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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋

Expect morning cloudy skies to make space for a sunny afternoon, and a very comfortable high of 78 degrees. And if you love that sort of thing, you'll most likely see more of the same all the way until next Tuesday! Now let's make some space for today's NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• As you may have noticed, in his run for mayor of Portland, Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has been bending over backwards to attract the love of conservatives while also occasionally saying words that Democrats like to hear. Unfortunately for him, while trying to show some love for Kamala Harris on Twitter, he raised the ire of right-wingers... including alt-right provocateur Andy Ngo. Gonzalez then found himself kowtowing to conservative, political extremists AND those on the left... which pleased absolutely no one. Our Courtney Vaughn has all the delicious details.

• Following a drive-by shooting last week in Portland's Dawson Park which left two dead injured, Black leaders convened yesterday in front of a crowd of neighbors to accuse Portland Police of ignoring the historic Black neighborhood and to ask them get more involved with the residents. Terrance Hayes, a city council candidate and cousin to Quanice Hayes who was shot and killed by cops in 2017, had this to say: “We want [the police] to show up, to be involved in our community… and to put the same energy in protecting them that we find in other communities.”

• Before leaving his job as Multnomah County District Attorney—and passing the keys to his recently elected, anti-criminal justice reform successor Nathan Vasquez—Mike Schmidt is ending the racist practice of lawyers dismissing jurors in misdemeanor trials without reason, which often keeps people of color off juries. However (try to contain your shock) Vasquez seems to hate the idea (for reasons stated earlier), vowing that the new policy which has been adopted in many cities across the country will be "revisited" once he takes office.

• Good news for food lovers in SE Portland: The now vacant triangular lot, which for years was home to the Mexican restaurant La Carreta at the intersection of McLoughlin and Holgate, will be the new home of a food cart pod that promises indoor/outdoor seating as well as a bar. Named the "Brooklyn Carreta," the pod will feature 18 carts—with "exclusivity" contracts, meaning you won't see an overwhelming number of any genre of food—and will also include parking and a kids area. It's expected to open in the first part of 2025.

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Last night President Joe Biden addressed the nation, explaining his reasons for RIGHTLY stepping aside as the Democratic nominee for president, saying it was time to “pass the torch to a new generation.” And while he did not touch on the topics (his health and age) which have given Democrats the impetus to make this momentous mid-stream switcheroo, he instead focused on what he plans to do with the remaining months of his term; overhauling the Supreme Court, working on peace in the Middle East, stopping Russia from swallowing Ukraine, and growing the economy. 

• And speaking of the economy, it continues its two-year bounce-back, growing 2.8 percent in the last quarter. And since inflation appears to be getting under control as well, our economy could experience a historic "soft landing" wherein inflation returns to the numbers predicted by the Feds, and without the country lapsing into recession.

• Today in "He said WHAT?"

• Yesterday hundreds of protesters marched outside the nation's capitol, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed congress in an attempt to defend his genocide of the Palestinian people. Netanyahu compared the Hamas attack and kidnapping (which killed 1,200 people, as opposed to the more than 39,000 dead in Gaza) to the attacks on Pearl Harbor and NYC's twin towers on 9/11. Meanwhile, Capitol Police fired tear gas at protesters outside, as demonstrators also held a "noise demonstration" outside of the Watergate Hotel, where Netanyahu was staying, projecting “ARREST WAR CRIMINAL NETANYAHU" on the side of the building.

• Tomorrow marks the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic games, where more than 10,000 athletes will parade down the Seine river in boats (!), making for what could be the most interesting opening ceremonies yet. Toot! Toot! 🚢

• And finally... here's today's moment of delicious joy.