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Good morning, Portland! We’re almost through the June gloom. Expect clouds and a slight chance of rain today and tomorrow, with a high of 71 degrees. But come Saturday, get ready to party, cuz it’s sunshine and high 70s, baybee!

In Local News: 

  • The Portland Police Bureau and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office are backing a proposal that would change a current Police Bureau directive about Brady material in criminal trials. What is Brady material, you ask? It’s essentially evidence that could potentially exonerate a defendant in court. The “Brady rule” exists to ensure due process for the accused. Prosecutors are typically required to collect that exculpatory evidence from police–which can include information in an officer’s personnel file if they're called as a witness–and submit it as evidence. A few years ago, PPB adopted a directive that goes one step further than the federal law, and stipulates that the Bureau will “err on the side of disclosure” when it comes to releasing any pertinent information to the DA’s Office. Now, PPB wants to claw back that directive, claiming concerns over unnecessary disclosure of officers’ personal information. Defense attorneys are calling BS, noting federal law already prevents that, and it’s the local DA’s Office that actually pushed for the change, because it lowers the burden of responsibility (and ultimately the workload) for prosecutors. Last night, Portland’s Committee on Community Engaged Policing determined they won’t support the change, joining local public defenders in citing concerns about police deciding what counts as exculpatory evidence. Abe Asher has the background in this piece published yesterday. 

    The Police Bureau and DA's Office want to change a key directive that could determine whether criminal defendants have access to information that could potentially exonerate them in legal cases. Tonight, Portland's Committee on Community Engaged Policing will decide whether to support the change.

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    — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com)June 25, 2025 at 11:48 AM

  • Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a noise code cleanup introduced by Councilor Jamie Dunphy. Dunphy, who ran on a platform centered on music, arts, and culture, said making the city's noise ordinances more fair was a top priority. Currently, the city's code has two noise enforcement mechanisms. One is scientific, based on decibel measurements. The other is complaint-driven and based on subjective standards of "plainly audible" noise, which can have harmful impacts on local music venues and clubs that risk complaints from neighbors. Read more about the code revisions and their impacts here. 
  • In case you forgot, it's the Mercury's Nacho Week! More than 50 restaurants across the city are dishing out plates piled high with traditional and non-traditional takes on the classic Mexican-inspired indulgence. Nacho Week runs until Sunday. 

In National/World News: 

  • Zohran Mamdani’s win in the democratic primary for New York City’s mayoral race stunned a lot of old-guard dems, as well as big business interests. Mamdani’s supporters say it’s easy to see why voters embraced him and his vision. The 33-year-old democratic socialist’s top opponent was former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who’s been accused of sexual harassment by several women. Let’s face it, Cuomo also has little to no riz. Mamdani campaigned well and earnestly, but his victory is also evidence of how fed up younger, left-wing voters are with the Democratic Party, and how they’re ready to embrace real change and hard truths about the impact of deep economic divides. 

Mamdani’s win isn’t just evidence of the growing popularity of the democratic socialist agenda. It mirrors what’s happening in other cities. A CNBC story yesterday portrayed Mamdani as a boogeyman to Wall Street, who’s sure to tank the NYC economy by causing wealthy investors to flee. Sound familiar?

By contrast, an MSNBC opinion piece seemed to capture the moment, and its meaning. “The results were an emperor-has-no-clothes moment, revealing that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s city-in-crisis campaign was wildly out of step with what New York’s Democrats want in their next mayor. Though it’s only a local election, it’s a repudiation by the electorate of the fading Democratic dynasties, which Cuomo surely represents.” 

  • US Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose determination to be Trump’s best lapdog rivals her legal ethics, recently faced questions from members of Congress earlier this week about federal immigration agents covering their faces and often wearing little to no law enforcement identifying credentials. Bondi feigned ignorance, saying she was unfamiliar with the situation, but quickly came up with the excuse that agents were being doxxed. News outlets were quick to point out that the internet is crawling with video and photos of ICE agents wearing neck gaiters to cover half their faces during immigration raids. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan stressed that federal agents hiding their identities makes them look like kidnappers to any sensible person, who’s likely to resist, and endanger themselves and the agents. 
  • Drone footage captured by ecology researchers shows curious and enlightening behavior among a pod of orcas in the Salish Sea that borders Vancouver, B.C. and Washington’s coast. Killer whales have been spotted using long strands of kelp while brushing up against each other in a behavior known as “allokelping” which is a way to soothe and/or exfoliate their skin. Ecologists say it’s likely a grooming technique and a mechanism for familial bonding. 

    Guess who else loves kelp? Orcas in the Pacific Northwest! Cool findings from @whaleresearch.bsky.social: www.science.org/content/arti... #algae #ToolUse #nereocystis #SalishSea #allokelping

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    — Julie Packard (@juliepackard.montereybayaquarium.org) June 23, 2025 at 3:11 PM

More proof that animals are the only true pure thing left in this world. 

@sarahfiles.mp4

 

♬ som original - ℳ𐙚