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Good Morning, Portland! We've been screaming about Pickathon for days, but you do have to admit, the people going this weekend are going to get some primo weather treatment: high of 80 today, 85 tomorrow, and a supportive 77 on Sunday. When you think of how the fest has been grazing 100-degrees for the past couple years, it's like, you just can't help but feel happy for them! Because we certainly can't feel happy about THE NEWS 🧛‍♂️

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• On Thursday, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson issued an executive order requiring the city to “adjust any programs or policies at risk of violating federal anti-discrimination laws.” The change impacts city programs that benefit minority groups, adjusting them so they "cannot give preference to groups with ‘protected-class status’ based on characteristics such as race or gender," the letter says. While it's a significant concession to the Trump administration's new federal mandates against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, OPB reports that Sandy Chung, director of the ACLU of Oregon, Portland Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney, and Councilor Steve Novick have all voiced support for the decision. Councilor Angelita Morillo expressed hesitation and uncertainty about it. With $31 million in federal funding in immediate jeopardy and $350 million on the line in total, Wilson reasoned that cuts to funding for those programs might have a negative impact on the people the DEI policies were created to support. Portland is still part of a lawsuit against the administration’s cuts / restrictions to grant funding, based on who follows Trump's orders on DEI, immigration, and transgender rights.

• There's a potential reprieve in the works for Old Town gay bar CC Slaughters. At the beginning of June, the owners announced their plans to retire and close the nightclub on August 3, but a July 31 Facebook update announced that "interested buyers have put in their bid to purchase the club." Plans are in place to remain open during the ownership change, and the club will continue regular business hours until further notice. 

CC Slaughters might not be closing after all? www.facebook.com/share/19jjoC...

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— iain (@maccoinnich.bsky.social) July 31, 2025 at 5:49 PM

• Yesterday was a bonkers day on the Mercury blog. We dropped the 25th Anniversary Issue—in print all over the city!—screamed about our 25th anniversary show and Pickathon, and previewed the most Burger Week locations EVAR! The anniversary issue is 95 percent memories of terrible ideas the staff dutifully followed through on—and along the way we did some pretty good news and culture reporting too.

• A Multnomah County Grand Jury indicted a Gresham police officer Thursday. Officer Hector Carranza is being held at Clackamas County jail on 56 charges including rape and sexual abuse of an underage girl.

• Friday morning tickets are about to drop—or in the case of Goblin's 50th Anniversary Tour, dropped at 7 am.  (Don't worry, it's not a Simonetti Goblin tour.) On deck this morning: Blade Runner LIVE in January (meaning a traveling orchestra will play Vangelis' synthesiser-led score live), and a Charlie Brown Christmas Live in December. Also in December Christmas with C.S. Lewis plays at the Newmark... oh cool, a play about J.R.R. Tolkien turning C.S. Lewis into a Christian weirdo. Sounds delightful. Get tickets to these and other Portland shows via EverOut's handy list of Friday morning ticket drops!

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATINAL NEWS:
• Oh boy, another tariff Friday! Why does President Donald Trump always do weird tariff stuff on Thursday afternoons? Because announcing stuff on Thursday/Friday allows the stock market to freak the fuck out (it is!), and then Trump can make accommodations over the weekend and look like a hero. So, we've heard about one or two trade agreements—because the rubbing baby oil all over the US president TAKES TIME, especially when its done by heads of state who have much less experience than a professional masseuse—but there was no way everyone was going to negotiate a deal before today. So, following a deadline he himself created, the President imposed some ✨new tariffs. It's sort of like the latest entry in his emotional tariff journal; where he writes down all his wildly oscillating tariff thoughts. TODAY (emphasis on temporary)'s tariffs are 35 percent on Canada (he hates Canada!) and a 90-day postponement on tariffs for Mexico (Mexico is maybe his new bestie, we'll see). Countries he likely feels overwhelming apathy for get a baseline of 10 percent, and countries he's mad 😡 at get 25! It might seem that the recent 15 percent compromise with the European Union wasn't a good deal, but they probably would have gotten 25 😡 without it. Okay, none of these are going into effect yet either—they've got until August 7, and that deadline is SO CHANGEABLE.

• Speaking of Friday, it's Bandcamp Friday! Pre-order the Cosmic Tones Research Trio self-titled second album from Mississippi Records or Eliot Krimsky's I Made My House on Moon Glyph. Or grip bonus tracks from Alien Boy's You Wanna Fade? and PDX Pop Now! Vol. 22, the hot, new 2025 compilation. Another entry for you love to see it, local label Beacon Sound made Bandcamp's Best Ambient list. Very chill.

• Back to guileless shows of force, President Trump was up too late and talking shit about Russia's former president on social media Dmitri A. Medvedev on social media. Pundits theorize that it may be a way to puff up his chest at Russia without conflicting with Putin directly—very demure, but not very mindful.

• A supply chain SNAFU resulted in some packs of alcoholic seltzer High Noon being mislabeled as Celsius Astro Vibe, Sparkling Blue Razz Edition energy drinks. The FDA advised those who purchased beach variety packs sent to retailers in Florida, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin between July 21-July 23 to return the packs.

• A new ad from American Eagle, claiming that "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," has everyone asking oh, are eugenics back? Plenty will say that while they personally love eugenics this ad isn't that. Salon senior writer Andi Zeisler makes a great case for the actress knowing exactly what she was doing when she pouted for the camera.

• And now, this one goes out to every asshole who has the fucking gaul to introduce a new problem after quitting time. Daniel, you'll still be a mean girl tomorrow, and the poor soul you're trying to bully will still be there. Just schedule it.