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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! There are some things I think you should be happy about this morning, which I'll get to later, along with a few not-so-happy things. But first, a quick reminder that it's Nacho Week this week, so get your delicious nachos here.
As for the weather, it's going to be perfect for the next few days—low 70s with clouds—before heating up over the weekend and into early next week. Enjoy the mild temps while they last.
Now, here's the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Protesters have been gathering at ICE's Portland field office in the South Waterfront nightly for more than two weeks, rallying against the agency's increased targeting of immigrants in Oregon and beyond. The demonstrations have also become about the use of force the federal officers have used on protesters, including their liberal deployment of tear gas that has impacted not only those choosing to rise up against ICE, but also people who just happen to live in the neighborhood. Many of those protesters, and thousands of others, have set their sights on what they see as a potential strategy to subvert ICE's operations in Portland: Get the city to pull the conditional use permit for the South Waterfront ICE office.
Not all immigrant advocates agree with this strategy. In fact, many people who have worked in mutual aid or immigrant legal defense work for years say it's the wrong tack, putting immigrants in even more danger at an already scary time. The discourse is somewhat complicated (but it's very interesting!) and I already wrote a whole story about it so I'm just going to link you to that. Read it, please and thank you.
• Speaking of the ICE facility permit...Portland City Council’s Community and Public Safety Committee confronted the situation head-on yesterday, as more than 100 Portlanders showed up to listen in, packing City Hall. A city attorney reiterated that local police are barred from helping to enforce immigration laws, BUT the Portland Police Bureau will still respond to criminal activity and violations of state laws.
“I think it’s not always clear to everyone what is allowed and what’s not, and also 'sanctuary' maybe gives an impression that isn’t necessarily always accurate,” said Councilor Sameer Kanal, who co-chairs the Committee with Councilor Steve Novick. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said his agency has arrested 25 people over the past two weeks, related to alleged criminal behavior stemming from the ICE protests. As for the permit, councilors say a different committee like Land Use and Transportation could decide to explore the permit revocation, but there are limitations.
• Some tentative good news here:
Environmental advocates celebrated the ruling late Monday but cautioned that Senate Energy Chairman Mike Lee’s proposal was far from dead.
— The Oregonian (@oregonian.com) June 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
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• Well. We've got measles, folks, right here in Oregon. With a capital "M" and that rhymes with phlegm and that stands for...uh, I give up. But it's bad. The Oregon Health Authority announced the state's first measles case of the year yesterday, reporting that the patient is an unvaccinated adult who seemingly became ill while traveling internationally. I hope they're okay, but, like...please get vaccinated. Measles is a really bad disease that can easily make you really sick or put you at risk of death. It's also highly, highly contagious.
While most vaccinated people should be okay (though, if it's been a while, you might wanna check how protected you are!), those who haven't been vaccinated for measles are at serious risk during an outbreak. This includes many kindergarteners and other young children, as Oregon has a high rate of non-medical vaccine opt-outs. This is why hippies should be feared. For real, though, this is scary. If you or your child is unvaccinated and you haven't caught measles yet, I urge you to get the vaccine. You'll be fine. If you get measles, though, you might not be. (For a more detailed, and very somber, story about how measles impacts the body and has made a comeback due to political misinformation, check out this recent New York Times piece.)
• Earlier this week, state lawmakers added an amendment to a placeholder Senate Bill that would effectively kill Preschool for All, the program Multnomah County voters approved by 64 percent in 2020. With only days left in the legislative session, this was a bold move, and it was very poorly received by (most) Multnomah County leadership and many advocates for the program. Now, however, it seems like the bill is DOA, but it's not the end of Preschool for All's hardships. The program has long struggled in part because of difficulties with rollout and expansion, but has also faced (factually iffy) accusations from business leaders of contributing to Portland's so-called "doom loop."
In large part due to those concerns, Governor Tina Kotek seems intent on making substantial changes to the policy, potentially including reducing the tax rate. Kotek can't kill it without a fight, though, as Preschool for All has a fierce coalition of supporters who will go to great lengths for the program.
To quote one of them, Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer, at the legislative hearing yesterday:
"I certainly want every resident of Multnomah County to stick around. But I don't just care about today's tax base. I am consciously thinking about how to build our tax base and our workforce for the next decade, for 20, 30 years from now. I am telling you that people are not leaving Multnomah County because of Preschool for All."
She said a lot of other stuff, too. Stay tuned for more coverage on this topic.
For now, the bill is going nowhere. But Gov. Tina Kotek is hellbent on saving the “whales” she says Preschool for All is driving out of Multnomah County.
— Willamette Week (@wweek.com) June 24, 2025 at 5:17 PM
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IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• I told you I was gonna have good news for you, and here it is, in the very unlikely chance you haven't heard it yet: ZOHRAN MAMDANI WON THE NYC MAYORAL RACE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY!! Yesterday was Election Day, and Mamdani did very well in the first round of ranked choice voting, effectively securing his spot as the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. This is really awesome, for many reasons, and I'd like to share a few here. For one, Mamdani's win last night was a major defeat for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from his seat in disgrace four years ago following a series of sexual misconduct allegations, and then decided to try his luck at a comeback in this year's mayoral race. While Cuomo may still decide to run in the general election, his defeat yesterday sends a signal that people are ready to move on from has-been sex pests who have nothing to bring to the table but bad ideas. But it's not just about defeating Cuomo. Mamdani is an extremely electric and smart politician in his own right, and what's more—he's a South Asian, Muslim socialist. So THERE, establishment!
You might be wondering why I—a Portland resident who has never lived in New York—care so much about local politics in New York City. Well, first of all, I have a crush on this guy, okay? More importantly, though, NYC is the biggest city in the country. Millions of people with diverse viewpoints live and vote there. If Mamdani can win in New York, especially during a time when Trump has made open Islamophobia and fear mongering about socialists cool again, I think it signals something big, and that's really exciting to me. I only hope the national Democratic leadership will take the cue.
Also, the iconic Pop Base is on Bluesky!
Andrew Cuomo has conceded the New York City Democratic mayoral primary to Zohran Mamdani.
— Pop Base (@popbase.tv) June 24, 2025 at 7:48 PM
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• Trump's attempt to force Iran and Israel into a cease-fire by yelling at them on Truth Social seems to be kinda working? Well, that probably gives the president too much credit. What I'll say is that after some initial hesitancy, Iran and Israel appear to have stopped bombing each other—for now, at least. That absolutely does not mean it was a good idea for the US to get involved in this war. Despite claims to the contrary from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is very unlikely that the US strikes on Israeli nuclear facilities did very significant damage to their nuclear program. In fact, early intel says the strikes probably only set it back "a few months."
To summarize the events of the last couple weeks: Right before the US was set to meet with Iran leaders to chat about a nuclear deal, Israel attacked Iran unprovoked, killing many civilians in the process. Israel's excuse that Iran was on the verge of obtaining a nuclear weapon—despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Iran fired back in a more limited capacity. Then, Netanyahu managed to convince Trump that even though he fucked up US talks with Iran, the US should come to Israel's defense. He agreed, without seeking approval from Congress, and bombed Iran. Now, Iran's progress on building nukes is pretty much right where it was when this whole thing started, but the country's leaders now may feel more urgency to get it done. Good job, guys. Not.
(Oh yeah, and don't forget about the Palestinians, who have continued to be killed by Israeli forces in truly horrendous and evil ways while all of this has been going on.)
• Trump said "fuck" yesterday, and that was apparently worth a whole NPR segment. Who gives a fuck.
• And, of course, your animal post of the day. BYE!
