The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

Good morning, Portland! It’s not even summer yet, but it may as well be. Expect sunshine all day, with a high of 76 degrees and a low of 56. 

In Local News: 

  • Yesterday, ICE agents descended on the federal courthouse in Portland, where they arrested a woman seeking asylum in the US from Mexico. The woman, whose name was not released, was in court for a hearing related to her open asylum case. Her attorneys say she sought refuge in the US after being assaulted and raped by a cartel, because she is transgender. Oregon For All–a coalition of local nonprofits and civil rights groups– accuses ICE of deploying “deceptive and unethical practices” for detaining an asylum seeker right after a court hearing. Attorneys with Innovation Law Lab filed an emergency habeas corpus petition to challenge ICE’s actions. 

    A 24-year-old asylum seeker was detained Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers outside a Portland immigration courtroom after she appeared for a scheduled court date.

    [image or embed]

    — OPB (@opb.org) June 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM

  • Tomorrow, City Council is scheduled to vote on funding allocations from the Portland Children’s Levy. The bond, which funds programs for mentoring, hunger relief, after school activities and more, will see nearly $65 million go to organizations this year. A few local nonprofits have cried foul over the city’s applicant selection, which they say favored large, white-led organizations and excluded some Black-led organizations, despite some of them being better positioned to serve BIPOC youth and families. Equitable Giving Circle, one of the groups who was passed over for grant funding, has mobilized local nonprofits to urge the Council not to approve the funding allocation until the disparities can be investigated and addressed. City staff say some groups were passed over due to “performance issues.” During the first reading of the agenda item last month, at least a handful of councilors seemed ready to remand the item back to the PCL committee, citing concerns about the scoring process and equitable decision making.

  • Details are emerging about the man arrested for stabbing and wounding 12 people at a Union Gospel Mission shelter in Salem on Sunday. Tony Williams, 42, of Bend, was arrested within minutes of the violent outburst, after exiting the Gospel Mission, which is near the Salem police station. According to the Salem Reporter, authorities say Williams was traveling by bus from Portland to Bend, but stopped in Salem Saturday night and stayed at the Gospel Mission men’s shelter. In court Monday, Williams displayed delusional behavior, reporters noted. He’s been charged with 11 counts of second-degree assault and one count of attempted murder. Four of his victims faced life-threatening injuries. Salem Reporter interviewed some of them, as well as witnesses.

    Staff and residents at Salem’s Union Gospel Mission said Monday they were praying for the Bend man accused of stabbing 12 people Sunday evening at Salem's largest shelter. Five remained hospitalized Monday.https://www.salemreporter.com/2025/06/02/salem-union-gospel-mission-mass-stabbing-witness/

    — Salem Reporter (@salemreporter.bsky.social) June 2, 2025 at 7:04 PM

  • What do birding and tortas have in common? Nothing, which is what makes this story about Portland torta shop GĂźero's newfound birding group so magical. 

    When employees of the Kerns' restaurant GĂźero discovered they had birdwatching in common, the fun and inclusive GĂźero Bird Club was born! Our Julianne Bell talks to club members to learn how they forge community... and even helped find a stolen truck?

    [image or embed]

    — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) June 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM

In National/World News: 

  • CBS reports transgender members of the US military are expected to voluntarily leave their active-duty assignments by June 6, or face involuntary separation. New documents outline a cruel plan by Pete Hegseth to start misgendering trans members in the US Army. The military ban is one of many attacks the Trump administration has launched on transgender people since Chief Cheeto moved back to the White House. The military doesn’t deserve trans folks anyway. 
  • At least 58 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the past 24 hours, 27 of which were shot near food distribution sites in Gaza. The violence has intensified as many Palestinians face starvation. The United Nations says the recent violence targeting civilians likely constitutes a war crime. A former US State Department spokesperson has also recently said Israel has committed war crimes “without a doubt.” 

    Israeli soldiers have barred journalists from entering villages in the West Bank on a planned tour organized by the directors of Oscar-winning movie “No Other Land."

    [image or embed]

    — The Associated Press (@apnews.com) June 3, 2025 at 7:00 AM
  • Employers of big box stores like Walmart, Target, and others, are taking to Reddit to share photos of recent price hikes due to new tariffs. One Walmart worker posted a photo showing a toddler toy went from $5.88 to $19.97, though the report notes the toy is currently listed on Walmart’s website for about $8. Other instances include a Jurassic World toy that jumped from $20, to $40, then to $55 over the course of a month.Â