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A Portland police car sits in a cloud of tear gas at a protest in July.
A Portland police car sits in a cloud of tear gas at a protest in July. mathieu Lewis Rolland

Good morning, Portland! Hey, have you snagged one of our super cool limited-edition T-shirts, designed by local artist Sloane Leong, yet? If not, you better get on that!

Okay, here are the headlines.

• My esteemed news editor Alex Zielinski and I recently spoke with three Portlanders who were detained by federal officers in July—including one who was snatched off the street and pulled into an unmarked van the same night Mark Pettibone was. Read their stories, which are equal parts terror and clusterfuck, to get a sense of what random Portland protesters were subjected to by our federal government.

• Speaking of protests: Last night's demonstration moved east of 82nd Avenue, in front of the Portland Police Bureau's (PPB) East Precinct. As with other protests that target local police buildings, PPB was quick to declare a riot and use intense force against protesters, including both tear gas and bull-rushing:

And here's a fun saga courtesy of PPB's Twitter page, which is seldom not occupying that sweet spot between authoritarian militance and inept parody:

• Here's an uplifting story about different-but-parallel efforts joining forces! A month ago, I wrote about how two dueling free preschool ballot measures—one crafted by local government, and one championed by a group of feisty outsiders—were both eyeing the November Multnomah County ballot. Yesterday, it was announced that the two groups are merging into one effort.

• Sen Ron Wyden is pressing the federal government for more information about tear gas use in Portland. It would be nice if electeds like Wyden applied that same pressure to local entities like PPB, but he's asking good questions about health and environmental impacts, and whether the feds used any expired tear gas canisters (Hint: They probably did).

• Oh, more tear gas news! Yesterday, workers from the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services cleaned tear gas residue out of storm drains in downtown Portland. With possible rain coming soon, their goal was to prevent the residue from washing into the Willamette River. The waste will be sent to a commercial landfill.

• Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary and frat boy with something to prove Chad Wolf will testify before the Senate committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs this morning, in a session that will focus on federal troop deployment in Portland. His opening statement will include the assurance that his office maintains a "full, augmented federal force" in Portland should they need to hit the streets in front of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse again.

• A new report from ProPublica and the Arizona Republic delivers some infuriating, if unsurprising, news: For years, the federal government has failed to properly educate Native children.

• Joe Biden said Tuesday that, if elected president, he wouldn't direct an investigation into Donald Trump's many, many, many shady actions. However, he added that he wouldn't stand in the way of the Justice Department if it chose to investigate Trump.

• Congressional leaders still haven't worked out the details for a second COVID-19 financial relief package, even though CARES Act checks for unemployed workers expired at the end of July. But we can take some teeny, tiny pleasure in the fact that the process is apparently hell for Republican Mitch McConnell, who finds himself torn between Trump and other members of his own party.

• We end today's Good Morning, News, with a visit from one of the best Bodega Cats I've ever seen. This cat wants you to please put on a mask before entering her shop!