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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
Those damnable showers and its boyfriend, the wind, will continue pestering and depressing us today with a high of 58—BUT! The sunny sun will return tomorrow afternoon and through the weekend making life a bit more tolerable. (NO, I AM NOT GETTING ALONG WELL WITH THE END OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME, DEAL WITH IT!) And now, a bunch of somewhat intolerable NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Our neighbors in Hillsboro and Washington County have declared a state of emergency caused by the masked kidnappers of ICE, who have ramped up immigration enforcement (i.e. the aforementioned kidnappings) in the area. The county's board of commissioners unanimously voted in favor of declaring the emergency, which will unlock $200,000 in contingency funds to assist local community organizations in helping those being terrorized by Trump's goons. At least 135 ICE arrests were reported in Washington County during October—compare that number to the 329 total kidnappings made during the same month, but across the entire state. One of the commissioners, Nafisa Fai, wanted the action to go even further, suspending rental evictions and utility shutoffs to help families who are tumbling into poverty thanks to their primary breadwinners being assaulted by ICE and snatched off the street. “There are other tools in our toolbox,” Fai said, “The situation the community faces demands aggressive action to safeguard our residents.”
“This is not immigration enforcement. This is racial terror. This is state-sanctioned violence. This is the face of fascism. Not in some far off land but in our backyard.”
www.oregonlive.com/washingtonco...
— Oregon Justice Resource Center (@ojrcenter.bsky.social) November 6, 2025 at 7:45 AM
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• Former Vice President Kamala Harris made an appearance at Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall last night to push her new book, and share choice words about Trump and his deployment of ICE kidnappers. Calling his actions an “abhorrent assault on constitutional values and principles,” Harris also recalled her presidential campaign and demoralizing defeat to Trump a year ago, which is the subject of her book, 107 Days. While well received inside the hall, at least two dozen protesters were outside the venue demonstrating against Harris and the failures of the Biden administration to protect Palestinians and stop the genocide taking place in Gaza.
• If you've got a flight planned in the near future, you should check to see if it still exists. The FAA has ordered a 10 percent reduction, or cancellation of flights, in 40 markets—and yes, that includes Portland—which means that around 3,500 to 4,000 flights across the country could be affected. The canceled flights are due to the continuing Republican government shutdown, which is forcing air traffic controllers to work without pay, which in turn is forcing controllers to call in sick and take extra jobs in order to feed their families. (Is it any wonder the GOP had their asses handed to them in Tuesday's elections?) In any case, here's what to do if you suddenly discover that Republicans have caused your flight to be canceled or delayed.
• Congrats to our beleaguered Portland Trail Blazers, who came back from a 22-point deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119 last night. The Blazers were down 41-21 at the end of the first quarter, before showing the necessary aggressiveness and grit to battle their way back to the shocking finish. Despite the uphill battle they've been fighting—thanks in no small part to the recent arrest of their head coach—never, ever count the bois out!
• Looking for a verrrrrry interesting read? We've got you:
A new nonfiction history, Let My Country Awake, explores the complexity of Indian resistance against the British Empire during World War I.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) November 5, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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• Get ready to get reeeeeally excited, Portland: Because groundbreaking took place this week for the as-of-now unnamed new mid-size music venue that will be located at the old Nordstrom space in the Lloyd Center Mall! What will that mean for the Portland music scene? For one, you'll get to see bands and artists that usually pass us by for Seattle and other West Coast cities, and for two... well, let's allow our resident expert music editor Nolan Parker to explain it all for you!
Hear In Portland is here for you, Portland! The fortnightly column comes at you this week with Karma Rivera's debut album, a new track from Rachel Wong, and the new hip-hop showcase for local talent at Mississippi Studios 🔊
Link below for what's really going down in Portland hip-hop and R&B 🔗
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) November 5, 2025 at 1:55 PM
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IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Former Speaker of the House (and first-ever woman speaker) Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement from politcis at the age of 85. She says she will not be running for reelection to congress, and retire at the end of her current term, marking an astonishing four decades of public service. Pelosi, whose long career was capped by repeatedly throwing sand in the gears of Trump's first administration, is joining other career Democrats who are stepping aside to allow a new, younger generation of politicians to step up and serve. Personally, I'll always remember her delicious talent for throwing shade, such as in the clapping incident, and the "rip" head 'round the world:
The president had nothing but a rambling diatribe for his retiring opponent, who at times ran circles around him during his first term.
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) November 6, 2025 at 8:01 AM
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• As if people losing their SNAP benefits wasn't enough, there is more trouble ahead for the Americans affected by the Republican/Trump government shutdown. Fears are starting to emerge that a federal program, which is run by the Department of Health and Human Services and assists low-income households with their heating bills, could be out of money “by the end of this week” according to one official—just in time for the frigid winter months. While Republicans are desperately trying to blame this shitty situation on the Dems, NBC News offers this reminder: "[In April] the Trump administration terminated the entire staff that was responsible for providing oversight and technical assistance for the program at HHS." So once again... we know who to blame, right?
• OH! And speaking of Trump robbing you blind, if you were thinking of using the government's free tax filing service offered by the IRS next year, you can forget that as well—because King Fool has cancelled the service. While the free service was developed during the Biden administration, Trump and his Republican cronies consider it "wasteful" and think you should pay exorbitant fees to commercial tax filing services instead. So to recap: Republicans are taking away your food, heating, and free tax services that you use to help them fund their draconian plans to kidnap immigrants and make themselves and their millionaires donors richer.
• The good news? You just gotta love the sudden appearance of headlines like this one:
• While too early to get your hopes up, the Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on Trump's insane, economy-wrecking tariffs may not be the slam dunk that King Fool was hoping for. In yesterday's hearing, a majority of the justices questioned the legality of Trump's tariffs and if he has indeed exceeded the powers given to him under a law that purportedly allows him to inflict such taxes in the case of foreign threats and a national emergency. (In other words, they were skeptical of him using the imaginary "Portland is burning" defense to justify charging other countries billions while putting Americans out of work and passing rising expenses on to the consumer.) Grab yer popcorn and watch this space!
• And finally... this lady just went and touched the wrong button.
@fuuchan_nichijyou うちのボス #愛犬#犬 #犬のいる生活#fyp #おすすめ ♬ オリジナル楽曲 - FREE_BGM
