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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! If it's been too hot for ya lately, today should chill you out a bit with partly cloudy skies and a niiiice high of 69—but wait! The sun will make its full return with highs hitting 80 by Wednesday, and bright skies through the rest of the week. And now, let's chill out with the NEWS. (Although news is rarely "chill," is it?)

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• According to a new Portland State University study, tiny home villages are better than mass shelters at getting people off the streets and into permanent housing, with 52% of folks moving on from the communities of small huts (that come with privacy, locking doors, and electricity) and into stable living situations. (A reminder that these tiny villages are NOT the 1,000 person mass tent encampments with armed guards that was originally proposed by MultCo Commish candidate Sam Adams, which unleashed furious backlash. Mayor Wheeler reduced the number of folks in each village to 150, but it was Gov. Kotek who forced the city to provide houseless folks with tiny, lockable homes instead of shitty tents on top of wooden pallets.) Anyway, see what can happen when you treat homeless folk like human beings instead of garbage? I'm not asking you, I'm asking Sam Adams, Commish Rene Gonzalez, DA candidate Nathan Vasquez, and the Portland Business Alliance, just to name a few.

• Oh, and apropos of nothing... the May primary election is just over a week away (Tuesday, May 21)! Be sure to check out the Mercury endorsements (or our handy Voter Cheat Sheet™if you're a busy bee) when filling out your ballots. I could not be happier with them, because our endorsements are driving local (and out-of-state) conservatives absolutely bat-shit BONKERS. Like my pop always said, "If you're making terrible people mad, you must be doing something right!"

• Employees at Portland's Japanese Garden—which has a history of problematic behavior toward their workers—have announced their intent to unionize. However (and surprise) their employers are not fans of the idea, and have sent out an email and even "cornered" workers in their attempt to squash the union drive. Our Taylor Griggs has more!

• Hometown rap hero Aminé announced his own music festival over the weekend, dubbing it "The Best Day Ever Fest" which will be held at McMenamins’ Edgefield in Troutdale on August 10 & 11. OH BOY! Who's gonna be there? Check out the Instagram at 10 am this morning for the lineup and ticket presale info! 🕙 👀

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Trump's former lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen has taken the stand in the former president's criminal hush money trial, testifying that he both lied and made threats against others on behalf of who Stormy Daniels' correctly called "the orange turd." He also broke down the pattern of intimidation and graft Trump used to bury stories, including getting a first peek at articles from the National Enquirer in which they slagged opponents Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton. 

• In campus protest news, dozens of students at Duke University walked out of their graduation ceremony during the commencement speech of comedian Jerry Seinfeld who has been outspoken in his support of Israel, who has thus far murdered 35,000 Palestinians. Meanwhile, students and faculty at Dartmouth remain furious with the school's president who called in the cops to sweep a pro-Palestine demonstration on May 1, a mere two hours after it started.

• This weekend, a random dickhole walked up to beloved actor Steve Buscemi and without provocation, punched him in the face. The actor says he's okay, and an investigation into locating and identifying the random dickhole is continuing.

• For those who missed the northern lights show this weekend, here are some of the most gorgeous pics of the solar spectacle from around the world. DAMN, AURORA BOREALIS... YOU FINE!

• And finally... I have much less hair, but still... yup.