If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution to the Mercury, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!
GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! It looks like we’re headed into a mix of rain followed by nice sunny weather this weekend. Let’s read today’s news. 📰
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• On Wednesday, Portland City Council passed an ordinance to ban face coverings for law enforcement officers working in the city, “The Right to Know Who’s Policing You” ordinance was introduced by District 2 Councilor Sameer Kanal roughly forever ago, but it took time for the council to get to something that enough people would agree on. The police and police union made sure everyone knew they did not support it because it goes too far and will cause a lot of problems and also because it won’t do anything and no one should expect them to unmask federal agents. It really won’t unmask agents, but as Portland State’s student newspaper PSU Vanguard highlighted yesterday, it can cause unnecessary fear to be policed by anonymous people. The new local ban will give people legal avenues if they happen to be detained by a random weirdo in a mask, which has happened on multiple occasions. Courtney Vaughn has a breakdown on the ordinance, and how it came to pass, here.
• The US Department of Justice is suing states that refused to approve undercover license plates to federal agents, including Oregon, Washington, Maine, and Massachusetts. The DOJ says it’s a public safety thing, because their goons must drive around secretly to avoid “targeted harassment” from “dangerous individuals.” Okay, grandpa, let’s get you to bed. The DOJ announced the legal filing Thursday, which you can read here.
• If you happen to be mad at Oregon SNAP recipients for taking government subsidies, new reporting from the Oregon Capital Chronicle shows you just might be mad at the wrong people. At the top of the list of companies that workers with SNAP benefits listed as their employer, Safeway and its parent company Albertsons were at the top, followed by Walmart and Amazon. Fred Meyer, Oregon State University, and the University of Oregon are all in the top 10. Many of these companies have received massive tax breaks from President Donald Trump since 2017, and congressional Republicans in 2025 cut the SNAP program by billions over the next decade. Read more on the Oregon Capital Chronicle’s analysis of Oregon SNAP records, here.
• Vaccination opt-out rates for non-medical purposes are reaching concerning levels in Oregon, public health officials say. Kindergarten students with non-medical exemptions have reached 11 percent, and just 86 percent of kindergarteners are fully vaccinated. To prevent measles outbreaks, for instance, schools should maintain at least a 93 percent vaccination rate. The Oregonian reports on the Oregon Health Authority’s latest data, here, noting that the OHA recommends families check the rates at their kids’ schools on this immunization dashboard.
• Last week’s election results can say a lot about the state of politics in Oregon. One race in particular—the Hillsboro seat that democratic socialist Myrna Muñoz won over longtime incumbent Janeen Sollman—has created a debate within the Democratic party on what the election means for the future. And, how labor unions might influence elections in a time of record corporate profits. OPB published a deep dive into the money, influence, and hot button issues that could represent a sea change in Oregon politics. Or not, depending on who you ask. Full story here.
• The confirmed death toll in the Longview paper mill implosion has reached eight, with three others missing and presumed dead. Tuesday’s tragic disaster is likely Washington’s most deadly workplace incident in 96 years. Stories of the people lost and interviews with families are starting to come in, and OPB is keeping tabs on the ongoing efforts to recover bodies and contain the leak. Catch up on the history and current efforts, here.
IN NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
• A federal judge has temporarily blocked payouts from Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund,” aka the “weaponization fund.” The $1.8 billion deal that the Dear Leader struck with the IRS to pay victims of “weaponization and lawfare”—aka January 6 insurrectionists and other right wingers who got arrested for doing crimes to benefit the president—cannot move forward, for now, while the judge hears additional legal arguments. Few details are available early Friday, but this story will certainly continue until the Supreme Court says it’s cool, actually, as long as they don’t use it to pay off student debt.
• Meanwhile, the White House continues to dehumanize and manufacture violence against immigrants, this time with some quite ridiculous propaganda.
• The US and Iran are “very close” to a deal to end the war, vice president James David Vance claimed on Thursday. He added that it was too early to say when or if the two countries would reach a deal, but a framework was reportedly in motion and would need both countries to sign on. That agreement could extend a ceasefire by 60 days, allow unrestricted passage through the Straight of Hormuz, and give Iran 30 days to clear mines from the essential marine passageway. Again, with bluster everywhere in the Trump administration, it’s tough to say if the deal is for real. Read more on the latest in the BBC.
• The US wanted to send Americans who have been exposed to Ebola to a quarantine facility in Kenya, which has no known cases of the deadly virus, but Kenyan courts are pushing back. A court on Friday ordered the plan to be delayed, pending ongoing lawsuit brought by health workers and activists. Kenya was one of the most impacted countries from the Trump administration’s USAID cuts, seeing $225 million in cuts last year, reportedly leading to the layoff of some 54,000 healthcare workers in that country alone. Doctors and human rights groups there say a deal could put public health at risk. “The secretive, unilateral establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility raises grave constitutional concerns regarding the rights to life, health, fair administrative action, public participation, and parliamentary oversight,” the Katiba Institute said in a statement to Al Jazeera. Read more here.
• Have a great weekend!
