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a man shoots a paintball gun at people
A far-right agitator fires a paintball gun into a crowd during a protest on August 22, 2020. Nathan Howard / Getty Images

In local news:

• Conservative agitators and antifascist counterprotestors are expected to clash this Sunday in downtown Portland. While events like this have historically ended in violence—and there is no indication that this event will be any different—Portland officials are calling for both sides to "choose love."

• Oregon organizations that coordinate with the federal government to resettle refugees are prepping for a sudden influx of Afghan refugees as the Taliban gain control of the country. "We are all ramping up as fast as we can to prepare,” said one director of refugee services. “We’re about to see an influx of refugee families in a way we haven't seen in this country for years.”

• Multnomah County employees are the latest Oregon workers who will have to get vaccinated or get fired, the county announced today. For those keeping tabs at home, county employees, executive branch state employees, healthcare workers, and K-12 staff all have vaccination requirements now.

• District 9 director Neill Blomkamp has returned to the movie scene with a both creatively intriguing and “vastly unfulfilling” sci-fi horror flick titled Demonic, according to Chase Hutchinson’s latest review.

• Permission to rename Friday “Pop-Quiz-PDX-day”?

In national and international news:

• The Culver City Unified School District in Los Angeles County is requiring students 12 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine. While I admittedly haven’t called every school district in the country to confirm, this appears to be the first school district in the US to require COVID vaccinations for eligible students.

• Israel was the first country to vaccinate the majority of its citizens against COVID-19, but the country is currently facing one the world’s highest infection rates. Why? Immunity from the vaccine lowers over time, the Delta variant is highly contagious, and achieving herd immunity requires more people than experts originally thought.

• And it’s time for another installment of my favorite AP series: Not Real News. That photo circulating on Twitter claiming only Afghan men were being evacuated from the country? It’s from 2018. The photo of a Taliban flag flying over the Afghanistan presidential palace in Kabul Sunday night? Digitally altered. Isn’t the internet a wonderful place?

• Look your best (and support local journalism) by purchasing a new Mercury T-shirt! Check out this month’s hot designs here—but hurry, they go away on August 22!

• Portland’s favorite food event is back—and almost over! Sample 37 delicious, one-of-a-kind burgers from the greatest local restaurants (and only $6 each). It’s the Mercury’s PORTLAND BURGER WEEK, coming at you August 16-22!

• And finally, who knew Dictionary.com would come through with the best burn on the Mike Richards ‘Jeopardy!’ scandal?