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Good morning, Portland! We’re on for another cool day today (low 60s), with the potential for some rain. But this beautiful weather isn’t expected to last long (more on that below). Anyway, let’s get to the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• The weather may be wonderfully cool today, but you might want to pull out the air conditioner now—the seven-day forecast shows there’s some alarmingly high heat ahead this weekend. The forecast currently indicates Portland could see temperatures as high as 100 degrees on Sunday and/or Monday, which would break records for this early in the summer. Fingers crossed the exact temperatures are actually quite a bit lower than that, but regardless of the specifics, it’s safe to say it’s going to be hot next week, so be prepared. (That includes county officials, who should probably start prepping the cooling shelters.)
• Speaking of ways to cool off in the heat: Portland kids (and their parents) have dealt with some confusing back and forth over a new state rule that would have prohibited children under the age of 14 from using public pools without an adult accompanying them. Last week, the Oregon Health Authority (the agency that imposed the rule) backpedaled on the directive, saying it’s actually now just a “recommendation.” It’s unclear how Portland will respond to the rule change.
• The biggest sporting event in the history of the world kicks off in Mexico City this Thursday afternoon, and before long, the World Cup will arrive in the Pacific Northwest. You probably have questions, right? In this World Cup primer from our Abe Asher, you’ll find out how it all works, where to watch the games, as well as a breakdown of all teams you’ll be rooting for (or against)!
• In other sports news: The Portland Fire’s first season has delivered some tough losses as well as surprising wins against top-notch opponents. The question is, “Can Coach Alex Sarama’s “Constraints-Led Approach” (CLA) theory eventually lead the Fire to consistent victory?” Fire correspondent Stephanie Kaloi explains how CLA works, and what we can look forward to in the season ahead.
• The Mercury‘s DO THIS, DO THAT is back, with the best recommendations for things you should check out this week. On the roster: Summer faves Bike Play, Kickstand Comedy in the Park, and the Risk/Reward Festival of New Performance return this week, plus ladles full of queer soup and the Mercury‘s Queer Issue drag brunch. More here!
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• The Knicks lost to the Spurs at Madison Square Garden last night, ending a 13-game playoff winning streak. Donald Trump happened to be at the game, which may have thrown off the energy. It certainly wasn’t a popular presidential visit—listen to these boos! The teams will face each other again Wednesday, and the Knicks still have a good chance at winning this year’s championships, but they’ll have to play more than four games to do it.
• Reality TV has-been Spencer Pratt is, thankfully, out of the running to be the next mayor of Los Angeles. Progressive candidate Nithya Raman has officially received enough votes to qualify for the runoff election in November, where she’ll face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Pratt is an unserious person with vile beliefs who received a scary amount of votes in the primary last week, but not enough to give him a real shot at the mayor’s office.
• This is a crazy situation: In Mississippi, lawyers on both sides of a federal court case were caught using AI to argue against each other, leading the judge to cancl the whole trial. The judge chastised the attorneys for wasting the court’s time, and wrote that “in an era of rampant unverified AI usage within the legal field, this case presents a prime example of the risk associated with serving as a rubber-stamp.” These kinds of situations are happening more often these days in the criminal justice system, likely often going unnoticed.
• Colorado’s GOP primary is a complete disaster in ways that are surprising, even considering the current state of this country’s politics. (Some of the candidates are so crazy, they even got their own segment on John Oliver.) Check it out—and I recommend local reporter Kyle Clark’s interviews with the candidates, too, for a laugh and maybe a cry.
• Finally, let’s hear those boos again from another angle.
