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Good Morning, Portland! Grab your rain gear, it’s about to get wet for a while. Forecasts show rain today through next Wednesday. Let’s get to the news. 📰
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Colin Kaepernick’s recent event at Beaumont Middle School turned into a chaotic scene as the former NFL player, activist, and EdTech CEO passed out free Nike swag and advertisements for his AI literacy platform. Portland Public Schools (PPS) has reportedly partnered with Lumi Story AI, and the event was as controversial as the partnership itself. Teachers, students, and parents spoke with the Mercury about issues they perceive with the event and partnership, including that they were unaware the event was filmed for an advertisement, and that it appeared to be a “blatant promotional event.” Read more about PPS’ infusion of AI into the local school system, and parents’ reactions to it, from our Taylor Griggs, here.
• The city of Portland has banned foie gras, and if my sources (councilors at public meetings) are correct, this is the death rattle of Portland’s food scene. Discussion about the ban took months from its introduction, something no one thought was necessary for a topic zero Portlanders think is the top issue. But hey, it’s politics and sometimes the only thing opponents have on their plate is a filibuster. (Especially now that the restaurant will be fined between $1,000 to $5,000 for presenting their favorite force-fed goose liver on a plate.) Portland joins California, New York, Chicago and 20 countries around the world in banning the expensive delicacy—although its worth noting some US jurisdictions have repealed or lost court cases over their bans. Our Katherine Chew Hamilton has the breakdown on how we got here and what the ban will mean for the seven Portland restaurants that reportedly serve it.
• Portland General Electric, Portland’s largest utility, is planning to increase rates by 29 percent for users that use a lot of power, for instance, data centers. At the same time, it will decrease rates by 1.3 percent for residential and commercial customers, which is good news for everyone but your buddy Mark whose grow light array can be detected from space despite being set up in his mom’s basement. In Oregon’s last legislative session, lawmakers passed the Protecting Oregonians With Energy Responsibility, or POWER Act, creating a new classification for data, crypto, and other industrial users, ensuring they pay for their high usage rather than customers. Still, humanity will pay for the climate costs in the long run, but news of the higher rates represents some fairness when it comes to electricity usage. Read more on this at OPB.org.
• Federal agents can continue using tear gas at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the South Waterfront, an appeals court ruled Thursday. A decision by a three-judge panel at the Ninth Circuit Court will stand after lawyers for the neighboring affordable apartment complex lost their bid for an appeal by a full group of judges. It’s worth noting in case protests ramp up again at the facility, which have been notably less frequent over the past few months. The Oregonian has a full story about this, here.
• For recommendations for your weekend, check out the Mercury‘s Do This, Do That!
IN NATIONAL NEWS:
• Astronauts at the International Space Station were preparing earlier this morning for a potential evacuation, due to an air leak. A Russian crew rushed to repair a worsening air leak in its part of the station, and four astronauts sheltered in their spacecraft as they hoped the leak could be repaired before they had to evacuate. They were told to return to normal duties hours later. The four astronauts are part of a NASA mission, and include two from the United States, one from France, and a Russian cosmonaut. This story is still developing, but you can read the latest here at the Guardian.
• The US Senate this morning passed a $70 billion package to fund ICE and Border Patrol through President Donald Trump’s second term. The bill was nearly defeated due to complications around Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” but managed to pass without restricting payments out of that fund. That fund is reportedly dead anyway, as acting Attorney General and top brass at the Department of Epstein Coverup Todd Blanche said earlier this week. Eight Republicans voted against the bill for various reasons, some moral and some procedural, but it wasn’t enough to stop the funding. Read more here.
• Maine’s Democratic candidate for US Senate, Graham Platner, is having a very bad campaign week after the New York Times published a story about abusive conduct reported by his former partner. Platner, who previously denied knowing that his “Totenkopf” Nazi tattoo was a Nazi tattoo, also denies the allegations outlined in the story. Platner is facing an uphill battle, as reports came last week that his wife found sexual messages on his phone. Pressure is mounting for Platner, with some calling for him to drop out of the primary before the June 9 election. Democrats do appear to have a choice to make about what kinds of candidates they’re willing to get behind. As the Guardian wrote here: “In a remarkable split-screen for Democrats, as their candidate in the Maine Senate race, Graham Platner, is asking voters to overlook his past conduct, their candidate in the Texas Senate race, James Talarico, is trying to disqualify his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, for his past conduct.”
• Trump’s former national security advisor John Bolton will plead guilty to retaining classified information, the Associated Press reported Thursday. Bolton was charged with 18 classified info violations last year, which is pretty good, actually, for anyone associated with Trump and the naturally occurring crimes that arise from being in his proximity. Under the plea deal, Bolton could face $2.25 million in fines, but he could avoid time in the slammer altogether, according to AP. Some experts were concerned that Trump has been using the Department of Justice to go after his political enemies, which appears to be a credible concern. Still, Bolton is a longtime Republican hawk, who furthered Trump’s agenda in his first term but saved the juicy stuff for his book. Not exactly a public service, John.
• Have a great weekend, and keep your eyes peeled!
