If youâre reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercuryâs news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we canât do it without your support. 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!đ
After yesterday's "Gloomy Gus" of a day đđť, you can expect an improved situation with mostly sunny skies and a high of 82. But hold on there, pardner! The sun will continue growing scorchingly hot through the weekend with the high expected to hit a whopping 94 degrees on Sunday! (Come back, Gloomy Gus! I was just kidding! đ) Now let's read some scorchingly hot NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
⢠Three protesters were briefly detained inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Southwest Portland yesterday after they blocked an exiting van they thought was trying to transport an immigrant to a Tacoma detention center. (Earlier this week, a Mexican transgender woman was snatched by ICE from Portland, and sent to this same center.) One of the protesters said they were handcuffed, put in leg shackles, and detained in an ICE office, before being threatened with obstruction charges and then released after a couple of hours.
Oregon could soon become the first state in the nation to extend unemployment benefits to most striking workers. buff.ly/qFsA69a by @shaanthx
â Oregon Capital Chronicle (@oregoncapitalchronicle.com) June 4, 2025 at 4:10 PM
[image or embed]
⢠Meanwhile in Vancouver, Washington, dozens of protesters were marching yesterday in opposition to ICE's cruel arrest of a Mexican transgender woman in Portland, who was later transported to a Tacoma detention center. Before being snatched by ICE, the woman was attempting to legally seek asylum in the US because she feared for her life, after being allegedly being raped and threatened with death by members of a Mexican cartel for being transgender. Christine, an immigrant who joined the march in Vancouver, told KGW, "I lived under martial law in the Philippines. I can see the signs that are happening here of martial law and a dictatorship."
⢠In case you didn't notice, Portland's Rose Festival is in full swing, with eight naval ships of Fleet Week chugging into town (helloooooo, sailors! đ), last Saturday's Starlight Parade, and this Saturday's Grand Floral Parade. (Fun fact if you're taking this morning's upcoming Pop Quiz PDX: While Portland usually welcomes around eight Fleet Week ships per year, the most we've ever had pop by for a sexy visit was 33 [!] naval ships in 1990. In fact there were so many at the time, they had to park six of them in a different locationâwhich is why I was only able to bag an embarrassing 72 percent of sailors that year. đ)Â
⢠Calling all BlackOut fans: Reminder that this banger of an art show is TODAYâso don't miss it!
This Thursday, and through the entire month of June, you can see "BlackOut: The Exhibition" at the BLACK Galleryâfeaturing the art, photography, and words of BlackOut, the magazine produced by @donovanscribes.bsky.social and the Portland Mercury.
â Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) June 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM
[image or embed]
⢠In this week's edition of Jenni Moore's Hear in Portland, she has all the latest (and hottest) music drops, AND music news drops as wellâincluding the return of PDX Live and a brand new banger of an album from AminĂŠ! Miss at your peril!
⢠A 1936 black-and-white  monster movie once thought lost
â Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) June 4, 2025 at 11:32 AM
⢠10 feature films and over 60 shorts from 13 countries
⢠Screenings at both the Hollywood and Clinton Street
⢠ETHAN EMBRY
This year's Portland Horror Film Festival has everything!
[image or embed]
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
⢠And the chaos of King TACO continues: The deluded orange despot proclaimed a new racist travel ban on 12 countries, banning their citizens from entering the United States. The ban mostly covers African and Middle Eastern countries, was put in place due to unspecified âterrorism-relatedâ concerns, and will almost certainly end in confusion and lawsuitsâjust like the first time he tried this bullshit during his last failed term.Â
Americaâs counter-terrorism chief is a 22-year-old with a resume lacking almost any experience in the field.
â The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) June 5, 2025 at 7:43 AM
[image or embed]
⢠Bad news for Trump and the Republican's "big, beautiful bill": According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the GOP's BBB will add roughly $2.4 trillion (!!!) to the national debt, and millions of Americans will lose their insuranceâall because Republicans are still butt-hurt about Obamacare.
⢠Good news for "Karens" and other fragile racists: With the Supreme Court's latest ruling, people who belong to the majority and yet still ridiculously claim "reverse discrimination" can now more easily bring lawsuits against their employers. The case sprung from a straight Ohio woman who said she was passed over twice for promotion by LGBTQ+ peopleâwhich I'm sure had nothing to do with her inherent workplace likability. đ
Supreme Court tosses Mexico's lawsuit that alleged US gun manufacturers should be held responsible for cartel violence on the Southwest border.
â CNN (@cnn.com) June 5, 2025 at 7:48 AM
[image or embed]
⢠A tale of two headlines: 1) "Trump orders an investigation into Biden and his alleged use of the autopen." And 2) "Bidenâs I.R.S. Doubled Audits on the Wealthy, Data Shows." (I wonder if one has anything to do with the other?)
⢠And finally.... here's the most important "true or false" question you will ever answer.
@billyeichner Anaconda (Gospel Version) #billyonthestreet #nickiminaj ⏠original sound - Billy Eichner