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Good Morning, Portland! Expect some warm but overcast weather this weekend, and a bit of sun this afternoon. Let’s read the news, shall we? 📰
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• In 2025, Oregon reduced at least 380 sentences for prisoners across the state, after the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that judges can include time they served while awaiting sentences toward their full sentence. It gave a lot of people hope that they would get out early, but the Oregon Department of Corrections provided new guidance as Governor Tina Kotek paused the program last November, and the state ended up returning 17 people to prison. The Prison Journalism Project originally published a story about this yesterday, which you can read here, or you can read a republished version of it in your trusted Mercury font here.
• Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield won a lawsuit yesterday against the Trump administration over its illegal tariffs. The Court of International Trade ruled in favor of 24 states, including Oregon, that sued the administration over 10 percent international tariffs Trump imposed after his buds at the Supreme Court shot down his previous attempt under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. “For the second time this year, Oregon has won a massive victory for Americans consumers and our Constitution,” Rayfield said. “So long as President Trump continues to try to illegally tax Oregonians, we’ll continue to go to court to stop him.” It’s a big win for people of all stripes who hate paying more for goods thanks to a state created crisis.
• NW Natural, the methane gas company whose products may contribute to skin rashes, fatigue, asthma, and can cause damage to your heart, liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, is back in court. The company is challenging a decision from two years ago by the state utility commission that required it to phase out new gas subsidies. Environmental advocates said that decision would help lower costs for consumers, but also reduce the number of new gas customers. NW Natural said the decision was discriminatory, and the company should get a redo. OPB has a full story here on the ongoing fossil fuel court shenanigans.
• Good news for people who prefer to have dirty needles near schools. Multnomah County is mulling a proposal to ban harm reduction within 1,000 feet of schools. It takes a little tiny bit of critical thinking to understand that most organizations are not distributing super close to schools on purpose, but also that the concept of “harm reduction” is to reduce harm, and clean is far less harmful than used in this case. We’ll keep an eye on where this goes.
• Portland Police issued a press release about rescuing six teens from a human trafficking operation yesterday, something some Portlanders have noticed aligns with the timing of a local ordinance that experts say is not supported by data on how to help sex workers or victims of trafficking.
• Well, it’s another weekend, and the Mercury has dug around and curated a few great recommended events lists. First off, it’s Mercury Music Picks, including Cabaret Voltaire at the Roseland, Sunblood Stories at Clinton Street Theater, and Yuvees’ return to Portland at the Swan Dive—all happening tonight! 🤯 There’s more on Saturday too if the world doesn’t end before then, so check out the picks at the merc dot com here.
• If you’re pining for some arts and culture this weekend, the Mercury’s Do This, Do That column has what you need. Highlights this weekend include the 5th Avenue Cinema’s second run of The Juniper Tree (featuring Björk), the St. John’s Bizarre on Saturday (Featuring Alan Sparhawk of Low, and a bunch of Portland favorites), and Alex G at the Roseland on Sunday. And don’t miss Jibz Cameron at PICA’s annual gals Friday and in conversation with Sara Jaffe at Always Here Bookstore on Saturday. Not familiar? Read the Mercury‘s Lindsay Costello’s fantastic review of Cameron’s book Hell in a Handbag, here. Do This, Do That is here to inspire you.
• Don’t forget: Ballots are due May 19! Our election cheat sheet is here, or you can read our full endorsements here. It’s never too late to vote. Or, wait. May 19 after 8 p.m. would be too late, so let’s get moving!
IN NATIONAL /INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• Voting in the United States is apparently a contentious issue these days, which historically is a sign of a very healthy democracy. After the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act through a case out of Louisiana this week, Tennessee legislators gerrymandered a whole area that will abolish the state’s only majority-Black district (more on that below). But in Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion, he apparently cited a misleading data analysis provided by the Department of Justice, by copy and pasting it from the department’s amicus brief in the case, the Guardian reported Friday morning. Alito apparently used the data to show that the Voting Rights Act was no longer necessary because “vast social change has occurred throughout the country and particularly in the South…” The decision is wreaking havoc on election maps, just before midterm elections take place across the country. On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court blocked the state’s new congressional map in a blow to Democrats. As someone pointed out this week, blaming people in the South for “voting against their interest” is not a great analysis, considering these laws are meant to keep specific groups of people from voting in the common interest.
• As mentioned above, Tennessee is getting heated after state legislators drew a majority-Black district out of its map. Here’s a video of state representative Justin Pearson allowing himself to show a righteous anger as he leaves the state building after the vote.
• On Monday, the Mercury co-published a story with the Guardian about a local company, Sightline Intelligence, which appears to be sending AI surveillance tech to Israel for use in military drones manufactured by Elbit Systems. Well, in a loosely related story, four people in the UK were convicted Wednesday for criminal damage against Elbit after they were arrested and jailed for damage caused during the protest and raid on the factory in August of 2024. The protestors were members of a now-banned group called Palestine Action, and the case highlights the harsh reality for people anywhere in the world who have taken action against Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Still, people everywhere are trying to stop the horrors despite the risk to themselves. Read more on the story here.
• This morning, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he expects Iran to respond to its latest peace proposal sometime today. Iran says it is reviewing the proposal as the two sides are exchanging fire in the Straight of Hormuz. The US wants Iran to agree to not develop a nuclear weapon, stop enriching uranium, and hand over a bunch of enriched uranium (because of course the US leadership would be much more responsible with it). The US would then unfreeze Iranian assets, lift sanctions, and stop its blockade of the Straight, something that wouldn’t have happened in the first place if these drunk on power-salted margarita boys didn’t rush in there to kill a bunch of innocent people in the first place without a plan for how to get out. Read more about the latest in Iran at al-Jazeera, here.
• Have a great weekend, if it’s your weekend! We’re all praying for you, Rudy Giuliani, but especially Tracy and Steve (lower left):