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Good morning, Portland! Enjoy what appears to be the last hot day for a while. Today we can expect sunny skies and a high of 80 with a low of 56. By Friday, temps are expected to drop back into the 60s and this weekend, we could kick off the first day of summer with rain and temps in the high 50s.
In Local News:
• All eyes are on the Oregon Legislature this morning, as lawmakers are expected to pass a state budget that would gut eviction protection for renters. The results could potentially displace roughly 20,000 people. Yesterday, Multnomah County Commissioner Shannon Singleton joined representatives from the Community Alliance of Tenants, Urban League Portland, and other housing-related organizations to denounce the proposed cuts. This year’s proposed budget includes eviction resources for about 4,300 people, compared to 27,700 in the 2023 budget, OPB reported last week.
• A wildfire burning in Jefferson County has grown to an estimated 1,500 acres, prompting evacuation orders in some areas. The Alder Springs Fire broke out Monday in an area northwest of Redmond in central Oregon. Numerous resources are already being devoted to another wildfire–the Rowena Fire–burning near the Dalles in Wasco County. That fire has already claimed 56 homes and as of Saturday, was only 24 percent contained.
• Another Portland culinary gem just picked up a James Beard award. JinJu Patisserie, a pastry and chocolate shop on N Williams Ave, picked up the prestigious award for Outstanding Bakery during Monday’s awards ceremony. The award recognizes “a baker of breads, pastries, or desserts that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.”
• Speaking of culinary delights, get ready, because your summer snacking regimen is about to get turned up to 11. Next week marks the return of the Mercury's Nacho Week! For just $10 a plate, you can nosh on a variety of creative combos at more than 50 locations around the city.
In National/World News:
• The conflict between Iran and Israel doesn't appear to be letting up. On Tuesday, several news agencies reported both countries exchanged attacks. Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has warned Iran's leader that if he doesn't end the conflict, he risks being executed like former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. World leaders, including Trump (who left the G7 Summit early due to the military conflict), are calling for an end to the bombing, but for now, Israeli leaders say they're looking to put an end to an "axis of terrorism" in the Middle East. Important to know: Iran has provided military backing to Hamas, which Israel is also engaged in a brutal conflict with, as it continues a genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel launched attacks targeting Iran's nuclear and military resources last Friday, June 13, following Iran's execution of an Israeli intelligence official in late April.
• As ICE ramps up its stealth abductions of immigrants around the US, two recent cases have prompted heightened concern. In recent weeks, two different college students, both Dreamers (children brought to the US by their parents), were stopped and detained by ICE, before being shipped off to detention centers. In the most recent case, Caroline Dias Goncalves, a college student in Utah, was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy for a potential traffic violation, before being let off with a warning. Moments later, she was stopped on the road by ICE agents and arrested for an unknown reason. It was later revealed that the Mesa County Sheriff's Office was in communication with ICE agents, which likely led to her detainment.
For two days, Caroline Dias Goncalves’ family didn’t know what happened to her. They had been tracking her phone and noticed her location froze in Aurora. It wasn’t until she was finally allowed to call them that they learned ICE had taken her.
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib.com) June 14, 2025 at 10:33 AM
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• The Louvre Museum unexpectedly closed Monday, after staff refused to work, citing untenable crowds and understaffing. The world's most popular art museum in Paris, which houses some of history's most important pieces of artwork like Leonardo DaVinci's Mona Lisa, saw thousands of confused visitors waiting outside the building Monday, without explanation about why the museum wasn't letting anyone through the doors. CNN reports staffers refused to start their shifts, following a routine internal staff meeting, citing "unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called 'untenable' working conditions."
The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, remained shuttered Monday — not by war, not by terror, but by its own exhausted staff, who say the institution is crumbling from within.
— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) June 16, 2025 at 6:38 AM
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And now, for a spot-on take:
@meshaboebesha How are you doing?
♬ Main Titles - Theodore Shapiro
