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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
Welcome to the sunny month of JUNE, and Portland will be ushering it in with a week of straight-up sunshine with highs gradually sneaking up from 74 today and to 86 by this weekend. And now let’s sneak into some only partially sunny NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• As Trump (AKA King TACO) continues his efforts to make America a fascist state, the enduring question is what we (those of us who aren’t members of his cult) can do to stop him. Our Abe Asher takes a hard look at this pressing question, interviewing a slate of local experts—each of whom have good suggestions of what it will take to return America to its democratic roots.
• Things got tense at a Saturday town hall meeting led by Oregon Rep. Maxine Dexter, who arrived at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham to talk about King TACO’s cruelly racist immigration policy, but also heard sharp words about the mass murder of Palestinians at the hands of Israel. (Dexter had previously accepted campaign donations from AIPAC, who gives money to candidates they perceive as being supportive of Israel.) A woman yelled at Dexter for accepting the money and about the US government’s continued support of the murder of more than 50,000 Palestinians, before eventually leaving the meeting.
Police say 11 people were injured in a stabbing incident yesterday evening at about 7:15 p.m. PT at the Salem Union Gospel Mission. Police have not shared further details about the incident or the man who was taken into custody.
— OPB (@opb.org) June 2, 2025 at 7:30 AM
• A 53-foot dead sperm well washed onto the beach about 12 miles north of Seaside last week, and after being studied by researchers, it was determined that the whale died after being hit by a vessel. The whale will be left there to naturally decompose and provide food for the local ecosystem—instead of, you know, authorities blowing it up. Who says Oregon doesn’t learn from its mistakes?
The busy month of June is here! And we’ve compiled the biggest events you need to know about in every genre, from Portland Book Week to the Oregon Midsummer Festival, from Ramy Youssef to Homie Fest VI, and from The Importance of Being Earnest to the 8 Seconds Rodeo.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) June 1, 2025 at 1:40 PM
• Not the best news to kick off Pride Month: After 45 years in business, beloved queer club CC Slaughters—located in Old Town—announced that it will be closing its doors forever on August 3. In a Facebook post announcement yesterday, CC’s owners thanked its many patrons over the years for “making CCs a joyful memory for many, whether for a single night out or many nights out over the years dancing until 2 a.m.” Thank you for your service, CCs. You will be missed! 😢
• If you’re a lover of sailors, get ready to get hot—because FLEET WEEK starts tomorrow, bay-beeee! Hope you’re also a lover of raised bridges, because you can expect a lot of that too as three ships will be sailing into town for the Rose Festival tomorrow between 3 and 6 pm, while four more will arrive on Wednesday between 4 and 8 pm. (Reminder that just because I objectify sailors, it doesn’t mean you have to. But who can blame me?)
Let’s go, trivia lovers! It’s time for another super fun POP QUIZ PDX. This week’s questions include: old-timey statues, interesting ways to perish, and (whoopsy-daisy) Portland is SINKING. (See how well YOU score!)
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) May 29, 2025 at 9:58 AM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Eight people in Boulder, Colorado, have been hospitalized after a man carrying a homemade flame thrower attacked a group of demonstrators who had gathered in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The captured suspect, who Homeland Security says was an Egyptian citizen in the United States on an expired visa, was allegedly screaming, “Free Palestine” during the attack. While all eight victims were transported to the hospital, two of them are said to be seriously injured.
Elon Musk was using drugs on a much larger and more “serious” scale than previously thought during the 2024 presidential campaign, according to an explosive report.
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) May 30, 2025 at 4:49 AM
• There is serious egg on Putin’s face after Ukraine launched a very sneaky and successful attack on Russian soil this weekend. The Ukraine military had reportedly smuggled 117 drones deep into the country, and later launched them by remote control to bomb and take out four Russian air bases—destroying about one-third of the country’s strategic cruise missile carriers (!)—which have been responsible for near daily bombings of Ukrainian cities. Pro-Russian commentators are calling it the country’s “Pearl Harbor,” but the biggest blow of all might be to Putin’s gargantuan ego.
• A former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs is on the stand again today, testifying against the music mogul who is accused of sex trafficking. “Mia,” a pseudonym for the assistant, has testified that she was abused sexually, mentally, and physically by Combs during the time of her employment, and says she was forced to participate in his sex-fueled “Freakoff” parties.
• A massive volcanic explosion from Italy’s Mount Etna sent tourists running for their lives earlier today as molten lava poured down the mountainside—fortunately no injuries have been reported.
• And finally… here’s King TACO losing his his Swiss cheese mind over his latest hilarious nickname—with some help from the Arrested Development gang!
@trumppoops “Trump Always Chickens Out” #TACOTrade #Trump #Chicken #foryoupage #tiktok #fyp #viral #trending #funnyvideos ♬ original sound – Oh no lol
