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Good morning, Portland. We’re due for a bit of sun today, with temps in the high 50s. Expect some rain this Halloweekend. We live in the Pacific Northwest, so no whining!
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has officially agreed to rehear the appeal determining whether or not President Trump can deploy the Oregon National Guard to Portland. Some background: Last week, a panel of three 9th Circuit Court judges ruled that Trump COULD deploy the Oregon National Guard to Portland, going against what a federal judge said earlier in October. (I know, there are too many judges involved in this story.) Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield wasn’t too keen on that decision, and asked for the 9th Circuit to come back with a bigger group of judges to rethink the ruling. (That process is known as an en banc hearing.) It’s unclear when that hearing will take place, but the 9th Circuit’s decision to rehear the case means Trump can’t legally deploy troops to Portland, at least for the time being.
This whole legal saga began when Trump announced late last month that he was going to deploy the National Guard to Portland, and the state of Oregon sued his administration over it. That initial lawsuit is still in action, and the trial for the case begins today in federal court in Portland. Stay tuned, we’ll keep breaking it down for you.
• Speaking of lawsuits against the Trump administration, Oregon and Washington have joined yet another one, this time over the coming lapse in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown. More than two dozen states have joined the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which distributes SNAP benefits. A statement from Oregon’s (extremely hardworking) attorney general Dan Rayfield says the USDA “has the authority and the money to keep SNAP running, and refusing to do so is both illegal and deeply cruel.” Not only is the government refusing to allocate SNAP benefits starting November 1, but it is also likely violating federal laws (Hatch Act, anyone?) by placing a highly partisan, incorrect, and extremely stupid banner on the USDA’s website. The banner says that “the well has run dry” for SNAP funding, and puts all the blame on Senate Democrats for the lapse in food benefits. More than 750,000 people in Oregon benefit from the SNAP program. The states suing the USDA over the lapse in benefits want the agency to use contingency funds to help people get fed (shouldn’t that be what contingency funds are used for??) and are asking a federal judge to file an order that would “immediately turn benefits back on.”
• Meanwhile, several restaurants and cafes in Portland have offered to help feed people who are losing their SNAP benefits in November. Among the places that have stepped up to help: Heretic Coffee, Mama Chow’s Kitchen, El Sombrero Mexican Restaurant, and GeekEasy Anime Cafe. For those who want to help, many of these restaurants are accepting donations to keep the free food coming (Heretic Coffee has raised almost $100,000 so far!) and other places, like St. Johns Food Share and the Oregon Food Bank, are great places to toss a few bucks.
• Last, but certainly not least…the Mercury has a brand new news reporter!!! Meet Jeremiah Hayden, or allow him to reintroduce himself as a Mercury staffer. You likely know him from Street Roots, where he did great work covering all sorts of topics, including housing and homelessness, ICE’s targeting of immigrants, and Zenith Energy’s strange dynamic in Portland. Find out more about Jeremiah (and his cute cat, Ludwig) here. It’s great to have another news reporter at the Mercury during this crazy time, and it’s especially great that it’s someone as up to the task as Jeremiah! Look forward to MORE GOOD STUFF coming your way soon.
We’re excited to introduce Jeremiah Hayden, the Mercury’s newest news reporter. He’ll be covering housing and homelessness, as well as other topics, like Zenith Energy’s shenanigans.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) October 28, 2025 at 2:53 PM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica yesterday, completely pummeling the island with 185 mile per hour winds and massive rainfall. It’s the strongest hurricane to ever hit Jamaica, and one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history. Southwestern Jamaica has already taken a huge hit from the hurricane, which also made landfall in Cuba this morning. This disaster is just the latest reminder of the unequal toll of the climate crisis, as countries that barely contribute to global warming face some of its worst impacts.
Jamaica is responsible for less than 0.05% of global CO2 pollution.
That it’s about to be destroyed by a monster hurricane is climate injustice — aka climate colonialism, aka global capitalism — in action.
— Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) (@doctorvive.bsky.social) October 27, 2025 at 10:57 AM
• There has, ostensibly, been a cease-fire in effect between Israel and Hamas for more than two weeks now. But the Israeli military has not stopped killing people in Gaza during that time, leading one to wonder if the term “cease-fire” has any meaning at all. In recent weeks, Israel has accused Hamas of violating the terms of the cease-fire, alleging the group isn’t returning the bodies of Israeli hostages quickly enough. The Israeli government has also accused Hamas of killing two of its soldiers in Gaza, which the group denies. Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to retaliate with “powerful strikes” on Gaza. As a result, more than 63 people (including two dozen children) were reported to be killed in overnight attacks. These attacks have largely been dismissed by officials, including by US Vice President JD Vance, who called them “little skirmishes.” People like Vance and Trump see the cease-fire as pure political theater. But these are people’s lives, in a place where so much has already been lost. They continue to die even while Western media and politicians refer to a “cease-fire” and “peace.” Both realities cannot coexist.
• A federal judge in San Francisco has put a halt to the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal employees associated with the government shutdown. So far, the administration has issued layoff notices to about 4,000 federal employees, working for agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Treasury. The recent layoffs feel like a continuation of the mass firings earlier this year, during the height of the DOGE era, and just another way for the Trump administration to destroy the basic functions of the US government so they can remake it in their horrifying image. The scope of the judge’s ruling is unclear at the moment, but it should at least serve as a slight impediment to using the shutdown as an excuse to fire more workers. Our wins seem quite small these days, don’t they?
• Dumb lawsuits are not necessarily a novelty. But this latest one out of Texas is a real doozy. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against—wait for it—the pharmaceutical company that makes Tylenol, accusing the company of—wait for it—selling their product to pregnant women despite the TOTALLY FALSE risk of the painkiller causing autism in unborn children. There is no conclusive evidence that Tylenol causes autism. In fact, experts say the causation is really, really unlikely. But it’s RFK Jr. and Trump’s lips to the state of Texas’ ears. Guys, I really don’t think we were meant to take such a constant onslaught of stupidity. I think it’s bad for us on a biological level.
• Oh, to be a baby sea otter, being gently cradled by your sea otter mama. THIS is good internet content. More of this and only this.
