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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋

If you like sexy/horny things, you won't want to miss the second big weekend of the HUMP! Film Festival at Revolution Hall (Friday, Feb 21)! Hosted by your friend & pal, Wm. Steven Humphrey (hey, that's me!), this year's HUMP! is jam-packed with the sexiest, funnest, and hottest short amateur porn flicks you've ever seen, and trust me when I say it's a goddamn HOOT. So get your tickets now (before it sells out) and hope to see you there! And now, let's look at a hoot-full of NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Since roughly 31 percent of the state's budget comes from federal funds, and Trump is a crazed lunatic dead set on leaving America in ruins, Oregon legislators say they're taking a very conservative approach when introducing any new legislation out of fear there won't be enough money to fund it. Happily, the state's current budget prediction is that we're in good shape—but if all of Trump's wildly reckless cuts are realized, things could get very tricky. (Hope it doesn't affect Oregon's Trump voters who refused to listen to reason! 🤷‍♂️)

"In interviews with OPB, almost a dozen current and former Forest Service employees said they feared this loss of workers will be catastrophic for the fire season ahead."

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— Ryan Haas (@ryanjhaas.bsky.social) February 20, 2025 at 7:52 AM

• Former Oregon Republican congressperson Lori Chavez-DeRemer (who got her ass handed to her by Democrat Janelle Bynum in the latest election) was grilled by the Senate yesterday in her attempt to become the nation's next labor secretary. While she said she intends on supporting American workers, she also noted she would be following the orders passed down to her by her dark lord and master, Donald Trump, whose primary directive in life is 1) making money for himself, followed by 2) making money for his oligarch friends. Sorry, but you and the 99 percent of Americans don't fit into that plan.

• In Trump's continuing effort to hire the worst people possible to fill government positions, disgraced former Oregon judge Vance Day says he has been chosen by Republican cult leader Donald Trump to join the US Department of Justice as "Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States." You may remember Day as the judge who was suspended by the Oregon Supreme Court for three years without pay (and was nearly fired completely) for refusing to perform same-sex marriages and allowing a felon under his supervision to hold a firearm. Yup, Trump sure knows how to pick 'em!

• Portlanders absolutely adore the annual Pickathon music fest—but putting on such a diverse, complicated, and multilayered show year after year is EXPENSIVE. Following a recent (rather alarming) email sent from the fest's organizers that asked for opinions from concert-goers about potential changes, Robert Ham talked to Pickathon founder Zale Schoenborn about how they plan to raise the money to keep the fest going strong for years to come.

• While it is indeed hilarious to laugh at the brain-worm addled idiocy of new Health and Human Services director Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it shouldn't be forgotten that the wild, achingly STUPID disinformation he's spreading makes him one of the most dangerous Trump appointees. Find out more in this terrifically smart opinion piece from Vivian McCall.

• The Portland Thorns have dumped Providence as their primary jersey sponsor—it couldn't be because of the way they treat their nurses and for refusing to fund abortions, could it?—and have replaced them with their newest sponsor, Ring, the video doorbell company. Of course, Ring aren't exactly saints either, as their video program has drawn criticism for privacy concerns and they say they'll be putting cams around Providence Park, but... in this effed-up day and age, an improvement is still an improvement.

You need big laughs, so don't miss the comedy event of the year: the Mercury's 2025 Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy! Featuring Portland's best stand-ups, host Adam Pasi, and special guest Mohanad Elshieky. Get them tix, babies! 
www.portlandmercury.com/comedy/2025/...

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— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) February 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Trump's longtime puppet master, Vladimir Putin, must be pooping himself in glee right now, as the American president continues to support Russia's cruel invasion of Ukraine. After refusing to invite Ukraine to the table for Russia/Ukraine "peace talks" (🤔), Trump is now threatening President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he'd "better move fast" to agreeing to hand his country over to Putin, or risk no longer having a country to lead. Even some Republican cult members are wondering why Trump is cuddling up to America's number one enemy. (Do you want to tell them, or should I?)

The Internal Revenue Service is expected to fire about 6,000 workers today in the middle of tax season, a source tells CNN: cnn.it/3X5Ngvi

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— CNN (@cnn.com) February 20, 2025 at 5:57 AM

• Welp, at least some of Trump's cult members are starting to whisper to themselves, "dear lord, what have I done?" According to a new Washington Post-Ipsos poll, 57 percent of Americans say he is exceeding his authority as president with his T-shirt cannon, whack-job executive actions. Meanwhile, 48 percent think he's doing a terrible job overall (compared to 43 percent who refuse to admit how wrong they were about voting for him, but will discover soon enough when they are no longer able to buy eggs or while watching their homes burn from unregulated wildfires or die from viruses that run wild thanks to Trump's anti-vax nutcase of a Health and Human Services director). Have a nice day.

"His net approval is negative. He is underwater like 'The Little Mermaid.'"

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— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) February 20, 2025 at 8:03 AM

• Let's give a big "Saaaaad Trommboooone" salute to Joe Rogan, who has slipped to the number two spot on the top podcast list, and is being dragged by his former fans for his continuing horny obsession over fraudster Elon Musk. Because he refuses to stop fawning over the Trump administration, Rogan's podcast is now second to The MeidasTouch, an anti-Trump podcast. Hardy-har... hardy-har-har-HAR! 

• Shout out to my queers across America—according to the latest Gallup poll, nearly one in ten Americans now identify as LGBTQ+... that's an increase from 7.6 percent in 2023 to 9.3 percent this year! 🎉 Congrats to those who have been queer all along, and are now comfortable enough to admit it. Welcome to the party! 🥳 

• And finally... I've been LOVING the movie dance scene remixes of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" Super Bowl performance—but this one? A-plus, 100%, NO NOTES!

@twinkletoes902 I love it 😅 #matilda #notlikeus #kendricklamar #superbowl #musical #mashup ♬ original sound - NFL