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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Expect another soaking start to the week, with lots of showers today through Tuesday and highs around 50. Now allow me to shower you... with NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• For years historic O'Bryant Square in downtown Portland was an award-winning plaza for the public to gather, and where free meals were distributed to the homeless... until it was closed for structural repairs five years ago. Now the Portland Parks Foundation in association with other groups are rethinking how the Square will be rebuilt—but will it be yet another playground for the rich or a place all Portlanders can enjoy? Our Abe Asher has this fascinating report.

• U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum are putting pressure on the feds to protect folks from the latest Republican attempt to ban abortions nationwide, by suing the FDA to revoke their approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. The decision is currently in the hands of one judge who could reverse the approval, unless President Biden instructs the FDA to ignore the ruling.

• One person is dead, and three others were injured in a horrifying-sounding gunfight in a Vancouver Safeway parking lot over the weekend, in which multiple shooters were firing at a car as it was leaving the parking lot—but the shooters kept chasing and firing at the vehicle even as it was trying to get to a hospital.

• In other 'Couve news: The Heathen Brewing Feral Public House in Vancouver was the victim of vandalism after they announced they were hosting a drag brunch benefit event. Many of their windows were broken, and the business has been subjected to phone and emailed threats from the usual cadre of hateful assholes.

• In sporty spice news: Congrats to the U of P's Portland Pilots women's basketball team who are going to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 26 years!💥 They'll take on number five seeded Oklahoma this coming Saturday.

IN NATIONAL / WORLD NEWS:

• President Biden is trying to reassure Americans that the nation's financial system is safe after the collapse of Silicone Valley Bank. The government has promised to bail out the fuck-up bank, while the fuck-up managers will be fired, and the feds say they will guarantee all deposits. However, officials have also shut down a second troubled financial institution, Signature Bank of New York, and while the government will cover those deposits as well, the stock market is panicking. (And reminder: This is exactly where deregulation will get ya.)

• Meanwhile, Biden is not making any friends on the left by approving Alaska's massive Willow oil drilling project, which activists say runs directly counter to his climate goals and poses health and environmental risks.

• Congrats to Michelle Yeoh who made Oscar history last night by being the first Asian woman to take home the "best actress" award for her work in Everything Everywhere All at Once. The movie also snagged the award for "best motion picture," and in a career comeback, Brendan Fraser won the "best actor" award for his performance in The Whale. (Apparently no one was slapped.)

• In case you missed last night's Oscars, here's a quick recap:

• To the surprise of no one, career criminal Donald Trump is refusing to appear before a Manhattan grand jury to talk about accusations that he'd paid hush money to Stormy Daniels during the run-up to the 2016 election. However, his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen immediately shot his hand up into the air, exclaiming, "I'LL DO IT!!"

• Welp, you know Trump must be doing poorly amongst fellow Republicans when mama's boy and former Veep Mike Pence is finally ready to speak out against him. At a Washington, DC, dinner over the weekend, Pence rebuked the former prez for his attempts to have him murdered during the January 6 domestic terrorist attack, saying "His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day."

• And finally...  don't miss this hilarious (and right on the money) explainer of the SVB tech bank collapse!