coach! The team just secured Micah Nori, previously the lead assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves, to start coaching the team this season. Nori is apparently regarded highly as one of the league’s top assistants, with a lengthy career. Now we’ll see what he can do with Damian Lillard back on the court this fall…
• Need stuff to do this week? Of course you do, and you know where to turn: The Mercury’s famous DO THIS, DO THAT roundup. This week, check out a combo film screening (of But I’m a Cheerleader) and drag bingo at a public library, the official grand opening for Darcelle XV Plaza, Oregon Midsummer Festival (no human sacrifice required for that one), the Good in the Hood festival, and more. Find out about all of it here!
• Potential soft serve ice cream news:
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul the government’s voter eligibility verification program is an unlawful voter suppression project. The judge said with the plan, the federal government has “knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.” The government’s plan had already mistakenly flagged many people as noncitizens or ineligible to vote.
• Here’s the latest update on the Reflecting Pool Saga: Trump has continued to accuse people of vandalizing the pool in DC, seemingly in an attempt to blame others for the algae infestation that has taken over its surface in recent days. He has not, however, provided any evidence in support of his allegations of vandalism—but the administration claims it has arrested several people for supposedly tampering with the monument. Now, officials are trying to drain the pool once more, though they may be running into some weather-related challenges. Remember, this whole thing has already cost $16 million.
Honestly, what else could we expect for the country’s 250th birthday?
• That’s the rule, that’s the goal now: Propagandist Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host who bears a LOT of culpability for what’s going on in this country, announced that he is officially separating himself from the Republican Party. This is because he’s savvy enough to jump off a ship when it’s sinking, and knows his ambitions will be better met by carving out a different lane for himself. It does not mean he is “based” or “actually not that bad,” so please, don’t go there!
• Remember all the people who got fired from their jobs for posting critically about Charlie Kirk after he was killed last September? One investigation pegged the number of people fired for this “infraction” at 600, which is nuts. Anyway, a new NPR report digs into the successful First Amendment claims made against employers who violated their employees’ free speech rights by terminating them for posting stuff they didn’t like about Charlie Kirk. Some of these people have received payouts as high as $835,000, with many of the other payouts in the mid-six figures. Most of the people who have already received these payouts were public employees, meaning taxpayers have to foot the bill for their governments’ stupid decisions to unlawfully terminate employees. Hope this sends a message!!
• Oh.
• Hope this helps! (But for real, the amount of money is unfathomable, and should be criminal.)
