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Good morning, Portland! If you haven't partaken in the Mercury's Summer of Slushies yet, you gotta do it today or tomorrow—it's over at the end of the month, which is July 31, which is tomorrow. (This information may seem obvious to some, but my brain has downgraded "knowing the date" to the bottom of the priority list at this moment in time.) So, yeah, freeze up the ol' noggin' and disassociate from the world around you with some boozy, icy treats. 

As for the weather today, it'll be in the high 80s—a bit of a cooldown from yesterday, but still hot. According to my weather app, more cooling is expected through next week, though I wouldn't read too much into the 10-day forecast.

Here's the news. As usual, it's a lot. 

IN LOCAL NEWS:

•  Be safe out there, and stay away from the beach today. There's a tsunami advisory in effect on the West Coast following a massive earthquake in eastern Russia. Even if you don't see large waves, it's not a good day for hanging out on beaches, harbors, and marinas, with strong currents and sneaker waves expected. 

• People in Portland's Pearl District are pissed off about Mayor Keith Wilson's plan to address unsheltered homelessness in the city. More specifically, they're mad about one thing Wilson wants to do to help accomplish his goal: Open an overnight shelter in their neighborhood. (NIMBYs have gotta know there is a pejorative term for their behavior, right?) City leaders plan to create the 200-person shelter at an industrial building at NW 15th Avenue and NW Northrup Street. Some responses from the neighbors, who attended a Monday night town hall about the plan, included "boos, scoffs, and thumbs down gestures." Neighborhood leaders pledge to keep fighting the plan, hoping Wilson will back off and agree to put it elsewhere. Whatever happens, expect drama and crocodile tears. 

• If you're going to Pickathon this weekend, you won't want to miss the Mercury's excellent guide for the event. The guide comes from two perspectives—one author is a seasoned Pickathon vet, while the other (our music editor Nolan Parker) has never been—giving you everything you need ahead of the festival. Check it out, and have fun! 

 

“The whole industry fails if Intel does not succeed.”

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— The Oregonian (@oregonian.com) July 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM

 

• In other music news, the Mercury's picks for the week are here, and you've got a lot of options. Among them: The Mercury's 25th anniversary party and show, tomorrow night at Polaris Hall. Come out to celebrate the Merc, hear awesome live tunes from local acts Pure Bathing Culture, Nonbinary Girlfriend, Karma Rivera, and/or yell at me in person (actually, please don't do that. I will cry). I am hyped and you should be too. If you didn't get a (free) ticket before we ran out, don't fear—you have options. See you there! (Or at the afterparty at Dream House, starting at 11 pm.)

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: 

• More on the massive earthquake that hit eastern Russia early this morning Russian time (yesterday evening for us), and triggered tsunamis. Coming in as an 8.8-magnitude quake, the seismic event is one of the strongest ever recorded on the planet. Some damage has been reported in the small Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, located on a peninsula in Russia's Far East that is significantly closer to Japan than Moscow. (Man, Russian geography is crazy.) But so far, no serious injuries or deaths have been reported, which is quite astonishing for such an intense earthquake. 

• I'm kinda bored. Let's try something new and play a game. 

A Trump administration agency announced a proposal yesterday that leaders say will save Americans "hundreds of billions of dollars in hidden taxes every single year." Supporters of the proposal also tout it as a "win for consumer choice and common sense." What's the proposal? Take your best guess from the options below. 

A) The proposal seeks to implement stronger consumer protections on bank fees, putting caps on credit card late fees and overdraft fees. (WRONG. The Trump administration has significantly weakened the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, dismissing enforcement cases and rolling back regulations on bank fees. Consumer protection groups say this has already cost Americans $18 billion in hidden taxes.) 

B) The proposal would force major retailers to lower prices on everyday household necessities. (WRONG, again. Major companies are already passing on the costs from Trump's disastrous tariffs to consumers. Yesterday, for example, Procter & Gamble told major US retailers that it plans to raise prices on some products starting next week, in an attempt to offset the price of tariffs. Experts say the situation for consumers will only get worse as the fallout from tariffs grows. 

C) The proposal will raise taxes on the rich to lower healthcare prices for working class Americans. (Guess what? That answer is wrong. Trump's budget reconciliation bill, which Congress passed last month, will result in a massive tax break for the wealthiest Americans. It'll cost many others dearly. Millions of Americans  are expected to lose their health insurance, and those who are lucky enough to hold onto it are likely to see their premiums go up significantly. So, yeah. Wrong.)