Obama on the campaign trail for Biden, and absolutely ROASTING Trump.
Obama on the campaign trail for Biden, and absolutely ROASTING Trump. Octavio Jones / Getty Images

Here's your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin'!)

• Due to the spike in Oregon's COVID cases, Gov. Kate Brown has extended the state of emergency for another 60 days until January 2, 2021.

• The good news: The city opened up the application process for getting cash assistance in the form of $500 debit cards to Portlanders hit hardest by the COVID pandemic. The bad news: The application portal was only open for 5 minutes, because the city had already collected more than 1,400 applications and had to close submissions. Our Alex Zielinski has the story and interviews with desperate applicants.

• VOTING PRO TIP: Today is the last day to mail in your ballots in Oregon, so from now until November 3, drop yours in the local ballot box. Our Blair Stenvick has lots more voting advice you need to know!

• After a recently retired Portland cop was arrested on charges of hitting a person with an unmarked police van during a June protest against police brutality, he has pleaded not guilty to all nine felony and misdemeanor charges. Our Alex Zielinski has more on this ex-cop's problematic past.

IN NATIONAL NEWS

• Epidemiologists are concerned that the US is entering into a "third wave" of COVID infections that is spreading like "wildfire" across the country.

• Here's more proof (in case you needed it) that Trump has fleeced American taxpayers out of millions that flowed from their pockets and into the president's many properties.

• The wildly unqualified and unvetted Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in today as the lopsided Supreme Court's newest judge... so what cases will she be hearing first? Whether or not Trump should turn over his tax returns to the Manhattan district attorney, and a request from Trump and the GOP to shorten the deadline for receiving and counting absentee ballots in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Think she'll rule in favor of her dark lord and master? Guess we'll have to wait and see!

• Today in "CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THIS?": A federal judge slapped down a corrupt Justice Department attempt at protecting Trump from rape charges by replacing his name with "the United States" as the primary defendant in the lawsuit.

• On the campaign trail for Biden, former President Obama is having the time of his life roasting Donald Trump, slinging zingers like the bumbling president is "jealous of Covid’s media coverage."

• Cult leader Keith Raniere (of the self-improvement/sex trafficking club NXIVUM) has been sentenced to 120 years in prison for branding women and manipulating them into being sex slaves.

• Philadelphia saw massive protests yesterday after police fatally shot a 27-year-old Black man. One police officer was run over by a truck during the demonstrations.

• Find out what it's like to be on the front lines of Portland's nightly protests against systemic racism and police brutality with our livestream event/forum, "Eyes on the Ground: A Conversation With Portland's Protest Journalists and Documentarians"—coming at you TONIGHT Tuesday, October 27 at 7 pm. GET THOSE TIX NOW!

• In these terrifying times, don't you need a good, wholesome scare? Get your tickets now for SLAY—the short, eight-minute-or-less HORROR film festival from the makers of HUMP! Streaming right now through the 31st! (Interested in getting out more? Then come to the SLAY Drive-In at Oaks Park THIS WEEK! Details here!)

• The WEATHER REPORT: A touch warmer tomorrow with mostly sunny skies and a high of 63!

• And finally, the brilliant Sarah Cooper correctly interprets Trump's absolute hatred of his job. So why exactly is he running again?