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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed as the Supreme Courts first Black woman justice, and for a moment life is good.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed as the Supreme Court’s first Black woman justice, and for a moment life is good. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

GOOD AFTERNOON, PORTLAND! You only have a few more hours of this delicious sunshine before clouds return tomorrow followed by showers on Saturday, sooo… GET IT. (But get this NEWS first.)

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Well, that was a close one! Mayor Ted Wheeler almost sank the city’s police oversight group for the second time by advising the committee to take a six-month break to give City Hall a chance to fix their many problems. (Putting it on hiatus killed it once before in 2016.) HOWEVER! At the last minute, Ted did a reversal, and our Alex Zielinski gives you the details on what changed Mayor Wheeler’s mind.

• Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing the Center for Covid Control—that super shady company that set up COVID testing sites around the country, and three in the Portland area—accusing it of deceptive marketing and violating Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act, which protects against deceptive business practices. Our Isabella Garcia has the details.

• Today in “SUSPICIOUS”: Mayor Wheeler’s chief administrative officer (and former chief of staff), Tom Rinehart, has been unceremoniously given the boot (albeit with a one-year salary) even though he was reported to be a steadying force in the mayor’s famously tumultuous department. Anybody that wants to go on the record with what actually happened, we’d love to hear from you. (And you’ll probably be doing the right thing!)

• In case you missed it, national anthem singer Madison Shanley made a big noise at Sunday’s Timbers/Galaxy match by wearing a “YOU KNEW” T-shirt to protest the club’s handling of two cases of serious misconduct by soccer personnel. She tells our Abe Asher why she did it and how Timbers management attempted to silence her.

• Look out, brain! It’s another hilariously fun POP QUIZ PDX! This week: Sassy-pants trivia Qs about shady cops, bullet trains, and “Which cereal mascot is your DAD?” (Plus… win a free pizza prize!)

IN NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

• In a world where we rarely get some good news, today we have SOME VERY GOOD NEWS: Despite bullshit behavior from Republicans, the Senate has confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as first Black female Supreme Court justice, marking a big win for Biden, yes… but a much bigger win for people of color and those of us trying to wrest control back from Trump-loving justices. There’s a lot more work to do… but today we celebrate.

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for COVID according to her spokespeople, and is asymptomatic. President Biden, who has been in the same room with Pelosi recently, has so far tested negative.

• Russia has been suspended from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council (surprised?) thanks to the brutal killings of Ukrainian citizens that many are calling war crimes. Meanwhile Russia continues its move into the eastern part of the country, as Ukrainians in that area do their best to escape.

• New York Attorney General Letitia James is going after Trump again, this time trying to hold him in contempt of court for his efforts to stonewall her investigation into his shady finances—in particular his alleged tax fraud.

• Today in “Hell YEAH, Palm Springs!”: “Palm Springs looks to create a universal basic income pilot for trans residents.”

• AHOY THERE, STONERS! The SPLIFF Film Festival—featuring short, hilarious, trippy, and thoughtful mini-movies about cannabis and made by stoners just like YOU—is coming to Revolution Hall for one night only on Saturday, April 16! GET THOSE TICKETS NOW! (And speaking of the munchies, your favorite week of the year is almost here: It’s the Mercury‘s PIZZA WEEK featuring $3 specialty slices at 28 locations across the Portland area, starting Monday, April 18-24. Eat ’em up!)

• And finally, because you haven’t enjoyed this in awhile, here’s a much needed replay of Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” featuring the estimable tap dancing skills of Christopher Walken. YOU ARE WELCOME.

Bang bang, choo-choo train, let me see you shake that thang. Wm. Steven Humphrey is the editor-in-chief of the Portland Mercury and has held the job since 2000. (So don’t get any funny ideas.)