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Good Morning, Portland! Sometimes I'm just so sad, you guys. But if you keep moving forward, I'll keep moving forward. We can do this. Let's read the news.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Earlier this week, KOIN released a snippet of its interview with the owners of La Mota cannabis company—Rosa Cazares and her partner Aaron Mitchell—in which they reacted to Secretary of State Shemia Fagan's resignation. Thursday evening, they published the full interview. It's illuminating.

• Sen. Ron Wyden has set his sights on insurance companies who sell plans where the insurance is accepted by lists of unaccessible doctors. “It’s a breach of contract for insurance companies to sell their plan for thousands of dollars each month while their product is unusable,” Wyden said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, according to the Lund Report. Wyden's statements follow an investigation where congressional secret shoppers called 20 Oregon mental health providers listed in Medicare Advantage insurance plans and were unable to secure a single appointment.

• Props to Oregon Capital Chronicle for calling this bill what it is: "Watered-down rent control bill clears Oregon Senate panel."

• No offense to those who applauded the 400 million Phil Knight & co donated to Portland’s Albina District this week. Just don't forget he's still heavily—and in an ongoing capacity—donating money to elect republican lawmakers in the Oregon Legislature.

• Riding high on ratings and approachable programming, one Portland radio station announced its intention to expand and move downtown. For the Mercury culture critic Robert Ham has the story.

• IT IS FRIDAY—and this is when concert venues drop tickets for upcoming shows. FUCK YES. KILLER MIKE TICKETS GO ON SALE TODAY. Read the whole list of upcoming concerts with tickets on sale here.

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• It's been interesting to watch the New York Post go from describing a 30-year-old man named Jordan Neely, who was murdered on a New York subway train Monday, as "the vagrant" to "homeless man who was choked to death," now that medical examiners have ruled Neely's death a homicide. The New York Times reports that "Mr. Neely’s attacker has not been arrested or charged with a crime." This morning, Business Insider revealed they have confirmed Neely's attacker—"a surfing enthusiast and ex-Marine squad leader"—is named Daniel Penny. Here's what they know about him.

• The World Health Organization declared Thursday that it has ended the COVID-19 global health emergency. "Has ended" like they say it's not so much of a thing now—not like people aren't dying from it anymore. Props to whatever CNN editor ran this headline as: "WHO says Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency"

• This morning's episode of the Daily explains the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike well. And so does Adam Conover from Adam Ruins Everything:

@adamconover Do writers wanna be striking right now? No. Do we have to? Yes. Thanks to @TheWrap for the interview - #WGAStrong #writersstrike ♬ original sound - Adam Conover

• On Saturday, those people we fought the Revolutionary War to distance ourselves from are making another fancy monarch.

• Sometimes sad things still give us life—like this life-sized bronze sculpture of Freya the amazing walrus who just wanted to sink boats, and was instead euthanized by Norwegian authorities.

@nbcnews A life-sized sculpture of Freya the walrus, who was euthanized after she was deemed a risk to the crowds that flocked to see her, has been unveiled in #Oslo ♬ Breaking News Background Music (Basic A)(1001538) - LEOPARD