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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
Say "howdy-do" to the warmest day of the week, as sunny skies bring a high of 77 degrees today (right before showers return for the weekend)! Sounds like the perfect day to scurry over to your fave bar or coffee shop to pick up the Mercury's latest print issue, "The Fun-Lover's GUIDE TO PORTLAND"! Trust me, if you're looking for a good time in this beautiful city, you'll find ideas a-plenty for things to do—from biking, group activities, music venues, dive bars, delish eats, comedy, and even the best spot to disassociate. So read up, and start finding the fun you've been missing! And now? Let's read some good-time NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Oregon is taking the lead in the latest example of suing the baggy pants off President Trump—this time for the economically idiotic tariffs that have upended America's stock markets. Our own Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is leading the charge on this particular lawsuit, getting a total of 12 states to help take King Fool to court, making the argument that only Congress—not a blithering dick-whistle who can barely read—has the power to impose and collect taxes. (Can someone please read Trump the Constitution?)
Portland General Electric’s proposed utility project in Forest Park has been a source of controversy since it was announced last year. A recent City Council move to reject the plan marks the latest snag for the project—and what it's come to represent.
www.portlandmercury.com/news/2025/04...
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) April 22, 2025 at 4:38 PM
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• U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer (who you may remember as the Republican LOOOOOOSER who was defeated by Rep. Janelle Bynum in last November's Fifth District election) has illegally informed her staff that they could face criminal charges if they speak to journalists about the bullshit she's currently trying to pull as Trump's labor boss. (Note to anyone concerned: Your identity will absolutely be protected by any self-respecting journalist, so please don't worry, and let us know when Lori is seen walking around the office with toilet paper on her shoe. OH! And take pictures!)
• The City of Portland is facing a $93 million shortfall for the coming fiscal year, and City Administrator Michael Jordan is calling for a 20 percent cut to core services across the city. But what should be on the chopping block? According to a new survey of 600 Portlanders, the police should be making substantial cuts to their bloated budget as opposed to the fire and parks departments—so get ready for a fear-based marketing campaign from the cop union. Perhaps expectedly, those in District 1 and 4 (eastern and downtown respectively) are less inclined to trim the police budget than Districts 2 and 3 (North/Northeast Portland and those in Southeast). Coming in second were cuts to homeless services, with (again no surprise) Districts 1 and 4 favoring more homeless cuts over Districts 2 and 3. (Am I sensing a trend?)
"Ambulance company AMR is bringing in staff from more than 7,000 miles across the Pacific to shore up ambulance service in Portland."
— Ryan Haas (@ryanjhaas.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 7:55 AM
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• An online scammer very nearly tricked the city out of a whopping $6.7 million that was meant to go to the Bull Run water filtration plant project. According to a lawsuit, the grifter convinced a city employee to send them a link which allowed the crooks to redirect money that was meant to go to one of the project's vendors. Luckily the suspicious activity pinged the FBI who instructed the city to stop the payment. You may recall that Portland was also the victim of another online scammer in 2022, who was able to successfully steal $1.4 million from the city.
Hear In Portland is here again with some buzz on music happenings to put on your radar! Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Night Heron, and Veana Baby all get the royal treatment in this week's column 👑
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) April 23, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Link below for the scoop 🚜
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IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Whining like teenage Debbie scolding her boyfriend Justin, President Trump squealed "Vladimir, STOP!" to his puppet-master Putin on Truth Social, following another senseless attack by Russia on the Ukrainian capitol of Kiev, which killed eight people. I'd go on with this story, but political theater like this—especially the kind that is so clearly orchestrated to help Trump and Putin at the expense of Ukraine—infuriates me because the pretense is so transparent. Sooooo... NEXT!
• Trump gets caught in another lie, and... surprise, surprise!
Stock markets stalled on Thursday after officials in China said they were not holding talks with the U.S. about easing trade tensions.
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) April 24, 2025 at 8:16 AM
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• As Trump approaches his 100th day in office next week—get ready for a laundry list of his nearly uncountable failures while in office—he's also looking at absolutely terrible approval ratings, which have fallen to under 45 percent, and is expected to keep tanking. Not great news for those spineless Republicans who refuse to contradict their wildly unpopular leader, many of whom could lose their jobs following the coming midterm elections, hee-hee-HEE.
• In other hilarious news, Trump's Saran Wrapped protégée Elon Musk announced he will be winding down his involvement with the wildly inept Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), after learning that Tesla profits have plummeted 71 percent (!!) since he's hooked his Cybertruck to Trump. (It also doesn't help that many of Trump's morally repugnant inner circle hates Musk as well... which is really saying something.)
A 19-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire in his state that has burned 15,000 acres, destroyed a commercial building and could turn New York-area skies into a smoky haze.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) April 24, 2025 at 8:03 AM
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• Trump takes yet another "L": A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring home a SECOND man that was wrongly deported to an El Salvador prison. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher (a Trump appointee 😂) ruled that the administration was in violation of a previous court order saying the U.S. cannot deport migrants who arrived as unaccompanied minors until their asylum claims have been finalized. It's a little thing called "due process"—learn it, know it, LIVE IT.
• And finally... if you're looking for a song to be stuck inside your head for the entire day? I GOT YOU.
@northsidemusictakes My reaction to Mario Kart x Not Like Us mash up #mashups #notlikeus #kendricklamar ♬ Mario Kart vs Not Like Us Mashup - William Li
