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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! What's up, y'all? While the forecast predicts hot weather for the rest of this week (95 tomorrow šŸ„µ) the longer-term forecast looks a lot more promising for those of us who are tired of the heat. I'm REALLY hoping that writing this down does not jinx it.Ā 

8-14 day outlook looking good for cooler temps in the PNW.Ā 
NOAA

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IN LOCAL NEWS:

ā€¢ WE GOT THE LOCAL ANGLE ON TIM WALZ, HARRIS' VP PICK. (I think I might be supposed to write "Harris's" now, per new AP rules for possessive proper nouns, but I have a really hard time doing that. As someone named "Griggs," I feel like I have a stake in this issue. Anyway...) Apparently, Walzā€”who is the governor of Minnesota and the chair of the Democratic Governors Associationā€”has good relationships with both current Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and former Gov. Kate Brown. In an interview with OPB, Brown called Walz "folksy" (she also seemed to acknowledge that calling him that is kind of cliche), and said he is a "nice, thoughtful guy who gets shit done."Ā 

Oregon's current governor and her predecessor may not have the highest approval ratings of Walz's endorsers...but, y'know, it's nice to try to fit our state into the national conversation somehow. More on Walz in the national section of this post.Ā 

ā€¢ And in ANOTHER example of local and national politics mixing, the U.S. House Speaker, Mike Johnson, Ā was in Portland earlier this week to hold a fundraiser for Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the far-right Republican who serves in Oregon's 5th District. (Blech!) Participants paid $2,000 a pop to schmooze with some of the biggest schmucks in the country at The Nines Hotel downtown. Please, let's get Chavez-DeRemer out of office (and Johnson out of the Speaker seat) this November, okay?Ā 

ā€¢ Firefighters have successfully contained most of the Durkee Fire, the massive wildfire that has been burning in Eastern Oregon for weeks. But wildfires continue to burn throughout the state, and the danger isn't anywhere near over yet, seeing as it's only the beginning of August. If the weather doesn't get cooler and wetter soon, the entire stateā€”but especially out eastā€”could be in for some bad fires during the rest of August and September.Ā 

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ā€¢ Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio's top mayoral campaign strategists have both left their positions in order to launch outside PACs to help their preferred candidate's campaign. Evidently, the former strategists and their candidates don't believe Portland's Small Donor Elections program is enough to fund winning mayoral campaigns. The city significantly cut funding for the Small Donor Elections program earlier this year, apparently paving the way for outside funds to influence the races. And I guess if one of the top two mayoral candidates (who you have strong ideological differences with) starts a PAC, you can't just let them run off with the election. It's worth noting that the mayoral candidates are the only people running a citywide campaign this election, as the City Council candidates only have to rally the people in their districts behind them. Still, Portland has attempted to enact strong campaign finance rules and incentives to prioritize small donations. Major PAC action kind of flies in the face of that effort, no?Ā 

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

ā€¢ Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the U.S. House "Squad" from Missouri, was ousted in her highly-anticipated primary race last night. Her opponent in the primary was Wesley Bell, who received backing from pro-Israel groups and PACs, and successfully knocked her out of her seat. Bush was targeted due to her criticism of Israel's war in Gaza, where about 40,000 people have been killed since October, and many more are dangerously hungry and in need of medical attention. And this isn't the first time pro-Israel lobbyists have successfully ousted someone critical of the country's actions. Her House colleague, fellow progressive New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, also lost his primary in June to a more moderate Democrat who received funding from pro-Israel groups. And here in Oregon, Maxine Dexter won the primary for Oregon's 3rd District under a similar set of circumstances. The influx and influence of this money is alarming, especially as people continue to suffer so immensely in Gaza. It should also serve as a general warning about the dangers of having so much money tied up in politics.Ā 

ā€¢ Last night, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris introduced her running mate, Tim Walz, at an energetic rally in Philadelphia. Harris called the Minnesota governor "Coach Walz," an endearing nickname that references his time coaching high school football. The nickname also highlights Walz's authentic (dare I say folksy?) Midwest charm, which stands in stark contrast to Republican VP nominee JD Vance's contrived country boy persona. At the rally, Walz challenged Vance to a debate..."if he's willing to get off the couch and show up." IYKYK. The energy in the Democratic Party is quite something right now, especially when you consider that President Biden only dropped out of the race a little more than two weeks (!!) ago. Let's hope the momentum continues, and creates results come November.Ā 

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ā€¢ One thing the new Harris-Walz ticket can't do? Attach a website to the domain name HarrisWalz.com, which is owned by a Brooklyn-based "cybersquatter" named Jeremy Eche, who looked into his crystal ball and purchased the domain four years ago. Right now, the website merely says "walz" in Charli XCX's "Brat" font, with a Brat green background, and links to Eche's $15,000 listing for the domain. He hopes the campaign will buy it, but will take any buyer willing to shell out the right price. This business idea sounds somewhat intriguing, but it's also generally an asshole move.Ā 

ā€¢ Finally...say happy late birthday to Sharpie, the 18-year-old porcupine at the Oregon Zoo. And HAVE A GOOD WEEK! TOODLES!Ā 

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A post shared by Oregon Zoo (@oregonzoo)


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